
Board of directors
The Board of Directors collectively represents all shareholders. It acts in the social interest of the Bank and ensures its proper function. Its missions are to approve strategic guidelines, monitor and ensure their implementation in line with Societe Generale's values, and comply with the highest international standards of governance, ethics and risk management. Its members are chosen for their experience, expertise and independence.
The Board of Directors aims to be composed of an equal number of men and women and to reflect diversity.
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Lorenzo Bini Smaghi
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Independent Director
Lorenzo Bini Smaghi- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Independent Director
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2014 – 2026
Biography
An Italian national, Lorenzo Bini Smaghi holds a degree in Economic Sciences from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and a Ph.D in Economic Sciences from the University of Chicago. He began his career in 1983 as an economist in the Research Department of the Bank of Italy. In 1994, he was appointed Head of the Policy Division of the European Monetary Institute. In October 1998, he took up the position of Director-General of International Financial Relations in the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.He was Chairman of SACE from 2001 to 2005. From June 2005 to December 2011, he was a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank. From 2012 to 2016, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of SNAM (Italy). From 2016 to 2019, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Italgas (Italy). He has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Societe Generale since 2015.
Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Chairman of the Board of Directors: ChiantiBanca (Italy) (from 2016 to 2017), Italgas (Italy) (from 2016 to 2019).
Director: TAGES Holding (Italy) (from 2014 to 2019). -
Frédéric Oudéa
Chief Executive Officer
Frédéric OudéaChief Executive Officer
Supervisor of the Service Units: Risk, Compliance, Audit & Inspection, Finance, General Secretary and Human Resources & Communication.
Biography
A French national, Frédéric Oudéa is a graduate of France’s École polytechnique and École nationale d’administration. From 1987 to 1995, he held a number of positions in the French senior civil service, the Audit Department of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the Budget Ministry and the Cabinet of the Minister of the Treasury and Communication.He joined Societe Generale in 1995, successively holding the positions of Deputy Head and Head of the Corporate Banking arm in London. In 1998, he was appointed Head of Global Supervision and Development of the Equities Department. He became Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Societe Generale group in May 2002 and later Chief Financial Officer in January 2003.
In 2008, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Group. He was both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Societe Generale from May 2009 to May 2015. He has served as Chief Executive Officer since the separation in May 2015 of the functions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
He is Chairman of the Foundation of École polytechnique and member of Board of Directors of École polytechnique.
Other mandates held in French listed companies
Director: Cap Gemini (since 2018) -
William Connelly
- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Risk Committee and member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
William Connelly- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Risk Committee and member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2017-2025
Biography
William Connelly is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington D.C. From 1980 to 1990, he was a banker at Chase Manhattan Bank in the US, Spain and the United Kingdom. From 1990 to 1999, he worked at Barings and later at ING Barings as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions in Spain, following which he was appointed Head of Corporate Finance for Western Europe. From 1999 to 2016, he was responsible for various positions in the Investment Banking Division at ING Bank N.V. (Netherlands). His last positions were Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking and member of the Executive Committee, as well as Chief Executive Officer of ING Real Estate B.V. (an ING Bank subsidiary).Other offices held currently in foreign listed companies
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Aegon N.V. (Netherlands) (Member since 2017 and Chairman since 2018).
Director: Amadeus IT Group (Spain) (since 2019) and Chairman (since June 2021).Other offices held currently in foreign unlisted companies
Director: Singular Bank SA (formerly Self Trade Bank SA - Spain) (since 2019). -
Jérôme Contamine
- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Compensation Committee and member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee
Jérôme Contamine- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Compensation Committee and member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2018 – 2026
Biography
A French national, Jérôme Contamine is a graduate of France’s École polytechnique, ENSAE and École nationale d’administration. After spending four years as an auditor at the Cour des Comptes (the supreme body for auditing the use of public funds in France), he held various operating functions at Total. He was Chief Financial Officer of Veolia Environnement from 2000 to 2009. He held the position of Director at Valeo from 2006 to 2017. He became Chief Financial Officer of Sanofi in 2009, a position he held until 2018.Other mandates held in French listed companies
Director and Member of the audit committee: TotalEnergies (since 2020).Other mandates held in French unlisted companies
Chairman: Sigatéo (since 2018).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Director: Valeo (France) (from 2006 to 2017).
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Diane Côté
- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee (since 1 November 2021)
Diane Côté- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee (since 1 November 2021)
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2018 – 2026
Biography
A Canadian national, Diane Côté is a graduate of Ottawa University, where she majored in Finance and Accounting.From 1992 to 2012, she performed key functions in the Audit, Risk and Finance Divisions of diverse insurance companies (Prudential, Standard Life and Aviva) in Canada and the United Kingdom.
From 2012 until 1 February 2021, she was Chief Risk Officer and member of the Executive Committee of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
Other mandates held in foreign unlisted companies
Director: X-Forces Enterprises (United Kingdom) (since 16 April 2021).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Director: Novae Syndicates Limited (United-Kingdom) (from 2015 to 2018), LCH SA (since 2019 and until 1 February 2021). -
Kyra Hazou
- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee
Kyra Hazou- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2011 - 2023
Biography
A British and US national, Kyra Hazou graduated with a Law degree from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. After working as a lawyer in London and New York, she was appointed Managing Director and Regional General Counsel for Salomon Smith Barney/Citibank from 1985 to 2000. Later, from 2001 to 2007, she held the positions of non-executive Director and member of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee at the Financial Services Authority in London. -
France Houssaye
- Director Elected by Employees
- Head of External Business Opportunities, Regional Commercial Department, Rouen (Normandy)
- Member of the Compensation Committee
France Houssaye- Director Elected by Employees
- Head of External Business Opportunities, Regional Commercial Department, Rouen (Normandy)
- Member of the Compensation Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2009-2024
Biography
A French national, France Houssaye is a Societe Generale employee since 1989. -
Annette Messemer
- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee
Annette Messemer- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2020-2024
Biography
A German citizen, Annette Messemer holds a Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Bonn (Germany), a Master in International Economics from the Fletcher School at Tufts University (US) and a degree from SciencesPo Paris.She began her career in investment banking at JP Morgan in New York in 1994 before working in Frankfurt and London. She left JP Morgan as Senior Banker in 2006 to join Merrill Lynch as Managing Director and member of the German subsidiary’s Executive Committee.
In 2010, she was appointed to the Supervisory Board of WestLB by the German Ministry of Finance before joining Commerzbank in 2013, where she was a member of the Group’s Executive Committee and Board member for corporate and institutional clients until June 2018.
Other mandates held in French listed companies
Director: Savencia S.A. (since 2020); Imerys S.A. (since 2020).Other mandates held in foreign unlisted companies
Member of the Supervisory Board: Babbel AG (Germany) (since August 2021).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Director: Essilor International SA (from 2016 to 2018), Essilor International SAS (from 2018 to 2020), EssilorLuxottica S.A. (from 2018 to May 2021).
Member of Supervisory Board: K+S AG (Germany) (from 2013 to 2018). -
Gérard Mestrallet
- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Compensation Committee
Gérard Mestrallet- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Compensation Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2015 – 2023
Biography
A French national, Gérard Mestrallet is a graduate of France’s École polytechnique and École nationale d’administration.He held various positions in the French administration before joining the Compagnie Financière de Suez in 1984 as Special Advisor to the Chairman, following which he became Senior Executive Vice-Chairman in charge of industrial affairs.
In February 1991, he was appointed Executive Director of Societe Generale de Belgique. In July 1995, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie de Suez, and in June 1997 took the position of Chairman of the Management Board of Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux before being appointed Suez’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2001.
From July 2008 to May 2016, he held the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE (formerly GDF SUEZ). From 2016 to May 2018, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors following the separation of the functions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Other offices held in French unlisted companies
Chairman of Agence française de développement d’Al Ula (since 2018).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: ENGIE (from 2008 to 2016).
Chairman of the Board of Directors: ENGIE (from 2016 to 2018), SUEZ (from 2008 to 2019).
Director: SUEZ (from 2019 to 2020).
Member of the Supervisory Board: Siemens AG (Germany) (from 2013 to 2018).
Director: Saudi Electricity (Saudi Arabia) (2018 to 2020). -
Juan Maria Nin Genova
- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Member of the Risk Committee and of the Compensation Committee
Juan Maria Nin Genova- Company Director
- Independent Director
- Member of the Risk Committee and of the Compensation Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2016-2024
Biography
A Spanish national, Juan Maria Nin Génova is a graduate of the University of Deusto (Spain) and the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (UK).He is a lawyer and economist who began his career as a Programme Manager in the Spanish Ministry for Relations with the European Community. He later became General Manager of Santander Central Hispano from 1980 to 2002, before taking up the position of Deputy Advisor at Banco Sabadell until 2007.
In June 2007, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of La Caixa. In July 2011, he held the positions of Deputy Chairman and Deputy Advisor of CaixaBank, which he held until 2014.
Other mandates held in foreign unlisted companies
Chairman of the Board of Directors: Promociones Habitat (Spain) (since 2018), Itinere Infraestructuras (Spain) (since 2019), Mora Banc (Andorra) (since May 2021).
Director: Azora Capital, S.L. (Spain) (since 2014).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Director: DIA Group SA (Spain) (from 2015 to 2018), Grupo de Empresas Azvi S.L. (Spain) (from 2015 to 2019), Azora Gestion (Spain) (from 2018 to 2019). -
Henri Poupart-Lafarge
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alstom
- Independent Director
- Member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
Henri Poupart-Lafarge- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alstom
- Independent Director
- Member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2021 - 2025
Biography
A French national, Henri Poupart-Lafarge is a graduate of France’s École Polytechnique, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and of Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT).He began his career in 1992 at the World Bank in Washington D.C. before moving to the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance in 1994. He joined Alstom in 1998 as Head of Investor Relations and was in charge of Management Control. In 2000, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Transmission and Distribution at Alstom, a position he held until 2004. He was Chief Financial Officer of Alstom Group from 2004 until 2010, and became President of Alstom Grid from 2010 to 2011. On 4 July 2011, he became Chairman of Alstom Transport, before being appointed Chairman and CEO. He has been Chairman and CEO of Alstom since 1 February 2016.
Other mandates held in French listed companies
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: Alstom (since 2016).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Director: Vallourec (France) (from 2014 to 2018), Transmashholding (Russia) (from 2012 to 2019). -
Johan Praud
- Director Elected by Employees
- Facilities Manager
Johan Praud- Director Elected by Employees
- Facilities Manager
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2021 - 2024
Biography
A French national, Johan Praud is a Societe Generale employee since 2005. -
Lubomira Rochet
- Partner at JAB Holding Company
- Independent Director
- Member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
Lubomira Rochet- Partner at JAB Holding Company
- Independent Director
- Member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2017-2025
Biography
A French and Bulgarian national, Lubomira Rochet is a graduate of École normale supérieure and Sciences Po in France, and of the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.From 2003 to 2007, she was Head of Strategy at Sogeti (Capgemini). In 2008, she moved to Microsoft where she was Head of Innovation and Start-ups in France until 2010. She joined Valtech in 2010 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2012.
Lubomira was Chief Digital Officer and member of the Executive Committee of L’Oréal from 2014 until May 2021.
Other mandates held in French unlisted companies
Director: Alan (since July 2021).Other mandates held in foreign listed companies
Director: Keurig Dr Pepper*, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts* (since 1st June 2021).Other mandates held in foreign unlisted companies
Director: Bally*, Espresso House*, Gardyn*, NVA Petcare*, Panera*, Prêt A Manger*, You & Mr Jones (since 1st June 2021).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Director: Founders Factory Ltd** (United Kingdom) (from 2016 to 31st May 2021).*Group JAB Holding company / **L'Oréal Group
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Alexandra Schaapveld
- Company Director
- Independant Director
- Chairwoman of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and Member of the Risk Committee
Alexandra Schaapveld- Company Director
- Independant Director
- Chairwoman of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and Member of the Risk Committee
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2013-2025
Biography
A Dutch national, Alexandra Schaapveld holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford (UK) and has a Master in Development Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands).She began her career with the ABN AMRO Group in the Netherlands, where she held various positions in the Investment Banking Division from 1984 to 2007. In particular, she was in charge of covering the bank’s major corporate clients. In 2008, she moved to the Royal Bank of Scotland Group where she was appointed Head of Investment Banking for Western Europe.
Other mandates held in foreign listed companies
Member of the Supervisory Board: Bumi Armada Berhad (Malaysia) (since 2011).
Member of the Board of Directors: 3I PLC (UK) (since 2020).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Member of the Supervisory Board: Vallourec SA (from 2010 to 2020), FMO (Netherlands) (from 2012 to 2020). -
Sébastien Wetter
- Director Elected by Employee Shareholders
- Banker managing Societe Generale’s coverage with international financial institutions
- Global Chief Operating Officer for the Financial Institutions coverage teams
Sébastien Wetter- Director Elected by Employee Shareholders
- Banker managing Societe Generale’s coverage with international financial institutions
- Global Chief Operating Officer for the Financial Institutions coverage teams
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2021-2025
Biography
A French national, Sébastien Wetter holds a Master degree in Fundamental Physics and graduated from the Lyons Business School (EM Lyon).He began his career at Societe Generale in 1997 in the Strategy and Marketing Division of Societe Generale’s retail bank. From 2002, working in the Group’s Organisation Consulting Department, he performed a range of assignments in the Corporate & Investment Banking arm and helped roll out the Group-wide participatory Innovation programme.
At the end of 2005, he joined the Commodities Market Department as Chief Operating Officer holding a global remit, before becoming Head of Business Development in 2008. From 2010 until 2014, he served as General Secretary of the Group’s General Inspection and Audit Division. In 2014, he joined the Coverage Division of the Corporate & Investment Bank where he held a number of positions: Head of the Client Management Unit for major French and international clients, then in 2016, Global Chief Operating Officer for the Financial Institutions coverage teams.
Since the beginning of 2020, he has been a banker managing Societe Generale’s Financial Institutions coverage teams.
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Jean-Bernard Lévy
- Non-Voting Director
Jean-Bernard Lévy- Non-Voting Director
Year of first appointment and year in which current mandate will expire: 2021-2023
Biography
A French national, Jean-Bernard Lévy is a graduate of France’s École polytechnique and Télécom Paris Tech. From 1978 to 1986, he worked as an engineer at France Télécom. From 1986 to 1988, he was technical advisor to the Cabinet of Gérard Longuet, then Deputy Minister for the Postal and Telecommunications Service. In 1988, he joined Matra Marconi Space as Head of Telecommunication Satellites, a position he held until 1993. From 1993 to 1994, he was appointed Director of the Cabinet of Gérard Longuet, at the time French Minister for Industry, Postal and Telecommunications Service and Foreign Trade. He subsequently held the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Matra Communication from 1995 to 1998. From 1998 to 2002, he was Chief Executive Officer and later Managing Partner responsible for Corporate Finance at Oddo et Cie. He joined Vivendi in August 2002 as Chief Executive Officer. He chaired Vivendi’s Management Board from 2005 to 2012. He was both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thalès from December 2012 until November 2014. Since 2014 to November 2022, he has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EDF.Other mandates held in French listed companies
Director: Faurecia SA (since February 2021).Other mandates held in French unlisted companies
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Framatome* (since 2018).
Director: Dalkia* (since 2014), EDF Renouvelables (since 2015).Other mandates held in foreign listed companies
Director: Edison S.p.A* (Italy) (since 2019).Other mandates held in foreign unlisted companies
Director: EDF Energy Holdings* (United Kingdom) (since 2017).Other offices and positions held in other companies in the past five years
Chairman of the Board of Directors: EDF Energy Holdings* (United Kingdom) (from 2015 to 2017).
Director: Edison S.p.A* (Italy) (from 2014 to 2019).
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: EDF* (from 2014 to November 2022)*EDF Group
*In accordance with legislation and the AFEP-MEDEF Code, the three Directors representing the employees are excluded from the calculation
A committed Board of Directors

Specialised committees to assist the Board of Directors in its supervisory duty
Their mission is to support the Board of Directors on specific issues. Each committee comprises at least four Directors and aims to achieve gender parity.
Audit and Internal Control Committee
Verifies the quality of the Group’s accounting and financial information.
Risk Committee
Anticipates new risks and ensures the quality of the risk-management system.
Compensation Committee
Ensures fair compensation, taking into account regulatory standards, objectives, risks and the standards of the Group’s Code of Conduct.
Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
Selects the best talent for the company’s supervision and management.
Societe Generale applies the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF corporate governance code for listed companies
The AFEP-MEDEF Code is the code of reference for publicaly listed companies in terms of corporate governance. It defines the principles for the proper functioning of a company by introducing rules on executive compensation, control and transparency. First published in September 2002, the Code is regularly revised.
Documents to download
- Date Categories Title Documents
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04.11.2022
3rd amendement to 2022 Universal Registration Document
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04.08.2022
2nd amendement to 2022 Universal Registration Document
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06.05.2022
1st amendement to 2022 Universal Registration Document
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14.03.2022
Universal Registration Document 2022
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18.07.2022
Bylaws
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19.09.2022
Internal rules
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06.10.2020
Evaluation procedure for ordinary agreements
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18.05.2022
List of members of the Board of Directors
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01.01.2023
Group Management Committee member list
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01.01.2023
Business & Service Units list