« The founders of BoardWomen Partners »

Véronique Préaux-Cobti is Founder of DIAFORA and she is a change management specialist and works with companies to understand and unlock the remaining barriers blocking women’s progression into senior management (talent) and to better read and respond to women as consumers and end-users (market). Her significant professional experience and understanding of corporate strategy, change management and business allow her to address the diversity issue as a crucial business imperative. Before creating DIAFORA, she was General Manager of the BIPE, a consulting firm specialised in economic forecasting for decision-makers.

Previously, she spent 10 years at Stratorg, a strategic consulting firm, where she was responsible for the change management practice. She started her career with IBM in a sales function. Véronique is a Certified Coach from the Coaches’ Training Institute. As well, she is the Founder and Honorary President of GEF Grandes Ecoles au féminin, a group representing women in France’s grandes ecoles which bring together the graduates’ associations of the Centrale paris, ENA, ENPC, ESCP-EAP, HEC, ESSEC, Insead, les Mines et Polytechnique.

She worked for France Telecom where she directed several business divisions, in France and abroad. She was the first woman to join France Telecom’s Executive Committee as senior VP communications in 1994.

Marie-Claude began her career by promoting French electronics companies in India, before joining France Telecom. She became the president of France Telecom’s first subsidiary in Japan where she spent 6 years. She contributed to the Group’s “gender diversity” strategy by working on all of its facets and launched more than 10 years ago the first internal women’s network.

She was President of European Professional Women Network-Paris and VP Corporate Affairs at the Europe level from 2004 to 2009.