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Leadership Team

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Pierre-François Thaler

Pierre-François, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoVadis, has more than 20 years of innovative procurement, sustainability and entrepreneurial experience. He leads our Customers, Marketing, Solutions and Impact departments and, alongside Frédéric, guides our strategic development and approach to sustainable value creation. Before founding EcoVadis in 2007, Pierre-François spent several years as Director of Managed Services at Ariba and CEO of B2Build, the first B2B marketplace for the European construction industry. Pierre-François holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from CentraleSupélec and an MBA from INSEAD.

Pierre-François Thaler

Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Frédéric Trinel

Frédéric, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoVadis, is a global entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in finance and technology. He leads our People, Finance, Evaluations and Technology departments and, alongside Pierre-François, guides our strategic development and approach to sustainable value creation. Before launching EcoVadis in 2007, Frédéric led MrTed’s (now Cornerstone) Technology & Operations as COO. He has founded four other companies across the global trade, software and human resources industries, all of which remain active today. Frédéric holds a degree in International Business from ICAD Business School in Paris.

    Frédéric Trinel

    Co-Founder and Co-CEO
    Chao-Meng Lam

    Chao brings over 20 years of experience in finance, as both a corporate executive and strategic advisor, to his role as Chief Financial Officer. Before joining EcoVadis, he spent more than a decade in investment banking in London and New York, leading the execution of equity and debt offerings, M&A transactions and strategic advisory engagements in the retail and consumer sectors. He served as CFO for both Oscaro and Isabel Marant in Paris, implementing profitable growth plans and spearheading data-driven operational changes. Chao holds an MSc in Finance from HEC Paris.

    Chao-Meng Lam

    Chief Financial Officer
    Emily Rakowski

    Emily brings over 25 years of experience in high-tech marketing and consulting to her role as Chief Marketing Officer. She previously spent many years in global marketing and demand management roles with both SAP and Ariba. She has also worked at Ellucian, A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions, Creative Good and Kearney, managing marketing functions and consulting engagements for clients in technology, banking and energy. Emily holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a BA in International Relations from Stanford University.

    Emily Rakowski

    Chief Marketing Officer
    Sylvain Guyoton

    With more than 20 years of experience in sustainability and ESG solutions, Sylvain oversees our ratings operations and methodology development in his role as Chief Rating Officer. He has been with EcoVadis since its inception, serving as VP of Research from 2007 to 2021. Prior to this, Sylvain was Head of Research and Rating Operations at Vigeo Eiris, a leading ESG ratings and research agency since acquired by Moody’s. He holds an MSc in Industrial Management from Cranfield University and an MBA from INSEAD.

    Sylvain Guyoton

    Chief Rating Officer
    Laurianne Le Chalony

    In her role as Chief People Officer, Laurianne builds on more than 15 years of experience in human resources, organizational transformation and HR digitalization. Prior to joining EcoVadis, she spent a decade in the software industry leading regional and global HR functions in her roles as Atos’ HR Director for South America, Linedata’s CPO and Bull’s Global C&B, HRIS and Development Director. Laurianne holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources from Paris V University and a Master in Management from ESSCA School of Management.

    Laurianne Le Chalony

    Chief People Officer
    Orlane Marin

    With more than 20 years of experience in strategy, finance and management, Orlane serves as Chief Corporate Development Officer and Chief of Staff. Through long-range planning, M&A, governance, transformation and global project management, she supports the leadership team in developing and executing the group’s vision and strategy. Orlane’s previous roles include Chief Strategy Officer at Europe Snacks, Partner at Global PMI Partners and Finance Director at Avnet Technology Solutions. She holds a Master in Management from SKEMA Business School.

      Orlane Marin

      Chief of Staff
      Valerie Touchon

      As Chief Impact Officer, Valérie leads our efforts around measuring the positive impact of our activities and ensuring alignment with our purpose and values. Since joining EcoVadis in 2007, she has held roles ranging from Sales Director to VP of Customer Success, where she was responsible for more than 500 customers and 80 client success managers. Valérie’s previous experience includes over a decade in development and management roles in the technology and executive search sectors in Europe and the US. She holds an MSc in Management from Toulouse Business School.

      Valerie Touchon

      Chief Impact Officer
      Frank Soetebeer

      As Chief Technology Officer, Frank builds on more than 25 years of international experience in the technology sector. He spent nearly 20 years at Adobe in various leadership roles, including seven years as Senior Director of Software Engineering. Frank developed and managed key parts of the Adobe Content Cloud platform, a world-class and highly scalable foundation for Adobe Creative Cloud and Document Cloud platforms. He holds an engineering degree in Technical Computer Science from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

      Frank Soetebeer

      Chief Technology Officer
      Madhur Aggarwal

      As Chief Solutions Officer, Madhur drives EcoVadis portfolio strategy, product management of the EcoVadis Sustainability Suite and launch of new solutions such as Carbon and IQ Plus. Prior to joining EcoVadis, Madhur has spent more than two decades building and scaling solutions for global companies across Europe and North America. At SAP, he was General Manager of SAP Digital Commerce and expanded the marketplace to more than 120 countries. Madhur also previously served as SVP of Product and User Experience at Pluralsight and led Pearson’s digital business. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

        Madhur Aggarwal

        Chief Solutions Officer
        Richard Eyram

        As Chief Customer Officer, Richard is responsible for driving an optimized customer lifecycle in concert with the Solutions and Marketing teams to ensure customer success and rated company engagement. Before joining EcoVadis, he served as Global Chief Revenue Officer at Fleet Complete and spent more than a decade as Country Manager of Salesforce Canada, helping grow the organization from a startup to a $500M business with more than 1,400 people. Richard holds a BCom from the University of Toronto.

          Richard Eyram

          Chief Customer Officer
          Pierre-François Thaler

          Pierre-François, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoVadis, has more than 20 years of innovative procurement, sustainability and entrepreneurial experience. He leads our Customers, Marketing, Solutions and Impact departments and, alongside Frédéric, guides our strategic development and approach to sustainable value creation. Before founding EcoVadis in 2007, Pierre-François spent several years as Director of Managed Services at Ariba and CEO of B2Build, the first B2B marketplace for the European construction industry. Pierre-François holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from CentraleSupélec and an MBA from INSEAD.

          Pierre-François Thaler

          Co-Founder and Co-CEO
          Frédéric Trinel

          Frédéric, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoVadis, is a global entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in finance and technology. He leads our People, Finance, Evaluations and Technology departments and, alongside Pierre-François, guides our strategic development and approach to sustainable value creation. Before launching EcoVadis in 2007, Frédéric led MrTed’s (now Cornerstone) Technology & Operations as COO. He has founded four other companies across the global trade, software and human resources industries, all of which remain active today. Frédéric holds a degree in International Business from ICAD Business School in Paris.

            Frédéric Trinel

            Co-Founder and Co-CEO
            Aaron Dupuis

            Aaron Dupuis, Partner, joined CVC in 2014, and is a member of the CVC Growth Partners team based in New York.
            Prior to joining CVC, he was a principal at Serent Capital, where he led the firm’s business and tech-enabled services efforts.
            Aaron received a BA cum laude in economics from Williams College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.

              Aaron Dupuis

              Partner, CVC
              Sebastian R. Kuenne

              Sebastian R. Kuenne, Managing Director, joined CVC in 2011, and is a member of the CVC Growth Partners team based in London.
              Prior to joining CVC, he spent his career in private equity advisement and management, while serving in multiple Board of Director roles.
              Sebastian received a MA (honors) summa cum laude in Business, Finance and Economics from University of Glasgow and a BA from Boston College where he double majored in Finance and Accounting.

                Sebastian R. Kuenne

                Senior Managing Director, CVC Capital Partners
                Laura Bishop

                Laura is an experienced C-Suite leader and former chief environmental regulator that has led a Fortune 100 company through major business turnarounds while executing growth strategies and ESG capabilities. Laura’s extensive executive experience and insights from the private and public sectors helped shape her unique perspective in understanding opportunities and risks that drive profitability and support company purpose. Laura has managed an annual P&L of $400M and overseen teams of up to 1,000 employees. She has developed and led global functions in China, Mexico and Canada and was responsible for starting and significantly growing numerous functions at Best Buy.

                  Laura Bishop

                  CEO, Purpose Strategies
                  Annette Thomas

                  Annette Thomas is a senior advisor to General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm, and a non-executive director on the board of the global education company Pearson PLC. She has overseen some of the leading academic publishing, media, and data analytics companies in the world. A trained scientist, Ms. Thomas earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard and a PhD in cell biology and neuroscience from Yale.

                    Annette Thomas

                    Annette Thomas
                    Senior Advisor, General Atlantic
                    - Beyond Net Zero -
                    Benoit Ficheur

                    Benoit joined Astorg in 2012 and is a member of the Investment Team. Prior to this, Benoit founded Comptabis, a start-up offering offshore accounting services, which he successfully sold in 2012. Previously, he spent 5 years with Cinven, where he was the Principal in charge of the Sebia investment. He started his career as a Consultant with Bain & Cie in Paris and San Francisco, where he spent 3 years including a long term assignment with the team dedicated to strategic due diligence for Private Equity funds. Benoit graduated from HEC.

                      Benoit Ficheur

                      Partner, Astorg
                      Andrew Winston

                      Andrew Winston, Founder of Winston Eco-Strategies and renowned author, is a globally-recognized expert on how companies can navigate and profit from humanity’s biggest challenges.
                      His views on strategy have been sought after by many of the world’s leading companies, including HP, J&J, Kimberly-Clark, PepsiCo, PwC and Unilever. Mr. Winston’s latest book, “The Big Pivot,” was selected as one of the “Best Business Books” by Strategy+Business Magazine.
                      He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Masters in Environmental Management from Yale University, as well as an MBA from Columbia University.

                      Andrew Winston

                      Author, Advisor & Speaker
                      Patrick d’Humieres

                      Currently Director of the l’Académie Durable Internationale and specialist in sustainable development management, Patrick d’Humières has been involved in major national and international initiatives since their inception– including Global Compact, IIRC, and ISO 26000.
                      A graduate of Sciences-Po, Mr. d’Humières is Director of “Master Class 21,” teaches at Sciences Po and HEC, and leads the Campus Durable de Casablanca and the community of responsible managers (MR21).

                      Patrick d’Humieres

                      Director of the l’Académie Durable Internationale
                      Brigitte Monsou Tantawy

                      Dr. Monsou Tantawy is Vice President of Oxfam in France, where she’s in charge of international relations, and President of Unicef Paris.
                      She previously worked as a director with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and as Vice President of Operational Efficiency for Unilever, following a career with Danone and Nabisco. Dr. Tantawy was EFQM lead assessor and chairman of the EFQM Executive Committee.
                      Dr. Monsou Tantawy holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Paris-Sud University.

                        Brigitte Monsou Tantawy

                        Vice President of Oxfam
                        Uwe Schulte

                        Uwe Schulte, CEO of Prosolvo GmbH and Global Sustainability Centre Leader, spent a large part of his career at Unilever, where he held a number of different roles from product developer, production manager, general supply chain manager to vice president of Global Supply Management.

                        Uwe Schulte

                        Global Sustainability Centre Leader, The Conference Board
                        John Elkington

                        John Elkington is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Volans Ventures, a change agency which encourages leaders to look beyond incremental change toward systemic challenges.
                        Mr. Elkington is leading a two-year program in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact focusing on the market opportunities around exponential sustainability, titled Project Breakthrough. He is also honorary chairman of SustainAbility and sits on an A-Z of some 30 boards and advisory boards.
                        He holds an MPhil in Urban Planning from University College London.

                        John Elkington

                        Founding Partner & Director Volans Ventures
                        Yvonne Zwick

                        Yvonne Zwick, theologian and Chairwoman of B.A.U.M. e.V., has held various positions in the office of the German Council for Sustainable Development, an advisory body to the German Federal Government for 16 years. She contributes to the European sustainability reporting standard for SMEs in the expert working group of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group – EFRAG, represents B.A.U.M. in relevant stakeholder groups of the German Federal Government, holds various mandates and is a part-time lecturer at Mannheim Business School.

                          Yvonne Zwick

                          Theologian and Chairwoman of B.A.U.M. e.V.
                          Atalay Atasu

                          Atalay Atasu, Professor of Technology and Operations Management and Bianca and James Pitt Chair in Environmental Sustainability at INSEAD, studies sustainable business models, circular economy, and renewable energy. He has extensively published in top academic outlets as well practitioner outlets such as Harvard Business Review. His research has been frequently recognized by academia and practice by research awards. He continues to serve academia in leadership and editorial roles and enjoys working with industrial organizations to create and disseminate new knowledge.

                            Atalay Atasu

                            Professor, INSEAD
                            Alexander Nick

                            Dr. Alexander Nick is WBCSD’s Director for Climate Action. He holds 20 years of experience working across countries and industries on corporate sustainability. Prior to joining WBCSD, he worked at BMW Group heading the Climate Strategy and ESG Standards. Alex also worked as a Director for SustainAbility in London, a global strategy consultancy and think tank, and as a research associate for IMD Lausanne. Alex completed a PhD in strategic management and holds a major in business administration and electrical engineering. He is a member of various sustainability organizations, including the German Association of the Club of Rome and the Responsible Leaders Network of the BMW Foundation.

                              Alexander Nick

                              Director Climate Action, WBCSD

                              CVC Capital Partners

                              CVC is a leading private equity and investment advisory firm. Founded in 1981, CVC today has a network of 24 offices and over 550 employees throughout Europe, Asia and the US.

                              To date, CVC has secured commitments of over US$134 billion from some of the world’s leading institutional investors across its private equity and credit strategies.

                              In total, CVC currently manages approximately US$82 billion of assets. Today, funds managed or advised by CVC are invested in 83 companies worldwide, employing over 350,000 people in numerous countries.

                              Together, these companies have combined annual sales of approximately US$77 billion. For further information about CVC please visit: www.cvc.com. 

                              About CVC Growth Partners

                              In 2020, CVC Growth Partners invested €200m in EcoVadis.

                              Launched in 2014, CVC Growth Partners is the growth-oriented middle-market technology investment arm of CVC Capital Partners. CVC Growth Partners primarily targets equity investments between $50 million and $250 million in North America and Europe and manages over US$2.5 billion in assets across two dedicated funds. For further information about CVC Growth Partners please visit: www.cvc.com/growth.

                              Partech Ventures

                              General Atlantic, BeyondNetZero

                              General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 445 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic currently has over $84 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of December 31, 2021, and more than 215 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Stamford. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit: www.generalatlantic.com.

                               

                              BeyondNetZero is the climate investing venture of General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm. BeyondNetZero invests in growth companies delivering innovative climate solutions that have the potential to meet and exceed net zero emissions targets, with a focus on decarbonization, energy efficiency, resource conservation and emissions management. This venture combines General Atlantic’s growth equity experience and global network with a team of experienced climate investors, advisors and industry executives who bring decades of experience in both addressing climate-focused problems and building pioneering growth companies. For more information on BeyondNetZero, please visit: https://beyond-net-zero.com.

                               

                              General Atlantic led a $500M Series C funding of EcoVadis in 2022

                              Partech Ventures

                              Astorg

                              Astorg is a European private equity firm with over €17 billion of assets under management. Astorg works with entrepreneurs and management teams to acquire market leading global companies headquartered in Europe or the US, providing them with the strategic guidance, governance and capital they need to achieve their growth plans. Enjoying a distinct entrepreneurial culture, a long-term shareholder perspective and a lean decision-making body, Astorg has valuable industry expertise in healthcare, software, technology, business services and technology-based industrial companies. Astorg has offices in London, Paris, New York, Frankfurt, Milan and Luxembourg.

                               

                              Astorg co-invested in a $500M Series C funding of EcoVadis in 2022

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