Anne-Françoise Nesmes

About Anne-Françoise Nesmes

Anne-Françoise Nesmes is a Franco-British business leader widely recognized for her expertise in financial leadership, corporate transformation and listed-company governance. Since April 2024, she has served on Sanofi’s Board of Directors as an independent director and member of the Audit Committee. Sanofi highlights her strong financial and accounting background, as well as her experience leading major international businesses. She also serves on the board of Compass Group PLC, where she holds senior governance responsibilities, including chairing the Audit Committee and participating in other key board committees. Her current Sanofi mandate runs until the 2027 Annual General Meeting. Before joining Sanofi’s board, Anne-Françoise Nesmes was Chief Financial Officer of Smith + Nephew PLC until the end of the first quarter of 2024. In that role, she supported strategic priorities such as acquisitions and a transformation program implemented in the aftermath of the Covid-19 period. Her career also includes CFO positions at Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC and Merlin Entertainments PLC, where she was responsible for strategy, financial process streamlining and strengthening operational discipline. Earlier in her career, she spent 16 years at GlaxoSmithKline starting in 1997, where she held a series of increasingly senior finance roles, including Senior Vice President Finance for Global Vaccines. Her track record reflects deep expertise in international finance, risk oversight, reporting discipline and strategic control in highly regulated and complex environments. She also brings a strong academic foundation, with a degree from Grenoble Ecole de Management, an MBA from Henley Management College and Chartered Management Accountant qualification. At Sanofi, her contribution is closely linked to rigorous governance, strong financial oversight and board-level support in a global healthcare company.