Eric LEONARD

About Eric LEONARD

Eric LEONARD is an experienced executive with a strong background in industry and capital-intensive businesses, currently serving as an independent director on the Board of BENETEAU. He graduated from École Centrale de Lyon in 1990 and began his career at PSA before joining The Boston Consulting Group in 1996, following an MBA from INSEAD. This combination of engineering training and strategy consulting gave him a broad, practical understanding of business transformation, operational excellence, and financial discipline. He later built a substantial international career at ESSILOR, where he held several senior leadership roles, including President of ESSILOR Europe and President of ESSILOR of America, before joining the Group’s executive leadership team until 2022. His time at ESSILOR gave him direct experience managing large, geographically diverse organizations and navigating complex markets across Europe and the Americas. That international exposure is highly relevant for BENETEAU, a leading French nautical group with a global footprint. In 2024, BENETEAU’s Board proposed Eric LEONARD as a new director to fill a vacancy, reflecting the company’s intention to strengthen its governance and strategic oversight. At BENETEAU, Eric LEONARD brings an independent perspective on the group’s key priorities: industrial performance, international development, capital allocation, and long-term value creation. His profile is especially valuable in a listed-company environment where boards must balance innovation, execution, and governance discipline. With senior experience in PSA, BCG, and ESSILOR, he contributes a combination of strategic judgment, operational rigor, and board-level oversight that supports sound decision-making and sustainable growth.