Maud Fontenoy

About Maud Fontenoy

Maud Fontenoy is a recognized business figure and public advocate whose career sits at the intersection of corporate governance, environmental commitment, and public education. At Vivendi SE, she serves as an Independent Member of the Supervisory Board and sits on both the Audit and Sustainability Committee and the Corporate Governance, Nominating and Remuneration Committee. At Louis Hachette Group, she was appointed an Independent Director on 9 December 2024, in the context of the Vivendi SE spin-off. In both companies, she represents the kind of independent profile sought for listed-company oversight: experienced, external, and attentive to strategic balance and board discipline. Her public reputation was first built through extraordinary sailing achievements. The official biographies published by Vivendi and Louis Hachette Group highlight that she accomplished several female firsts, in solo rowing and sailing, including a round-the-world voyage against prevailing currents without assistance, departing from Réunion Island in 2007. This background gave her a profile associated with resilience, endurance, preparation, and risk management — qualities that are highly relevant in boardroom settings where judgment and long-term perspective matter. Beyond sport, Maud Fontenoy has become a prominent voice for ocean and coastal protection. She is President of the Maud Fontenoy Foundation, a former spokesperson for UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, an expert in sustainable development, a lecturer, and an author of books and documentaries. She has also served as an ambassador for France’s Ministry of National Education and Youth on marine education and school sea classes. Her long-standing advocacy for environmental protection gives her a strong legitimacy in board committees dealing with sustainability, reputation, and corporate responsibility. In governance terms, her role is less about operational management than about oversight, independence, and strategic challenge. Her continued mandate at Vivendi, renewed in 2026, underscores the board’s confidence in her contribution to audit, sustainability, nomination, and remuneration matters. Overall, Maud Fontenoy combines a distinctive personal trajectory with relevant board expertise, especially where listed companies seek directors capable of linking long-term value creation with environmental and societal expectations.