AFEP, an original ecosystem rooted in reality

Representing 117 of the largest private corporations operating in France, AFEP – the French Association of Large Companies – takes part in the public debate in order to provide pragmatic solutions to develop a competitive French and European economy.

AFEP’s member companies contribute to over 13% of the French GDP, directly employ 2 million employees and pay 19% of mandatory corporate taxation.

AFEP is an association governed by the French law of 1 July 1901. Its accounts are certified annually by an auditor. Its annual budget of 7 million euros comes entirely from its member contributions, identical regardeless the size of the company. Its budget is dedicated to its activities in France and Europe.

AFEP is registered in the Register of interest representatives of the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life.

With offices in Paris and Brussels, given the importance of European legislation at the national level, its primary objective is to represent its members’ voices to the French public authorities, European institutions and international organisations. It intervenes in the drafting of legislation at a cross-sectoral level.

It initiates and develops detailed analyses and proposals that contribute to legislative and regulatory work, with the direct support of the CEOs and experts from its member companies. Its work is based on objective analyses of companies’ situations and covers taxation, corporate governance, economy, finance, social protection, employment law, environment, energy, competition, intellectual property, digital, trade negotiations and more generally all areas of importance to businesses (see Topics).

When it is consulted on reforms and legislation projects, AFEP presents to the French and European executive or legislative public authorities reasoned observations agreed by the member companies, with a view to developing appropriate, fair, predictable legislation.

Prior to this specialist work, AFEP draws on the experience and vision of the CEOs of its member companies, through its Board of Directors or its working and discussion groups. This work produces economic and social policy guidelines that are submitted to the European and national bodies, together with the actions to be taken in the interest of growth and jobs.

As a specific, apolitical ecosystem, AFEP is a key place for interaction between its member companies, politicians, parliamentary representatives and the French and European administrations.

Chaired by Laurent Burelle since 9 May 2017, AFEP has had six other Chairmen since its creation in 1982: Ambroise Roux, its founder, until 1999, Didier Pineau-Valencienne (Schneider Electric) until 2001, Bertrand Collomb (Lafarge) until 2007, Jean-Martin Folz (Peugeot SA) until March 2010, Maurice Lévy (Publicis) until June 2012, then Pierre Pringuet (Pernod Ricard).

Board of Directors

Team

Stéphanie Robert
Director-General
Bruno Clément-Ziza
Director
Jocelyn Goubet
Director of Economic Law

Jocelyn Goubet joined AFEP in September 2023 as Director of Economic Law.

He focuses on matters relating to competition law, consumer law, as well as digital law – in particular the protection of personal data – and intellectual property. In this role, he regularly organises working groups with members in order to prepare and present AFEP’s position on draft legislation, or public consultations by independent administrative authorities, to the French and European public authorities. Jocelyn holds a Master 2 in European business law from the University of Paris 2 Panthéon Assas and a CAPA (legal practionner’s certificate), and has worked at the Paris Bar for over 10 years in the competition teams of business law firms including DLA Piper, Ashurst and Fourgoux & Associés.

Jocelyn Goubet
Director of Economic Law
François-Nicolas Boquet
Director of Environment and Energy
fn.boquet@nullafep.com

François-Nicolas Boquet joined AFEP as Director of Environment and Energy in 2000.

He is particularly interested in climate change, energy strategy (energy efficiency and competitiveness of energy-intensive companies, energy costs), eco-taxation, industrial risks (industrial emissions, technological risks, environmental responsibility) and the circular economy. A graduate of AgroPariTech, he was a Consultant at Bossard (now Cap Gemini) between 1995 and 2000.

 

François-Nicolas Boquet
Director of Environment and Energy
Odile de Brosses
Director of the Legal Department
o.de.brosses@nullafep.com

Odile de Brosses holds a Master’s in Advanced Studies (DEA) in corporate law from the Université Panthéon-Assas and a CAPA (legal practitioner’s certificate), and worked as a lawyer at the Strasbourg and Hauts de Seine Bars from 1987 to 1997, before joining AFEP as Director of the Legal Department. In this role, she organises company director working groups to prepare AFEP’s positions on matters of corporate law and corporate governance, both nationally and at European level. The positions are then presented to the public authorities.

She has been involved in the successive developments of the AFEP/MEDEF Corporate Governance Code. She has also participated in various financial market working groups, in particular the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority). She is a member of the IFA Legal Committee and President of the EuropeanIssuers Policy Committee.

Odile de Brosses
Director of the Legal Department
Elisabeth Gambert
Director of CSR and International Affairs
e.gambert@nullafep.com

Elisabeth Gambert has been the CSR and International Affairs Director at AFEP since 2013, responsible for monitoring matters of corporate social responsibility and coordinating AFEP’s bilateral relations with its counterpart associations in other Member States of the European Union. She holds a Masters in Law from the University of Vienna (Austria), a Master’s in Advanced Studies (DEA) in European Law from the Université de Rennes I and a European Masters in Governance and Administration (Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne). Before joining AFEP, she worked in Brussels, in particular for FEDIOL (EU Federation of Seed Crushers and Oil Processors), and in Vienna, at the Court of First Instance. She is co-Chair of the Corporate reporting working group of the European Association of Listed Companies, EuropeanIssuers.

Elisabeth Gambert
Director of CSR and International Affairs
Marc Poulain
Director of International Trade Negotiations
m.poulain@nullafep.com

Marc Poulain has been Director of International Trade Negotiations at AFEP since 1 September 2017. He monitors the main developments in European Union business policy and the Brexit process, representing AFEP’s positions in this area with the European and French public authorities.

A graduate of IEP Paris and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration, he began his career as a judge in the Paris administrative court, then as Deputy to the Chief of Staff for public procurement legislation at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. As a national expert seconded to the Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission between 2009 and 2016, he negotiated the “public procurement” chapters of the free trade agreements between the EU and Japan, Mercosur and the countries of the ASEAN, and took part in the WTO negotiations in Geneva.

Marc Poulain
Director of International Trade Negotiations
Nicolas Ragache
Chief Economist
n.ragache@nullafep.com

Nicolas Ragache, aged 45, economist and lawyer, worked for nearly 20 years in French institutions and administrations (INSEE, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of National Education) and in a French law firm based abroad.

Occupying various roles, he has conducted a number of economic studies and organised reforms of public action in the social, European and public finance sectors. He has also represented the government on the Board of Directors of public entities and acted as an adviser to several French government ministries.

Nicolas Ragache is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Economique (ENSAE), DELTA (EHESS – Master’s in Advanced Studies (DEA) in Economic Analysis and Policy) and the Université Panthéon-Assas (LLM in International Business Law).

Nicolas Ragache
Chief Economist
Laetitia de La Rocque
Director of Tax Affairs
l.de.la.rocque@nullafep.com

Laetitia de La Rocque joined AFEP in February 2012 as Director of Tax Affairs. In collaboration with the Association’s members, she is responsible for setting out proposals and positions for large companies in matters of domestic, European and international taxation. A tax lawyer, her previous expertise in corporate tax was developed at Arthur Andersen International, CMS-Bureau Francis Lefebvre and Ernst & Young.

Laetitia de La Rocque
Director of Tax Affairs
Shandira Son
Taxation Affairs Deputy Director
Amina Tarmil
French Parliamentary Affairs Lead
a.tarmil@nullafep.com

Amina Tarmil joined AFEP in 2001 as Deputy Director of Tax Affairs. Holder of a DESS (Postgraduate Diploma) in Applied Taxation from the Université Paris V (René Descartes), she previously worked in the Tax Department at Air France. She focuses on corporate tax at national, European and international level and participates in defining AFEP’s tax proposals.

Amina Tarmil
French Parliamentary Affairs Lead
Lé Quang Tran Van
Director of Financial Affairs
lq.tranvan@nullafep.com

Lé Quang began his career in an audit firm before joining the French Securities Commission (COB), now the Financial Markets Authority (AMF), where he held various positions (Investigation Department, Corporate Finance Department, Regulatory Policy and International Affairs Department), taking part in the transposition of European Directives and the preparation of legislation and doctrine on financial matters. Lé Quang also worked as a regulatory Project Manager in the risks division of BPCE Group and as a consultant to listed companies. He is a graduate of ESSEC Business School.

Lé Quang Tran Van
Director of Financial Affairs
Justine Richard-Morin
European Affairs Director - Head of Brussels office
j.richard-morin@nullafep.com

Justine joined AFEP in 2008 and is now European Affairs Director & Head of the Brussels office. She is responsible for managing AFEP’s strategic relations with the European Union. In cooperation with the Paris team, she manages AFEP’s European lobbying actions in all areas covered by the Association and contributes to the preparation of European positions. She previously worked at the EU affairs permanent delegation of Rhodia (now Solvay – chemical industry) in Brussels (2007-2008) and at the European legal office of the French Ministry of Defense in Paris (2006). She is a double graduate from the Sorbone in Paris (Master in Business Administration from the IAE and a Masters’s degree in European Law). She speaks French, English and Italian.

Justine Richard-Morin
European Affairs Director - Head of Brussels office
Alix Fontaine
European Affairs Deputy Director
Paul Delecourt
European Affairs Advisor
Zeïneb Haouachi
European Affairs Policy Officer
Françoise Stephan
Executive Assistant
Virginie Haure
Executive Assistant