Governance of the ENGIE Foundation revolves around two main bodies. The Board of Directors, which is responsible for strategy, consists of the Chairman, Gérard Mestrallet, the Vice Chairs, Valérie Bernis and Isabelle Kocher, external directors, members representing the founder ENGIE, employee representatives and qualified persons who provide expertise. The Selection Committees in France and Belgium make up the second governance body. They are responsible for selecting the projects supported by the ENGIE Foundation worldwide.
Board of Directors
Chairman of the ENGIE Foundation
ENGIE Foundation
ENGIE Foundation
External directors
Collège de France
Member of the Académie Française
K d'urgences Foundation
of the Académie Française
The Selection Committees
In France
The Selection Committee, chaired by VALÉRIE BERNIS, meets twice a year. It examines and approves applications for financial assistance of up to €150,000 and evaluates and monitors the associated projects. It is made up of experts from the Group and other qualified persons who contribute their expertise and inform the committee’s discussions :
- ARMELLE ARROU : Chief of the Special Events Section – Sector for External Relations and Public Information – UNESCO
- LAURENCE CUSSAC : Director of Strategic Coordination at the Act Against Exclusion Foundation (FACE)
- CHEKEBA HACHEMI : President and Founder of Afghanistan Libre
- MICHÈLE MEYZIE-DEBENEST : Former Secretary General of the SUEZ Foundation and former Head of Press Relations at SUEZ
- STEFANIA PARIGI : Director of Shelter for the National Slum Clearance Support Mission
- FRÉDÉRIC VERNHES : Communications Director at MEDEF
In Belgium
Chaired by PHILIPPE VAN TROEYE, CEO of the ENGIE Benelux BU, the Belgium Selection Committee brings together ENGIE Group experts as well as external players such as :
- JACQUES BORLÉE : Athletics coach
- SIHAME EL KAOUAKIBI : Founder and Coordinator of Let’s Go Urban
- PIERRE KROLL : Cartoonist
- PHILIPPE VAN CAUTEREN : Artistic Director of S.M.A.K.
- ERIC VAN CUTSEM : Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Leuven
- MARIANNE WAGNER : Philanthropy consultant
2016-2017: Looking to the future, looking to Africa
Africa is set to be the continent of the 21st century, accounting for 40% of the world’s population by 2100. Although 500 million Africans are still living below the poverty line, there are many reasons to be optimistic.
The lower cost of renewable energy means that Africa could be fully electrified by 2030, and the continent has just the kind of bold, vibrant attitude that makes any innovation possible. The ENGIE Foundation simply had to be part of this great pivot towards the future, which occupies a special place in its activities.
Some of our partnerships there go back a long way, such as those with Valued Citizens and Bayti. One of our flagship projects is the recently completed Children’s House at the Cuomo Centre for Paediatric Cardiology in Dakar, Senegal, in partnership with La Chaîne de l’Espoir and the teams of Professor Deloche. With La Voix de l’Enfant, we have developed an innovative programme called Schools, Lights and Rights, combining access to energy, education and civil rights.
