Transatlantic Leaders Forum 2023

France’s Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty @France

Ministre de l’Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle et numérique

Chairman and CEO @Verizon

Hans Vestberg is chairman and CEO of Verizon, the world’s largest wireless, fiber-optic and global information networks and services company. In 2017, Hans served as Verizon’s chief technology officer and president of Global Networks, responsible for developing the architecture for Verizon’s fiber-centric networks. He was appointed CEO in August 2018 and Chairman of Verizon’s Board of Directors in March 2019.

Co-Founder @Linkedin, Inflection AI

An accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and investor, Reid has played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses. In 2003 he co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service. In 2009 he joined Greylock. In 2022, he co-founded Inflection AI. He currently serves on the boards of Aurora, Coda, Convoy, Entrepreneur First, Joby, Microsoft, Nauto, and a few early stage companies still in stealth.

Partner @Goldman Sachs

Nicole is region head of the New York Private Wealth Management (PWM) business and also leads the PWM Sports and Entertainment Solutions (SES) offering, which her team launched in 2018. She serves as co-chair of the Americas Inclusion and Diversity Committee.

Executive Vice President of Product and Communications @Tiffany & Co.

Alexandre is executive vice president of product and communications at Tiffany & Co. He assumed this position and joined Tiffany & Co. in January 2021. Alexandre started his career in the United States in strategic consulting at McKinsey & Company, then in private equity at KKR in New York.

Co-Founder & CEO @Sweep

Sweep is a prominent carbon emission management service. With her successful track record, including co-founding BIME Analytics and leading it until its acquisition by Zendesk.

CEO @Vestiaire Collective

Maximilian is a tech entrepreneur and CEO of Vestiaire Collective, the leading global app for desirable pre-loved fashion. Empowering a community of fashion activists to drive change through the circular economy, the platform is unique thanks to its fashion savvy community, engaging tools and features, its vast and desirable inventory, and the high level of trust it has built amongst its members.

CTO @New York City

Matthew C. Fraser is New York City’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI). The Chief Technology Officer coordinates technology-related projects and policy across the City. Under the CTO’s leadership, several technology offices were combined into the Office of Technology & Innovation.

VP & Chief AI Scientist @Meta

Yann joined Meta in 2013. He is also a Silver Professor at New York University, mainly affiliated with the NYU Center for Data Science, and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Science.

CEO & Co-founder @Verkor

Benoit is a highly experienced investor and entrepreneur in energy and climate transition, he is behind the creation of Waga Energy in 2015 and Aniah in 2019. Prior to these roles Benoit was CEO of OSER ENER, Senior Consultant at Carbone 4.

Co-Founder @Tikehau Capital

Mathieu co-founded TIKEHAU CAPITAL in 2004. Prior to that, he gained experience at Deutsche Bank's Real Estate Debt Market team and started his career at Merrill Lynch in various investment roles.

Co-founder @Tikehau Capital

Mr. Antoine Flamarion is a financial entrepreneur. He co-founded Tikehau Capital in 2004 with Mathieu Chabran, his former colleague at Merrill Lynch.

Founding Partner @FJ labs

Fabrice is a highly influential and accomplished entrepreneur in the international technology scene. As an investor specializing in internet startups, he co-founded FJ Labs, a venture capital firm.

Former CEO Best Buy

Hubert successfully transformed Best Buy and is widely acclaimed as an exceptional leader. He currently teaches at Harvard, serves on the boards of Johnson & Johnson and Ralph Lauren, and established a chair at HEC business school focusing on purpose-driven business. Committed to diversity and equal opportunity, he coaches executives in adopting a meaningful leadership approach.

CEO @Contentsquare

Jonathan is an entrepreneur, Founder and CEO @Contentsquare, a prominent digital experience optimization platform. Through his expertise in technology and a passion for crafting exceptional online experiences, he has successfully propelled the company's growth and achievements.

Co-founder and CMO @TomTom

She transformed the way we navigate the world and oversaw the pivot of TomTom into a deeptech company & global mapmaker. She founded Codam College in Amsterdam (member of the École 42 Network), offering free software engineering education. She is Vice Chair of JustEatTakeaway supervisory board. Forbes Women 50 over 50 honoree.

CEO @Quantum Surgical

He is a renowned French entrepreneur and engineer known for his contributions in the field of medical robotics. He is particularly recognized for founding Medtech, a pioneering company in the development of surgical robots.

CEO @Vestiaire Collective

Max Bittner is a tech entrepreneur and CEO of Vestiaire Collective, the leading global app for desirable pre-loved fashion. Empowering a community of fashion activists to drive change through the circular economy, the platform is unique thanks to its fashion savvy community, engaging tools and features, its vast and desirable inventory, and the high level of trust it has built amongst its members.

CEO @Exotec

He is a visionary leader in the robotics industry, driving the revolution of warehouse automation. With Exotec ranking among France's top 10 unicorns in 2023, Romain's expertise as a former Robotic Architect at GE HealthCare and CTO of Alstef Group has played a pivotal role in the company's success.

Director of Owned Storytelling @Amazon

Tomas Kellner is a director of owned storytelling at Amazon. His focus is on telling stories about AI and how it’s used across Amazon and by the company’s customers. Prior to Amazon, Tomas spent 11 years as GE’s chief storyteller. His team built and ran GE Reports, an award-winning storytelling hub.

Chief Revenue Officer @Verizon Consumer Group

Frank currently serves as the Chief Revenue Officer spearheading the Growth, Strategy and Revenue organization for the Verizon Consumer Group (2022: $100B+ revenues, $41B+ EBITDA).

Global Chief Client Officer @McCann Worldgroup

Nannette LaFond-Dufour is Global Chief Client Officer at McCann Worldgroup, a leading global communications company with over 15,000 employees. She provides strategic and operational oversight for all of McCann Worldgroup's global and key regional accounts, ensuring clients receive the required geographic and discipline resources vital to their business success.

Partner @FrenchFounders

Géraldine is a French-American entrepreneur. Since the inception of the Internet in 1995, she has been a formidable presence in the French tech industry. One of her notable contributions was co-founding LeWeb, a pioneering event bridging Silicon Valley with Europe. As an Angel Investor, Géraldine has backed prominent companies like LinkedIn and Evernote. In 2020, she joined FrenchFounders in NYC as a Partner.

Founder, Author, Angel Investor and Keynote Speaker on Growth Mindset & Enterprise Transformation

David Kidder is the Managing Director at Accenture Song and the former Co-founder and CEO of Bionic, which Accenture Song acquired in June 2021, and an author, speaker, and angel investor in over 90+ startups.

Founder @Sizzle AI

Jerome is a prominent figure in AI, he held major roles such as Vice President at IBM Watson and board member at BenevolentAI. Jerome is known as the former VP of Facebook AI Research, leading the development of AI technologies across Meta's products. In 2023, he founded Sizzle AI to continue pushing the limits of AI.

Partner, Alternative Capital Markets @Goldman Sachs

Kristin is global head of the Alternative Capital Markets Group, which is responsible for sourcing, creating, marketing and providing ongoing investor relations for the alternative investments offered by the firm. Kristin joined Goldman Sachs in 1998 as an analyst in the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division. She was named managing director in 2008 and partner in 2014.

Global Head of the Equity Structuring Group @Goldman Sachs

Kerry is global head of the Equity Structuring Group within Private Wealth Management. She works with high net worth individuals, family offices and executive teams to deliver tailored and holistic solutions through customized structuring and execution services across both diversification and investing strategies. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2001 as an analyst in the Securities Division, was named managing director in 2012 and partner in 2022.

Founder & Managing Partner @Uncork Capital

Jeff began advising and investing in early stage tech startups more than 20 years ago after first working as a CTO for a fintech startup in France. He founded Uncork Capital in 2004 (then called SoftTech VC) to serve an unmet need of startup founders: active support and capital for companies in their first 18 months of life. Over the years, Jeff brought on partners with diverse backgrounds and networks; together they have invested in 250+ companies.

Engagement Director @Paris 2024

Romain is the Director of Engagement for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. He has been working in the sports sector for over 20 years in various marketing roles. After working with the Lagardère Group, he joined the Paris 2024 bid team in 2005 alongside Tony Estanguet. He holds a degree in Sports Management from ESSEC and also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Saint-Mary’s College of California, where he was a tennis player. Furthermore, Romain is the President of the “Athletes Alumnis Association,” which brings together all French athletes who have received a sports scholarship at an American university in the NCAA.

Managing Director @General Catalyst

Niko is a managing director at the venture firm General Catalyst, partnering with founders from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. Niko focuses his investment strategy on finding first-time technology founders with strong product instincts, a robust appetite for learning, and a desire to create innovations with the potential to benefit millions. Niko is currently obsessed with partnering with young technical founders who are building products for themselves.

General Partner @Balderton Capital

Rana joined Balderton as General Partner in 2020. Previously, Rana was a Partner at Goldman Sachs, first in the Principal Strategic Investments Group and later in GS Growth. In that capacity, she oversaw investments in Financial Technology and Enterprise Technology, as well as the commercialization of Goldman Sachs’ technology assets in both New York and London. Rana joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2006 and was named Managing Director in 2013 and Partner in 2018.

Co-head Private Wealth Management Paris @Goldman Sachs

Anne-Hélène is the co-head of Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management Paris. She serves as Trusted Advisor to Founders, Entrepreneurs, Family Offices and more generally Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2000 in Fixed Income Sales&Trading in Global Markets Division. She advised on Asset-Liability Management and Risk Management, then specialized in Fixed Income and Credit Products.

CEO @Loft Orbital

Pierre-Damien is the co-founder of Loft Orbital Solutions, a Silicon Valley company with the mission to build the new standard for data collection from space. By offering a simple and affordable end-to-end solution to deploy and operate sensors in space, it unleashes a wave of new possible space-based applications. Pierre-Damien Vaujour is an aerospace engineer who has dedicated his career to bringing entrepreneurship to the space sector and creating new opportunities that were once thought impossible. He experienced first-hand the early developments of space tourism when jumpstarting the Google Lunar X PRIZE.

Head of Americas ECM @Goldman Sachs

Previously, he co-headed ECM in the Americas and was responsible for the Technology, Media, and Telecom sectors. Joining in 1997, David advanced from analyst to partner, specializing in Communications, Media, and Entertainment.

Co-founder @Loom

Loom is a video communication platform for async work that helps companies communicate better at scale. Founded in late 2015, Loom has more than 15M users across 200K organizations and has raised $203M from world-class investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, ICONIQ, and others.

Former CEO @Datto

Datto is leading global provider of cloud-based software for MSPs. With extensive experience in the technology industry, Weller has driven Datto's growth, expanding its product portfolio and market presence.

CEO @Deel

Alex Bouaziz is the co-founder and CEO of Deel, the all-in-one HR platform for global teams. Founded in 2019, Deel’s technology helps companies simplify every aspect of managing an international workforce, from culture and onboarding, to local payroll and compliance. In four years the company has grown to 3000+ team members worldwide in over 100 different countries and raised over $600 million in funding.

AI Investor @Andreessen Horowitz

Zachary Cohen is an investor on the Consumer team. He focuses on companies building at the application layer in Generative AI. Prior to joining Andreessen Horowitz, Zach was a consumer internet growth investor at General Atlantic. Zach started his career as an entrepreneur and built and eventually sold his first education startup, NextGen Bootcamp. Zach graduated from NYU Stern School of Business with a degree in mathematical economics. Outside of work, Zach enjoys talking about all things food, writing jokes, and angrily watching the Knicks

CEO & Co-founder @Equi

Tory is a 3x founder of VC-backed tech companies. He pioneered Archblock, the driving force behind TrueFi ($1.7B+ in originations) and TrueUSD ($1B+ market cap). With over a decade of experience, Tory has also been a dedicated educator in financial literacy.

Assistant Managing Editor @Forbes

Diane Brady oversees the editorial operations for Forbes’ C-suite networks and franchises such as 30 Under 30, ForbesWomen, Leadership and more. She frequently interviews newsmakers and comments on the global business landscape for BBC World and other outlets. She previously worked at McKinsey, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal and Maclean’s, along with running her own company. Her book, Fraternity, was named one of Amazon’s best books of the year.

General Partner @Acequia Capital

Gregory was previously an investor within EQT’s venture capital arm, focusing on early stage, frontier technology in the US and Europe, with a particular focus in energy, biology, and computation. He remains affiliated with EQT as an Executive-in-Residence and serves as Board Director for several EQT portfolio companies. Prior to EQT, Bernstein served as Foreign Policy and Economic advisor to John K. Delaney in his 2020 U.S. Presidential campaign. He is also the Co-Founder and Director for Critical Minerals International (CMI), a neo-mining company ethically sourcing critical minerals for the West’s transition to electrification and renewable energy.

General Partner @Partech

Jean is a former VP, Engineering at Mint, Ring, Porch, former CTO at Cadre, One Kings Lane, Twelvefold, and former Co-founder and CTO at Fountain, Activeweave.

Ecobabe @Founder & TV Host

Monica is a former farm girl turned eco-friendly interior designer and trained Hollywood TV Host who launched her lifestyle brand, ecobabe, to make sustainable living second nature with credence that what we do matters. In addition to the ecobabe blog, YouTube and shop, Monica provides Sustainability Consultations for homeowners and brands, as well as Zero Waste and Composting Workshops for companies worldwide.

Board Member @Too Good To Go @Brut. @Paris 2024 @Headspace

Alexandre Mars is an entrepreneur, President and founder of blisce/, the first B corp-certified transatlantic investment firm in the EU, committed to investing differently (Spotify, Headspace, Too Good To Go, etc.) and of the Epic Foundation, which has mobilized millions since 2015 to empower and protect children, youth and our planet.

Founder & Managing Partner @D'Ornano + Co.

Raphaëlle began her career at Deloitte and Eight Advisory, where she realized that the traditional approach to due diligence was not sufficient for evaluating innovative and fast-growing business models. This realization led her to found D’Ornano + Co. and develop a unique and proprietary diligence approach. Expert and passionate about the technology sector, Raphaëlle has conducted more than 500 due diligence assignments, both buy-side and sell-side on tech or tech-enabled companies, for global investors across all asset classes (Venture Capital, Growth, and Buyout).