Starting October 4, 2023, Axelle Lemaire is joining Sopra Steria Group as Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development. Reporting to Chief Executive Officer Cyril Malargé, she succeeds Fabienne Mathey-Girbig, who
will work alongside her until January 1, 2024, when Axelle joins the company's Executive Committee. This appointment reflects Sopra Steria’s ongoing strategic commitment to corporate responsibility.
Chief Executive Officer Cyril Malargé said: “I’m delighted to welcome Axelle whose experience will help us pursue one of the key strategic priorities of our mission: leveraging digital technology to build a positive future for all. With Axelle, we want to continue and further develop the Group’s initiatives, promoting sustainability, green IT, and digital and social inclusion. For us, making a positive impact isn’t optional – it’s non-negotiable, and we’re deeply committed to that in France, Europe and everywhere else we operate.”
Axelle, 48, is a dual French-Canadian national who trained in international law and has a degree from Sciences Po Paris and two master’s degrees in law from Paris-Panthéon-Assas University and King’s College London. Throughout her career
in the public, private and non-profit sectors, she has built up extensive, in-depth expertise in social, environmental, and ethical issues surrounding technology, in France and elsewhere in Europe.
She was a member of the French government from 2014 to 2017 as Secretary of State for Digital Affairs and Innovation, after having served as a member of France’s National Assembly starting in 2012, representing French citizens living in Northern
Europe. Since then, she has worked for a European strategy consultancy, helping clients navigate their digital transformation and leading sustainable development projects.
She received a European Innovation in Politics Award in 2017 for the collaborative drafting of France’s Digital Republic Bill, and the Woman in Business Award in 2018 for her multidisciplinary, inclusive approach to business. More recently, she
led strategic transformation, digital inclusion, and social innovation acceleration programmes at a major humanitarian organisation. Axelle is involved in several public interest projects, such as France’s Committee Against Modern Slavery (CCEM)
and sits on the board of the Digital New Deal think-tank.
Axelle said: “I'm thrilled to join Sopra Steria and work with all our stakeholders on a key issue facing companies today: improving our environmental and social impact. The digital sector is not neutral in this regard: it has the potential to rapidly boost the transition to a green IT, inclusive economy, which must be combined with sustainable design and energy-saving initiatives to combat climate change. Given the urgency of the situation, this issue has become an absolute priority, and in seeking to safeguard the future, I am delighted to be able to work on a topic so close to my own heart and which aligns with Sopra Steria’s long-standing tradition of integrity and excellence.”