HEC Paris au Women’s Forum : bousculer la narrative et nourrir le courage d’innover
At the 2025 Women's Forum Global Meeting, the central theme was as demanding as it was inspiring: “Courage: Bold Move for A Better World”. Amidst the 1,500 participants and global leaders gathering in Paris, HEC Paris stood out not just as a participant, but as an active architect of this courage. Through its faculty, alumni, and the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good (WE4G) accelerator program, HEC Paris demonstrated that courage is the essential engine for innovation, leadership, and social impact.
Cultivating the Courage to Innovate: The WE4G Journey
Courage took shape in the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good (WE4G) initiative, a partnership between the Women’s Forum, HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute, Bank of America, Bredin Prat and Rexel. This program supports early-stage ventures focused on green innovation and social impact, recognizing entrepreneurs who take”audacious action”.
The journey to the global stage began at Station F on November 5th, where HEC Paris played a pivotal role in preparing the WE4G finalists. Here, courage was defined both as bravery and strategic resilience. During a fireside chat, Dr. Marcelle Laliberté, HEC Paris’ Chief Diversity Officer, addressed the “prevention-promotion” bias in fundraising. She equipped women founders with the tools to “flip prevention questions into promotion statements,” teaching them to navigate unconscious biases and reclaim their narrative—a critical act of courage for women who are statistically less likely to receive funding.
This preparation culminated on November 6th at the “Grand Pitch”. The nine finalists “gathered their courage” to face a jury that included Inge Kerkloh-Devif, Senior Executive Director of the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute, Juliette Crouzet from Bredin Prat, Vanhnary Songvilay from Bank of America Business, Marzena Silka-Etienne from Rexel, and Sarah Lemaire from Publicis.
The result was a triumph for bold solutions, with Cognitii, an Indian startup democratizing special needs education, taking home the Jury Prize, and Pigmentoco, a Tunisian startup revolutionizing the textile industry with waterless pigment technology.
Find out more about the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good journey at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting.
The Courage to Lead: Faculty and Alumni on the Main Stage
Beyond the startup ecosystem, the HEC Paris community influenced the forum’s main agenda, addressing how courage shapes various sectors of the economy and society. HEC Paris professors and HEC Alumni joined the conversation by participating in a series of panel discussions.
1. Corporate Courage: Redefining the Business Imperative
If the startup pitches showcased the courage to begin, the keynote “Beyond Profit: Powering Corporate Courage” explored the courage to sustain and transform. On November 7, HEC Paris Professor Anne-Laure Sellier led a forward-looking discussion with Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University and John Elkington, Founder & Chief Pollinator of Volans, on the future of capitalism. The panel urged a shift from viewing profit as the ultimate goal to treating it as a means to support human and environmental flourishing, arguing that real leadership now requires confronting systemic failures in energy and food systems.
Professor Sellier brought an academic lens to the debate, highlighting a key challenge for future leaders: navigating technological and ethical disruption. She raised a pivotal question:
“How do you shape someone's moral compass in the right direction to for instance use AI, which is part of the disruptive change that's happening, in a good way?”
This question guided the discussion toward counterintuitive ideas, such as leveraging AI to foster dignity and kindness at work, a shift she noted could lead us toward a “feeling economy”. Through this dialogue, HEC Paris underscored that “corporate courage” goes beyond audacious financial moves. It is about the intellectual bravery to integrate morality and empathy into the very core of business education.
Rebecca Henderson and Anne-Laure Sellier
2. Creative Courage: Arts and Culture Fueling Social Change
The theme of courage extended beyond the boardroom and into the cultural sphere. The panel “Creative Courage: How Arts and Culture Move the World” explored how bravery and beauty fuel social change. Frédéric Jousset, Founder and President, Art Explora, joined speakers like Afghan Musician Sonita Alizadeh, UNESCO’s Krista Pikkat, and Opera for Paris’ Co-founder and General Director Julia Lagahuzère to discuss the power of creative courage.
For Frédéric Jousset, this courage lies in shifting from exclusivity to radical accessibility. He shared his own leap outside his comfort zone at age 50, leaving the corporate world to found Art Explora, a foundation focused on engaging visitors rather than preserving objects.
He illustrated this through Art Explora’s floating museum, a catamaran festival traveling the Mediterranean. Curating exhibitions in regions with strict norms around women required particular boldness—such as displaying Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, with its bare-chested female figure, in countries like Algeria and Morocco.
While his co-panelists spoke of courage as “not waiting for permission to exist” or preserving heritage in war zones, Jousset highlighted innovation as the key to dismantling the perception of art as elitist or inaccessible. Cultural exposure, he argued, builds empathy, calling art “the shortest way from one man to another.”
3. No Fear of Time - Aging Against the System, Reframing Longevity
The alumni network also tackled taboos and systemic barriers. Vania Lancascade, HEC Alumnae 2025 and Global Brand President at Lancôme, discussed “No Fear of Time”, reframing longevity and aging. Indeed, as society rethinks health, aging, and women’s well-being, the panel broke longstanding taboos to build new narratives and find concrete solutions for embracing longevity with dignity and vitality. By openly addressing aging and what it entails when it comes to health, job opportunities and personal finance, we can drive innovation, foster understanding, and empower women to thrive at every stage of life.
Meanwhile, Celica Thellier, HEC Alumnae 1992 and Co-founder of ChooseMyCompany, participated in the panel “Aligned Ambitions: Economic Success Rooted in Fairness & Equity”. All panelists discussed how in a world marked by uncertainty and shifting pressures, fairness and equity have emerged as powerful engines of innovation and resilience. Progress made cannot be taken for granted. The conversation challenged leaders to stay focused and courageous, to double down on inclusive growth, because in today's economy, scaling back on equity is not only a moral failure, it’s a strategic risk.
4. The Future is Limitless: Accelerating Women’s Opportunities and Leadership
This panel discussion examined the courage needed to disrupt existing systems. Alexandra Soto, HEC Alumnae and COO at Lazard, Elizabeth Moreno, Chairman of the Board at Ring Capital & Ring Africa, and Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder of Women in Tech, called for a shift from discussion to real acceleration.
Alexandra Soto stressed the bravery required to stay committed to diversity amid a global backlash, urging leaders to ignore the “noise” and act decisively because inclusion remains essential for business performance. She reframed AI not as a threat but as a chance to reset the playing field:
“Since no one has long-term experience in AI, women can seize this moment to overcome entrenched barriers—if they boldly engage now.”
Moderator: Monika Queisser, Senior Adviser to the Director and Head of the Social Policy Division, OECD, Elizabeth Moreno, Alexandra Soto, and Ayumi Moore Aoki
Elizabeth Moreno echoed this call for “unapologetic courage,” framing technology as a superpower and insisting that women stop waiting for permission to lead.
The panel ended with a shared message: the future will reward those who adapt. Like the shift from horses to cars, success will go to those who embrace innovation—urging women to “jump on the train” rather than resist change.
5. Together We Rise: Sharing Power to Build Change
This discussion shifted the conversation from individual courage to collective strength, framing sorority as a strategic act of leadership.
Florence Estra, SVP Internal Communication at Air France, described the bravery needed to dismantle systemic barriers in male-dominated environments. She outlined Air France’s gender balance plan, including a mentorship program where each Executive Committee member mentors a woman—an initiative that opens networks for women while forcing male leaders to confront and remove structural obstacles. She also highlighted the courage of visibility, ending all-male panels and preparing women to take the stage with confidence.
A candid debate followed on the pressure placed on women. Serena Aboutboul, SVP, Head of Nutrition Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé, encouraged a “no tradeoffs” mindset—believing women can have it all—while Alexia Laroche-Joubert, CEO of Banijay France, countered that such expectations are unrealistic, sharing openly the personal costs of her own career and urging women to accept help and difficult choices.
The session closed by redefining sisterhood through courage: for Serena Aboutboul, it means honest, tough conversations; for Laroche-Joubert, it requires the bravery to forgive—a grace women often deny themselves but need in order to rise together.
Serena Aboutboul, Florence Estra, Alexia Laroche-Joubert, and Moderator Chiara Allegri, International General Manager at Carita
6. Next Generation Courage: Why “bold action” is no longer optional for youth facing systemic barriers
This conversation brought together diverse voices, including activist Nelson Amenya, a 2024 HEC Paris MBA graduate and activist, as well as Sander Volten, CEO of Seismic, to discuss supporting the next generation amidst systemic challenges. The discussion highlighted a tension between the digital realm and reality; while technology can spark movements—as seen with Amenya’s whistleblowing in Kenya—many young people are increasingly seeking real-world community over online existence. Additionally, the panelists addressed the risks of AI regarding mental health and the displacement of jobs held by women, emphasizing the need for education that prioritizes resilience and human adaptability rather than just technical skills.
Regarding courage and intergenerational responsibility, the speakers urged tangible action, with Ingrid Olea, Executive Director at Educación 2020, noting that those with privilege must bear the “cost of courage” rather than demanding it from the vulnerable. Henrietta Wood, Youth Voices, challenged misconceptions about youth apathy, calling for leaders to pay interns fairly and manage technology responsibly, while the session concluded with the assertion that society is undergoing a historic paradigm shift where young people must recognize their agency to shape the future.
Moderator Ellie Austin, Editorial Director, Most Powerful Women, Fortune, Henrietta Wood, Ingrid Olea, Nelson Amenya, and Sander Volten
Sustaining Courage: A Legacy of Impact
The forum concluded with a look toward the future, proving that HEC Paris supports courage over the long term. On November 7th, during a breakfast at the Ritz Hotel, HEC Paris presented the WE4G Impact Report, celebrating five years of empowering women.
The data revealed the tangible results of supporting courageous founders: 100% of respondents remained in entrepreneurship, over 200 jobs were created, and €5.47 million was raised from private investors. To ensure this momentum continues, the event marked the launch of the WE4G Alumni group.
While the entrepreneurs and speakers are the stones reaching upward, displaying individual acts of bravery and innovation, HEC Paris provided the central support—through academic research, pitch preparation, and community building—that allowed the entire structure of “Courage” to stand firm and hold weight on a global stage.