Nannette Lafond-Dufour
Nannette Lafond-Dufour, Chief Impact Officer at Publicis Groupe and President of the Women’s Forum, has over 25 years of experience in the corporate world.
An American national, she shares her vision of the challenges to overcome in building a more equal and just society for the future.
Jean-Marc Morawski et Nannette Lafond-Dufour.
What does the role of Chief Impact Officer entail?
NLD: Created in 2024 at Publicis Groupe, the CIO role was built to optimize our CSR work across three key pillars:
1) Environment, 2) Social Equity and 3) Health.
I lead the Group’s work managing our carbon footprint and integrating social opportunities including the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society. And I steer our Working with Cancer program an initiative designed to destigmatize cancer in the workplace, which was launched in 2023 by our CEO, Arthur Sadoun.
What are the ambitions and challenges of the Women’s Forum?
NLD: For the past 20 years, the Women’s Forum has aimed to create a space for dialogue and action to promote gender equality. In France, for instance, it is striking that only a handful of women hold executive positions in CAC 40 and SBF 120 companies, even though they represent nearly 52% of the population and 56% of graduates with a Master’s degree.
This reality raises serious questions. Our goal is to amplify women's voices and multiply the tangible opportunities available to them through programs like Rising Talents and WomenEntrepreneurs4Good. This year, we also want to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality at all levels of responsibility not just top leadership. And because this is an ongoing challenge, events will take place throughout the year, beyond the two days of the main global meeting.
« You learn more from making mistakes. You have to dare and learn »
What issue is particularly close to your heart?
NLD: Women in STEM. It is essential to continue working to prevent the gender gap from widening and to show young girls, from an early age, that they can thrive in STEM careers. We’re collaborating with partners and schools on this issue. We also launched a report about Women in AI at VivaTech last week.
If you had to choose one key goal for women in the workplace, what would it be?
NLD: Don’t be afraid to speak up and help others. Reaching senior positions is a real challenge, and competition among women can be intense. It’s crucial to support each other, lend a hand, and move forward together.
What are your 3 core HR convictions?
NLD: The power of collective intelligence: together, we are stronger. Trust as a starting point: it’s important to trust from the outset. And for women: move forward and dare. We learn more from our mistakes than from trying to avoid them.
Thank you, Nannette.
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