Sophie L’Helias

Sophie L’Helias is a recognized corporate governance and ESG expert, strategic advisor and board director. She has a deep understanding of investor expectations and is recognized for her thought leadership and capacity to anticipate investment trends in corporate governance and ESG alike. 

Sophie L’Helias the founder of LeaderXXchange, a purpose driven organization that drives diversity and sustainability in governance, leadership, and investment. She has been a trusted and effective strategic advisor to her clients for more than twenty years. She counsels and supports executive teams and Board members through some of the most complex and challenging situations in their company’s history 

Ms. L’Helias serves as Lead Independent Director at Kering, a global luxury firm listed in Paris. She also serves on the Board of la Financière de l’Echiquier Positive Impact and Climate Impact funds and the Agence France Locale. 

Ms. L’Helias began her career as an attorney at leading global firms in New York and Paris where she specialized in mergers and acquisitions and securities law, before joining a hedge fund in New York as Managing Director. 

Ms. L’Helias is co-founder of the International Corporate Governance Network, a leading global investor-led network focused on corporate governance and ESG best practices. She is Senior Fellow at the Conference Board - ESG Center in New York and serves on the Global Advisory Board of Hawkamah Governance Institute in Dubai. Ms. L’Helias holds a Master’s degree in law from the University of Paris Sorbonne, an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from INSEAD. 

Ms. L’Helias was featured in Forbes 40 Women in France list. She is the recipient of the New York Women in Asset Management Award in ESG; the International Corporate Governance Network Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Global Proxy Watch GPW 10 Award as “one of the ten most salutary corporate governance influences in the world”.