PARIS — The UN Global Compact – France Network brought together more than 500 business leaders, experts, institutional representatives, and civil society actors this Tuesday for its Annual General Meeting. This edition was marked by the renewal of the network’s governance: Guillaume Texier, CEO of Rexel, was elected president, succeeding Florent Menegaux, Chairman of Michelin, whose three-year term had ended. In addition, nine new companies joined the Board of Directors.
A renewed governance to support the transformation of the private sector
At the end of Florent Menegaux ‘s term, the Board of Directors elected Guillaume Texier to succeed him as head of the UN Global Compact – France Network, as the 2024-2030 strategy has made it possible to set a clear course for the network, the leading player in corporate sustainability in France.
The UN Global Compact – France Network extends its sincere thanks to Florent Menegaux for his constant commitment during his three years in office, carrying the principles of the Global Compact with conviction, and having made it possible to structure the governance of a continuously growing network, symbolized by obtaining the Ideas label in 2025.
“My commitment to leading the UN Global Compact – France Network was based on a simple conviction: no organization can achieve lasting success on a planet it weakens,” emphasized Florent Menegaux. “During this term, we focused our efforts on three priorities: deepening support for member companies, increasing the visibility of the network’s actions on the international stage, and making the Global Compact a benchmark for sustainable development applied to businesses. The strong growth of the network, now the leading Global Compact network in terms of the number of committed companies, testifies to the effectiveness of our actions. I am now handing over the reins to Guillaume Texier with confidence, convinced that he will continue and amplify this mobilization in service of member companies. Finally, my thanks go to the teams and members of the network for their commitment throughout these three years.”
“I am continuing the work begun by Florent Menegaux, convinced that the role of businesses in the economic and environmental transformation is changing fundamentally: it is no longer just about making a commitment, but about integrating these issues into the very heart of their business models,” added Guillaume Texier. “The Global Compact has a key role to play in this evolution. The practices adopted by its members—energy efficiency, supply chain transformation, industrial innovation, and reducing the carbon footprint of operations—demonstrate that these changes are already underway. My priority will be to amplify this movement, strengthen the network’s impact on large companies, and provide SMEs and mid-sized companies with concrete tools to participate in this dynamic. As the Global Compact’s leading network worldwide, we have a responsibility to rise to the occasion.”
Furthermore, the General Assembly allowed for a large-scale renewal of the Board of Directors, with the entry of 9 new companies: ADDEV Materials, Bureau Veritas, Elis, Isodom, Legrand, MEDEF, MBO+, Rexel, and SERFIM TIC.
The UN Global Compact – France Network also extends its sincere thanks to Armelle Perrin-Guinot, Director of Societal Commitments at Veolia, for her service as Vice-President over the past three years. The network also thanks Abalone, Altavia, Legallais, Protechtoms, Résistex, Suez, and Worldline, upon the completion of their terms on the Board of Directors.
A growth dynamic confirmed in an uncertain economic and geopolitical context
All resolutions were adopted by the General Assembly, allowing the network to look ahead with enthusiasm to the second half of 2026. With more than 2,300 members at the end of 2025, bringing together 1,400 SMEs, more than 700 mid-sized companies and 206 large companies located throughout France, the network continues its growth momentum, mobilizing companies on the transformation of their business model by taking into account sustainability issues.
A strengthened offering to accelerate the transformation of business models
The UN Global Compact – France Network launched thematic training cycles in 2026 (water stress, deforestation, forced labor in value chains, the fight against corruption, etc.) for operational managers to analyze current issues and anticipate regulatory changes. In June, the network will unveil the results of its second Communications on Progress (CoP) study, the annual CSR reporting exercise for Global Compact members. Accompanied by a data visualization tool, this study will allow each company to benchmark itself against its French and international peers. This data will also inform a groundbreaking analysis of European companies’ contribution to the SDGs, to be presented at the end of September during the UN General Assembly week in New York.
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