Lectra’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting held recently appointed two new Directors, Ross McInnes and Hélène Viot Poirier, for a four-year term. They both become members of Lectra’s Audit Committee, Nominations Committee and Strategic Committee. Hélène Viot Poirier also becomes a member of the new CSR Committee. A major global player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra designs industrial intelligence solutions – software, equipment, data and services – that enable the digital transformation of its customers.
In 2017, Lectra launched its Lectra 4.0 strategy with the aim of making the company a key Industry 4.0 player in its markets by 2030. As part of its 2017-2019 roadmap, Lectra successfully integrated key technologies for Industry 4.0 and software solutions in SaaS mode into its offers. The company’s 2020-2022 roadmap should enable it to leverage the full potential of its new offers while ensuring the sustainable and profitable growth of its business.
Daniel Harari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lectra, says: “We are delighted to welcome Ross McInnes and Hélène Viot Poirier to Lectra’s Board of Directors. Through Ross McInnes’ appointment, we will benefit from his extensive experience as a Director of listed companies and his knowledge of Lectra’s challenges, as well as his expertise in strategy, management, finance, and governance. Hélène Viot Poirier has extensive knowledge of the digital world and the fashion market. Her appointment will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from her expertise in acquisition strategy, management and the development of environmentally responsible products”.
Ross McInnes
Ross McInnes, a French and Australian national, is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safran, a Director of Engie, Chairman of the Ethics, Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, a member of the Audit Committee and a member of the Strategy, Investment and Technology Committee, and, until November 2022, a Director of Eutelsat Communications, Chairman of the Appointments and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit, Risks and Compliance Committee.
Ross McInnes began his career in 1977 with Kleinwort Benson in London and then in Rio de Janeiro. In 1980, he joined Continental Bank (now Bank of America) in corporate finance. He went on to hold the position of Chief Financial Officer of Eridania Beghin-Say from 1991 to 1999, of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Thomson-CSF (now Thales) from 2000 to 2005, and of Vice President, Finance and Strategy of PPR (now Kering) from 2005 to 2006. In 2006, Ross McInnes joined the Supervisory Board of Générale de Santé and the following year served as acting Chairman of the Management Board. He was also Vice Chairman of Macquarie Capital Europe. In 2009, Ross McInnes joined Safran and became Executive Vice President, Economic and Financial Affairs, then Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safran in 2015.
In February 2015, Ross McInnes was also appointed as Special Representative for Economic Relations with Australia, by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, within the scope of France’s economic diplomacy policy. From 2016 to 2019, he was a member of the High Committee for Corporate Governance. In 2017, Ross McInnes was appointed as Co-Chairman of the “Action Publique 2022” Committee by the French Prime Minister, responsible for proposing public policy reforms. In 2018, Ross McInnes was appointed as a Trustee of the IFRS Foundation. In October 2018, the French Prime Minister entrusted him with the mission of promoting France to British and other foreign non-financial companies established in the United Kingdom who are considering their future outside the European Union.
In the last five years, Ross McInnes has been a member of Lectra’s Board of Directors, and a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee. This first mandate came to an end in April 2020. Ross McInnes is a graduate of the University of Oxford.
Hélène Viot Poirier
Hélène Viot Poirier has been a member of the Board of Directors of Selinko (Belgium) since 2021, a Board Advisor of ConsoFlash, part of the Media performances group, since 2018, and a Board Advisor of CF Group since 2022.
Hélène Viot Poirier began her career in 1997 at Club Internet (Lagardère group), then worked for Kertel (Kering group). In 2001, she joined the Orange group, where as Business Unit Director she developed the ADSL market in France, then the mobile multimedia services market. Hélène Viot Poirier then took on the overall management of Orange’s digital activities in France in 2010 as Vice President of Portal and Digital Services. In 2016, she joined the Vivarte group (2 bn euros in revenues, 12 fashion brands), as Chief Digital and Marketing Officer and a member of the Executive Committee.
In 2017, Hélène Viot Poirier became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chevignon, part of the Vivarte group, turned around the company and brand, and launched the first environmentally responsible collection. As part of a strategic restructuring of Vivarte, the shareholder of Chevignon, she led the process of selling Chevignon. Since 2020, as an Independent Senior Advisor, she has supported strategic internal and external growth projects in the fashion, digital and consumer goods sectors. Hélène Viot Poirier is a graduate of HEC Paris.
