Governance
Hélène Vareille
After 30 years in management and consulting, Hélène now focuses exclusively on the Foundation, launched by the Vareille family in 2014 after long and careful thought. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Fondation Royaumont.
Pierre Vareille
Pierre joined his wife Hélène in establishing the Foundation, and project selection is extremely important to him. He brings to the Board his recognized experience as a corporate executive, his extensive network and his unwavering focus on performance and proven results.
Pierre is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of BIC SA and continues to serve on the boards of various privately and publicly held companies in Europe and North America.
He began his career at Vallourec, where he rose to a variety of executive positions in the group’s subsidiaries. He then moved to GFI Aerospace, serving as Chief Executive Officer and later Chairman, and subsequently joined Faurecia as CEO of its exhaust systems business and as a member of its executive committee. From 2002 to 2004, he worked at Pechiney, serving as an executive committee member, head of the aluminum conversion sector and Chairman of Pechiney Rhenalu. From 2004 to 2007, Pierre was Group Chief Executive of Wagon Automotive, a British auto parts corporation traded on the London Stock Exchange. He then moved to FCI, the world’s fourth-largest manufacturer of connectors, with industrial sites in 20 countries, and later became Chief Executive Officer of Constellium, a world-class aluminum company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He served in that position until 2017.
An alumnus of Sciences Po Paris, Pierre is a graduate of École Centrale de Paris and holds a degree in economics and finance from the Sorbonne.
Helena Maffli
A native of Finland, Helena Maffli has lived in a variety of countries, including the United States, where she completed part of her studies. A pianist by training, she headed the Lausanne Conservatory for 13 years and served as President of the European Music School Union from 2011 to 2018.
Helena has also worked repeatedly with institutions that focus on education and the role of music in teaching. Her extensive knowledge of this worldwide network, combined with her expertise in music education, makes her a valuable contributor to the Board.
Hervé Cosnard
From May 2017 to May 2020, Hervé Cosnard served as director of education for the département of Val-d’Oise. He brings to the Board his wide-ranging experience in education and deep knowledge of the French education system.
Hervé Cosnard began his career in 1981 in France’s Vosges region. In addition to his years as a classroom teacher, he worked as an adult education instructor and continuing education adviser, and in the business world as a human resources director in the early years of his career.
In the 1990s he returned to the French education system, holding several administrative positions in continuing education at the Délégation Académique à la Formation Continue (DAFCO) and later becoming an inspector of schools for vocational education. He also served as principal at two secondary schools in succession.
From 2006 to 2009, Hervé was Chief of Staff to the Chief Education Officer of the Nancy-Metz region, and subsequently became deputy director of education for the département of Hérault, in southern France. In 2013, he was named director of education for the département of Hautes-Pyrénées.
From May 2017 to May 2020, Hervé served as director of education for the département of Val-d’Oise.
Now retired, he brings to the Foundation his wide-ranging experience in education and deep knowledge of the French education system.
Ghislaine Dehaene
Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz is a full-time researcher (DRCE) at France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and directs the developmental neuroimaging laboratory at NeuroSpin, a neuroscience research center with ties to the CEA, the University of Paris-Saclay, and France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). Her team uses magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to study the neural basis of higher cognitive functions in infants and children. The goal is to understand the special features of the infant brain that enable children to acquire language so quickly and to develop complex cognitive functions in many different areas.
Her team’s work won the Grand Prix Scientifique de la Fondation de France in 2015, and the Prix Scientifique de la Fondation NRJ-Institut de France in 2016. CNRS awarded its silver medal to Ghislaine in 2018, and she was elected as a foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2022.
Alain Poirée
After an executive career at Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis and other world-class names in corporate communications, Alain is now an independent consultant specializing in communications strategy. He joined the Vareille Foundation Board in early 2019.
David Hürlimann
David is a partner at CMS, one of Switzerland’s leading law firms, and is involved with a family foundation established by one of his ancestors. David used his expertise to create and register the Vareille Foundation, which continues to benefit from his legal acumen, sophisticated understanding of Swiss culture and society, and network of contacts in Switzerland.
Alain Robert
Alain Robert is an accomplished musician and banker. He studied the clarinet professionally before earning his degree in economics at the University of Neuchâtel. He then worked at UBS Group for over 40 years, including some 20 years in executive positions. He brings to the Board his passion for music and his extensive banking experience in Switzerland and elsewhere, including work with non-profit foundations. He currently sits on the board of Unigestion and chairs the boards of the Helmut Horten Foundation and the Foundation for the University of Neuchâtel.
Marie Vareille
Marie is the Vareille children’s representative on the Board, a 2-year position that rotates among 4 siblings—Olivier, Marie, Clément and Paul.
Marie has already published 10 novels. Her bestseller, La Vie rêvée des chaussettes orphelines, sold over 200,000 copies in France and has been translated in many countries. She lives on the North Sea Coast in the Netherlands with her husband and 2 daughters.