As the global tech community prepares to gather in Paris for VivaTech 2026, anticipation is building around a milestone edition of one of Europe’s most influential technology and startup events. Taking place from June 17–20, 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, VivaTech will celebrate its 10th anniversary by bringing together the innovators, founders, executives, investors, and changemakers shaping the future of technology. From AI and deep tech to sustainability, digital transformation, mobility, and the next wave of startup innovation, VivaTech is where bold ideas meet real-world impact.
As a proud partner of VivaTech, WomenTech Network is excited to support this landmark gathering and connect with the global technology community in Paris. More than a showcase of emerging trends, VivaTech is a catalyst for connection, collaboration, and leadership — a space where global decision-makers exchange ideas, partnerships are formed, and the conversations defining the next chapter of innovation come to life.
In celebration of this landmark gathering in Paris, we are spotlighting 35 top leaders and speakers at VivaTech 2026 who are driving innovation, leading transformation, and influencing the future of technology on a global scale. These are the voices to watch — the executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and visionaries helping shape what comes next.
Meet the 35 Visionary Leaders at VivaTech Paris 2026
Agnès Seuret
Head of Startup Investor Management at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
With 25 years of experience, Agnes currently leads as Head of EMEA Startup Investors Managers at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she partners with major investors to unlock the potential of their portfolio companies. Her focus lies in removing growth barriers for startups through cloud infrastructure, tailored programs, and go-to-market strategies, particularly in the AIML/GenAI space. Her career spans technology, payments, and banking, with roles driving strategy, e-commerce, and transformations. A seasoned professional, she is passionate about empowering organizations to innovate and scale. Her work is guided by a commitment to fostering impactful technological advancements that drive transformation and enduring success.
Alex Hardiman
Chief Product Officer at The New York Times
Alex Hardiman is the Chief Product Officer at The New York Times where she oversees the company’s News, Cooking, Games and Audio products that power The Times’s subscription and digital advertising businesses. She also leads The Times’s enterprise-wide approach to Generative AI. Alex has dedicated her career to amplifying high quality, independent journalism through technology. Alex previously spent a decade at The Times in a number of leadership roles before leaving for Facebook in 2016 where she served as Head of News Products. She also spent a year at The Atlantic as their Chief Business and Product Officer where she relaunched the company's consumer products and subscription business. In addition to her role at The Times, Alex serves on the board of directors of Pearson. Alex holds a B.A. in Francophone Literature and History from Columbia University. She is also a graduating fellow of the Punch Sulzberger program at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Ana Paula De Jesus Assis
Senior Vice President and Chair for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific at IBM
Ana Paula Assis is Senior Vice President and Chair for IBM Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, overseeing IBM’s business operations across more than 170 countries. A globally recognized technology executive, she leads the company’s strategic direction in some of the world’s most dynamic and diverse markets, driving growth, innovation, and client success across IBM’s hybrid cloud, AI, and industry-focused solutions portfolio. As Chair of the EMEA and APAC regions, Ana Paula leads initiatives that promote sustainable innovation, responsible AI adoption, and skills development at scale. She is also a non-Executive Director at the Board of Trane Technologies and a member of the International Advisory Board of IESE Business School.
Asmita Dubey
Chief Digital & Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Groupe
Asmita Dubey is the Chief Digital & Marketing Officer of the L’Oréal Groupe, where she leads the company’s transformation through Digital, Beauty Tech, data, and AI-driven innovation. She is driving L’Oréal’s vision of Augmented Marketing, reinventing beauty experiences across its 37 global brands through technology, creator ecosystems, gaming, emerging channels, and data-driven consumer engagement. Recognized as the 2023 World Federation of Advertisers Global Marketer of the Year and ranked #3 in Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs in 2025, she is a leading voice in the future of marketing. Before joining L’Oréal in 2013 as Chief Marketing Officer for L’Oréal China, she built her career in advertising across India and China, working with major FMCG brands. She also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Haleon.
Bonnie Pelosi
Chief Marketing Officer, EMEA at Microsoft
Bonnie Pelosi is a leader in transforming marketing and communications functions to deliver profitable revenue growth. A commercial, growth-driven leader who operates across complex global matrix businesses, she has a strong track record in navigating executive organisations and building consensus to drive growth and win in the market. Collaborative and passionate about developing people, she is focused on nurturing talent to inspire higher levels of achievement. Experience in delivering results for B2B portfolios in several complex and disruptive industries, including technology, brand and creative services, financial and professional services.
Claire Lebarz
CTO at Malt
Claire Lebarz is CTO at Malt. She has joined Malt in September 2022 as VP Data, and then occupied the role of Chief Data & AI Officer. Prior to that, she worked 6 years at Airbnb, in the data leadership team. She spent over 10 years in San Francisco, developing AI products in scale-ups and has worked with dozens of startups as an advisor or business angel.
Christel Heydemann
CEO at Orange
Christel Heydemann has been CEO of the Orange Group since April 2022, after serving as a member of the Board of Directors from July 2017. She began her career at Alcatel in 1999, where she held various management positions, including during the merger between Alcatel and Lucent. In 2008, she was appointed Chief Commercial Officer for France and joined the Executive Committee of Alcatel-Lucent France. In 2011, she headed up Human Resources and Transformation for the group. In 2014, Christel Heydemann joined Schneider Electric. In 2017, she was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Schneider Electric France. In 2021, she took on the role of Executive Vice President, Europe Operations. A graduate of École Polytechnique and École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Christel Heydemann is actively committed to promoting diversity and innovation, particularly in encouraging women to pursue careers in science and technology. Christel Heydemann is an Officer of the French National Order of Merit and a Knight of the French Legion of Honor. She is a French national.
Deepti Chandra
VP, Product & Marketing at Upscale AI
Deepti Chandra is a product and networking leader at Upscale AI, where she leads product strategy and go-to-market for AI-native networking infrastructure. She previously held leadership roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco, scaling hyperscaler networking businesses and advancing SONiC-based solutions. With deep expertise across product, engineering, and cloud infrastructure, she focuses on enabling high-performance, scalable networks for AI and cloud environments.
Derya Matras
Vice President, EMEA at Meta
Derya Matras serves as Vice President for EMEA at Meta, where she leads the company’s operations and business across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Messenger in the region. Since joining Meta in 2015, Derya has built a successful track record of driving growth in the business leading Middle East, Africa and Turkey, which earned her expanded responsibilities overseeing the UK and Northern Europe. Before Meta, Derya worked in leadership roles across media, retail and management consulting, including a long tenure at McKinsey & Company. Her achievements have garnered recognition from esteemed global media outlets, such as Forbes and Fortune. Forbes listed her among the Top 30 Most Influential CEOs and Top 5 Women Leaders in Tech in the Middle East and Fortune featured her in the '40 under 40' list.
Elizabeth Stone
Chief Product and Technology Officer at Netflix
Elizabeth Stone was promoted to Chief Product and Technology Officer in February 2026 after being named CTO in October 2023. She joined Netflix in 2020, serving first as Vice President, Product Data Science & Engineering and then Vice President, Data & Insights. Elizabeth previously worked in finance as a trader at Merrill Lynch and an economist at Analysis Group before transitioning to the tech industry, where she served as Chief Operating Officer at Nuna and Vice President, Science at Lyft. She is a graduate of MIT and Stanford University.
Emily Witko
Head Of Culture at Hugging Face
As Head of Culture at Hugging Face, she leads global People programs that drive performance, growth, and engagement across a fully remote, 200+ person team. From designing equitable impact reviews, to launching engagement surveys that inform action plans, to building a custom pay equity analysis tool, she designs programs that scale, stick, and make work better for everyone.
Emma Auscher
Global VP of Customer Experience at Notion
Emma Auscher is Global Head of Customer Experience at Notion, where she helps customers build the tools they need to succeed. A champion of operational excellence, she has developed solutions to retain and grow customers and revenue as Notion scaled to more than 100 million users worldwide. As an early adopter of AI, Emma has helped turn this industry shift into measurable outcomes, leading her team through real-world adoption and helping customers do the same. Emma has over fifteen years of leadership experience scaling and transforming high-performing global teams, with a strong focus on building a diverse and inclusive culture where talent can thrive.
Esther Finidori
Chief Sustainability Officer at Schneider Electric
Esther Finidori is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Schneider Electric. She leads the company’s sustainability strategy, commitments, and engagements, from corporate citizenship and institutional affairs to sustainability performance and environmental impact. Previously at Schneider Electric, she held the position of France Operations Strategy VP, where she drove influence, commercial strategy, sales excellence, and circular economy initiatives. She also served in various sustainability roles, including Group Environment VP, where she played an instrumental role in shaping and executing the company’s environmental initiatives, solidifying its position as a recognized sustainability leader. Before joining Schneider Electric in 2016, she worked as an environmental consultant, specializing in climate change and energy transition.
Fanny Bouton
Quantum, AI & Open Innovation Lead at OVHcloud
Fanny Bouton is an ecosystem strategist for emerging computing platforms (AI, cloud and quantum) and Quantum & Open Innovation Lead at OVHcloud. She works with startups, venture investors, research labs and public institutions to accelerate access to advanced computing infrastructures across Europe, supporting more than 200 deep-tech startups annually. As co-founder of France Quantum, she contributes to structuring the European quantum landscape and connecting industrial, academic and policy stakeholders around next-generation technologies. She is also a long-standing technology analyst and media voice, appearing regularly on Tech&Co or Silicon Carne and co-hosting the podcasts Quantum and Decode Quantum.
Hanne Jesca Bax
Global Vice Chair – Clients & Industries at EY
As the EY Global Vice Chair for Clients & Industries, Hanne Jesca helps ensure the focus of EY teams is aligned to clients’ critical needs. She does this through forward-thinking stewardship of the organization’s relationships with C-suite buyers; driving solutions innovation; and delivering market impact through programs that result in superior client experiences. She is a member of the EY Global Executive. In her previous role as the EY EMEIA Markets & Accounts Leader, Hanne Jesca led go-to-market and client service strategies across EMEIA and sponsored many of the organization’s critical alliance relationships. She has also served as EMEIA Tax Deputy Leader, Managing Partner Markets for the Netherlands and Belgium, and as lead partner for several key accounts.
Henna Virkkunen
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission
As Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen is tasked with combatting the increasingly complex security threats facing the EU, whilst at the same time strengthening our external borders and our internal security. This goes hand in hand with her responsibility to ensure our freedoms, justice and democracy are strengthened too.
Imène Kabouya
Partner, Board member – Artificial Intelligence Business Unit at Wavestone
Enthusiastic technology leader helping business and technology leaders transform their organizations. She drives the adoption of innovative technologies, agile operating models, and modern management practices, while supporting the upskilling of tech talent to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. After more than 14 years of CIO advisory across industries such as banking, energy, and retail, she has spent the past two years working closely with public administrations. She helps them leverage digital technologies to spark innovation, enhance user experience, and boost productivity—while building the organizational foundations for long-term impact and resilience.
Inbal Becker-Reshef
Managing Director at Microsoft AI for Good Lab
Dr. Inbal Becker-Reshef is the Managing Director of the Microsoft AI for Good Lab, which applies artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies to address pressing societal challenges, including food security, biodiversity, disaster response, and low-resource language access. She is the Founder and Chief Scientist of NASA Harvest, NASA’s Global Food Security and Agriculture Program, where her work focuses on the application of satellite data to agricultural monitoring from field to global scales, informing decisions related to food security, sustainability, and global market. She is a Fellow at the University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies and a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal, the U.S. APEC ASPIRE Prize, and the Arrell Global Food Innovation Award.
Joan Mannick
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Product Development at Altos Labs
Joan Mannick is the Chief Medical Officer at Altos Labs whose mission is to restore cell health and resilience through cell rejuvenation to reverse disease, injury and the disabilities that can occur throughout life. Previously she was the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Tornado Therapeutics which developed next generation rapalogs to treat aging-related conditions. Before that, Joan was the Head of Research and Development at Life Biosciences, and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of resTORbio. resTORbio was a spinout of a clinical program targeting aging biology that she led as an Executive Director at the New Indications Discovery Unit of the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research.
Julie Huguet
Director of Mission French Tech at French Tech
Julie Huguet is Director of the French Tech Mission, the government agency part of the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industry that supports the growth of France's startup ecosystem and its international development. Appointed in September 2024, she oversees the public strategy to foster high-potential technology start-ups and scale-ups and strengthen the global reach of La French Tech. Before joining the Ministry, she built a strong track record as an entrepreneur and business executive. After seven years in strategic roles in Geneva's watchmaking industry, she founded Coworkees in 2016, a platform connecting companies with consultants. The company grew rapidly to more than 70,000 freelancers before being acquired by Freelance.com.
Julie Teigland
Global Vice Chair – Alliances & Ecosystems at EY
Julie is EY Global Vice Chair – Alliances & Ecosystems and a member of the EY Global Executive. She leads the growth of the global EY organization's strategic alliances business globally, a fundamental part of the client proposition, enabling EY to deliver superior business value for clients through award-winning collaboration, co-creation and innovation. With three decades of experience in professional services, she is responsible for expanding existing EY ecosystems and developing new collaborations, including partnering with the world’s leading and emerging technology and services players. Before this role Julie was EY EMEIA Area Managing Partner, leading member firms across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa.
Kaoutar Sghiouer
Global Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence at Sanofi
Kaoutar Sghiouer is a leader in data and Artificial Intelligence and serves as Global Head of Data & AI at Sanofi, where she drives data democratization and advances AI at scale across drug discovery, clinical trials, manufacturing, and commercial operations. She has contributed to numerous European and French Data & AI initiatives, holds several patents in data processing and AI, and earned a PhD in AI from UTC-Compiègne Technology University, along with executive and AI certifications from HEC Paris, Harvard University, and IMD. She is widely recognized for advancing AI in healthcare and was named an AI Pioneer for 2026 by Women in AI.
Laurence Petit
Director for Innovation and EIC Board Member at CEA
Laurence Petit is an innovation, deep-tech, and investment leader dedicated to transforming scientific research into real-world impact. Throughout her career, she has supported the growth of startups and breakthrough technologies by fostering entrepreneurship, investment, technology transfer, and long-term research collaborations. She has played a significant role in strengthening Europe’s deep-tech ecosystem, helping innovative ventures progress from laboratory research to market deployment while supporting the emergence of globally competitive technology companies.
Linda Tong
CEO at Webflow
Linda Tong is the CEO of Webflow, the leading visual development platform for building powerful websites without writing code. Prior to her role as CEO, Linda served as President and COO at Webflow, overseeing go-to-market and general administrative functions. During her tenure, Linda has played a pivotal role in guiding the company through significant growth, serving hundreds of thousands of global customers and achieving substantial revenue milestones. Linda brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of leadership from her executive roles at Cisco, NFL, and Google. Additionally, she currently serves as an advisor to CruxOCM and sits on the board of directors at Prezi and Hex. She earned her bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University.
Marinela Profi
Global Market Strategy Lead for Agentic AI and Generative AI at SAS
Marinela is a Global AI Strategist, with a decade of experience helping enterprises across financial services, healthcare, and government achieve trusted, data-driven decisions with AI. With an MBA, a Master’s in Statistics and AI and a Bachelor of Science in Economics, Marinela translates complex technical concepts into strategic data and AI initiatives that drive real business impact. A published author and global tech speaker, Marinela also serves on the Advisory Board for several Universities, shaping curriculum to align with evolving industry needs.
Meredith Whittaker
President at Signal
Meredith Whittaker is Signal's President and a member of the Signal Foundation Board of Directors. She has nearly 20 years of experience in tech, spanning industry, academia, and government. Her research and scholarly work helped shape global tech policy and shift the public narrative on tech and AI to better recognize the surveillance business practices and concentration of industrial resources at the heart of the current tech business model.
Michelle Bourgeois
National Alliance and Emerging Technology Leader at PwC
A senior executive driving national alliance strategy and emerging technology adoption across sectors. With a focus on AI, data modernization, and cloud, she enables high-impact collaborations with leading tech partners to transform enterprise capabilities. Michelle bridges innovation with business value to help clients stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Nicole Carignan
Senior Vice President, Security and AI Strategy, Field CISO at Darktrace
Nicole Carignan is Senior Vice President, Security and AI Strategy, Field CISO at Darktrace. As an expert in the safe, secure and responsible application of AI in cybersecurity, Nicole engages in product innovation and advisory, thought leadership, research, and provides technical, strategic guidance in cybersecurity, AI and data science. With over 25 years of experience, Nicole has deep expertise in data science, machine learning, cybersecurity, threat intelligence, and cyber operations. Previously, Nicole worked in and supported the US federal government for over 20 years, serving in multiple technical and operational roles for the Intelligence Community and US Department of Defense and consulted on multiple large scale data science efforts.
Rachel Thornton
Chief Marketing Officer at Adobe Enterprise
Rachel Thornton is committed to helping businesses create amazing customer experiences at the intersection of marketing, creativity and AI. As Chief Marketing Officer for Adobe's enterprise business, Rachel is responsible for Adobe's global enterprise Digital Media and Digital Experience marketing. Rachel develops marketing, messaging, positioning strategies and activations that expand awareness of Adobe as the world's best marketing and AI platform for delivering brand-changing customer experiences. Her team amplifies Adobe’s unique enterprise story in ways that energize, celebrate and empower CMOs and experience makers worldwide.
Renée Kaplan
Head of Partnerships France at Substack
Renée Kaplan is Head of Partnerships at Substack, France. Renée is a journalist and digital transformation leader, with over 20 years of experience managing and innovating media. She was until June 2025 Head of News at ARTE. Prior to that, she served as head of digital editorial development at the Financial Times, where she led teams working on innovation, new editorial products and much of the FT's digital journalism. Before moving to the Financial Times, she was deputy editorial director of news network France 24, and has worked as a journalist on staff at numerous U.S. media including CNN, CBS and the New York Observer.
Roxanne Varza
Director at Station F
Roxanne is the Director of STATION F, the world's biggest startup campus, based in Paris. She is also an angel investor, scout investor, and sits on the board of publicly-listed media company NRJ Group. She has invested in companies like Lovable, Ami Labs, Harmattan AI, Amo, Spore.bio, Photoroom and more. Prior, she was the Editor of TechCrunch France and led Microsoft's startup activities for France. She also cofounded Starther (now part of SISTA), Tech.eu (acquired by Webrazzi) and Failcon Paris conference.
Samantha Gloede
Global Head of Risk Services and Global Trusted AI Leader at KPMG International
Samantha Gloede is the Global Head of Risk Services, based in New York. Samantha leads KPMG’s global portfolio of AI-enabled solutions which help clients transform their business model and operations around risk and regulatory change, enabling them to build resilience and trust, innovate and grow responsibly, and create enterprise value. Samantha also serves as the Trusted AI Leader for KPMG International and is at the forefront of KPMG's initiatives to develop and deploy AI solutions that not only drive business efficiency but also uphold the highest standards of trust, ethics and responsibility as defined by KPMG’s Trusted AI Framework.
Sarika Naik
Group Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and Member of the Group Executive Committee at Capgemini
Sarika Naik is the Group Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and a member of the Group Executive Committee at Capgemini, where she leads the company’s global agenda across environmental sustainability, social impact, and responsible innovation. With more than two decades of experience spanning ESG strategy, digital transformation, marketing, and enterprise change, she has played a key role in embedding sustainability, inclusion, and ethical technology into business strategy. Previously, as Chief Marketing Officer for Capgemini in India, she strengthened the company’s brand and market positioning through client-centric and insight-driven initiatives.
Sue Duke
Managing Director for EMEA & LATAM and VP, Global Public Policy at LinkedIn
Sue Duke is Managing Director for EMEA & LATAM, and LinkedIn’s Head of Global Public Policy & Economic Graph. She leads a team of over 3000 people in the region, where the world’s largest professional network has over two million members, who are actively using the platform to find jobs, learn skills, hire teams, share valuable knowledge, make deals and start businesses. In addition, Sue is also responsible for LinkedIn’s relationships with governments and policy makers around the world, leveraging LinkedIn’s labour market insights and partnering with organisations such as the IMF, OECD and World Economic Forum to recommend policy solutions to prepare the global workforce for the jobs of the future.
Susan Emerson
Senior Vice President - Product: AI Global COE at Salesforce
Susan Emerson is the Senior Vice President of Agentforce GTM/COE at Salesforce, where she leads outbound product management and customer engagement for Agentforce. She is responsible for communicating the vision, strategy, and roadmap of Agentforce to global customers, helping businesses design practical use cases and integrate AI into their existing enterprise architectures. Susan serves as a key liaison to AI and IT professionals, translating Agentforce capabilities into clear value propositions that align with existing infrastructure and data governance standards. As an architect of the Agentic Enterprise vision, Susan works closely with C-level executives to navigate the evolving partnership between humans and AI agents.
Amid the rapidly evolving world of technology and AI, where breakthrough ideas are transforming industries at unprecedented speed, VivaTech 2026 offers a powerful opportunity to be part of the conversations shaping what comes next. As Europe’s largest startup and tech event, Viva Technology brings together founders, investors, corporate leaders, researchers, and innovators for four days of discovery, networking, and high-impact collaboration.
With 180,000+ attendees, 14,000 startups, and 3,500+ exhibitors, VivaTech is more than a global showcase of innovation — it is a meeting point for the people building the future. If you’re attending, make sure to connect with WomenTech Network during the event and engage with a global community committed to advancing women in technology, leadership, and innovation.
Join Viva Technology and take part in the ideas, partnerships, and opportunities driving the future of technology and AI.
🎟 As a WomenTech Network community member, enjoy 30% off your ticket with code: WOMENTECH30.
Looking ahead, secure your place at the Women in Tech Global Conference 2027 (May 18–21, Virtual). With 2-for-1 Tickets and Discounted Group Tickets available, the conference offers a powerful opportunity for teams, organizations, and communities to learn, connect, and grow together. It’s an ideal way to extend the VivaTech experience, keep the dialogue alive, and invest in leadership, innovation, and inclusion at scale.
To continue growing your network beyond VivaTech, explore WomenTech Network memberships and discover ways to connect, learn, and advance your career with a global community of women in tech