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Board Meeting: Total Foundation becomes TotalEnergies Foundation and Names Two New Directors

Paris, June 18, 2021 – Total Foundation held a Board Meeting in the TotalEnergies premises on June 18. The meeting was chaired by Namita Shah, Chair of the Foundation and a member of the TotalEnergies Executive Committee, with nine directors in attendance, as well as Manoelle Lepoutre, Senior Vice President, Civil and Society Engagement and Managing Director of the Foundation. 

During the meeting, the Board of Directors voted in favor of the following: 

  • The appointment of two new qualified persons from civil society as members of the Board of Directors: Bertrand Piccard, explorer and Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, and Catherine Bréchignac, member of the French Academy of Sciences. They will bring their commitment and expertise in the fields of science, education and the environment to the Board.
  • The amendment to Total Foundation's bylaws to record the change in name of TotalEnergies SE and the change in name of the foundation to TotalEnergies Foundation. The Board of Directors also voted in favor of an increase in the budget for the 2018-2022 five-year action plan. Initially set at €125 million, the amount has been increased to €200 million to include the contribution to the renovation of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris and the L’Industreet project, a campus for the industry professions of tomorrow. These amendments to the bylaws are subject to the approval of the Hauts-de-Seine district authority.
  • The adoption of a charter setting out the Foundation’s governance principles, which will be made public with a view to promoting transparency. This governance text brings together all the rules and principles by which the Foundation acts and manages and controls its budget.

The Board of Directors praised the successful completion of the second call for partners for youth inclusion and education, the winners of which will be announced in September.

"We are delighted to welcome Bertrand Piccard and Catherine Bréchignac onto our Board. They offer new perspectives, drawing on their varied experiences and recognized expertise, which will help advance the work of our Foundation. We are working to further TotalEnergies’ commitment to public interest and relentless efforts to help young people. A perfect example of this in France is the L’Industreet campus, which provides a concrete response to youth unemployment by providing training in new industry professions," said Namita Shah, Executive Vice President, People & Social Responsibility and member of TotalEnergies' Executive Committee.

Following the meeting, the directors met with Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies, before heading to Stains to visit the campus for new industry professions, where they spoke with the director of L’Industreet, the teaching team and the students.

Published on 20/06/2021
1 min reading time

 

Bertrand Piccard, Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation and ambassador for innovative clean technologies

A trained psychiatrist, Bertrand Piccard made a name for himself by flying around the world, first in a balloon non-stop, and then in a solar plane without fuel in 2016. Through these exploits, he works to promote renewable energies and clean technologies. Among other achievements, he and his team have identified 1,000 efficient and profitable solutions to protect the planet. A United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment since 2015, Bertrand Piccard is today recognized as an opinion leader on the themes of innovation and sustainable development. Founder and President of the humanitarian foundation Winds of Hope, which helps children victims of forgotten or neglected diseases, Bertrand Piccard is also a committed advocate for young people.

 

Catherine Bréchignac, Physicist, member of the French Academy of Sciences and the French Academy of Technologies and Ambassador-at-Large for Science, Technology and Innovation

A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and agrérée in physics, Catherine Bréchignac is a specialist in atomic physics and in nanosciences, focusing on the overlap between atomic physics and material sciences. She works as a researcher, director of research and laboratory director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), where she held the position of Director General from 1997 to 2000 and president from 2006 to 2011. Her work has received many distinctions and awards in France and abroad. Catherine Bréchignac has also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Palais de la Découverte museum, a director of Renault SA, a member of the Advertising Ethics Council of French industry advertising regulator ARPP, President of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and member of the Council of the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices. She was the secrétaire perpétuel of the French Academy of Sciences. She is currently a member of several scientific bodies, and President of the scientific council of the French national advanced police college (ENSP).

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The TotalEnergies Foundation program

The TotalEnergies Foundation program brings together the solidarity initiatives carried out every day worldwide by TotalEnergies, its affiliates and its corporate foundation. Through the program, TotalEnergies aims to contribute to the vitality of its host communities and regions, with a special focus on young people. TotalEnergies Foundation works alongside partners in four priority areas: Youth Inclusion & Education; Road Safety; Climate, Coastal Areas & Oceans; and Cultural Dialogue & Heritage. It mobilizes employees by giving them the opportunity to devote up to three days of their working time each year to public-interest initiatives. TotalEnergies Foundation hence contributes to the Company’s citizenship engagement.