It was always the sameusual suspects fun

The Board of Directors of the great undertaking of the CAC 40 has just voted unanimously the arrival of a "head". President takes than the Hunter of specially invited all heads: "find - me one, and soon...". "it slipping. This watchword, recruitment of high level firms often heard him in recent months. Since the announcement of the proposed Act Copé-Zimmermann on parity in the boards of Directors, is "panic", note, amused, Brigitte Taittinger, Annick Goutal perfumes boss and head of HSBC. They are several women, already members of Board of Directors, entrepreneurs, financial, to look to shake all the small world of top management and advice. Most wanted not a law. These women "high potential" are indeed devalued to be named administrators just because they are of a different "kind". Yet, very few dispute the usefulness of quotas. "I have adopted the principle of reality," admits Mireille Faugère, Adviser to the President of the SNCF and serves on the boards of EDF and Essilor: women represent only 10 of the directors of the CAC 40 companies and barely 9 of the top 500 French companies. Since 2006, their proportion has painfully increased 1, and last year, some major listed companies had no women in their Council... If the law is passed, it is 169 administrators that he going to find here 2015 for the CAC 40 groups, and about 1,200 for those of the SBF 120! "There is no shortage problem", relativizes Marc Lamy, Boyden France President and founder of the French Institute of Directors (IFA), who armed his firm to meet the demand.

The canal of the establishment

Must find good recruit, select, and that their appointment has meaning. "It's the race, before the vote of the Act, everyone wants to"his"wife", reflects a headhunter. AXA, Air Liquide, Schneider, Bouygues, Renault, Carrefour, Vivendi... To date, 17 resolutions proposing the election of women to the Professional posts have been identified by the firm Proxinvest, and the ball of the general assemblies is not finished... As a comparison, only six women had been appointed in 2009. In the scuffle, some wanted to meet the most urgent by choosing personalities very to the establishment. This is the case of Florence Woerth, at Hermès, Nicole Dassault, Serge Dassault, at Dassault Aviation wife, Bernadette Chirac, named to the Board of LVMH, of Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, wife of the pattern of the Société Générale elected to the Board of Lagardère and Brigitte Longuet in Canal . After all, quips Loïc Dessaint, Proxinvest, an Associate Director "Why impose on women other criteria of selection as men" Some, however, would not participate in this remake of the debutante ball: "I declined jobs when it made me understand that the name that I had in the decision of appointment", provides for example Margerie victory, the sister of the pattern of Total. This former Pechiney leading a start-up of micromechanical in England is the French cement and the Finnish steel group Outokumpu.

Taken speed them also, head hunters are treasures of the imagination to find the rare Pearl. "Be creative", recognizes Catherine Euvrard, President of EC Consultants. Like most of his colleagues, it put his team on the foot of war to establish a list of 100 names (France and in Europe) presentable to potential clients. "The problem is that three quarters of the women are either financial or in the media or fashion..." "II must therefore open our references," she explains. "He must turn to lawyers, the"partners"of consulting firm Anglo-Saxon, the HRD, legal directions of large groups or levels N-1," advises Marc Lamy. But businesses are demanding. "Even if take a wife, the CEO wants to stone... three shots by improving its corporate image and the internationalization of its Board", explains Emeric Lepoutre, CEO of Spencer Stuart: clearly, the perfect candidate "is, or may assert an experience abroad, and, if possible, in a strategic region for the company". But "women who have a strong international experience are not numerous", said Evelyne Sevin, "partner" of Egon Zehnder International.

At the time, in fact, the good candidates are rather rare. An example: when Virginia Morgon, Member of the Executive Board of Eurazeo, sought a woman to join the Supervisory Board of the investment company, she found no good candidate in the "short lists" presented by the head hunters. "It was always the same"usual suspects"," fun. It has preferred to play its network and establish a list of thirty names: "20 I knew, 10 that I did not know." Finally it is Anne Lalou, delegate CEO of pole distribution of Nexity, who was chosen. It was on any list.

The safe values

Yet head hunters are making efforts to make their "sexiest" proposals, generally ranking the candidates in three categories: the "confirmed", the "up and coming" and the "rising stars/talent" (sic)! In the first category, it is still the dozen women known to all, who share the spotlight in the boards of Directors: Dominique Hériard-Dubreuil, President of the Board of Directors of Rémy Cointreau just be appointed to the Board of Vivendi (such as the CEO of Nuxe, Aliza Jabès); Véronique Morali, who left the branch from Chanel to create his Terrafemina site, the board of Valeo, Club Mediterranee, Eiffage, Fimalac and Tesco; Patricia Barbizet, the Director General of Artemis; Dominique Reiniche, the patron saint of Coca-Cola Europe, presents at AXA and Essilor... Profiles and names it scrambles. But no cannot, does not want to accumulate warrants to infinity. In Norway, where legislation similar to that which lurks in France entered into force five years ago, some women accumulate up to 12 mandates, known as the "golden skirts" (literally "Golden skirts").

Nurseries for young leaders

To renew the offer, head hunters went seeking scientists, such as the former Minister and astronaut Claudie Haigneré, lawyers such as the old bâtonnière of Paris, Dominique Garanderie, women heads of enterprise, young superdiplômées women and passionate by their trade such as Elisabeth Lulin or Helle Kristoffersen. Forty-six years, this last, former student of the Ecole normale supérieure and Ensae, is Vice President at Alcatel-Lucent. Since 2007, she is a Director of Valeo and "not do it for the Sham", provides it. But this mother of two children do not want to accumulate the warrants because "it is impossible to conduct a high-level career while providing more than two terms. All are convinced.

Some firms go further: they themselves prepare succession. Anna Mann, the high priestess of the recruitment in England, "is at the root," said Victoire de Margerie, who works in his program. It has identified 400 "quadras" women in Europe, that it "follows" and form for five years. "Women on Board" offers breakfasts to theme of "mentoring"... In the end, when Anna Mann Gets a warrant, it has more than to tap into its base. One model that other imported in France, as Chantal Bérard Neumann international, who decided to create a "nursery of young leaders". "". "We are helping drama", she explains. "Some of them need a coaching custom to blow locks." The scheme of work is the same as in Anna Mann: breakfast debate once per quarter, coaching...

In the same vein, the Women's Forum created in 2005 by Aude Thuin, and which brings together each year in Deauville of women around the world, strives to teach its participants to "ask their voice." "Often in a Council a single woman is unable to be heard." When they are two, men will try to play one against the other, as one of the two is often a salaried administrator. "Three this changes everything, they will often have the same point of view," explains. A formation which can not be useless. "A Council, first, it is an issue of power and manipulation are frequent as one assumes the woman naive and very happy to be there," confirms Anne-Claire Taittinger, just enter the Council of the Mediterranean Club. In the "boards" French, here are a few beautiful passes of weapons in perspective...