Building Inclusive, Fair, and Resilient Futures

Thomas Buberl has been Chief Executive Officer and Director of AXA since September 1 st, 2016. He started as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group for the banking & insurance sector both in Germany and internationally. From 2005 to 2008, he worked for the Winterthur Group (acquired by AXA in 2006) as member of the Management Board of Winterthur in Switzerland, first as Chief Operating Officer and then as Chief Marketing and Distribution Officer. He then joined Zurich Insurance Group as Chief Executive Officer for Switzerland. At the beginning of 2012, Thomas Buberl joined AXA as Chief Executive Officer of AXA Germany and member of the AXA Executive Committee. In March 2015, he also joined the AXA Management Committee and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Global Business Line for the Health Business, and, in January 2016, of the Global Business Line for Life & Savings. From March to September 2016, he was deputy CEO (“Directeur général adjoint”) of AXA. Thomas Buberl holds a Master of Economics degree from WHU Koblenz (Germany), a MBA from Lancaster University (UK) and a PhD in Economics from the University of St.Gallen (Switzerland). He has been distinguished as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Thomas Buberl sits on the Board of Directors of IBM, the Supervisory Board of the Bertelsmann VerwaltungsGesellschaft (BVG), and the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum. He is a recipient of the French Legion of Honor in the rank of Chevalier (Knight), the French Ordre National du Mérite in the rank of Chevalier, and of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in the rank of Chevalier. Thomas Buberl is a senior operational reserve officer in the French Navy. A German, Swiss and French citizen, Thomas Buberl was born in 1973. 

Michel Baguenault is a graduate of emlyon business school and holds a Master’s degree in Business Law. Before joining Institut Mérieux, he was Financial Strategy Advisor at Financière Meeschaert from 1996 to 2004, then Director of Development at Banque Martin Maurel in Lyon from 2004 to 2008. Michel Baguenault joined Institut Mérieux in January 2009 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In 2011, he moved to bioMérieux as Director of Human Resources and Communications. In 2016, he was appointed Secretary General of bioMérieux, in charge of Human Resources, Communications, Audit, Risk & Compliance, as well as Protocol. Since January 2020, Michel Baguenault has been Chief Executive Officer of Institut Mérieux. Within the Institut Mérieux Group, he is a board member of Institut Mérieux, Mérieux NutriSciences, Transgene, and Mérieux Equity Partners. Outside the Group, he is a board member of CIC Lyonnaise de Banque, Descours & Cabaud SA, Mutuelles AXA, SIGEFI, and the Fondation Solidarités by Crédit Agricole. He is also an Observer (censeur) to the Supervisory Board of Unibel.

Ulrike Decoene is the AXA Group Chief Communication, Brand and Sustainability since 2019, and a member of the AXA Management Committee. Ulrike joined AXA in 2007 as Head of Media Relations and Internal Communications of AXA Investment Managers, after working for several offices of the French government between 2003 and 2007. She then joined the Group's Mediterranean, Latin America and Africa region as Head of Communications, Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs, before becoming Director of the AXA Research Fund in 2015. From 2016 to 2019, she served as Chief of Staff to Thomas Buberl, CEO of AXA. She graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure and Sorbonne University Paris IV. 

Hélène Destandau, a graduate of the Institute of Commerce in Nancy and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, began her career at AXA in 1990 on the ground, as an IARD insurance inspector and then as a sales inspector. From 1999 to 2003, she managed regional operational marketing, then served as a commercial delegation manager until 2007. From 2008 to 2013, she managed Human Resources and Training in the AXA South East Region. Since 2014, she has been a partner AXA General Agent in Lyon and Villeurbanne, supporting businesses, individuals and protected persons in insurance and financial advice.

Mathieu is an engineer graduated from the French Institute of Advanced Mechanics, from ESSEC in International Business and from the London Business School where he obtained an MBA. He began his career at Renault-Nissan in the Purchasing Department before joining the Boston Consulting Group. He joined the AXA Group in 2011 as VP of Insurance Procurement. In 2013, he became Director of Customer Service successively for the Ile-de-France and then North-East regions, while taking responsibility for the motor claims business. After two years at the head of the Western region, he became Director of Distribution & Marketing for AXA France Retail and P&C Corporate in 2020. From 2022 to 2023, he was Director of Property and Casualty Customer Service, supervising the Operations of AXA Service Morocco. From 2023 to 2025, Mathieu was CEO of AXA France Property and Casualty and Partnerships, a member of the Executive Committee of AXA France. Since December 1St, 2025, Mathieu has been CEO of AXA France and a member of the Group’s Management Committee.

Philippe Guérand has been the President of AXA Mutuals since 2024, after an initial experience as a board member starting in 2005. In parallel, he leads Groupe Générale d'Investissements, a Lyon-based company active in real estate development and investment. Philippe Guérand is also actively involved in employer associations. He serves as President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and as Vice President of Medef Lyon-Rhône. Additionally, Philippe Guérand holds responsibilities in the fields of education and foundations, serving as Vice President of the Chemistry-Physics-Electronics School CPE Lyon and as a Director of the Innovation and Transition Foundation. 

Sophie de Roux started her career at the investment bank Wasserstein Perella in New York, London and Paris. She then worked for more than 20 years as a finance executive, both in large multinational groups, notably at Dassault Systèmes as Group Controller then CFO Europe, and SMEs, as CFO of Groupe Librairies du Savoir. 
She currently serves as a director and a board committee chair or member for AXA Assurances IARD Mutuelle, AXA Assurances Vie Mutuelle, Savencia Holding and Savencia SA, Verlinvest and Fondation François Sommer. Sophie de Roux is a graduate from Sciences Po Paris and ESSEC Grande Ecole, and also holds a law degree from Paris II Assas University.   

Benoît Soury was appointed Executive Director of Carrefour Proximity France on July 5, 2021. He has also been the Director of Cash & Carry activities for Carrefour France since December 1, 2025. Since 2018, he has held the position of Bio Market Director for the Carrefour Group and is CEO of Carrefour's specialized organic brands, namely So.bio, Bio c’ Bon (2020), Le Grand Panier Bio (2025), and the pure player Greenweez. Benoît Soury is also the President of Potager City, and since July 2024, Vice President of AXA Mutuelles d’Assurances.

George Stansfield is AXA Group Deputy CEO & General Secretary and a member of the Group Management Committee based in Paris. In this capacity he is responsible for oversight of Group Human Resources, Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit, Communications, Brand and Sustainability and GIE AXA (Corporate Headquarters) as well as various other matters. Mr. Stansfield also oversees AXA’s operations in Japan and Hong Kong/China. In addition, Mr. Stansfield is Chairman of the Board of AXA France as well as director of numerous AXA Group subsidiaries. He is also a Director of NYSE listed Equitable Holdings, Inc. and chairman of its Compensation & Talent Committee. Prior to being named Group Deputy CEO in November 2017, Mr. Stansfield held a variety of positions with the AXA Group including (i) Group General Counsel (2004-2016) where he was responsible for the Group’s  worldwide Legal and Compliance matters, (ii) Head of Group Human Resources (2010-2016) where he managed the Group’s global HR matters and played a significant role in managing the Group’s CEO succession process between 2014-2016 and (iii) Group General Secretary from 2016. Mr. Stansfield began his career in 1985 as a corporate lawyer in New York City where he worked as an attorney in the Legal Department of Equitable Life focusing on M&A, financing, regulatory, compliance, corporate governance and a wide variety of other general corporate matters. In 1996, Mr. Stansfield joined the AXA Group Legal Department in Paris following AXA SA’s listing on the NYSE and was responsible for all US legal matters. Mr. Stansfield graduated from Georgetown University Law Center (Washington DC) with a law degree in 1985 and Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut) in 1982 where he majored in History. He has been a member of the New York State Bar since 1986. Mr. Stansfield also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Library of Paris and as a member of the Board of Equitable Holdings Inc. which is an independent NYSE listed company.

Gilbert Chahine is, since 2023, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AXA France in charge of Distribution and Banking, and Chief Executive Officer of AXA Mutual Insurance Companies. He started his career in auditing at Mazars before joining AXA in 2007 as financial analyst within the Investor Relations Department. He then became Head of Group financial control, reporting and consolidation in 2012. 
In 2014, he co-led the launch of AXA’s Life, Health, and Property & Casualty Insurance activities in Egypt before becoming Chief Executive Officer. In 2018, he became Chief Executive Officer of AXA Partners, before joining AXA France in 2021 as Head of the Individual Life & Savings business unit. Gilbert graduated from CentraleSupélec.  

In 2012, Clément Rouxel joined the AXA Group as the Manager of European and Institutional Affairs. From 2016 to 2018, he held positions within the General Secretariat of AXA France as Head of the General Affairs Department, Executive Assistant to the Secretary General, and Secretary of the Board of Directors of AXA France. In 2018, he joined the office of the CEO of AXA, first as Deputy Chief of Staff and then as Chief of Staff. In September 2021, he was appointed Director of Communication and Engagement for AXA France. Since February 2025, he has been the General Delegate of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress - by Mutuelles d’assurances and AXA Group. Clément Rouxel graduated from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Master in Public Affairs) and the Universities of Paris and Cologne. He holds a double master's degree in Franco-German law, a Master 2, and an LLM in business law. He was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2005 and practiced at the Gide Loyrette Nouel law firm. In 2006, he joined the Legal Affairs Department of the Banking Commission (ACPR from 2010), before contributing to the creation of the Sanctions Commission of the Prudential Control and Resolution Authority from 2010 to 2011.