Governance changes at VINCI

Patrick Richard has been appointed as Secretary General of VINCI with effect from 1 March 2026. He remains a member of the Executive Committee and continues to serve as Secretary to the Board of Directors.

Sophie Deis-Beauquesne has been appointed as General Counsel of VINCI and joins its Executive Committee. She reports to Patrick Richard. 

Ms Deis-Beauquesne holds a doctor of laws degree and was admitted to the Paris bar, having practised as a lawyer in Paris and then in Hong Kong for nearly 10 years. She joined the VINCI Group in 2011 as Head of Legal at VINCI Energies International & Systems. In 2014, Ms Deis-Beauquesne was appointed as this entity’s General Counsel, before being named General Counsel, overseeing legal, compliance and insurance aspects, at VINCI Energies in April 2024, when she also became a member of its Executive Committee.

Céline Acharian has been appointed as Director of Ethics and Conduct of VINCI and joins its Executive Committee. She reports to Patrick Richard. 

A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure, Ms Acharian joined Inria, the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology, in 2006 as Head of Partnerships and Public Affairs, and went on to serve as its Director of Communications from 2012 until 2017. In 2017, she became Director of Communications at the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), the French Nuclear Safety Authority. Ms Acharian joined the VINCI Group in September 2022 as Chief Executive Officer of the think tank La Fabrique de la Cité and has also helped raise the profile of Leonard, the Group’s innovation and foresight platform.