On our way to Aix-en-Provence for the 25th edition of the Rencontres Économiques, we had the pleasure of visiting L’Epopée, a vibrant coworking space in Marseille, France, offering flexible workspace solutions to entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses – creating empowering ecosystems where individuals can grow, innovate, and thrive with the power of inspiration and community. 

 

Led by co-founder Laurent Choukroun, a social entrepreneur with a background in innovation and social business from HEC Paris, L’Epopée has become a hub for entrepreneurship, education, and social innovation.

 

Over lunch, we discussed our shared drivers of commitment, impact, and international cooperation, while exploring parallels between India and France in economics, culture, and diplomacy. This sparked plans for a trip to India in August to further conversations and build tangible connections between L’Épopée’s ecosystem and purpose-driven stakeholders in India.  

 

Thereafter, we visited Tangram, Marseille, another beautiful site and space for meetings and conferences. We had the honor to meet Véronique Albertini-Saadé, Présidente of CMA Media, and Tanya Saadé Zeenny, Managing Director of the CMA CGM Group and President of the CMA CGM Foundation, toward organising the Global Leadership by Women Summit on September 18 at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille, in the leadership of Chiara Corazza, also on the G100 Presidents Advisory Council.

 

G100 Founder Dr. Harbeen Arora Rai was invited to join the Advisory Council of the Global Leadership by Women Summit. The Advisory Council comprises prominent leaders and professionals from various fields, including Véronique Saadé (President of CMA Media), Tanya Saadé Zeenny (President of the CMA CGM Foundation), H.E. Elisabeth Moreno (Former French Minister of Gender Equality, Diversity, and Equal Opportunities and Chairwoman of Ring Capital), and Mathilde Lemoine (Group Chief Economist at Edmond de Rothschild). The council also features media professionals like Apolline de Malherbe (Journalist and host on RMC BFM) and eminent international representatives like Chiara Corazza (Representative of France for the private sector G20 EMPOWER).

 

We then proceeded to attend the 25th edition of Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence, held from July 3 to 5, 2025, at Parc Jourdan, bringing together leaders from politics, business, and academia to discuss pressing issues and shape the future of Europe. This edition featured around 400 speakers, including prominent politicians, economists, business leaders, and intellectuals. The conference covered various topics, such as economic policy and Eurozone coordination, sustainable growth and climate governance, digital transformation and innovation, and global challenges and cooperation.

 

The Rencontres Économiques in Aix-en-Provence provided a valuable opportunity to meet and engage with prominent personalities, including French Minister for Gender Equality, H.E. Madame Aurore Bergé, fostering meaningful connections and discussions. 

 

We also met eminent leader María Elena Agüero, the Secretary General of Club de Madrid, and extended our support from the G100. Club de Madrid is a prestigious organization comprising 127 former leaders from different countries who have held high-ranking government positions, toward promoting democratic values globally, as also bringing together global leaders to share experiences and expertise.

 

We also met up with sisters in our network attending the event, notably Global Chair for Humanity, Technology & Innovation, Dominique Delporte-Vermeiren, and Carmen M. Nzamba (France Country Chair, Global Networking Wing).

 

Convenor: Secretariat

Meetings led by: Dr. Harbeen Arora Rai, Founder, G100, along with Vinay Rai, Founder, Denim Club