FRENCH-AMERICAN
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
THE RAINBOW ROOM, NEW YORK CITY
RAYMOND J. M c GUIRE PRESIDENT LAZARD
ISABEL WILKERSON
YOUNG LEADER 1994
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND PULITZER PRIZE WINNER
FOR THEIR DEDICATED SERVICE TO FRENCH-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP
ALLAN M. CHAPIN
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
FRENCH-AMERICAN FOUNDATION – UNITED STATES
ALAIN PAPIASSE
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
FRENCH-AMERICAN FOUNDATION – FRANCE
ANT HEMS
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Edward C. Wallace
Chairman, Board of Directors
French-American Foundation – U.S.
Ambassador Laurent Bili
Ambassador of France to the United States
AWARD PRESENTATION
Isabel Wilkerson
Young Leader 1994
New York Times Bestselling Author and Pulitzer Prize Winner
PRESENTED BY
Marc Lacey Young Leader 2001
Managing Editor
The New York Times
AWARD PRESENTATION
Raymond J. McGuire
President Lazard
PRESENTED BY
Susan Fales-Hill
Television Producer, Author and Screenwriter
DINNER SERVICE
REMARKS
Caroline Naralasetty
President
French-American Foundation – U.S.
AWARD PRESENTATION
Alain Papiasse
Chairman Emeritus
French-American Foundation – France
PRESENTED BY
Jean-Yves Fillion
Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors
BNP Paribas USA
AWARD PRESENTATION
Allan M. Chapin
Chairman Emeritus
French-American Foundation – U.S
PRESENTED BY:
Edward C. Wallace
CHAMPAGNE TOAST
DESSERT RECEPTION
COGNAC CAMUS TASTING
The French-American Foundation is the only organization dedicated solely to sustaining and strengthening the French-American relationship at the highest levels of leadership. The Foundation works to build lasting, practical working ties between France and the United States and to advance solutions to problems of shared concern. Through our work, we seek to perpetuate more than two centuries of shared ideals and friendship to meet the challenges of the 21st century together.
Jean-Yves Fillion
Yves-André Istel and Kathleen Begala
Andrew and Jackie Klaber
Edward C. Wallace
Allan M. and Anna Chapin
Gary M. Cole
Frances Devlin
Johanna and Roy Kabla
William R. Hearst III
Clyde E. Rankin III
Ina C. Popova
Melissa Sawyer
Ambassador Craig and Mrs. Dorothy Stapleton
Antonio Weiss
CORPORATE COMMITTEE
Antares International Partners
Baker McKenzie
BNP Paribas
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Lazard
Pfizer
This evening we gather to celebrate the spirit of collaboration and true friendship that has characterized the best of the French-American relationship since its beginning, some 246 years ago.
This evening’s success is entirely a shared effort. We would like especially to extend our gratitude to our honorees: Raymond J. McGuire and Lazard for their support of this evening and our mission; to the Chairmen Emeriti of the French-American Foundations in the U.S. and in France, Allan M. Chapin and Alain Papiasse, for their collective commitment and years of service in building bridges and advocating for French-American friendship; and to our distinguished alumna Isabel Wilkerson, Young Leader 1994, whose seminal work has had a profound impact on our understanding of American history.
A special thank you to H.E. Ambassador Laurent Bili for his presence here tonight and for the work that his team does every day to strengthen relations between our two countries. To our guest speakers Marc Lacey YL ’01, JeanYves Fillion, and Susan Fales-Hill, thank you for being part of this special evening. To the BNP Paribas team, our gratitude for your tireless dedication to the Gala’s success. We are grateful as well to the members of the Gala and Corporate Committees, and to the many donors who make our work possible. More than anything, this evening is a celebration of all of you.
We would like to extend our deepest thanks as well to our colleagues at the French-American Foundation in France, and especially to Jacques Aschenbroich, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Orange and President of the Foundation, and Amina Sabeur, Managing Director. Our structure – sister organizations in New York and Paris that share a common name and mission but operate independently – makes us uniquely positioned to address the interests of constituents on both sides of the Atlantic.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
We are most grateful for your own commitment and for the opportunity to welcome you here tonight. In these tumultuous times, your presence is an affirmation of the strength, the vitality and the shared sense of purpose of the French-American Foundation community, and of the importance of Franco-American friendship. Thank you all for joining us. We hope you will have a most enjoyable evening.
Edward C. Wallace Chairman, Board of Directors
French-American
Foundation – U.S.
Caroline Naralasetty President
French-American Foundation – U.S.
A graduate of the French National School of Public Administration (ENA) (Victor Hugo Year, 1989-91), Laurent Bili joined the French Foreign Ministry’s Strategic Affairs and Disarmament Directorate (1991-93). Seconded to the Defense Ministry as Deputy Diplomatic Adviser (1993-95), he then held several positions at the Quai d’Orsay: First Secretary and then Second Counsellor at the French Embassy in Ankara (1995- 99); First Secretary, Permanent Representative of France to the Western European Union (WEU) (1998-2000); Adviser to the European Union’s interim Political and Security Committee (PSC) in Brussels (2000-02); Head of Strategic Affairs (2002).
In 2002, he was Director of the Private Office of the Minister Delegate for European Affairs and became technical adviser at the Diplomatic Unit of the Presidency of the French Republic (2002-07). He successively held the positions of Ambassador to Thailand (2007-09), Director of the Defense Minister’s Civilian and Military Office (2009-10), Ambassador to Turkey (2011-15) and then to Brazil (2015-17). Laurent Bili was then Director-General for Global Affairs, Culture, Education and International Development at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and G7/G20 Sous-Sherpa (2017-2019). Laurent Bili was Ambassador to China from September 2019 until January 2023. He is Ambassador to the United States since March 2nd, 2023.
YOUNG LEADER 1994
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND PULITZER PRIZE WINNER
Isabel Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestsellers The Warmth of Other Suns, and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
“Wilkerson’s work,” in the words of The American Prospect magazine, “is the missing puzzle piece of our country’s history.”
The Warmth of Other Suns won the National Book Critics Circle Award, among other honors, and was named to more than 30 Best of the Year lists, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times , The New Yorker and The Washington Post. TIME Magazine named it one of the “10 Best Non-Fiction Books” of the decade. T he New York Times Magazine named Warmth to its list of the best nonfiction books of all time.
Her new book, Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, was published in August 2020 to critical acclaim and became a Number 1 New York Times bestseller. Dwight Garner of The New York Times called it, “An instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far.” Oprah Winfrey chose it as her 2020 Summer/Fall book club selection, declaring it “the most important book” she had ever selected.
Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her deeply humane narrative writing while serving as Chicago Bureau Chief of The New York Times in 1994, making her the first black woman in the history of American journalism to win a Pulitzer Prize and the first African American to win for individual reporting. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Wilkerson the National Humanities Medal for “championing the stories of an unsung history.”
As the historian Jill Lepore observed in The New Yorker: “What Wilkerson urges, isn’t argument at all; it’s compassion. Hush, and listen.”
PRESIDENT
Raymond J. McGuire was named president of Lazard in April 2023. Prior to joining Lazard, Mr. McGuire held a 13-year term as Citigroup’s global head of corporate and investment banking, the longest tenure for this position in the history of Wall Street. Afterwards, he was the vice chairman of Citigroup and chairman of Citi’s banking, capital markets and advisory business. Previously, Mr. McGuire was the global co-head of mergers & acquisitions at Morgan Stanley, a managing director in the mergers & acquisitions group of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc and was one of the original members of Wasserstein Perella & Co., Inc. He started his career in 1984 in the mergers & acquisitions group of The First Boston Corporation.
Mr. McGuire is currently a member of the corporate boards of the Hess Corporation and Vornado Realty Trust. He was formerly a board member of KKR & Co., Inc. He holds leadership roles on several not-for-profit boards including: the American Museum of Natural History, the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums, the Hotchkiss School, the New York Public Library, the Regional Plan Association (Chairman), the Studio Museum in Harlem (Chairman), and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He received his M.B.A. and J.D. from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School and an A.B. from Harvard College.
CHAIRMAN OF CORPORATE AND INSTITUTIONAL BANKING
BNP PARIBAS
Alain Papiasse began his career in 1973 at Crédit Lyonnais where he held various positions including Credit Analyst and Deputy Senior Banker, before being appointed Crédit Lyonnais’ Executive Vice President for the Americas in 1996. In 2002, Alain Papiasse was appointed Group Vice-President of Crédit Lyonnais, before being nominated in 2003 Vice President of Crédit Agricole Indosuez Calyon following the merger between Crédit Lyonnais and Crédit Agricole.
In January 2005, he joined BNP Paribas as a member of the Group Executive Committee and Head of Investment Solutions, the Group’s division responsible for administering customers’ savings programs and providing asset management services. In April 2009, he was appointed Head of the Corporate and Investment Banking division (CIB), and in December 2011 became Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Group.
In 2018, Alain Papiasse was appointed Chairman of CIB to continue development of the Bank’s relationships with large international clients, while continuing to oversee the Group’s activities in North America (Chairman of BNP Paribas USA Inc.), the United Kingdom, Luxembourg (Vice-Chairman of BGL), the GCC Region and India. In 2021, Alain Papiasse was appointed Executive Advisor to General Management while retaining the position of Chairman of CIB.
Alain Papiasse is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee of Paris-Europlace, Honorary Chairman and Chairman of the Young Leaders jury of the French-American Foundation – France.
Alain Papiasse is a graduate of three French business schools: Institut Technique de Banque, Centre d’Etudes Supérieurs de Banque and HEC business school (Executive MBA).
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
FRENCH-AMERICAN FOUNDATION – U.S.
Allan M. Chapin began his career as a lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell, where he became a Partner in 1976. He was a resident of their Paris office for several years and served as head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s European operations. He then became a Managing Director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC, and subsequently a partner of Compass Partners Advisors, LLP. Throughout his career, Mr. Chapin has represented sovereign governments, investment and merchant banks, insurance companies, a wide array of industrial private sector companies, and many foreign investors, both individuals and corporations.
Mr. Chapin has served as a Director of the French-American Foundation since 1999, becoming Chairman of the Foundation in 2008. Mr. Chapin is also a Director of Fondation Claude Pompidou, a Trustee of Aperture Foundation and has served as a Director of many public and private companies in the United States and Europe. Mr. Chapin received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his LLB from Yale Law School. He served in the United States Marine Corps.
MANAGING EDITOR
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Marc Lacey is a managing editor at The New York Times.
During his 25 years at The Times, Mr. Lacey has held leadership positions as an editor in New York and as a correspondent in Washington, Nairobi, Mexico City and Phoenix.
Mr. Lacey, who was born in Queens, N.Y., and grew up in Mandeville, Jamaica, and upstate New York, joined The Times in 1999 as a White House correspondent.
From 2006 to 2010, he was the bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. In that role, he led coverage of the Haitian earthquake in 2010, Cuba’s transition from Fidel Castro and Mexico’s drug war. From 2001 to 2006, he was the Nairobi bureau chief for The Times, responsible for a dozen countries in east and central Africa. He also did a stint in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. From 2016 to 2021, Mr. Lacey oversaw dozens of correspondents across the United States as the national editor of The Times. His tenure overlapped with the Trump presidency, the coronavirus pandemic and the racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.
In 2019, he represented The Times in a live televised debate with CNN that featured a dozen Democratic presidential candidates. He has also served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes in the breaking news and international reporting categories.
TELEVISION PRODUCER, AUTHOR AND SCREENWRITER
Susan Fales-Hill was educated at the Lycée Francais de New York (Baccalaureat Academie de Caen, 1980) and graduated with honors from Harvard College (AB ’84.) An award-winning television writer/producer, author and arts advocate, she currently serves as an Executive Producer/Writer on HBO Max’s “And Just Like That.”
She is the author of four books, including a memoir, “Always Wear Joy,” an homage to her mother, groundbreaking performer, Josephine Premice. Her articles have appeared in publications ranging from Architectural Digest to The New York Times. She’s a Contributing Editor at Town and Country. She’s currently at work on a non-fiction about her Rhode Island and Boston ancestors’ involvement in the New England branch of the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. (On her mother’s side, she’s a descendant of Haitian revolutionary war veteran, Napoleon Premice, who fought on the side of the patriots with “Les Affranchis du Comte d’Estaing.”)
Ms. Fales-Hill serves on the board of St. Paul’s School and the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Radcliffe Institute. She has served on the board of American Ballet Theater, the Lycée Francais de New York and as Vice Chair of her Harvard class reunions. From 2003-2006, she was an elected director of the Harvard Alumni Association. In 2003, she was elected to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. She lives in New York with her husband, Aaron Hill, her daughter, Bristol Fales-Hill, and their lab/pit mix, Prince.
BNP PARIBAS USA
Jean-Yves Fillion is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of BNP Paribas USA. He serves as executive sponsor to many of the bank’s strategic US clients and represents BNP Paribas to the US official sector, US trade organizations and the media.
Mr. Fillion has been with BNP Paribas for four decades, 3 of which he has spent in the United States between Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. In addition to his role on the Board of BNPP USA, he is also a Director and member of the Executive Committee of the French-American Foundation and the International Advisory Board of Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC), his alma mater. In line with the Bank’s worldwide commitment to tennis, Mr. Fillion is a member of the Board of Governors for the International Tennis Hall of Fame and CityParks Foundation. A former member of the French National Sailing Team, he is an active member of the New York Yacht Club and American Yacht Club. Mr Fillion is a Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Since joining the bank in 1984, Mr. Fillion has served the bank in a succession of executive positions. Prior to his current role, he served as CEO BNP Paribas USA and Chairman of CIB Americas, CEO of CIB Americas, COO of BNP Paribas Fortis and Co-Head of BNP Paribas’ CIB European Platform. Before those roles, he spent the bulk of his career in the US as Head of Client Coverage in North America, Head of Structured Finance Americas, Head of Acquisition Finance and Head of Media & Telecom Finance.
Mr. Fillion received a Master’s degree from Dauphine University and his MBA from HEC in Paris. He also studied at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University in Chicago
FRENCH-AMERICAN FOUNDATION – U.S.
Edward C. Wallace serves as Co-Chairman of Greenberg Traurig New York office. Ed has deep experience in law, business, and government. He serves as a trusted advisor to companies doing business with the government. He serves as outside counsel to JCDecaux North America. He has advised Extell/Carlyle, Silverstein/El Ad, Columbia University, NYU and Fordham on major real estate development projects and major government service providers including JCDecaux and Hornblower.
Prior to entering the private sector as a Vice President at Boston Properties, he served as City Council Member-at-Large (Manhattan) and then Chief of Staff to the New York City Council President. Ed began his career in the Chelsea neighborhood office of the Legal Aid Society. Ed serves as vice chairman of New Yorkers for Parks where he was chair. He serves as vice president and outside general counsel to the Citizens Budget Commission and served as counsel to NYC 2012, the City’s Olympic bid. Ed has been listed in multiple editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell. He is consistently included on City and State’s “New York City Power 100” list and was named a 2020 Lifetime Achievement honoree.
Ed is the Chairman of the French-American Foundation and spends a month in France each year for work and travel.
Caroline joined the Foundation as President in 2021. She brings almost two decades of non-profit management and fundraising experience to the Foundation, where she drives the organization’s fiscal, operational, and programmatic work. Since joining, she has led an expansion and deepening of programming; welcomed over a dozen new directors to the Board and overhauled member engagement efforts; and worked to solidify the Foundation’s financial and organizational strength.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as Director of Development at the Lycée Français de New York, where she oversaw annual and major giving, special events, and alumni relations for the 1,200-student school, a member of the French Government’s global Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE) network.
Previously, Caroline was a Corporate Vice President at consulting firm CCS, where she both planned and implemented major capital and endowment fundraising campaigns for non-profit organizations across secondary and higher education, healthcare, and the arts. During that time, she also served on an interim basis as Chief Development Officer for several institutions. She began her career as a strategic communications consultant in New York.
Caroline holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, an MA from NYU’s Institute of French Studies, and a BA from Stanford University. As an undergraduate, she completed studies in art history at the Université de Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is a graduate of The Brearley School.
She and her family reside in Manhattan.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the French-American Foundation – France, Jacques Aschenbroich, Chairman of the Board, congratulates our sister foundation, THE FRENCH-AMERICAN FOUNDATION – UNITED STATES, for its success in promoting the shared ideals of our two nations.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
THE RAINBOW ROOM, NEW YORK CITY
Jacques Aschenbroich would also like to extend his congratulations to the honorees of the 2024 Gala.
CONTACT@FRENCH-AMERICAN.ORG | WWW.FRENCH-AMERICAN.ORG
We are pleased to support the FrenchAmerican Foundation and recognize the work of tonight’s honorees, Raymond J. McGuire, Isabel Wilkerson, Allan M. Chapin and Alain Papiasse.
The Board of Directors and the staff of the French-American Foundation extend our heartfelt gratitude to
for his enduring leadership and unwavering dedication to strengthening the French-American friendship.
La Fondation vous remercie ardémment pour votre service et votre dévouement inlassable pour l’amitié francoaméricaine. Au nom de tous les membres de la Fondation, nous vous exprimons notre profonde reconnaissance “Every man has two countries, his own and France.”
-Henri de Bornier
IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE FRENCH-AMERICAN FOUNDATION
Congratulations to Allan M. Chapin on being honored this evening
d van c i ng t h e D ial ogu e
is proud to support the French American Foundation and congratulates this evening’s esteemed honorees, Raymond J. McGuire, Isabel Wilkerson, Allan M. Chapin and Alain Papaisse .
Thank you for your outstanding contributions to the important French-American relationship.
Congratulations to Allan M.Chapin FOR HIS (ONGOING…) LEADERSHIP OF FAF!!
IN FRIENDSHIP AND ADMIRATION, Antonio Weiss
Patrinvest Salutes
The French American Foundation Leadership & Board and Tonight’s Honoree
Allan M. Chapin
Baker McKenzie is proud to support the French-American Foundation's Annual Gala and congratulates Raymond J. McGuire, Isabel Wilkerson, Allan M. Chapin and Alain Papiasse as this year's honorees.
Congratulations to the French-American Foundation’s 2024 Honorees:
Raymond J. McGuire, Isabel Wilkerson, Allan M. Chapin, and Alain Papiasse.
THE KABLA FAMILY IS PLEASED TO SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION AND ITS IMPORTANT WORK.
Raymond J. McGuire
Isabel Wilkerson
Allan M. Chapin
Alain Papaisse
BEDFORD RIDGE CAPITAL SALUTES
THE FRENCH AMERICAN FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP & BOARD AND TONIGHT’S HONOREES
OUR FRIEND & MENTOR RAYMOND J. M C GUIRE
YOUNG LEADER ALUMNA
ISABEL WILKERSON
LOYAL & DEDICATED DEFENDERS OF THE FRENCH AMERICAN ALLIANCE
ALLAN M. CHAPIN & ALAIN PAPIASSE
“Impossible n’est pas Français”
ALLAN M. CHAPIN“Chapeau” for your inestimable contributions to the French-American Foundation.
JAMES FINKEL
The Policy Breakfast series showcases a renowned expert for an in-depth discussion on politically and culturally relevant topics. These programs are invitation-only, intimate, and take place in an off-the-record setting. Participants include leaders from across the fields of politics, business, journalism, government, and more.
Recently featured speakers and topics have included Gina Adams , Corporate Vice President for Government and Regulatory Affairs of FedEx Corporation, on global trade; Stéphane Dujarric , Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, on the role of the United Nations; former NYPD Commissioner William J. Bratton , on public safety post COVID-19; Philippe Étienne , former Ambassador of France to the United States, on US-French relations; Pierre-André de Chalendar , Chairman of Saint-Gobain, on climate and urbanism; and Pierre-Yves Roussel , CEO of Tory Burch, on the nuances of luxury brands.
The French-American Foundation has a longstanding commitment to advancing dialogue on cyber security-related topics of mutual concern for France and the United States. Now in its eleventh year, the French-American Cyber Security Conference takes place annually in Washington, D.C. and assembles leaders in military, government, industry, and academia to examine emerging cyber security challenges in a transatlantic context. The Foundation’s work in cyber security is an outgrowth of our historic work on defense and security issues, areas where Franco-American cooperation continues to be active and strong.
Notable past participants have included: Major General Aymeric Bonnemaison , Commander of French Cyber Command; Michael Daniel , Former White House Cyber Security Coordinator; Nathaniel Fick ’10 , US Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace
& Digital Policy; Chris Inglis, Former National Cyber Director; Gilles de Kerchove , EU CounterTerrorism Director; Anne Neuberger ’15 , Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology at the White House; Guillaume Poupard , Director General of the French Network and Information Security Agency; and Rob Wainwright , Former Director of Europol.
This year’s conference, organized in partnership with the French-American Foundation—France, will take place from December 9 – 10, 2024 and assemble nearly 100 cyber security experts for a two-day event. The theme of this year’s event is Putting Cyber Security into Practice: A Transatlantic Discussion
Founded in New York City in 2018, the Transatlantic Forum is an invitation-only membership group that brings together French and American professionals for in-depth conversations on contemporary issues of concern on both sides of the Atlantic.
Every six weeks, members meet over dinner for a conversation with a subject-matter expert. Members cross nationalities and professional fields such as government, media, non-profit, academia, business, law, finance, the arts, and more. Forum members share a passion for
debate and a desire to engage across cultures to help build a more peaceful and unified world.
The program aims to provide a deeper understanding of the forces shaping both American and French societies in a warm, convivial atmosphere that fosters lasting relationships. The goal is to create a community that is informed, open-minded and committed to engaging personally on issues of critical importance to the US – France relationship.
Recent speakers have included: Tara Varma , Visiting Fellow at Brookings Institute, on European Parliament elections; David Kahn , Co-Owner and CEO of Paris Basketball, on sports landscapes in the US and France; Frank Brown , Advisory Director at General Atlantic and Former Dean of INSEAD business school, on transatlantic leadership; Dr. Moran Cerf , a professor of neuroscience and business, on recent discoveries in neuroscience that will shape the future; and Binkady-Emmanuel Hié , Founder of NORME and former fundraiser for the Paris Opera, on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Since 1986, the Translation Prize’s mission has been to promote French literature in the United States and provide translators, their publishers, and the art of translation with greater visibility and recognition. This year’s Translation Prize received a record number of submissions, making it one of the Prize’s most competitive cycles yet. Out of ten finalists, two winning translators in the fiction and nonfiction categories will be honored at an awards ceremony on June 18 at the Strand Bookstore’s Rare Book Room for their exceptional French-to-English translations published in 2023. The Foundation is honored to feature special guest speaker Jonathan W. Galassi , poet, translator, and Chairman of Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
This program is generously funded by the Florence Gould Foundation
The French-American Foundation’s flagship Young Leaders program was founded in 1981 jointly with our sister organization, the French-American Foundation—France. The program brings together an exceptional group of French and American professionals, aged 30 to 40, from a wide array of sectors, whose common link is their passion for forging bonds in a globalized world, engaging in rigorous dialogue and debate, and using their influence for the common good.
In this two-year program, alternating between France and the United States, a group of 40 Young Leaders spends five days together discussing issues of common concern, meeting with local and global specialists, and getting to know one another, before joining a robust, global alumni network of nearly 600 members. In today’s world, international cooperation and crosscultural understanding are critical as ever, and this program provides an essential environment for French and American leaders to foster productive, lasting ties across the Atlantic.
Alumni of the program include prominent figures from both sides of the Atlantic, including former President Bill Clinton ’84; President Emmanuel Macron ’12; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’83; Secretary of State Antony Blinken ’98; United States Senator Laphonza Butler ’11; Olympic gold medalist Lorrie Fair Allen ’18; New York Times Bestselling Author and Pulitzer Prize Winner Isabel Wilkerson ’94; finance executive John Thain ’99; US Ambassador to India and former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’05; journalist Christine Ockrent ’83; and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet ’17
The 2024 Young Leaders seminar will take place in Miami, Florida from October 22 – 27, 2024 .
JUNE 18
37th annual Translation Prize Awards Ceremony
LOCATION: THE STRAND BOOKSTORE’S RARE BOOK ROOM (828 BROADWAY), NEW YORK, NY
SEPTEMBER 18
Young Leaders & Alumni Gathering
LOCATION: WASHINGTON, D.C.
SEPTEMBER 24
Transatlantic Forum on the U.S. Presidential Elections
LOCATION: NEW YORK, NY
OCTOBER 22 – 27
Young Leaders Seminar
LOCATION: MIAMI, FL
DECEMBER 9 – 10
Cyber Security Conference
LOCATION: WASHINGTON, D.C.
FALL 2024
$100,000 OR MORE
Lazard and Raymond J. McGuire
$50,000 OR MORE
Allan M. and Anna Chapin
Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and Faiza Saeed
William R. Hearst III
JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Jamie Dimon
$30,000 OR MORE
Greenberg Traurig LLP and Edward C. Wallace
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Brad S. Karp
Rhône Group and Steven Langman
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP –H. Rodgin Cohen, Mitchell S. Eitel, and Karen Seymour
$25,000 OR MORE
A&O Shearman –
Lara Aryani and Clare O’Brien
French-American Foundation –France
L’Oréal
John Thain
$20,000 OR MORE
Patrinvest, in honor of Allan M. Chapin
Antonio Weiss
$15,000 OR MORE
Anonymous
Baker McKenzie and Clyde E. Rankin III
Bloomberg LP
BNP Paribas and Jean-Yves Fillion
James R. Finkel
Yves-André Istel and Kathleen Begala
Andrew and Jackie Klaber
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Ina C. Popova
Johanna and Roy Kabla
François and Catherine Pagès
Pfizer and Frances Devlin
Melissa Sawyer
Ambassador Craig and Dorothy Stapleton
10,000 OR MORE
Camus Cognac and Cyril Camus
Anne Dias
$5,000 OR MORE
Suruchi Ahuja
Gary M. Cole
Mia de Kuijper, PhD
Jiten and Caroline Naralasetty
$2,000 OR MORE
Elizabeth Askren
Carol Bellamy
Bully Pulpit International and Adam Hodge
Alexandre Chenesseau
Chloe Demrovsky
Emma Fuerst Frelinghuysen
Alex Gambal
Vivien de Gunzburg
Fatima Hadj
Anne Lauvergeon
Sacha Lehto
Margaret Phillips
Marie-Noëlle Pierce
Leah Pisar
Nathalie Sann Regnault
Cécile Schmollgruber
David Thoms
$1,000 OR MORE
Jonathan Cramer
Harun Dogo
Evelyne Estey, in honor of Raymond J. McGuire
Tatyana Franck
Scott Handler and Stephanie Gosnell Handler, in honor of Allan M. Chapin
Adam Jones
Thibaud Leblanc
Remy Raisner
Juila Rubalevskaya
James Swenson
Robert Treuhold
UNDER $1,000
Cindy Carcamo
Hon. Judge Nicholas Garaufis and Betsy Seidman
Eda Haksal
Marjorie Cyr Isaksen
Brenda Levin
(as of May 28, 2024)
CHAIRMAN
Edward C. Wallace
Gina Adams
Jacques Aschenbroich
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Allan M. Chapin
PRESIDENT
Caroline Naralasetty
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Gary M. Cole
Chloe Demrovsky
Jean-Yves Fillion
Yves-André Istel
Roy Kabla
François Pagès
Ina C. Popova
Douglas M. Price
Clyde E. Rankin III
Cynthia Smith
Antonio Weiss
Elizabeth Askren
Kirsten Bartok Touw
Carol Bellamy
George Brokaw
Geoffrey Chepiga
Frances Devlin
Anne Dias
Charles Ferguson
James Finkel
Emma Fuerst Frelinghuysen
Vivien de Gunzburg
Fatima Hadj
Scott Handler
William R. Hearst III
Maya Henry
Adam Hodge
Reuben Jeffery III
Andrew Klaber
Mia de Kuijper, PhD
Raymond J. McGuire
Clare O’Brien
Alain Papiasse
Hon. Jeanne L. Phillips
Frédéric Rozé
Melissa Sawyer
Siddhartha Shukla
Ambassador
Craig Stapleton
John Thain
David Thoms
Robert C. Treuhold
HONORARY DIRECTOR
François Bujon de L’Estang
IN MEMORIAM
Michel David-Weill
James G. Lowenstein
