French Energy Titan Makes Kocher Only Woman CEO in CAC40
- Isabelle Kocher replaces Gerard Mestrallet as CEO of Engie
- Investors are waiting to see progress on transformation plan
Isabelle Kocher, left, and Gerard Mestrallet speak during a press conference at Engie headquarters in Paris on Feb. 25.
Photographer: Frederic Stevens/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
When Engie SA’s Gerard Mestrallet hands over the energy giant to his deputy this evening, he’s confident Isabelle Kocher, the first French woman to run a CAC40 company, can complete a shift away from fossil fuels.
The plan laid out in February by Chief Executive Officer Mestrallet, 67, and Kocher, 49, involves selling 15 billion euros ($17.3 billion) of assets by 2018, while boosting the contribution of energy services, pipeline operations, and solar and wind power to 85 percent of the business from about 50 percent last year.