Clarisse De Moustier
GEMBA'26
French
I am a 37-year-old, Paris-based mom of three children. I grew up between the USA and Germany, and studied in France, Switzerland and Canada. After studying political sciences, economics and law I was admitted to the Paris bar and practiced Antitrust law in Magic Circle law firms for the first seven years of my career.
Senior leaders play a vital role in fostering an inclusive environment for empowering women at every stage of their careers.
I then went on to join our family business, which operates in the health sector. I hold the role of Head of Legal and entirely built and now manage the legal department of a Contract Research Organisation. After four years in this position, I am currently exploring what will hopefully be my next great adventure after INSEAD.
What role do senior leaders play in fostering an inclusive environment that empowers women?
Senior leaders play a vital role in fostering an inclusive environment for empowering women at every stage of their careers.
I believe in leading by example and senior leaders have the responsibility to show women, at any age, that they are a valuable asset to the organisation and support them in the process. This also extends beyond the professional life:
Good senior leaders also carry over their vision throughout their personal life, which in turn can be inspiring for the women they manage.
How have you used your influence to support other women in achieving more in their careers?
I believe in doing one’s best, at all times and in every situation. There will be some days where things come at you relatively easy and other days where the workload and juggling with your personal life will seem unbearable.
I am always striving to be honest and also share when I struggle but try to remain confident throughout my professional journey.
I want to show other women that it is okay to try and have it all and that asking for support when you are going through a rough patch doesn’t make you weak, it just makes you relatable.
I am using my influence to show to my younger colleagues that we all go through various seasons in life but that no matter what, it is important not to give up on your professional dreams.
Because if you don’t advocate for yourself, no one else will.
What tangible steps can organisations take to create a culture of equality at the leadership level?
Be open and transparent about remuneration. Encourage and feed responsible flexibility. It is often in the years when they first have their families that women tend to need support and it is extremely important to prevent them from dropping out of the workforce when they are in these years and before they can access more senior leadership levels. This can be achieved, of course, through flexibility in the working hours if the leaders have managed to create a strong culture of trust.
What advice would you give to those looking to champion women’s leadership in their organisations?
My main advice would be to include as many men as possible in their initiative.
Championing women can never happen against or without men.
In order for it to be meaningful and sustainable, women’s leadership needs to be recognised and praised for all of what it brings to the table, and this can never happen in an atmosphere of distrust or by excluding men – who most of the time are also happy to act in favour of gender equality.
Another advice would be to start early. For women’s leadership initiatives to really be part of the culture, these should be visible at every stage of the organisation.
To achieve senior women’s leadership, we need to foster gender equality initiatives from very early stages on.
More information about the programme Clarisse attended:
The INSEAD Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) offers experienced executives an intensive 14 to 20-month fast-track to the top via one of the world’s most prestigious and multicultural business schools, while making an immediate impact in your organisation.
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