About Sarah François-Poncet
Professional experience
Sarah François-Poncet spent over three decades as an international lawyer, based in Paris and New York. Her first chapter was as an associate and then partner specialized in international arbitration with what is now the world’s largest multinational law firm, Dentons (Salans at the time). Her second chapter was spent as Global General Counsel for the leading luxury brand, Chanel. In both these positions, Sarah was responsible for managing teams of lawyers in dozens of countries, dealing with a wide variety of legal and business issues globally and addressing the diverse needs of clients and business divisions.
These experiences called upon Sarah to address complex problems across multiple cultures daily.
Sarah led the International Arbitration Practice Group at her law firm and, at Chanel, served as a member of the senior Leadership Team, the Boards of several companies and the Chanel Foundation, which she was instrumental in creating. She is currently a member of Wharton’s Alumni Executive Board and was a member of Brown University’s Women’s Leadership Council for a decade.
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Honors
Sarah was awarded France’s highest distinction, the Legion of Honor, in 2011, and was decorated by the town of La Roquette sur Siagne in 2015 for her work saving the last jasmine fields in the Grasse region.
Education
Sarah obtained her BA in French Literature from Brown University, a JD from Fordham University and a Masters in French business and tax law from the University of Paris II. More recently, Sarah completed a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania with distinction and obtained a Coaching Certificate from the French business school INSEAD.