Gianmarco Monsellato, Chairman of Deloitte France and French-speaking Africa since 2021, is a prominent figure in the business world, combining strategic expertise with a deep commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Born in Rome to a civil servant father and an Italian schoolteacher mother, he grew up in Pontoise, in the Val-d’Oise region of France, where he benefited from a scholarship to pursue his education. A 1990 graduate of HEC Paris, Gianmarco Monsellato transformed a modest upbringing into an exceptional career.

He joined Deloitte at the start of his career, initially planning to stay just six months to pay off his student loans. However, his talent and vision quickly propelled him through the company’s ranks. A member of Deloitte’s executive committee since 2006, he was appointed CEO of Deloitte France and French-speaking Africa in 2021—a position that crowns years of leadership characterized by innovation, rigor, and ambition.

A major milestone in his career was his early commitment to gender parity and professional equality. While leading the law firm Taj, a Deloitte subsidiary, he was recognized by the United Nations a decade ago for exemplary management promoting gender equality. “At the time, I was running a firm with 50% women across the workforce, 50% women among the partners, and 50% women among the top ten earners,” he proudly recalls. A pioneer in this area, Gianmarco Monsellato has consistently sought to place inclusion and diversity at the heart of his management strategies.

As Chairman of Deloitte, he is also a leading advocate for an expanded vision of corporate responsibility. The upcoming implementation on January 1, 2024, of the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a concrete example of his commitment to a more transparent and responsible business world. This directive requires companies operating in the European market to adhere to strict non-financial reporting standards, including environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.

For Gianmarco Monsellato, this regulation represents both an opportunity and a necessity. In an interview with Les Échos in 2021, he stated, “We must move beyond a world where leaders operate in silos.” He welcomed Europe’s decision to establish an extraterritorial measure: “This will enable everyone to speak the same language. No more greenwashing!” While this regulation creates consulting opportunities for Deloitte, it also reflects his deep convictions about the role of businesses in society and their duty of transparency.

Under his leadership, Deloitte has strengthened its advisory role to help companies comply with CSRD requirements and integrate these standards as a strategic lever. Visionary and pragmatic, Gianmarco Monsellato sees these transformations as a unique opportunity for businesses to actively address global challenges such as energy transition, social justice, and combating climate change.

At 57, this leader embodies a new generation of business executives who are deeply rooted in the realities of the corporate world while pursuing bold societal ambitions. From his personal journey, marked by a meritocratic ascent, to his professional commitments, Gianmarco Monsellato remains faithful to an implicit motto: combining economic success with social progress.

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