Team - Vae Solis Communications

Our team

Vae Solis Communication is a collective of some fifty consultants experts and multidisciplinary consultants with complementary profiles and experience in different sectors. Former political aides, communicators, lawyers, journalists... our combined backgrounds and experience guarantee our customers an in-depth understanding of their challenges advice value-added advice and execution.

Arnaud Dupui-Castérès

CEO, Co-founder

Arnaud Dupui-Castérès

CEO, Co-founder

Founder of Vae Solis in 2002, Arnaud Dupui-Castérès was previously a project manager at the Ministry of Defense, deputy head of the cabinet of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Minister of Small and Medium-sized Businesses, Trade and Handicrafts, managing director of a lobbying consultancy and president of a communications consultancy.

Co-author of "La crise en 100 mots" (La Documentation Française, 2007), he personally led a two-year mission at Matignon (2002-2004).

He is also a director of the Entretiens de l'Excellence, Solidarité Sida, a member of the supervisory board of the Hopening group and a founding member of the Club 21ème Siècle.

Philippe Manière

Associé, co-fondateur

Philippe Manière

Associé, co-fondateur

Philippe Manière is co-founder of the firm. Director of the Montaigne Institute from 2004 to 2008, Philippe began his career in the press from 1984 to 2004 and has a very complete knowledge of the media and opinion, having notably held the position of economic editorialist at Le Point and Europe1. He hosted numerous debates on BFM for 3 years. He was editor-in-chief of Le Point and L'Expansion and editorial director of the Lettre de l'Expansion.

Knight of the Legion of Honor, he was a member of the Economic Commission of the Nation for eight years and a member of the Pochard Commission on the modernization of the teaching profession and of the Philip Commission on the new partnerships between universities and business schools.

He is a graduate of ESSEC and holds a Master's degree in Business Law (Paris II).

Laurent Porta

Partner

Laurent Porta

Partner

Laurent Porta joined Vae Solis Communications in 2007.

He began his career as a project manager at the Ministry of Justice, then as a consultant at D'Arcy Corporate and Leo Corporate. He joined Vae Solis Corporate - now Vae Solis Communications - as Associate Director.

A specialist in risk prevention and crisis communication, he has been involved in the development of crisis management procedures for major groups. He has also conducted numerous crisis simulation exercises, particularly in the civil and military nuclear sectors. In addition, he has been involved in crisis management for organizations and large companies on social (PSE), health (avian flu and A/H1N1) and legal (criminal trial) issues. Finally, he has conducted numerous training sessions for large groups and organizations in crisis communication. He also assists in communication of commitment and speaking out on behalf of executives.

Laurent is a graduate of ISCOM's Master's degree in Local Authority Communication and holds a Master's degree in International Public Law.

Charlotte Bourgeois-Cleary

Partner

Charlotte Bourgeois-Cleary

Partner

Franco-British, Charlotte started her career at BNP Paribas, in Mergers & Acquisitions, in London in 2001. She joined Publicis Consultants in Paris in 2004, where she worked on strategic and financial communication assignments for French and international companies, including IPOs, M&A, restructurings...

From 2013 to 2015, she was Director of External Communications for Accor SA, which she joined in 2009 as Head of Corporate Communications. In this capacity, she defined and implemented the Group's corporate communication strategy in France and internationally, strategic and financial media relations, as well as media relations for the Group's brands (ibis, Mercure, Novotel, MGallery, Pullman and Sofitel).

Charlotte has been part of the Vae Solis teams since 2017. She is a graduate of the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium and of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.

Alexis de Maigret

Partner

Alexis de Maigret

Partner

Alexis de Maigret joined Vae Solis in January 2011. He started his career in 2000 in mergers and acquisitions at JP Morgan in London, before holding, from 2003 to 2007, financial analysis and business development positions at Veolia Environnement.

From 2007 to 2010, he was Director of Research and Strategy of a think tank that he helped develop, writing numerous reports and public policy notes for the European institutions. In 2010, he was appointed Rapporteur of the Commission charged by the President of the Republic to make proposals on the financing of projects in the Mediterranean (Commission chaired by Charles Milhaud). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of IPEMED (Institut de Prospective Economique du Monde Méditerranéen).

A specialist in strategic and financial communication, Alexis de Maigret has carried out numerous equity story and strategic transaction support missions for companies and investment funds. He is also involved in litigation and financial arbitration.

Alexis is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and ESCP.

Florian Ridard

Partner

Florian Ridard

Partner

Florian joined Vae Solis Communications in 2020. He began his career working for financial institutions. After a first experience at Vae Solis Corporate, where he specialized in influence and communication, he moved to New York, where he helped financial players and young executives with their fund-raising and reputation issues. He created the Cercle Nikanor to bring young New York entrepreneurs together with French executives.

At Vae Solis, Florian advises executives (CEOs, industrialists, international investors, bankers, public figures) on sensitive media operations, image-building and the deployment of influence operations, particularly institutional.

He holds an MBA from Baruch College (New York), a Bachelor's degree from UADE (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and is certified in corporate finance by Columbia University (New York).

Thomas Thévenoud

Partner

Thomas Thévenoud

Partner

Thomas joined Vae Solis Communications as Associate Director at the beginning of October 2023. He specializes in strategic communications, crisis communications and, more specifically, public affairs. He has 20 years' experience in the public sphere, at both local and national level.

He has advised leading political figures, including Laurent Fabius as Minister of the Economy and Finance, and was himself a local politician in Burgundy: deputy mayor of Montceau-les-Mines, vice-president of the Le Creusot-Montceau urban community in charge of mobility, vice-president of the département and then deputy of Saône-et-Loire.

As a member of parliament, he is the author, in particular, of the law of October 1, 2014 relating to the activity of cabs and VTCs, known as the "Thévenoud law", a landmark text on uberisation in France.

Thomas has since become a recognized expert on new urban mobilities and responsible digital transitions, and teaches on the subject.

He was Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Tourism Promotion and the French Abroad.

Since 2017, he has worked as a consultant to French and international companies and executives, first with his own firm and then with agencies.

Thomas is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and holds a master's degree in public law.

Christophe Reille

Associate Director

Christophe Reille

Associate Director

Over 20 years of experience in communications strategy consulting, initially in media and legal intelligence, followed by consulting on sensitive communications, support for competitive bidding processes, and training in media and public speaking for institutional clients and corporate executives.

A former journalist, member of a ministerial cabinet, and executive committee member, he worked successively at Le Nouvel Economiste and Europe 1, and was involved in the launch of France Info, where he headed the economics department from 1988 to 1993. He subsequently served as technical advisor to the Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade (1993–1995), then as director of external relations at Vivendi/Générale des Eaux (1995–1998), at the Fiat France group (1998–2001), and as deputy CEO of the Umanis group.

A reserve officer (Colonel, RCSD) in the Gendarmerie, he served for three years on the admissions committee for the École de Guerre (ES2). A lecturer at Sciences Po Paris since 2009, he teaches the course “Comparative Crisis Management and Communication.”

Jawad Khatib

Senior Manager

Jawad Khatib

Senior Manager

Jawad joined Vae Solis in 2016 as a consultant following experiences at the National Assembly and in international administration.

Between 2018 and 2019, he worked in the Communications Department of Tikehau Capital, an alternative asset management and investment group, in charge of communications for the Group's Private Equity business in Paris and London.

He joined Vae Solis again in 2020 where he works on issues related to financial communication, investor relations and positioning.

Jawad holds a Master's degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.

Anthony Gibert

Senior Manager

Anthony Gibert

Senior Manager

Anthony Gibert joined Vae Solis in 2018. A former lawyer, Anthony began his career in law firms and then in court before turning to strategic communication (influence, crisis, judicial constraint). For the past four years, Anthony has been involved mainly in judicial communication cases (on behalf of companies and public figures) and strategic communication (professional orders, large corporations, law firms, etc.).

Anthony is also a professional lecturer at the University of Paris-2 Panthéon-Assas and President of the Association des Juristes Communicants de Paris (ACJP), an association directly linked to the Laboratoire de Sociologie Juridique de la rue d'Ulm. Anthony graduated first in his class from the Master 2 Legal Communication program at the University of Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas and also holds a Master 2 Comparative Law degree from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Guillaume Gallix

Senior Manager

Guillaume Gallix

Senior Manager

Guillaume Gallix joined Vae Solis in 2020.

Guillaume Gallix is a graduate of the Ecole d'Affaires Publiques and the Ecole de Droit de Sciences Po Paris. He was a student lawyer in several renowned law firms, such as August & Debouzy, Seban & Associés and Dupond-Moretti & Vey.

He then practiced as a lawyer at the Montpellier Bar, specializing in general criminal law and business and press criminal law.

He joined Vae Solis Communications in February 2020 and has since been assisting several of the firm's major clients in strategic and crisis communications.

Marie-Caroline Garnier

Consulting Manager

Marie-Caroline Garnier

Consulting Manager

Marie-Caroline advises French and international companies, both listed and unlisted, as well as investment funds, on their corporate communications and the management of sensitive situations such as changes in governance, financial and organizational restructuring, as well as special operations, including mergers & acquisitions and carve-outs.

Marie-Caroline spent eight years as Managing Director of a consulting firm specializing in corporate communications for companies in receivership, where she supported and represented companies, shareholders and creditors in restructuring and insolvency situations.

She began her career in the communications department of the Canal+ Group, before setting up her own communications consultancy. Alongside her work in the private sector, Marie-Caroline has advised a number of political figures, reinforcing her in-depth knowledge of institutional and media ecosystems.

Her expertise covers a wide range of sectors: finance, industry, tech, retail, services, politics and media.

Thomas Coulom

Senior Manager

Thomas Coulom

Senior Manager

After several journalistic (Dépêche du Midi, Sud Ouest) and editorial (Condé Nast Creative Studio) experiences as well as in influence and communication strategies (Zeno agency, Edelman group), Thomas started his career as a parliamentary assistant at the French National Assembly before joining the cabinet of the Secretary of State in charge of Youth in 2021 as a pen. He was then appointed youth and speech advisor, and also worked in the ministerial cabinet, supporting communication and influence strategies.

After completing a literary preparatory course and a master's degree in journalism at CELSA, Thomas joined Vae Solis Communications in 2023, specializing in public affairs.

Anaïs Agozo Ndelia

Senior Consultant

Anaïs Agozo Ndelia

Senior Consultant

Anaïs joined Vae Solis Communications in 2020 as part of the merger between Footprint Consultants and Vae Solis Corporate.

She first worked at the agency Katch & Reyners where she took part in several media relations and communication strategy missions to promote the activity and impact of innovative companies such as Legalstart, 360 medics, PayFit or Holberton School. She then joined Footprint consultants in 2019.

Anaïs has worked with several companies on media relations, including CMA France, Deloitte, Bouygues Immobilier, WorldSkills...

Anaïs holds a Master's degree in Law specialized in Private Litigation from the University of Le Mans and an MBA in Public and Influential Communication from EFAP Paris.

Paul Rolland

Senior Consultant

Paul Rolland

Senior Consultant

Trained at the French Senate (2016-2017) and then at the French National Assembly (2017-2019), Paul then joined the diplomatic network of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for three years (2019-2022), where he served as political attaché and press/communications advisor at two French embassies in Africa. He also worked with an official delegation at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) organized under the aegis of the United Nations. Thanks to his experience, Paul benefits from an in-depth knowledge of French and international political issues, and has developed skills in communications and media relations.

Paul is a graduate of the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Master's degree in political science and public affairs) and the Institut français de Géopolitique (Master's degree in geopolitics).

Bryce Lebecq

Consultant

Bryce Lebecq

Consultant

Bryce joined Vae Solis Communications in 2022 as a consultant.

He works on public affairs, press relations and legal communications assignments, including for Nature Energy, Tessi and the Jeantet law firm.

After his studies, he joined the information and communication delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty where he participated in the promotion of agricultural, food and international public policies. He also contributed to the editorial management of the ministry.

Bryce graduated from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne with a master's degree in the history of international relations and a master's degree in political science with a focus on political and institutional communication.

Sara-Louise Boukara

Consultant

Sara-Louise Boukara

Consultant

Sara-Louise Boukara joined Vae Solis Communications in 2021.

Trained as a lawyer, Sara-Louise worked in law firms and legal departments of large international groups before training in communications techniques at Havas Paris (Havas Legal & Litigation).

Specialized in sensitive and legal communication, Sara-Louise assists companies and their managers, institutions and influential French and foreign personalities in the development and preservation of their reputation.

She also works with clients from various sectors on press relations missions.

Sara-Louise holds a Master's degree in Business Law and a Master's degree in Innovation Law and Industrial Property from the University of Paris-Sud.

Gabrielle Pelet

Consultant

Gabrielle Pelet

Consultant

Gabrielle Pelet is a consultant at Vae Solis Communications, working on crisis communications, press relations and strategic communications consulting.

A graduate of the University of Manchester and the Institut Français de Presse (Université Panthéon-Assas), Gabrielle first worked in legal communications at the law firm Addleshaw Goddard (France), before joining L'Oréal. In the group's communications department, she participated in the restructuring and development of the editorial strategy and managed the production of internal and external communications campaigns.

Matthieu Sénécot

Senior Consultant

Matthieu Sénécot

Senior Consultant

Matthieu joined Vae Solis Communications in September 2022. He works on public affairs, crisis communication and media relations missions, notably for the OECD and Sopra Steria.

With experience in politics at the National Assembly and the Senate, he became the political advisor to the President of the Département du Nord in 2020. He then joined the External Affairs Department of the Europe Zone for the L'Oréal Group, where he worked on the management of the crisis in Ukraine and the Group's public affairs issues.

Matthieu holds a Master's degree in Public Affairs from SciencesPo Lille and studied for a year at the University of Western Australia in Perth. He is fluent in English.

Hugo Bednarski

Consultant

Hugo Bednarski

Consultant

Hugo Bednarski joined Vae Solis in 2022 as a consultant. He works on strategic communication, public affairs and press relations missions.

He began his career at the National Assembly alongside a member of parliament from the Bas-Rhin, member of the Social Affairs Commission. Hugo then joined Ub Consultants, a political and public communication consulting firm, where he supported the General Manager in the development of several political communication strategy plans for the departmental and regional elections in 2021.

Afterwards, he worked in the public affairs department of the communication agency Image 7 on the development of lobbying and communication strategies for clients in the energy, transport and retail sectors.

Hugo holds a European degree in political science from the Université Catholique de Lille and a Master's degree in consulting and public affairs from Sciences Po Toulouse.

Timothée Nicolas

Senior Consultant

Timothée Nicolas

Senior Consultant

A consultant with Vae Solis Communications, Timothée was previously Chief of Staff to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Attractiveness and the Minister for Relations with Parliament.

He began his career in EDF's strategy and corporate responsibility department, before joining a communications and public relations agency, where for 3 years he worked with a number of companies and high-profile public figures. Thanks to his career path, he has acquired in-depth knowledge of political and institutional circles, as well as expertise in strategic communications.

Timothée holds a Master's degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.

Marie Spitéri

Consultant

Marie Spitéri

Consultant

A consultant with Vae Solis Communications, she previously worked for public and political organizations in France and Spain, before joining the Gantzer agency. For two years, she worked with a variety of clients on press relations and influencer relations assignments.

At Vae Solis, she is involved in public affairs, press relations, risk prevention and crisis management.

Marie holds a Master's degree in "Public and Political Communication" from Sciences Po Bordeaux and a Master's degree in "Democracy and Government" from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She is fluent in Spanish.

Anne-Henry Faÿ

Consultant

Anne-Henry Faÿ

Consultant

Anne-Henry Faÿ joined Vae Solis Communications in 2023 as a consultant, working on press relations, public affairs and crisis communications.

A graduate of Audencia Business School with a degree in geography, he first worked in finance (Ernst&Young) and strategy (Thales). In 2020, he worked at the French Embassy in Turkey, at the height of the crisis between the two countries (Courbet crisis, Libyan conflict, oil exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, recall of the ambassador & boycott of French products, Covid). He then joined Cylad Consulting, a strategy consultancy specializing in the defense and aeronautics industries, where he worked for over a year on issues relating to go-to-market, pricing, financial communications, M&A and PMI.

David Buzonie

Consultant

David Buzonie

Consultant

David Buzonie joined Vae Solis in 2023.

A graduate of the Master's degree in Public Law and the Collège Supérieur de Droit of Toulouse Capitole University, David Buzonie has worked in both law firms and local government offices.

David works on strategic communications, public affairs and crisis assignments for the firm's major clients.

Bérénice Chérencé

Consultant

Bérénice Chérencé

Consultant

Bérénice Chérencé joined Vae Solis Communications in 2023 as a consultant.
She works on press relations and crisis management assignments.

Bérénice began her career in the office of the Mayor of Dreux (Eure-et-Loir), Pierre-Frédéric Billet, where she supported the Chief of Staff in drawing up several political communication strategy plans during his term of office.

Bérénice Chérencé holds a degree in Modern Literature from the Sorbonne (Paris IV) and a Master's degree in Political and Parliamentary Work from the University of Paris-Nanterre (Paris X).

Lino Lenglet

Consultant

Lino Lenglet

Consultant

Lino joined Vae Solis Communications as a consultant in 2025. He works on strategic communications, crisis communications and public affairs assignments.

Lino began his career in 2021 as a policy officer at the European Commission Representation in Paris. His knowledge of the European institutional process led him to Brussels, where in 2023 he joined the European affairs department of Edenred, the leading employee benefits company. In charge of European projects, he deals with issues relating to food, transport and leisure.

Lino holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the Université Catholique de Lille and a master's degree in European governance from Sciences Po Grenoble.

Joséphine Piel

Consultant

Joséphine Piel

Consultant

Joséphine joined Vae Solis in 2025, where she specializes in strategic communications, press relations and digital communications.

After working for a corporate communications agency, where she helped major companies and their executives enhance their image and manage their reputational challenges, Joséphine specialized in political communications.

She worked successively in the communications team of La République en Marche en 2022, then at the French National Assembly, where she supported the deputy Maud Bregeon, and finally in the office of the Minister for Overseas France, where she supported the development of the Minister's communications, and those of the Ministry, particularly in digital communications and crisis management.

Joséphine holds a Master's degree in Corporate, Political and Digital Information and Communication from the Institut Catholique de Paris.

Louis-Alexis Luchtenberg

Consultant

Louis-Alexis Luchtenberg

Consultant

At Vae Solis, Louis-Alexis is involved in strategic communications, public affairs and crisis communications.

He began his studies with three years of literary preparatory classes. After graduating from the Sorbonne in History, Louis-Alexis obtained a Master's degree in European Public Policy from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2022. After completing his studies, Louis-Alexis joined Communication & Institutions, a firm specializing in public affairs.

He then joined the cabinet of Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, where he worked with the Minister and various advisors on parliamentary issues and media relations. He then became parliamentary assistant to Vincent Ledoux, MP for the 10th constituency of Nord, working in particular on diplomatic issues, housing and civil security.

Juliette Loiselle

Consultant

Juliette Loiselle

Consultant

Juliette joined Vae Solis Communications in 2023 as a consultant and works on press relations, public affairs and crisis communications assignments.

With a legal background in private law, Juliette completed a number of internships in law firms and courts (Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris, Cour d'appel d'Amiens), before specializing in communications consulting.

Juliette holds a Master's degree in Public and Political Communication from ISCOM Paris.

Camille Chareyre

HR Project Manager

Camille Chareyre

HR Project Manager

Camille joined Vae Solis in 2023 as Human Relations Manager.

She began her career in ETALAB's communications department. In 2012, she joined the team in charge of communications for the UDI-UC parliamentary group in the French Senate.

Between 2013 and 2019, Camille joined Vae Solis as a consultant and then as a senior consultant. In particular, she advises executives on their positioning strategy, public affairs and press relations issues.

In 2020, Camille joined the PMU Group in the Communications and Human Resources Department, in charge of Responsible Gaming. Here, she deploys the strategy for preventing addictive gambling and gambling by minors. Reporting to the HR Director, Camille trains all head office staff in these aspects of Responsible Gaming compliance.

In 2023, Camille rejoined Vae Solis Communications in charge of HR, where she is a member of the Management Committee.

Camille is a graduate of the Institut Français de Presse (Paris II) and holds an M1 in General Private Law (Paris II).

Lalya Kanouté

Office Manager

Lalya Kanouté

Office Manager

Lalya KANOUTE has been Office Manager at Vae Solis Communications since 2024. She manages day-to-day administrative operations, coordinates teams, and optimizes internal processes to ensure office efficiency. After graduating with a degree in business and commerce, Lalya worked for 5 years in office management and administrative assistance in various companies.

Mercedes Peñas-Serrano

Assistant to Arnaud Dupui-Castérès

Mercedes Peñas-Serrano

Assistant to Arnaud Dupui-Castérès

After studying tourism, Mercedes joined the Pierre & Vacances group from 1997 to 2008, creating the transport department and then joining the communications department as an editor.

For 7 years, she worked with chef Hugues Pouget, helping to develop the Hugo & Victor brand in Japan and South Korea.

She then took up a position as takings manager at the Théâtre Alexandre Dumas in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Since 2020, Mercedes has been assistant to Arnaud Dupui-Castérès, Managing Director of Vae Solis Communications.

Jeannine Yandoupou

Accountant

Jeannine Yandoupou

Accountant

After obtaining a BTS in accounting and management and training as an accounting services technician, Jeannine worked for 9 years as a senior accounting assistant in a management control firm. In 2009, she joined Tiffany & Co France, Benelux as a senior accountant. She has held the position of accountant at Vae Solis Communications since 2019.