Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
France Local Leaders

Also see France Ministers

A large number of women has been vice-PresidentFrance_Parliaments of the various Councils and Under-Préfets. They are not listed on this page.

1945-48 Vice-President of the Council of Paris Marie Hélène Lefaucheaux
She was Vice-President of the National Assembly 1959-65, born  Postel Vinay, and lived (1904-64)

1949-55 Vice-President of the Conseil of Paris Nicole de Hauteclocque
1962-72 Vice-President
1972-73 President of the Council of Paris
1977-? Deputy Mayor of Paris
Conservative MP 1968-81, Senator 1986-93. Widow of Count Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (Maréchal Leclerc), a prominent general during WWII (1902-47), and lived (1913-93).

1970-82 President of the General Council Evelyne Baylet, Torn-et-Garonne

1974 Sous-Préfète Florence Hugodot, ?
The first woman

1979-81 Sous-Préfète Marie-Françoise Haye-Guillard, Châteaudun
1992-96  Préfète of Chantal
1996-99 Préfète of Cher
1999-2001 Préfète of Charente
2001-2004 Préfète of Côtes-d'Armor
In 2004 she became Prefect without posting

1979-84 Sous-Préfète Hélène Blanc,  Chalon-sur-Saône
1984-.. Préfète of Cantal
Until 1989 Préfète of l'Orne
1989-91 Préfète of Sarthe
1991-? Préfète of Haut-Rhin

1980-83 Préfète Yvette Chassange, Loir-et-Cher
Mayor of Cour des comptes 1979-80. She lived (1922-2007).

1982-85 President of the General Council Luchette Michaux-Cheruy, Guadeloupe
1983 President of the Regional Council
1993-2004 President of the General Council

1985-86 Sous-Préfète Beatrice Marre, Château-Chinau

1986-88 Sous-Préfète Colette Horel, Châteaudun
1991-95 Préfète of Meuse, Region Lorraine
1995-96 Préfète of Nièvre
1997-2002 Préfète and Secretary General of the Préfeture of Paris

1991-2010 President of the General Council Comtesse Anne d'Ornano, Calvados

1991-2002 Préfète Bernadette Malgorn, Tarn-et-Garonne
1996-2002 Préfète of the Region Lorraine and the Department of Moselle, Coordinating Préfète of the Rhin-Meusse Bassin
1996-2004 Préfète of the Defence Zone of the East
2002-2004 Préfète of the Region of Bretagne and Préfète d'Ille-et-Vilaine
Former postings as Sous-Préfet.

1992-98 President of the Regional Council Marie-Christine Blandin, Nord-Pas-De-Calais

1992-98 President of the General Council Janine Bardou, Department of Lozère
Senator 1994-2001 until she resigned because of ill health. (b. 1927-).

1992-98 President of the Regional Council Margie Sudre, Réunion

1993-96 Préfète Catherine Delmas-Comolli , Loir-et-Cher, Region Centre
2006- Préfète of Ardennes

1993-95 Sous-préfète  Marcelle Pierrot, Lunéville
2000-03 Sous-préfèt d’Arles
2006-07 Delegate Prefect in charge of Equality by the Prefect of the Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur
2007-09 Prefect of Lot
2009-11 Prefect of Tarn
2011-13 Prefect of Vosges
2013- Prefect of the Department and Region of Guadaloupe
Held a number of other administrative posts. (b. 1949-)

1996-98 Préfète Janine Pichon, Gers
1998-99 Préfète of Mayenne

1996-99 Préfète Elisabeth Allaire, Haute Marne
1999-2005 Préfète of Sarthe
2005-11 Préfète of Morbihan

1999-2001 Préfète Anne-Marie Escoffier, Aveyron
2002 Préfète of L'Yonne

1999-2000 Préfète Anne Merloz, Haute-Saône
2000-02 Préfète of Lot-et-Garonne
2002-06 Préfète of Cher
2006-13 Préfète of Saône-et-Loire

1999-2004 President of the General Council Anne-Marie Comparini, the Department of Rhône-Alpes

2000-02 Préfète Anne Boquet, l'Indre
2005-08 High Commissioner of French Polynesia
2008-13 Préfète of Yvelines

2001-04 Préfète Chantal Jourdan, Lot
2004-07 Préfète of l'Aveyron
She was Sous-Préfète of Val-de-Marne 1998-2001 (b. 1945-).

2002-04 President of the Regional Council Elisabeth Morin, Poitou-Charentes
Former vice-President, she took office when her predecssor, Refarin, became Premier Ministre of France.

2004-05 Préfète Anne-Marie Charvet, Tarn-et-Garonne
High-ranking civil servant in regional and provincial governments.

2004-14 President of the Regional Council, Ségolène Royal, Poitou-Charentes (France)
Minister of Environment 1992-93, 1994-95 President of National Council of the Socialist Party, 1997-2000 Minister-Delegate of National Education, Technology and Science, 2000-02 Minister-Delegate of Family and Childhood, Presidential Candidate in 2007 and appointed Minister of Environment in 2014. (b. 1953-).

2004- President of the General Council Marie-Françoise Pérol-Dumont, the Department of Haute-Vienne
Vice-President of the Grand Conceil 1992-2001, Vice-President 1997-98 and Secretary of the National Assembly 1998-2004. (b. 1949-).

2004-08 President of the General Council Nassimah Magnolia Dindar, Réunion
Vice-President of the Regional Council 2001-04, Presidential Advisor from 2008. (b. 1960-).

2005-13 Préfète Evelyne Ratte of l'Aisne
2007-13 Regional Préfète of Limousin
Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence 2002-05. (b. 1937-)

2006-12 Préfète Chantal Philip, Meuse
Former Sous-Préfète of Commercy

2007-11 Préfète Béatrice Abollivier, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
2011- Prefect of Charente-Maritime
Former high ranking civil servant and ministerial political advisor

2007-09 Préfète Danièle Polvé-Montmasson, Tarn-et-Garonne
2009-11 Préfète of l'Aveyron 
2011-13 Préfète of Charente
2013- Préfète of Manche

2007-11 Préfète Fabienne Buccio, Mayenne
2011- Prefect of Loire
Former de sous-préfète de Bayeux and presidential advisor. (b. 1959-)

2008 Acting President of the Regional Council Marie-Marguerite Dufay, France-Compté (05.01-24.01.)
2008-16 President
2016- President of the Regional Council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
1. Vice-president through a number of years, she took over when her predecessor died in office and later elected to the post.

2008-11 President of the General Council Josette Durrieu, Hautes-Pyrénées
She was Vice-President 1998-2002 and from 2008, Senator, Vice-President of the Nato Parliamentary Assembly and many other posts. (b. 1937-).

2008-13 Préfète Joëlle Le Mouël, departament Jura

2009 Acting President of the General Council  Christine Boutin, Yvelines
Former municipal and regional councillor, former mayor and deputy mayor, Vice-President of the Grand Council of Yvelines 1994-2009 and Acting President May-July 2009, MP 1986-2007, Minister of Housing 2007-09 (b. 1944-)

2010 Acting President of the Regional Council Josiane Collerais, Region Languedoc-Roussillon

2010- President of the General Council Hermeline Malherbe-Laurent, The Department of Pyenées-Oales
She was member from 2008 and Vice-President in 2010. (b. 1969-)

2011-12 President of the General Council Marisol Touraine, The Department of Indre-et-Loire
Member of the General Council since 1998 and 2. Vice-President from 2008. Also Socialist MP from 2007. (b. 1959-).

2011-14 Préfète Cécile Pozzo di Borgo, l’Aveyron
Administratrice supérieure des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises from 2014.

2011- Préfète Sophie Thibault, Corrèze

2012 Delegate-Prefect for the Defence of the Eastern Zone Françoise Souliman
Préfète déléguée pour la défense et la sécurité de la zone Ouest

2012- Préfète Josiane Chevalier, Tarn-et-Garonne

2012- Préfète Isabelle Dilhac, Meuse

2012-14 Préfète Nicole Klein, Seine-et-Marne
2014- Préfte of the Departement de la Somme and the Region of Picardie

2012-  Préfète Michèle Kirry, Nièvre

2013- Préfète Patricia Willaert, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

2013- Préfet Nathalie Marthien, de l’Ariège

2013- Préfète  Élisabeth Borne, Vienne and the Region of Poitou-Charentes

2013 Acting President of the Regional Council Emmanuèle Jeandet-Mengual, Haute-Normandie
1. Vice-President of the Regional Council charged with Culture and Deputy Mayor of Rouen

2014- Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris
First Deputy Mayor 2001-14. (b. 1959-)

2015- President Valérie Pecresse, Île-de-France

2016- President Carole Delga, Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées

Last update 06.01.16