Estelle Brachlianoff was born on 26 July 1972. She is a French businesswoman and has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Veolia since 1 July 2022. She is an engineer.

Early life and education

Estelle Brachlianoff was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, to a Bulgarian father and a French mother. Her mother, who worked as an engineer at Aérospatiale (a company that later became Airbus Group), taught her the importance of choosing her own path and working toward her goals. As a child, Estelle dreamed of becoming an astronaut or an astrophysicist.

After finishing her preparatory classes for college, she was accepted into École polytechnique in 1992. She continued her studies at École nationale des ponts et chaussées and received her bachelor's degree in civil engineering and public management in 1997.

Career

Estelle Brachlianoff began her career in 1998 as the head of the Val-d'Oise department, where she worked on projects to improve roads, bridges, and other public works in the Val-d’Oise region of Greater Paris. In 2002, she became a special advisor for the Greater Paris Île-de-France Prefecture, where she managed public transportation and urban planning efforts.

In 2005, she joined Veolia Environmental Services in the waste management department as an advisor to the company’s chief executive officer. She became the CEO of Veolia Environmental Services’ Cleaning and Multiservices division in 2007 and the CEO of Veolia Environmental Services’ Greater Paris region from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, Brachlianoff moved to the United Kingdom to lead Veolia Environmental Services in that region. In 2013, she was named CEO of the UK and Ireland zone and joined the company’s management and executive committees.

In September 2018, she became the chief operating officer of Veolia and a member of the company’s management and executive committees. On January 10, 2022, she was appointed chief executive officer of Veolia, replacing Antoine Frérot. She began her role as CEO on July 1, 2022. At that time, Brachlianoff became only the third woman to lead a company in the Paris CAC 40 group, following Catherine MacGregor of Engie and Christel Heydemann of Orange S.A.

She is a strong supporter of the ideas of "circular economy" and "ecological transformation."

Other appointments

• President of the French Chamber of Great Britain, June 2016 – July 2018
• Non-Executive Director of Zodiac Aerospace, January 2016 – February 2018
• Non-Executive Director of Hermès, May 2019 – present
• Vice-Chairwoman of the French association of Enterprises for the Environment (EPE), 2022 – present

Awards and recognitions

• In 2014, she received the title of Knight of the National Order of Merit
• In 2020, she received the title of Knight of the Legion of Honour

Personal life

She is married and is the mother of a daughter and a son. She enjoys reading and participating in modern dance.