France’s banking sector remains one of the most heavily regulated and threat-exposed environments in Europe. Large retail banks, specialized finance institutions, and public development banks must simultaneously manage strict regulatory expectations, legacy systems, rapid digitalization, and increasingly professionalized cybercrime. In this context, security leadership is no longer limited to technical defense—it now spans fraud prevention, operational resilience, regulatory alignment, and executive risk governance. The following security leaders stand out for how they structure, scale, and embed cybersecurity within complex banking organizations.
Mathieu Mansion — Chief Information Security Officer, Oney
Mathieu Mansion leads cybersecurity, business continuity, and external fraud protection at Oney, supporting both the bank and its subsidiaries during a period of organizational consolidation and transformation. His role spans strategic roadmap definition, security budget governance, and coordination with Group-level incident response structures, including the BPCE CERT. With hands-on experience in building and operating SOC and CERT capabilities, he brings a strong operational lens to banking security while maintaining executive-level alignment across distributed entities.
Pape Mbeugue Gueye — Chief Information Security Officer, La Banque Postale
Pape Mbeugue Gueye oversees information security at La Banque Postale, where his mandate includes governance, risk identification, and the operational execution of security controls in a highly regulated public banking environment. With prior experience in cybersecurity engineering and cryptography-focused roles, he brings a technically grounded approach to security leadership, balancing regulatory compliance, incident preparedness, and secure system operations across large-scale banking infrastructures.
Sébastien Pillard — Chief Information Security Officer, Interfimo
Sébastien Pillard serves as Chief Information Security Officer at Interfimo, where he is responsible for securing financial services activities closely tied to professional and institutional clients. Previously leading security audit and red team activities within Crédit Agricole Group, he combines offensive security expertise with governance and risk management capabilities. His background enables him to align deep technical assessments with executive decision-making and long-term risk reduction strategies.
Nicolas Bougot — Chief Information Security Officer, Council of Europe Development Bank
Nicolas Bougot leads information security at the Council of Europe Development Bank, bringing extensive experience from global financial institutions to a multilateral development context. His prior roles included defining enterprise-wide cyber governance, managing multi-million-euro security programs, and leading international teams across identity, access management, and regulatory remediation. His work emphasizes maturity frameworks, executive reporting, and aligning cybersecurity strategy with institutional missions and public accountability.
Laurent Cohen — Chief Information Security Officer, BNP Paribas
Laurent Cohen is the Chief Information Security Officer for BNP Paribas, where he oversees cybersecurity strategy for one of Europe’s largest banking groups. With a background spanning infrastructure leadership, enterprise architecture, and large-scale IT transformation, he brings a systems-level perspective to banking security. His role focuses on aligning security architecture with operational resilience, modernization initiatives, and the scale requirements of a global financial institution.
François Barde — Chief Information Security Officer, Agence Française de Développement
François Barde leads information security for the Agence Française de Développement, where he manages governance, risk, and compliance for a financial institution operating at the intersection of public policy and international development. With more than two decades of experience in project and team leadership, he focuses on integrating security into business processes, rebuilding risk and control frameworks, and strengthening coordination between security teams and operational departments across geographies.
Poli Franck — Group Chief Information Security Officer, Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance
Poli Franck serves as Group Chief Information Security Officer at Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance, overseeing security strategy across international consumer finance operations. His role includes driving group-wide governance, managing operational security functions, and ensuring consistency across diverse markets and regulatory regimes. His long tenure within the organization provides continuity, institutional knowledge, and a pragmatic approach to embedding security into large-scale financial services operations.
Rémy Fruchart — Chief Information Security Officer, CGI Finance
Rémy Fruchart leads cybersecurity at CGI Finance, where he evolved from project leadership roles into enterprise security governance. His background in application development, IT project management, and financial services enables him to bridge technical delivery with risk management and compliance needs. He focuses on securing business-critical platforms while supporting innovation and operational efficiency within a specialized finance organization.
Nicolas Ly — Chief Information Security Officer, Société Générale
Nicolas Ly is a cybersecurity executive at Société Générale, known for his focus on operational execution, regulatory navigation, and risk-driven security strategy. His leadership emphasizes aligning security operations with business objectives, managing complex stakeholder environments, and ensuring consistent implementation of controls across large, distributed banking systems. His profile reflects the growing importance of adaptable, execution-oriented security leadership in global banking institutions.
France’s Banking Security Leadership Outlook
Across France’s banking ecosystem, cybersecurity leaders are increasingly defined by their ability to integrate governance, operations, and executive communication. The CISOs highlighted here demonstrate how security leadership has evolved beyond technical control into a strategic function—one that safeguards financial stability, customer trust, and institutional resilience in an environment of constant regulatory and threat-driven change.