Listed-company governance: stronger balance of powers and sustainability, but diversification is running out of steam, according to an IFA - Ethics & Boards barometer
While the balance of powers and the integration of sustainability have clearly strengthened in French listed companies over ten years, the renewal of board profiles has reached a plateau, according to the tenth edition of the Barometer of Responsible Governance by the French Institute of Directors (IFA) and Ethics & Boards.
Floriane de Saint Pierre, présidente et fondatrice d’Ethics & Boards, souligne ainsi que face aux crises d’une rare violence de la décennie (pandémie, rupture géopolitique, irruption de l’IA) et aux nouveaux cadres législatifs et de recommandations (CSRD, loi Rixain, code Afep-Medef), les conseils et dirigeants ont réussi à « créer en dix ans une valeur financière et extrafinancière tout à fait remarquable ».
Parallèlement, la durabilité s’est imposée comme une composante structurelle de la gouvernance française. En 2026, 85,9 % des conseils du SBF 120 et 90,0 % du CAC 40 disposent d’un comité chargé des enjeux durables (contre 34,2 % en 2017). La France se situe ainsi au premier rang des grands marchés européens aux côtés de l’Italie.
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