Florence Pourchet has been with BNP Paribas for 30 years, and is the bank's most senior female executive in the Americas. She has been the regional head of the bank's ESG initiatives since 2011.
"I have seen a massive transformation in this space over the last 10 years," she said. "Back then, we were mostly focused on the social aspect–helping local communities and employee volunteerism." Today, Pourchet said, "ESG is part of business as usual, and is embedded in all of our products and strategies."
During the past year, BNP was part of a consortium of banks that issued Ford's $2.5 billion inaugural green bond, and Archer-Daniels-Midland's inaugural $750 million sustainability bond, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of livestock while also promoting sustainable agriculture production.
Pourchet was appointed CEO of Latin America in May 2020, and is responsible for driving a unified business strategy in the six countries including Brazil, Chile and Peru the bank has a presence. "As the head of Latin America, I am keenly aware of the impact the region has on global climate change and particularly the Amazon as the 'lungs of the world'," she said. "The Amazon and Cerrado in Brazil are impacted by the activities of a number of industries—including beef and soybean production and paper and pulp—that are disrupting the integrity of their unique environments."
In an effort to protect these vulnerable regions, in February 2021, BNP announced that it would only provide financial products or services to producers and traders in the meat industry that have a strategy to achieve zero deforestation in their production and supply chains by 2025. The bank is also encouraging livestock farmers in the region to change their practices to be more respectful of animal welfare.
In addition to being an advocate for the environment, Pourchet has been a passionate supporter of causes that help military veterans. She has been the executive sponsor of the bank's military employee resource group which helps veterans transition to civilian and corporate life, and earlier this year, she sponsored a new partnership with American Corporate Partners that helps veterans transition to the private sector through one-on-one mentoring with business leaders. BNP will provide 25 employee mentors to work with vets over the course of a year.
