NextBillion - A WDI Publication

François Lepicard is a Senior Partner at Hystra. Since joining in 2010, he has led over 50 assignments across energy, nutrition, health, and corporate finance in developing countries.

Over the past four years, he has supported Sanofi in launching and managing its Impact Fund, including advising a dozen health-tech entrepreneurs on strategy and operations across Asia and Africa. He is also working with the French Development Agency (AFD) to accelerate the penetration and adoption of clean cooking solutions across sub-Saharan Africa.

Earlier in his time at Hystra, François spent over a year in Burkina Faso leading the MERIEM project, supporting local agro-food SMEs in developing and distributing nutrition products across the Sahel region. He also led Hystra’s first-ever assignment, which enabled Total to launch Awango, its solar energy access program, and supervised two landmark research projects: “Reaching Scale in Access to Energy” and “Leveraging ICT for the BoP.”

Before joining Hystra, François spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company, where he became a senior partner, and 5 years as a venture capitalist at Occam, a fund management company he founded.

François believes that inclusive business is an under-exploited lever that gives individuals a voice in their physical, moral and economic recovery – and a powerful energizing force for both business and development organizations.