Diane is an experienced business executive and social entrepreneur with over 20 years of international experience across corporate, development and not for profit sectors in Africa and the Global South. A firm believer in systemic change to prioritize social justice and planetary well-being, she has worked across silos structuring philantropic – public – private alliances to foster urban and community resilience, climate action and natural capital preservation. She has mobilized financing for projects of all scales, ranging from $100,000 USD to $500 million, supporting private sector development and access to essential services. In 2021, she founded Regenopolis (for “regenerative communities”), an international and collaborative initiative supporting local solutions at the intersection of climate action, nature regeneration and social well-being.

In 2023, Diane co-founded 700’000 heures Impact, pioneering regenerative travel, by harnessing hospitality to regenerate local communities and the surrounding natural ecosystems through the emergence of local bio-businesses and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Previously, Diane spent a decade at SUEZ, a global leader providing water and waste management services to populations and industries, successively as Senior Vice- President for International Development in charge of Africa, and Senior Vice-President for International Relations. In her role, Diane has developed major PPPs, aligning governments, DFIs, private sector and civil society.

Earlier, she worked for Development Financial Institutions such as European Investment Bank, French Development Agency, World Bank, and international NGOs such as WaterAid.