BORDEAUX, France — Bordeaux is stacking its 2026 calendar with major meetups for women business owners and the broader startup scene, from a corporate social responsibility expo to a late-night tech showcase—alongside a new, more political question: what role should companies play in democracy?
The shift was on display April 23 at Bordeaux’s Palais des Congrès, which hosted the fourth edition of Résolution, a corporate social responsibility (RSE) solutions fair led by Placéco and the Sud Ouest media group, in partnership with the Bordeaux Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Bordeaux Gironde).
With 120 exhibitors spread across three themed zones—environment, workplace quality of life (QVCT), and societal impact—plus workshops, roundtables and master classes, the event followed a familiar playbook. But this year’s edition added a new feature aimed squarely at civic life.
A “Democracy Square” lands in the middle of a CSR expo
Organizers built a “Place de la Démocratie” (“Democracy Square”) at the heart of the show, carving out space for a topic that, according to Yann Buanec, founder and CEO of Placéco, “would have seemed incongruous a few years ago.”
“Faced with the unraveling of our institutions, a world of post-truth and the risk of war,” Buanec said, the idea of the company as a political actor has become a subject business leaders can no longer avoid.
The day’s first major session tackled the question head-on: “Business and democracy: Is the company a political actor?” Speakers included Benoît Hamon, a former French minister and former member of the European Parliament who is now CEO of the nonprofit Singa, alongside Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot, an associate professor at HEC Paris specializing in corporate strategy, and Xavier Datin, CEO of the Bordeaux-based company i2S.[4]
French Tech Night heads to Bordeaux’s Stade Atlantique on June 25
Another big date is June 25, when French Tech Bordeaux will stage the official VivaTech after-party for the fifth edition of French Tech Night. The event will take over Bordeaux Métropole’s Stade Atlantique and host international delegations from Germany, Ireland, Spain, Amsterdam, the United States, Canada and India.
About 50 startups are set to present their products in a dedicated showroom. The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., with tickets priced at €150 (about $162) with dinner or €35 (about $38) without.[2]
Women business owners push for more seats in France’s decision-making bodies
Against that backdrop of women-led entrepreneurship, Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise de France (FCE France)—a national network for women business owners—counts 1,800 members across 70 local delegations nationwide.
One local chapter in the Landes department, made up of about 20 women, sums up the group’s goals: break isolation, share experience, and—crucially—win positions in representative bodies, from chambers of commerce to commercial courts and labor tribunals (prud’hommes).[3]
Peggy Munich, who leads the Landes delegation, is calling to extend the logic of France’s 2011 Copé-Zimmermann law—which requires more balanced representation on corporate boards—to executive committees and top management teams. “Female management is different,” she argued, in a country where women CEOs still hear too often: “I wasn’t expecting a woman.”
Another Bordeaux stop: a credit mediator session on spotting early warning signs
A third Bordeaux event is already on the calendar: On October 14, Les Rebondisseurs Français will host a direct exchange with France’s national credit mediator on Rue de la Porte Dijeaux. The goal is to help business owners identify early warning signs before a bank financing freeze hits.
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