Élisabeth Moreno drives equality and inclusion through impact investing, women’s empowerment, and sustainable leadership across Africa and Europe.
Élisabeth Moreno’s journey began in Tarrafal, Cape Verde, where she was born in 1970. Her family relocated to France when she was a child, seeking medical treatment for her sister. Those early experiences of migration, adaptation, and inequality profoundly shaped her perspective on opportunity and justice. Armed with degrees in law and business, she went on to build a career that bridges entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, government reform, and impact investment, all driven by a commitment to advancing equality and inclusion.
At just 20, Moreno co-founded her first company, a thermal rehabilitation business she led for seven years. Her corporate career took off at France Telecom, where she managed the SME division in southern Paris before joining Dell in 2000. Over twelve years at Dell, she rose through the ranks to become Commercial Director for Strategic Accounts across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2012, she joined Lenovo, first overseeing key accounts in Southern Europe and later serving as CEO and Chairwoman of Lenovo France between 2017 and 2019, becoming one of the few Black women to lead a major tech company in Europe. She subsequently moved to Hewlett-Packard as Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, where she championed inclusion and digital access across the continent.
In July 2020, Élisabeth Moreno was appointed France’s Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Equal Opportunities, a position she held until May 2022. During her tenure, she doubled the ministry’s budget to €60 million, driving reforms to combat gender-based violence and promote workplace equality. She introduced the landmark Rixain Law mandating gender parity in leadership, extended paternity leave from 14 to 28 days (with a portion made mandatory), and advanced policies banning conversion therapy and ensuring free contraception for women under 25. Her ministry also doubled the number of safe shelters for victims of domestic violence, made medically assisted reproduction accessible to all women, and launched a national anti-discrimination platform alongside a corporate diversity and inclusion index. Under her leadership, France played a pivotal role in advancing the Women on Boards directive across Europe.
After leaving government, Moreno turned her focus to social entrepreneurship and impact investing. As Chairwoman of Ring Capital and President of Ring Africa, she supports ventures tackling education, healthcare, clean energy, and inclusion, particularly in Francophone Africa. She also leads the Femmes@Numérique Foundation, which works to close digital gender gaps by empowering women to pursue tech careers. Additionally, she founded LEIA Partners, a consultancy helping organisations strengthen corporate social responsibility and sustainable governance, and serves on Sanofi’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board.
Throughout her career, Élisabeth Moreno has remained a steadfast advocate for women of African descent in France and beyond, using her platform to amplify representation, inspire leadership, and demonstrate that inclusion and equity are not only moral imperatives but drivers of progress.
