A milestone for women in the Group
Women In is a series of portraits of women who, by way of their career path, personalities or commitments, are involved – with talent – in all areas of their company or even society at large. Although we celebrate women on 8 March every year, we felt it was important to devote a little more time and space to them before and after that symbolic date in order to highlight the diversity of their trajectories and emphasise the power of their impact on society.
Today, we look at someone who, in her day, showed that the status quo was not inevitable. Lucienne Henry helped further women’s representation in management positions, being named Honorary Branch Manager of the Le Havre branch in 1956. A major first for a woman in the history of the Societe Generale group. We look back at the exemplary career of the woman who challenged the preconceived ideas on her epoch and found the strength to express her leadership. Thank you, Lucienne.
Born in Paris in 1901, Lucienne Henry came from a working-class background. Fatherless, she was raised by her mother, a humble seamstress from Normandy, and grew up in the Paris suburbs. It was at school that she revealed her potential. A gifted, conscientious and diligent pupil, she obtained her Primary Education Certificate and, on the recommendation of her teachers, then earned herself a shorthand diploma.
The First World War was raging, and as the conflict became bogged down in a bloody stalemate, civilians were victims of the rising cost of living. In the spring of 1917, Lucienne therefore decided to move to the town of Le Havre, France, far from the battle zone. She immediately found a job as an accountant in a trading firm specialising in freight transport. Her reliability and good knowledge of the English language soon began to open new doors for her.
On 22 April, 1919, she was hired by the town's Societe Generale branch as an assistant typist. The experience was a success. With her good interpersonal skills, the young woman carried out her duties with assiduity, expertise and efficiency, never missing an opportunity to help her colleagues in order to meet the expectations of the branch's clients. Much appreciated by her superiors, Lucienne gradually developed genuine professional skills and began to set her sights on moving up the corporate ladder. Her versatility, speed of assimilation and strength of character impressed those with whom she came into contact. Her Branch Manager, who had total trust in Lucienne, was full of praise for the young woman and encouraged her to follow in-house training, a prerequisite for accessing senior positions.
Proving very successful, and still at the Le Havre branch, she became principal employee in 1928, office manager in 1931 and managing clerk in 1936. Within the banking sector, Lucienne was acknowledged in Normandy as one of the leading specialists in sales operations involving international clients. During the German invasion, in May 1940, she in extremis helped hide the branch's securities. It was with a similar resolve that she defended the institution's interests during the Occupation and took measures to protect the branch's personnel during bombing raids.
In recognition of her outstanding service, Lucienne was appointed Deputy Branch Manager in 1946. With her extensive experience, she continued to serve the bank with enthusiasm and passion, spending more and more time training young members of staff and teaching them new banking techniques. Health issues caused her to take early retirement February 1957, but her name was to go down in history. In December 1956, Senior Management bestowed the honorary title of Branch Director on Lucienne Henry, a unique occurrence for a woman in the history of the Societe Generale group.
© Societe Generale Historical Archives