Loden Initiatives

Thierry is a French entrepreneur who now heads an interior design firm.

After 25 years at the head of a family business where he received the Entrepreneur d'Avenir award in 2009 by the National Assembly and the CSR award in 2011 by the Pays de Loire region, he resells his cabinetmaking business. in 2016 to realize his childhood dream, to lead the Compagnie des Guides in Chamonix.
Member of the CJD (Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d'entreprise) for 10 years and of the APM (Association Progrès du Management) for 10 years to train and support entrepreneurs.

Rabsel Dorji is an entrepreneur and consultant, interested in social entrepreneurship, education and tourism. He is currently a director of the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators, which represents over 500 members. He previously taught at Royal Thimphu College and worked for the Asian Development Bank in Bhutan and the United Nations in Geneva. He holds an MBA from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a BA from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

Jeanne Mascolo de Filippis is a graduate of Tibetan language and civilization, great traveler, guide, director, she is passionate about the life of the incredible adventurer Alexandra David-Neel was. She has also just written the first complete illustrated biography of what can be considered as the greatest explorer of the 20th century, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth, published in Chamonix by Paulsen editions: " Alexandra David -Neel, a hundred years of adventures ".

Françoise Pommaret, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist, research director at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research, France) and associate professor at the College of Languages and Culture (CLCS), Royal University of Bhutan, and was associated with Bhutan in various capacities since 1981 and has published numerous articles and books on different aspects of Bhutanese culture. She is currently involved in the documentation of the Cultural Atlas of Bhutan (https://bhutanculturalatlas.clcs.edu.bt/). She is the president of Les Amis du Bhoutan friendship association. In 2015, she received the Légion d'honneur for her lifelong contribution to relations between Bhutan and France and in 2017 the Gold Medal of Bhutanese merit for its action in favor of research and culture in Bhutan.

François Valencony began his career in the United States at Schneider Electric, supporting several acquisitions and growth projects for the American division before participating in the development of a Tech company (GF-X) in London, before its takeover of an industrial group. After several years within the industrial holding Institut Mérieux, François set up the Mérieux Equity Partners investment platform, a management company specializing in capital investment in the fields of Health and Nutrition, in Development Capital and in Capital Innovation, bringing together around twenty employees and more than one billion euros under management. François graduated from HEC Paris and holds a CEMS Master in Cologne.

Gérard Tardy has been co-founder and director of the Loden Entrepreneurship Program since 2008. He travels regularly to Bhutan to participate in the selection and mentoring of Loden entrepreneurs.

An international investor with thirty-five years of experience, Gérard was a pioneer in the development of venture capital in Europe. He was the founder of three large investment firms: Citicorp Venture Capital, and Schroders Partenaires in Paris, and Sitka Ltd in London. He is currently Senior Advisor at Mérieux Equity Partners, an investment platform specializing in the health and nutrition sector.

Gérard is also an active contributor to several think tanks on social entrepreneurship. A graduate of HEC Paris and Stanford University, Gérard has lived in London for 21 years and has lived in Lisbon since 2019.

Anne Tardy is an author of children's books and founded and managed a children's museum in Paris, “Le Musée en Herbe”. She is a member of the board of directors of Loden Education Trust (UK), FDD Loden Education (France) and the international board of the Karuna Schechen Foundation. She translates Buddhist texts and currently lives in Lisbon (Portugal). Anne and Gérard are the main inspiration behind the entrepreneurship and scholarship programs of the Loden Foundation.