 My name is Dominique Seneke, I'm the president of Ardion, a global investment house that provides funding for companies and returns for pension fund and investors around the world. We are incredibly proud to be supporting the IHES. I love that the whole idea of the institute is to make the pursuit of excellence in such important and critical as fundamental research as easy and conductive as possible. 2021 Gala, celebrating women at IHES as well as prominent female figures in fundamental research, focuses on such an important issue. For me, diversity of thought and representation in all forms is ethically and morally right and also hugely beneficial to better outcomes for society. I like the fact that the IHES was founded in 1958 by a businessman and mathematician, Leon Mochan. Because my personal journey to here starts at mathematics and is completed by me as a businesswoman, myself I can't claim for a second to be a scientist, far from it. But as a young girl, I did all an ambition to become a math teacher, just like my grandmother, who taught me math. And I suppose it was fairly unusual as I ended up graduating in mathematics as one of the first female from Ecole Polytechnique. Since then, I jumped into the world of business. And finally, in 1996, I sought the opportunity to start what is today Ardian, a business with offices around the world, responsible for over 100 billion of assets, and one conscious of its role and purpose, not just for its clients and employees, but for society as a rule. While people might see me, a woman, leading this successful investment company and think it is a great example of diversity, it is nothing. It is not even a start. The world has such a long way to go and frankly has been moving far too slowly. The good news is that I can see all around me a willingness to affect real change, more so than ever before. Some progress has been made. But in scientific areas, women's educational gains have been less dramatic and their progress in the workplace still slower. Women make up a clear minority of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math. And men vastly outnumber women, majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering. As I said before, I see this under-representation as a lost opportunity. Diversity of thought, approach and perspective brings better solutions and outcomes. To the outside world, many might see the world of mathematics and science as pure and rational. A world of clear-cut answers. But we all know that this belies the truth. And so with the issue of under-representation, there will be many aspects and elements, many answers that might make up a solution. Part of the solution is to start early at school, commit to making an early impression. At our workplaces and institutions, we need to shake the traditional structures that are holding women back and rethink the way we build and run them, embracing diversity in all shapes and forms. We need to reject old norms, bias and ways of doing things and embrace a more inclusive environment. We also need to set targets that will track our progress and transparently publish this, both in public and private life. As with financial results, we should not accept failure but push on to perform better and hit our ambitions. At Ardion, for example, we have started to meet with girls already in high schools, organizing events and talks. We have organized Generation Women, an annual event dedicated to women students who had not yet committed to their career choices yet. We have adopted a diversity inclusion charter and set a goal of 40% of women in our investment functions by 2030. In all of the countries where we are represented, we look to collaborate and participate in wider industry initiatives to achieve the same aim around representation. I'm not saying that these are giant steps forward. I'm not holding myself on my company as a shining example. But I'm saying that it is through a myriad of commitments, actions and pledges that we all can make a difference. I urge you all, friends of Institute des Hautes-Études scientifiques, find your own answers. Find your own path to just, as in the purpose of the IHES, to ways that are easy and conducive as possible. To influence better how women are represented in your company, organization or institutions. Good luck and success.