NEOMA: A launchpad for the finance talent of the future #3

The NEOMA Alumni Awards celebrated their 20th anniversary last November. This annual ceremony honours NEOMA graduates in a range of categories, including finance. In 2025, the Finance Award was presented to Frédéric Corbay, a 1990 Master in Management graduate and the current CFO of Ipsos bva France. Here we take a look at Frédéric’s career to date.

There’s much more to management control and financial leadership than poring over Excel spreadsheets or lengthy data‑heavy reports. As CFO of Ipsos bva, Frédéric Corbay is first and foremost a hands-on leader.

As a dual French and German national, Frédériccarried out his alternative national service at the French consulate in Frankfurt. “My job was advising French SMEs looking to export to Germany.” Perfectly fluent in both languages, and keen to pursue an international career, Corbay was selected to join Renault Germany as management controller before moving into the role of assistant after‑sales director.

Driving growth in complex environments

In 1998, Corbay was appointed chief financial officer of Renault Croatia, a newly created position. “The Balkan region was rebuilding after the conflicts, and the environment was still chaotic.” Our man spearheaded the rapid expansion of the Renault brand, later helping the company grow and develop in Slovenia as CFO.

Frédéric returned to France in 2003 as part of the Bordeaux sales network. “Our roadmap focused on the investment, sales and financing strategy for the network's vehicle portfolio.” He crossed borders again in 2006 when he took over the financial management of Renault Central Europe.

Reading society’s mood

Corbay left Renault in 2009 at the height of the automotive crisis, but stayed in Prague as Central Europe CFO for Ipsos… a new sector with a fresh set of challenges.

Would you like to know why almost 15,000 early-career graduates from French engineering and business schools leave to work abroad every year? Or what proportion of European farmers have already switched to regenerative agriculture? Or how France’s poverty index stood in 2025?

Well, Ipsos has the answers! 

“Most people know Ipsos through its opinion polls, which in fact account for only 1% of the institute’s revenue,” explains Corbay. “Ipsos’ mission is to provide clients with clear insights across a wide range of topics, grounded in its core values of information you can trust, integrity and confidentiality.” Over 5,000 clients rely on the firm for guidance on brand image, social trends, online conversations, new products, services, concepts, advertising and packaging. Ipsos’ researchers, interviewers, analysts and scientists unpack behavioural and consumer trends. And today, AI is an integral part of that work. It’s a sometimes risky business in a world where manipulation and misinformation are gaining traction.

Driving recovery and guiding growth

“I took up my role as CFO of the Brazilian subsidiary in 2013 in a tense climate when the company was struggling,” recalls Frédéric. He surrounded himself with a strong team and turned things around before handing over the reins in 2019 to the Brazilian successor he had trained. “A memorable way to wrap up my mission,” says this man of action with a smile.

Corbay returned to France as audit and quality director at the height of the Covid pandemic. “Ipsos was a partner in analysing contamination sites. It made me very proud to be part of the company.”

Corbay has been CFO of Ipsos bva France since 2020. He helps the board steer the company’s development, analysing the key financial indicators for the future. And, as ever, Frédéric is a guide in his own right.