The team
Meet the staff of the Fondation Napoléon, on 31 August 2023, under the general direction of Thierry Lentz.
Executive
Thierry Lentz
General DirectorThierry Lentz holds degrees in Law and in Politics and has been the director of the Fondation Napoleon since 2000, after twelve years in the private sector working as Director of External Relations in a large French company. He is also an associated professor at the Institut Catholique d’Études supérieures de La Roche-sur-Yon.
Pierre Branda
Academic Director, Head of Service Heritage, Head of Service International AffairsAfter a career in business, Pierre Branda joined the Fondation Napoléon in October 2009 as head of the heritage department in charge of finance and the collection of objects belonging to this institution. Since 2005, he has published some fifteen books on the Napoleonic period (several of which have won awards), focusing in particular on the financial aspects of the Consulate and the First Empire. He has also studied a little-known institution, the "Maison de l'Empereur" [The Imperial Household], essential to the image of "Napoleon as Emperor, as well as the Emperor's period on the island of Elba. He also edited volume 13 of the "Correspondance générale de Napoléon Bonaparte" devoted to the first six months of 1813. After a biography of Josephine and a study of the Bonaparte clan, he published "Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène" [Napoleon on St Helena] in 2021. In the same year, that of the bicentenary of the Emperor's death, he curated two exhibitions: "Napoléon n'est plus" [Napoleon is no more] at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris and "Joséphine - Napoléon: une histoire (extra)ordinaire" for the Chaumet Jewellery house in Paris.
Irène Delage
Head of Service Digital MediaIrène Delage studied History and Information and Documentation Sciences. She has set up and still directs most of the services the Fondation Napoleon runs for the public, such as the website napoleon.org, the Weekly Newsletter, the YouTube channel Napoleonica®-La chaîne, and the institutional site fondationnapoleon.org.
Alexandra Mongin
Head of Service General Management, Patronage and FinanceShe joined the Fondation Napoléon in 2005 and has held various positions, including that of assistant director and then delegate to the General Administration. She was in charge of the management of the Fondation Napoléon's fundraising projects: Saving Napoleon's House on St Helena, Restoring the Archives of the Imperial State Secretariat at the French National Archives, and Restoring Napoleon's Tomb and Napoleonic monuments at Les Invalides. In 2022, she was appointed Head of Department in charge of General Management, Patronage and Finance.
Direction scientifique
Camille Crunchant
In charge of academic publicationsCamille Crunchant, who is currently completing her PhD in modern history, is in charge of the academic publications Napoleonica® la revue (in French) et Napoleonica® the journal (in English).
Academic
Peter Hicks
Manager of International AffairsPeter Hicks has a PhD from St John’s College, Cambridge (UK). He is also a prize-winning musician and choir master. He is manager of relations with academic institutions, museums and associations outside France. Peter is also the editor of the English-language version of napoleon.org and on the editorial board of Napoleonica® the journal and orgnises the Napoleonica® les conférences musicial talks. He is also a lecturer in English and History at the Institut Catholique des Etudes Supérieures at La-Roche sur-Yon in the Vendée.
Chantal Prévot
LibrarianWith a degree in Public Libraries and in Documentation, as well as a Masters in Archeology and a BA in History, Chantel Prévot manages the Fondation’s physical and digital libraries.
François Houdecek
Manager in charge of Special ProjectsFrançois Houdecek has a Masters in History and a BA in Archaeology. He is a specialist in military history. After having been project manager for the edition of Napoleon Bonaparte’s General Correspondance until 2018, he is now responsible for special projects at the Fondation Napoléon, in particular the website Napoleonica® les archives.
Elodie Lefort
Head of CollectionsElodie Lefort holds degrees in History, History of Art and Architectural and Artistic Heritage Management. Since 2014, she has been managing our collections, overseeing the inventory and checking, organising and overseeing restoration and photography projects, as well as managing exhibitions organisation.
Camille Crunchant
In charge of academic publicationsCamille Crunchant, who is currently completing her PhD in modern history, is in charge of the academic publications Napoleonica® la revue (in French) et Napoleonica® the journal (in English).
Digital Media
Rebecca Young
Web EditorWith a BA in History of Art from the University of London, and a Fine Arts degree from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Rebecca Young, who is also an artist, works on the English-language version of the napoleon.org/en website, the English-language Newsletter and the institutional website fondationnapoleon.org/en. She also produces content in French and in English for the Fondation's social networks (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube...), in particular photography and video.
Valérie Durand
Social networks managerValérie Durand has a degree in Modern Literature specialising in Media. She has been managing and running the Fondation Napoléon's Facebook pages in French and English since November 2018 and now also pilots the Fondation's Twitter and Instagram accounts.
General Management and Finance
Gwenaëlle Houée
Executive assistantGwenaëlle Houée is in charge of events (including colloquia, the "Napoleonica® les conférences" talks) as well as the annual History Prizes and Study Grants. She also deals with the Directors' agendas, scheduling of meetings, as well as overseeing the secretarial work.
Emmanuelle Duprez
ReceptionistEmmanuelle welcomes visitors to the Fondation including to the library and liases with both speakers and with the public for the "Napoleonica® les conférences" talks. She is the one who answers the phone and deals with the postal service. She also manages reservations of the Gourgaud lecture room and oversees the maintenance of the premises.
