Meet Noëlle Abdou, Legal Head of BU Alliance & Partnerships at Capgemini France & SCE. With a background spanning legal consultancy, procurement, partnerships, alliances and intellectual property, she plays a key role in structuring and securing complex technology ecosystems. In this interview, she shares her journey, her vision of the evolving legal function, and her advice for young women building careers in fast-moving, innovation-driven environments.

Interviewed by Nini Gordadze

You’ve built a multifaceted career spanning legal consultancy, procurement, partnerships, and now alliances at Capgemini. What originally drew you to the legal field, and what motivated you to specialise in the intersection between law, technology, and business strategy?

I was drawn to the legal field because I have always enjoyed bringing clarity and innovative solutions to complex situations. I see myself very much as a problem-solver: someone who can turn theoretical ideas into concrete decisions and actions.

Early in my career, I realised that technology and business innovation can only truly scale when legal frameworks are agile and pragmatic. That realisation naturally pushed me towards the intersection of law, technology and business strategy. This is where legal advice becomes a genuine growth lever by balancing strategy and compliance with our group.

In practice, this means balancing strategic objectives with compliance, building scalable and simplified legal templates, and providing clear decision paths to business teams that need to move fast in complex and competitive markets. The challenge is always the same: enabling speed and innovation while protecting the company’s assets, interests and reputation.

Before joining Capgemini, you worked as a multidisciplinary legal consultant and were seconded to major corporations like Orange, GE, and Capgemini itself. What did these experiences teach you about operating inside large, diverse organisations, and how do they influence the way you approach your role today?

Working within very different organisations, French groups as well as large US corporations, exposed me to diverse corporate cultures, governance models and ways of working. One lesson became very clear early on: legal advice only works when it is pragmatic and aligned with business priorities.

These experiences also taught me how to navigate complex stakeholder environments and how to balance global standards with local realities. Acting as a bridge between global organisations and local teams required trust, cultural sensitivity and clear communication.

Today, this background helps me anticipate friction points at a very early stage. When legal teams are called in, it is often because there is uncertainty or a lack of clarity. My role is to create a safe space for stakeholders, help them frame their projects properly, and design legal frameworks that scale without slowing the business. Simplicity, efficiency and communication remain central to everything I do.

You’ve helped strengthen legal expertise within procurement and later broadened your work to partnerships, alliances, and intellectual property. How do these different areas of law interact, and how do they shape the way Capgemini builds and maintains its strategic collaborations?

For me, these three areas are deeply interconnected. Procurement lays the foundations for compliant sourcing and partner selection. Partnerships build on that foundation by creating joint go-to-market ambitions, based on fairness, balance and mutual value creation.

Intellectual property is a critical pillar, particularly as we work extensively with software providers and technology partners. IP protection is essential to safeguarding innovation, especially in the context of AI, while also enabling trust between partners.

Together, these legal dimensions shape how alliances are structured: clear governance, risk-sharing mechanisms, IP safeguards and trust-based collaboration. My role is to ensure these intersections work seamlessly, enabling strategic partnerships without compromising Capgemini’s competitive advantage.

I see my role very much as that of an orchestrator. This means guiding stakeholders, explaining the rules and the realities of partnership dynamics, and setting realistic expectations. A partnership always involves uncertainty: even with strong contracts and good intentions, success is never guaranteed. However, if we start with a solid foundation of trust, transparency and honest dialogue, we maximise our chances of exploring new markets and building sustainable collaborations.

I see my role as that of an orchestrator — guiding stakeholders, explaining the rules and creating the conditions for trust and confidence in complex partnerships.

Capgemini operates in a sector where innovation, digitalisation, and ecosystem partnerships evolve quickly. What trends do you see transforming the legal landscape for technology services and strategic alliances in the coming years?

I have two roles as an IP officer and also dealing with the partners contract. We are clearly entering a fully regulated era of data and artificial intelligence. The legal landscape is shifting from principles-based approaches to comprehensive regulatory frameworks. Instruments such as the EU AI Act, the Data Act and other international standards are redefining what “compliance by design” really means and the market is moving toward with much stricter expectation around governance.

Clients increasingly expect not only compliance, but demonstrable, auditable governance frameworks. At the same time, innovation no longer happens in silos. It takes place within complex, multi-party ecosystems involving hyperscalers, software providers, data specialists and hardware suppliers. This requires more modular, adaptable contracts and a fair distribution of accountability.

As a result, the legal function is evolving from a traditional risk-control role to that of a strategic enabler, orchestrating trust, governance and compliance across increasingly complex ecosystems. In this environment, for legal professionals, agility is absolutely key. They must remain humble and accept that continuous learning is part of the role. Regulation is evolving rapidly, and no one can master everything alone. Collaboration is therefore essential: working closely with colleagues, stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams to find solutions together.

In this environment, agility is absolutely key for legal professionals: they must remain humble and accept that continuous learning is part of the role, as regulation evolves rapidly and no one can master everything alone.

Your career has involved navigating different organisations, cultures, and areas of expertise. You also dedicate time to non-profit initiatives aligned with Capgemini’s values. How have these experiences shaped your perspective as a leader and as a legal professional, and what personal values guide you in your work?

Moving across organisations and cultures taught me that adaptability, empathy and communication are just as important as technical expertise. My non-profit engagement reinforces the idea that impact matters beyond profit, in line with Capgemini’s values of inclusion, sustainability and diversity.

The values that guide me most are integrity, authenticity, clarity and team spirit. I place strong emphasis on transversal collaboration and on creating safe, trust-based environments where people feel comfortable asking questions and admitting what they do not know. For me, legal leadership is about enabling others to succeed safely and confidently.

As someone who has built a successful career in a demanding and fast-evolving environment, what advice would you give to young women entering the legal profession today, especially those interested in technology, partnerships, and corporate strategy? Has your participation in networks such as WIL Europe influenced your professional journey?

My first piece of advice is to build a strong technical foundation: hard skills matter, especially at the beginning. At the same time, because careers require agility, opportunities are not always clearly defined when they appear. That is why it is important not to stay in a silo or dismiss a topic simply because it is not yet a “hot” issue: what seems secondary today can become central in a few months or years.

It is also essential to learn the business language. As legal experts, we naturally work with very technical legal concepts, but we must be able to explain them in a clear and pedagogical way in order to bring others on board and move forward together.

Seeking mentors and joining professional networks such as WIL Europe can be incredibly valuable. These networks help you gain perspective and confidence, while staying true to yourself. Authenticity is key, do not be afraid to show who you are and let the world see it. My own involvement in WIL Europe has been transformative. It has exposed me to inspiring women who share their journeys openly and generously. We often place very high expectations on ourselves, as if we need to be “wonder women”, but in reality, perseverance, focus on our objectives and confidence are what truly matter.

Above all, I would say: be curious, speak up and raise your hand. Even if a position is not formally open, raise your hand and say, “I can do it.” Put your skills forward, show that you can deliver, and position yourself as a driver of innovation, not just compliance.

Authenticity is key, do not be afraid to show who you are and let the world see it. We often place very high expectations on ourselves, as if we need to be ‘wonder women’, but perseverance, focus and confidence are what truly matter. Be curious, speak up and raise your hand.