In business development, success often comes down to more than just numbers. It’s about vision, relationships, and the ability to navigate change. Professionals in this field are the architects of growth, shaping strategy and opening doors across markets and industries.
Victoire Solly is one of those rare talents. Since December 2023, she has been the Chief of Staff to the CEO at French Founders in New York. She has quickly become known for her strategic mindset and ability to connect people, ideas, and opportunities.
With roots in legal operations and a deep understanding of cross-cultural business dynamics, she’s redefining how companies expand and connect in an increasingly global economy.
“I make business connections between people,” Solly says. “I have to understand what a person needs and what another person can bring, and then I do the match.”
Solly’s career took off in France, where she helped bring a fresh, tech-forward mindset to the legal world. At a time when legal operations were barely recognized in the country, she stepped in and gave the field a much-needed modern edge.
The success of that project didn’t just boost efficiency; it earned her national recognition, including the Law Summit Golden Trophy in 2022 for legal teams in companies with revenues under €1 billion.
“Law was slow, and I wasn’t expecting to love it,” Solly says. “But I started studying it and realized I was good at it, especially business law. I thought I would become a lawyer and even interned at top firms like Weil, Gotshal & Manges. But over time, I saw that I was more drawn to strategy than legal practice. I wanted to build things, not just review them. That’s when I started moving toward business development and legal innovation.”
After completing her law studies, Solly joined Qonto, a European payment institution, as Chief of Staff in the legal department, marking her shift from legal theory to applied innovation. There, she introduced no-code ticketing systems and fully automated contract workflows, dramatically reducing turnaround times and bringing processes like NDA generation down to just ten minutes. She also led the implementation of EasyQuorum, a digital governance platform that enabled seamless, secure board meetings and voting across France, the U.S., and China.
These systems delivered tangible results, from cutting contract turnaround times to streamlining stock option management and digital governance. Her work spanned legal tech, sustainability strategy, and cross-border coordination, showcasing a rare blend of operational precision and creative problem-solving.
For Solly, technology is a practical toolkit for creating more innovative and more scalable businesses: “It was a super long process, with complex integrations and internal negotiations,” she recalls, “but once it was in place, it transformed how we handled governance. That’s when I realized how much business value you can unlock by combining legal knowledge with innovation.”
Jane Newman, Global Public Affairs & Business Development Principal at Qonto, first met Victoire Solly in August 2022 while at the European fintech unicorn. They worked closely on several high-stakes events, including the prestigious Summits of Law in Paris and a senior policy event attended by the French Prime Minister and cabinet ministers.
“Victoire has that rare blend of strategic foresight and executional precision,” Jane says: “ She accompanied our team in developing an effective strategy to match our business objectives with the senior policy-makers’ agenda and priorities. She was excellent in anticipating potential challenges, offering options to mitigate risks, and overall achieving our endeavors.”
She adds: “Victoire also has clear leadership and strategic thinking abilities, which she demonstrated at several Legal industry conferences and networking events where she was a speaker.”
Newman and Solly also worked together on the senior policy Value sharing event for Qonto: “Victoire took the lead from end to end to ensure the success of this event for our business,” she recalls.
“This undertaking demanded strategic foresight and impeccable attention to detail, which she mastered flawlessly.”
Today, Solly’s role reaches deep into the engine room of business management, where she blends strategic insight with a sharp instinct for building connections. She leads initiatives that boost revenue and community ties at French Founders, a global network of C-level leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs.
As Strategic Partnership & Americas Key Account Manager at French Founders, Solly has distinguished herself as a dynamic force in business development, forging high-impact collaborations with luxury and premium brands. Her ability to design tailored offers that deliver tangible value to members matches her track record of precision in executing strategic initiatives, which is evident in her successful work with major investors such as Bpifrance and Tikehau Capital.
This role marks a natural evolution from her earlier legal and operational strategy work, expanding her focus to encompass revenue growth, international expansion, and investor relations. Fluent in multiple languages and at ease in multicultural environments, Solly thrives in cross-border contexts, often bridging European and American markets. Her sharp understanding of business needs and cultural nuances makes her a trusted connector and strategic partner across the luxury, tech, and retail sectors.
“I make business connections between people,” she explains. “I have to deeply understand what a company is doing, what it needs, and then match it with the right player in my network. That’s where I bring real value.”
One of Solly’s proudest moments at French Founders was organizing a high-profile event in New York featuring Charles Porch, Instagram’s VP of Partnerships. The event, hosted at Spring Studios, brought together leaders from the French-speaking retail and tech sectors to hear insights on Meta’s evolving strategy.
“Bringing such a speaker to our community was a game-changer,” Solly says. “It strengthened our network and showcased what strategic partnerships can achieve, not just in visibility, but in creating real value for our members and their businesses.”
With highly sought-after expertise in community building, business development, and strategic partnerships, Solly has become a go-to figure for companies looking to expand their reach and impact. Her role at French Founders has given her a unique platform to translate vision into action, connecting decision-makers, building networks, and curating experiences that generate real value. These moments are more than just impressive turnouts. They reflect her ability to anticipate what communities need and deliver with impact.
“I help people be confident and break the ice so we can talk simply, purely, and transparently,” She says: a philosophy that runs through everything she does
Solly has built a reputation as someone who knows how to bring the right people and ideas, together. As Strategic Partnership & Americas Key Account Manager at French Founders, she’s forged strong relationships with luxury and premium brands, developing tailored offers that add value to members. Her work with major investors like Bpifrance and Tikehau Capital reflects her precision in execution, while her targeted acquisition campaigns have led to measurable growth in revenue and engagement.
“Every day I get to dive into different industries and meet people building extraordinary things,” Solly says: “It’s a constant source of insight, and it helps me stay sharp about where the market’s headed and how to unlock new growth opportunities.”
With experience spanning legal tech, sustainability strategy, and international expansion, Solly brings a rare mix of operational know-how and creative thinking. At Qonto, she introduced no-code ticketing systems and automated contract workflows, saving teams significant time, like cutting NDA generation to ten minutes.
Solly’s work at the intersection of business development and international strategy demands a rare combination of cultural agility and technical fluency, and she delivers on both. Fluent in four languages and equally proficient in high-impact platforms like Salesforce, Power BI, and Notion, she’s become the connector who helps companies find their footing across borders.
Salesforce, a leading customer relationship management (CRM) tool, empowers her to manage client pipelines precisely and optimize partner engagement. Microsoft’s data visualization software, Power BI, enables Solly to analyze trends and guide strategic decisions. Notion, a flexible no-code workspace, allows her to build agile internal systems for project management, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional collaboration.
For someone in Solly’s role, where strategy, growth, and operations intersect, this mastery isn’t just impressive; it’s essential. It equips her to move seamlessly from big-picture planning to hands-on execution, streamline workflows, and deliver measurable impact in fast-moving, global environments.
Solly’s approach to business isn’t just about who you know—it’s about building systems that work smarter. She’s deeply engaged with technology, using tools like HubSpot and Ironclad to simplify complexity, streamline operations, and keep teams moving efficiently.
In France, she passed on that mindset as a teacher at the EDHEC Augmented Law Institute, part of the country’s top-ranked business schools. There, she introduced legal design to students and showed how smart design could demystify contracts and streamline communication.
“I want to contribute more by helping people across industries, artists, SaaS founders, retailers, discover opportunities they might not see on their own,” Solly says: “What drives me is the ability to connect unexpected dots, to open doors that lead to growth. Whether it’s scaling a product, breaking into a new market, or rethinking how a team operates, I love being part of that transformation.”
That same initiative earned her industry recognition, including the Calame Legal Ops Academy award and a Law Summit Special Mention for innovation in the banking and insurance sector.
“When a deal stalls, it keeps me up at night,” Solly says. “But I dig in, communicate, and find what’s missing, because I can’t let things hang. I need to understand what’s blocking progress and find a way to get things back on track.”
Margot Jackson Zandonella is the Senior Account Manager – Americas at FrenchFounders. She has worked closely with Solly for nearly a year, sharing a professional space where their responsibilities intersect in partnership development and event coordination.
Through daily collaboration in the same office, they’ve developed a strong working relationship grounded in shared strategic goals.
“From the outset, she impressed me with her mental agility and analytical sharpness,” Zandonella says. “This enabled her to pinpoint strategic levers critical to partnership management and overall business growth. Her approach blends methodical rigor with forward-thinking vision, turning every challenge into a tangible opportunity.”
Zandonella adds: “Her active listening skills and ability to design tailored solutions for the needs of clients and colleagues have been pivotal in building trust and ensuring the success of her projects, whether structuring partnerships or managing high-end events.”
Zandonella collaborated with Solly on a project to energize the French Founders’ business club by engaging renowned brands and institutions: “Her leadership during the Value Sharing event, especially her work crafting a compelling narrative for our CEO, was nothing short of masterful. She doesn’t just deliver results, she elevates the entire team in the process.”
As well as this, they worked together on the Transatlantic Leaders Forum, which brought together over 400 top executives at Goldman Sachs’ offices for a day of conferences: “Victoire played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of this event through her ability to manage complex situations, solve problems quickly, and make strategic decisions,” recalls Zandonella. “These skills make her an indispensable asset who brings an analytical mindset and unwavering efficiency to any team she works with.”
Every part of her work shows persistence, whether helping a French company find the right partner in the U.S. or simplifying a process so a CEO can focus on the bigger picture. Those who work with her describe her as a bold, driven leader who’s not afraid to take risks and always pushes things forward.
“I want clients to be confident in my solutions and honest about their needs so we can build something real,” she says.
Her work reflects that belief, whether helping scale SaaS platforms, reimagining retail strategy, or creating space for innovation through legal tech.
From award-winning initiatives in France to revenue-driving campaigns in New York, Solly’s approach is clear: connect the right people, use technology with purpose, and turn obstacles into momentum.
“I want to be remembered as someone who saw opportunities others didn’t,” Solly says.
“Someone who brought creativity and solutions that really moved the business forward.”
and then