Catherine Tsekenis comes from the world of art and the stage. She started her career as a dancer while also studying philosophy. Her dissertations for her Master’s degree and her Diplôme d’études approfondies were devoted to researching the field of dance aesthetics. Thanks to these experiences, she interrupted her dancing career and joined the Association nationale de formation et d’information de l’action culturelle (ANFIAC) to train in the “direction of artistic and cultural projects”. So as to stay close to the world of creation, she then accompanied the productions of choreographers (Philippe Decouflé, Mathilde Monnier and, for nine years, Hervé Robbe). Then, she entered the Ministry of Culture and Communication as an inspector of creation and artistic education. For four and half years, she was a dance consultant for the head of the Direction of Music, Dance, Theatre and Shows (Sylvie Hubac, and then Jérôme Bouët). In 2007, she joined the Hermès with the mission to devise and develop its sponsorship policy. And so, in April 2008, the Fondation d’Entreprise Hermès was set up with her as its director, first under the presidency of Pierre-Alexis Dumas, then, as of February 2016, Olivier Fournier. In 2014, Catherine Tsekenis was made a Chevalier of the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur.
She is the Executive Director of CN D Centre National de la Danse since the 1st July 2019.
