Associate Researchers

Nicolas Moinet

Presentation on the EPGE website: https://www.epge.fr/qui-sommes-nous-2/les-5-fondateurs/nicolas-moinet/

Nicolas Moinet is a University Professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IAE) in Poitiers. A specialist in competitive intelligence, this practitioner-researcher focuses particularly on economic security issues and influence strategies.

After studying political science, this Parisian of Norman origin was introduced to economic warfare in 1993 as a project manager within the INTELCO firm of the Défense Conseil International group. He then worked with Christian Harbulot on study, training, and consulting missions for French companies and institutions. An advocate for intelligent economic patriotism—one that reconciles the need to open up to the world with social justice and local roots—he is involved in defending national strategic interests. His doctoral thesis in information and communication sciences, funded by the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security, focused on competitive intelligence systems applied to innovation. In it, he notably described the American economic war machine implemented in the Gallo-Montagnier conflict over the AIDS virus, as well as the “glocal” intelligence strategies deployed by Japan in the field of fundamental research. He then joined the University of Poitiers to direct the Master in Competitive Intelligence, the oldest university program created on this theme.

In the early 2000s, he analyzed the Franco-American battle over the takeover of the world leader in smart cards, Gemplus, by a private investment fund working in concert with the CIA. This research led him to the front lines of the media and subsequently to join working groups led by Alain Juillet, then High Representative for Competitive Intelligence to the Prime Minister, and a few years later by interministerial delegate Claude Revel. Navigating between La Rochelle and Poitiers, he also became involved in prefectural committees for territorial competitive intelligence. He has developed extensive research on network strategies and the link between communication and strategic information management, questioning non-operational concepts such as weak signals. His work highlights the notions of strategic knowledge communities developed by Pierre Fayard and, above all, agility and paralysis through the OODA loop. As a citizen and then operational reservist, he contributes to raising awareness among French companies—particularly SMEs—regarding economic security, proposing a dynamic vision that goes beyond the outdated and often conveyed view of static and ineffective asset protection.

Nicolas Moinet is the author of a hundred articles published in both academic and professional journals, and as many conferences. He has also written or edited some twenty books, some of which have been translated in Italy and Brazil. Furthermore, he directs the “Indiscipliné” collection at VA editions. Invited to present his work in Quebec, Vietnam, and Algeria, Nicolas Moinet is an ardent defender of the Francophonie and openly criticizes the excessive and counter-productive intellectual and normative submission of the French academic world to the Anglo-American sphere of influence. Accredited to supervise research (HDR), he directs numerous doctoral theses on competitive intelligence in connection with companies. In addition to the University of Poitiers, he has taught at the School of Economic Warfare (EGE) since its inception and lectures at several schools (CELSA, ILERI, etc.) and regularly at the National Institute for Higher Defence Studies (IHEDN), where he was an auditor of the 225th regional session in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and has become the referent for specialized training in Competitive Intelligence. He was also an auditor of the 27th national session of the National Institute for Security and Justice (INHESJ – Prime Minister).

François Soulard

François Soulard is a researcher and entrepreneur based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A geologist by training, he first became involved in territorial and environmental engineering within the Nord-Pas de Calais Regional Council (1998-2003). In 2003, he founded the Traversées association and organized a three-year world tour. Immersion in numerous socio-cultural environments overturned his perception of the international arena and power dynamics.

In 2012, he created the Dunia communication platform and micro-enterprise, focused on issues of geopolitics, info-strategy, and communication.

He moved closer to the alter-globalization sphere and the geostrategist Gérard Chaliand, for whom he translated several works (Why Do We Lose the War?, Terrorism and Politics, Strategic Atlas). In 2023, he published “A New Era of Informational Confrontation in Latin America” in Spanish with Ciccus editions. His work has been published in the journals Conflits, Sécurité globale, Problèmes d’Amérique latine, and Meer.

He teaches geoeconomic and informational conflict at the National University of La Plata, as well as within the Iberonex network in partnership with CR451 of the School of Economic Warfare.

The book “Economic Warfare in the 21st Century,” by Christian Harbulot and the CR451 team, was translated into Spanish by him in 2024.

Aurélie Poquet

Aurélie Poquet is a competitive intelligence analyst.

With solid experience in the cultural sector, where she practiced as a lawyer for over 15 years, Aurélie Poquet turned to competitive intelligence, driven by a keen interest in open-source intelligence as well as themes such as informational warfare, influence, and the security of sensitive sectors.

As an independent analyst, she mobilizes her skills to collect and analyze strategic information to help economic actors identify and protect themselves against threats in complex and hostile environments.

She holds a DESS in International Business Law, an LL.M. in Entertainment Law, and an MBA in Competitive Intelligence. Thanks to this multidisciplinary background, she combines legal expertise, analytical skills, and knowledge of competitive intelligence.

Aurélie Poquet is the author of two articles: “Informational Warfare: French Luxury Houses vs. Amazon” and “The Amulsar Gold Mine in Armenia: Informational Confrontation Between a Mining Company and Environmentalists.”

She has also written two reports as part of her research at CR451, one on “Economic Warfare in the Plastics and Plastic Processing Sector,” and the other on information warfare in the same sectors.

Éric Alexandre

Consultant and Trainer in Due Diligence & Compliance / Professor at EGE

He holds a Master 2 in International Relations (Institute of International and Strategic Relations – IRIS) and a Master 2 in Competitive Intelligence (University Lyon III).

After two experiences in monitoring at Dassault Aviation and then Arval (BNP Paribas group), he joined ADIT, the French leader in competitive intelligence.

For 8 years, he held various positions in the Due Diligence / Compliance department, notably as Senior Consultant, Head of Training, and finally Project Manager.

Since 2018, he has worked as an independent consultant on anti-corruption issues.

Éric ALEXANDRE is a Professor at EGE on the subject of Due Diligence and Compliance.

Valérie ZWILLING

Experienced in public-private dialogue, Valérie ZWILLING created the “Research Security” working group in 2025, bringing together some twenty research institutions. In 2018, while she was head of the Europe department at ANRT, she founded the “Data from research to business” group aimed at articulating the dynamics of open science with the need to protect industrial assets.

Through her experience in various industrial sectors (aeronautics, oil, pharmaceuticals, automotive) and within different public structures, Valérie ZWILLING has developed a capacity for prospective analysis and solid knowledge of both information asset protection and industrial processes.

Her European experience, as a representative of the automotive sector within the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), EUCAR, and EGVI, allowed her to acquire expertise in European law at the intersection of community industrial and research policies, within a context of international competition.

A graduate of Paris-Saclay University and holder of a doctorate from the Ecole des Mines de Paris, a former student of the School of Economic Warfare (MSIE 38), she was also an auditor in 2012 for the Horizon Europe cycle at ENA, the College of Europe, and the 30th national session of the National Institute of Labor, Employment, and Vocational Training (INTEFP). She is also an alumna of the College of Europe.

She was involved in her municipality in Val d’Oise from 2008 to 2026.

Within CR451, she has been leading the research security observatory since March 2026.