Corinne Vigreux

Corinne Vigreux
Name	Corinne Vigreux
Birth date	1964
Birth place	Lyon, France
Occupation	Entrepreneur, business executive
Known for	Co‑founder of TomTom
Alma mater	École Supérieure de Gestion

Corinne Vigreux is a French businesswoman and technology executive best known as a co‑founder of the consumer electronics and navigation company TomTom. She has served in senior leadership roles spanning product management, international expansion, and corporate social responsibility, and has been active in cultural, urban innovation, and social entrepreneurship initiatives across Europe.

Early life and education

Born in Lyon, France, Vigreux attended French higher education institutions and completed studies at the École Supérieure de Gestion, linking her academic background to early roles in technology and retail. During her formative years she moved from regional contexts to international markets, engaging with organizations in Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Barcelona and intersecting with industry actors such as Philips, Nokia, Sony, Microsoft, and Intel through internships, recruitment fairs, and early career networking.

Career

Vigreux began her professional career in consumer electronics and retail, working with multinational firms where she interacted with brands like Amazon (company), eBay, Vodafone, Orange S.A., and Apple Inc. on distribution and channel strategies. In the late 1990s she joined colleagues who spun out a navigation business from satellite and mapping initiatives related to actors such as TomTom, Navteq, Tele Atlas, Garmin, and Here Technologies, helping to shape product strategy, marketing, and international sales in markets including the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United States. As a senior executive she engaged with institutional partners and policy fora such as the European Commission, World Economic Forum, OECD, United Nations, and municipal authorities including City of Amsterdam and City of Barcelona on digital mobility, smart cities, and mapping data standards. Later roles expanded into investment, advising startups alongside incubators and accelerators like Startupbootcamp, Techstars, Y Combinator, and venture capital firms including Index Ventures and Accel Partners.

Products and design contributions

Vigreux led product management and user experience efforts for in‑vehicle and portable navigation devices, coordinating teams that collaborated with mapping suppliers such as HERE, TomTom, Tele Atlas, and data providers like OpenStreetMap and Navteq. She worked on product lines that competed with offerings from Garmin, Pioneer Corporation, Kenwood Corporation, and Sony Ericsson, contributing to design decisions around hardware industrial design, interface localization for markets like Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, and China, and services integration with platforms such as Google Maps, Bing Maps, Apple Maps, and telecommunication partners Telefonica and T-Mobile. Her product leadership covered navigation software, map updates, traffic services, and developer ecosystems interfacing with standards from organizations like IETF and ISO.

Entrepreneurship and business leadership

As a co‑founder and executive, Vigreux helped scale a consumer electronics firm through IPO and international expansion, interacting with capital markets in financial centers including Euronext Amsterdam, London Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and advisors from investment banks like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. Her leadership included corporate governance coordination with boards and shareholders, strategic partnerships with automakers such as Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Ford Motor Company, and Renault, and collaborations with technology firms including TomTom, Cisco Systems, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and ARM Holdings. She has participated in entrepreneurial ecosystems, mentoring founders associated with universities and research centers such as Imperial College London, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, and University of Amsterdam.

Philanthropy and social initiatives

Vigreux has supported cultural, educational, and urban innovation projects, partnering with museums and arts organizations like the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and festival organizations including SXSW, Amsterdam Dance Event, and European Cultural Foundation. Her social initiatives have intersected with urban policy and social entrepreneurship networks such as Ashoka, Ashoka Support Network, Schumacher Center for a New Economics, Nesta, and municipal programs in Amsterdam and Barcelona focused on inclusion, digital skills, and creative industries. She has backed initiatives addressing social mobility, working with foundations and charities like Prince's Trust, Red Cross, UNICEF, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on campaigns linking technology access, training, and local community development.

Awards and recognition

Vigreux has received business and civic recognition from organizations and events including the European Commission awards, industry honors from bodies such as CES Innovation Awards, Red Dot Design Award, Fast Company lists, and rankings in media outlets like Forbes, Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, and The Guardian. She has been invited to speak at conferences and institutions including the World Economic Forum in Davos, TED, Web Summit, Davos, PIE Conference, and panels hosted by Harvard Business School, INSEAD, London Business School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Category:French businesspeople Category:Women in technology Category:1964 births