Catherine Barba is a pioneer of the digital revolution and an expert in omni-channel retail and digital retail. She has received numerous awards including “Femme en Or” in 2011, “Alumni of the Year ESCP Europe” in 2012 and “Knight of the National Order of Meritin” in 2012 for her contribution to the development of digital retail in France. Her newest company CB Group helps global brands and retailers with their customer service strategy in the era of Omni-channel commerce.
Prior to that, but after graduating from ESCP Europe in 1996, Catherine founded and managed OMD Interactive (Omnicom group), then became Managing Director of iFrance, a company launched by the French entrepreneur Marc Simoncini. In 2004, she created the cash-back website Cashstore.fr. She sold it to the Plebicom group in November 2010.
She has published several reports on the future of commerce commissioned by the French Ministry of Economy « 2020, the end of e-commerce» (2011), Stores are not dead (2013).
She is also a board member and investor in several tech start-ups and is a columnist on French radio BFM Business.
Catherine is very much involved in women’s, youth and employment matters. She sponsors the Association “Our neighborhoods have talent ‘, initiative to promote equal opportunities. Her career path as a serial web entrepreneur has enabled her to speak on great authority on entrepreneurship, digital retail, women in business and equal opportunities.
In addition to her business interests, Barba is a strong supporter of women in technology. In recent years, she has organized and contributed to events such as La Journée de la Femme Digitale (Digital Women Day).
In 2011, Catherine Barba received the title of Femme d’Entreprise en Or (Golden Businesswoman), consolidating her reputation as a pioneer of the web.
