Fabrice Houdart

Fabrice Houdart, FRSA is a human rights advocate and academic specialized on LGBTQ+ rights and corporate governance.

Education
Houdart holds a Bachelor of Art in Economics from Dauphine University and a Master of Business Administration from American University.

Career
Corporate Governance

As the Founder of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors in June 2022, Houdart promotes diversity in corporate governance. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors Center for Inclusive Governance Advisory Council. He was an expert witness for the California Department of Justice in the case against Assembly Bill 979. He advises Fortune 500 firms on human rights issues and serves on the L'Oréal Global Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board.

Georgetown and Columbia University

Houdart's academic pursuits include roles as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and Columbia University, where he teaches about Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Development. His insights are disseminated through his weekly Substack on LGBTQ+ equality. He is a frequent guest of TV programs, radio stations, and newspapers as an expert on the topic.

United Nations [2016-2020]

His tenure at the United Nations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - from 2016 through to 2020 - saw him working on the Free & Equal campaign and co-authoring and leading the United Nations Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business.

World Bank [2002-2016]

Before his United Nations role, Houdart's career at the World Bank spanned from 2002 to 2016, where he authored economic development analyses on various countries and contributed to several World Development Reports as a Senior Country Officer. He was President of GLOBE, the World Bank Group LGBTQ+ employee resource group, from 2010 to 2014. He is credited with starting the sexual orientation and gender identity development agenda at the World Bank during that period. For example, Houdart played a crucial role in the World Bank’s stance on the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 and the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023. In 2024, he co-founded Koppa focused on LGBTQ+ economic empowerment with Lee Badgett and three other experts.

Non-profit Boards

Houdart serves on the boards of OutRight Action International, Housing Works and the Institute of Current World Affairs, where he founded the David Mixner LGBTQ+ Fellowship. He is a Governor of Fondation Emergence and an Advisor to the Board of Open for Business and serves on the Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)’s International Donor Advisory Council. He is the acting secretary of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia Committee. He serves on the editorial committee for the Women's Forum for the Economy & Society. He serves on the Board of The LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors Canada Association. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. Previously, he served on the Board of TransNewYork.

World Bank Controversy
During budget cuts in 2014, Houdart objected to a $94,000 bonus awarded to the World Bank's Chief Financial Officer, Bertrand Badré. This led to tensions with the Bank's leadership and President Jim Yong Kim. This situation escalated when Houdart was investigated and demoted following accusations of leaking official-use-only documents as part of his activism on SOGI and development. The allegations, which Houdart contested, were seen by some as retaliatory for his whistleblowing actions. Houdart resigned from the Bank in 2016 to join the United Nations describing the previous years as an ordeal.

Personal life
Surrogacy, Family Life and Ancestry

Fabrice Houdart is a single father of twins born in 2013. He has been vocal about his journey of fatherhood through surrogacy. Conservative outlets in France criticized his decision to use surrogacy in the United States.

Houdart is a descendant of jeweler and politician Louis Aucoc [1850-1932] who briefly owned the Hope Diamond, Orne Senator fr:Paul Fleury [1839-1931], and stockbroker and impressionists collector Theodore-Charles Gadala [1839-1923] whose collection included Sleep (Puvis de Chavannes), Monet’s Poste de Douaniers, Corot’s Paysage Breton, and several paintings by Antoine Vollon and Alfred Sisley  Gadala was Albert Maignan and Charles-Philippe Larivière’s cousin by marriage. Houdart's ancestors also include artist fr:Alexandre Lacauchie[1814-1886], Dr. es:Stanislas Tanchou [1791-1850], painter fr:Georges Demanche [1870-1941], who was Fernand Renault’s brother-in-law and Philippe Soupault‘s uncle. Houdart’s grandmother was the niece of Académie Goncourt member René Benjamin [1885-1948] and writer fr:Marie-Thérèse Gadala.

Recognitions

 * 2023: Stonewall Rebel
 * 2022: LinkedIn Top LGBTQIA+ Voices
 * Diligent 2022 Modern Governance Honorees
 * Board List 10 Candidates You’d be Proud to Have in Your Boardroom
 * 2021: the 100 LGBTQ+ trailblazers by Attitude (magazine)
 * Crain's New York Business's notable 2022 LGBTQ leaders
 * National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) 100 most influential governance experts
 * 2019: Golden Gate Business Association Award
 * The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association Pioneer Award
 * The Alan Turing LGTBIQ Award, Premio Especial awarded by the Culture Business Pride festival for fighting for LGBTIQ+ people
 * INvolve Outstanding 2019 Top 30 LGBTQ+ Public Sector Executives