Agence Elan founder Marion Darrieutort will be honoured with the Individual Achievement SABRE Award in London on May 23, at the 13th edition of the EMEA SABRE Awards.

The award comes almost three years after Darrieutort sold the firm she founded to Edelman, where she worked before launching Elan in 2008. The establishment of Elan helped to challenge the conventions of the conservative French PR market, blending expertise in corporate and marketing communications, supplemented by research and planning and expertise in influencer outreach and social media.

Since its launch, Elan has grown rapidly to more than €15m in fee income, working for such clients as Gilead, BMS and Danone, led by Darrieutort who is now Elan Edelman CEO.

"Marion has a brilliant creative mind," said Edelman CEO Richard Edelman. "She is unafraid of change...in fact she has led in the development of communications marketing."

"She is a global thinker who brings the world to her clients," adds Edelman. "And she is a compassionate leader adored by her team."

Darrieutort began her career at Lancome before joining France's largest PR firm i&e in 1998. In 2002 she moved to TBWA to become deputy director the agency's PR division, before joining Edelman in as MD in 2006. 

In addition to a degree from the European Business School, Darrieutort also has a DESS from Celsa Paris. She is a member of the thinktank Enterprise et Progres, and a cofounder of TedxWomen in France.