Helene Despierres took her first steps into her new workplace at the town hall on Thursday, April 2, 2026. At 41 years old, the new deputy in charge of community and sociocultural life in Quimper could place a globe on her desk. To truly understand her, one would need to look towards South America and then Africa. Her journey is marked by travels where international law, kickboxing, and a brand new environmental commitment intersect. Helene Despierres is a native of Quimper. The compass within her has always pointed towards “defending human rights guiding my choices. I inherited a keen sense of justice. I have held this conviction since my politically active family’s stories of resistance.”
After earning a degree in literature from the Cornouaille high school, she began her career by studying public law in Brest, then international and humanitarian law in Aix-Marseille. This marked the start of an international legal career. She worked in Guatemala and Mexico, with the NGO Casa Alianza, fighting human trafficking and protecting children. She is both a lawyer and an inquisitive individual. Her journey led her to Togo in 2009, where she became the legal director for Kofi Yamgnane’s presidential campaign. She also spent time in Rwanda, in Kigali, coordinating justice access programs with Lawyers Without Borders. She returned to Quimper in 2013 and became involved in local association work. A karate enthusiast, she excelled in kickboxing along the Odet river. After a stint at Urssaf, she now teaches Spanish at a middle school in Briec.
Despite her strong activist nature, she had kept her distance from political parties for a long time, stating, “in the name of my freedom.” It was the drive of the Nouveau Front Populaire that convinced her to join a political party. In October 2025, she obtained her first political membership with the Greens. Why local politics? For the desire to make an impact. She expressed, “Faced with the limitations of associative action, I want to test the levers of public action, especially in a diverse collective.” She entered the institutional arena for the first time.
On March 22, she celebrated her victory with a mix of joy and relief, having blocked the far-right. Her role in associations suits her well, as she has always bridged communities within NGOs or associations. “I intend to approach my mandate without dogmatism, fostering a debate of ideas.”
