Climate Action, Housing Crisis, Reindustrialisation, Mental Health… ESSEC's Alumni in the Media

Leaders, experts, citizens, entrepreneurs and artists; ESSEC is making the headlines in all fields! Here's our monthly press review.

Leaders

Challenges paid tribute to its founder Patrick Fauconnier (E67), who passed away 40 years after the creation of this magazine aimed at representing “an ardent hymn to the spirit of enterprise”. The tribute recalled the opening sentence of the first editorial, which remains remarkably topical: “An urgent task, to restore trust and stimulate the enormous inventive potential of the young people who will shape a new world.” Read the article (in French) here.

In Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), Véronique Bédague (E87), Managing Director of Nexity, calls for housing to become a strategic compass of public policy and create more impact on the lives of French citizens. “Housing lies at the heart of inequality in this country. In terms of purchasing power, housing represents around 25% of household budgets. In terms of education, sub-standard housing leads to a drastic fall in success rates. In terms of environment, mayors are caught between the need for housing and obvious environmental requirements. The solutions can no longer exist alongside each other, but must come together to serve a project for society. Read the article (in French) here.

On BFM TV, Pierre-André de Chalendar (E79), CEO of Saint-Gobain and Co-President of the La Fabrique de l'Industrie think tank, presented journalist Christophe Jakubyszyn (E90) with his recommendations for reindustrialising France while decarbonising businesses. “We mustn’t try to recreate the past. On the contrary, we need to target the technologies and activities of the future, such as building renovation, the core of our company’s business.” He sees a positive side to the current economic and geopolitical turmoil: “Carbon is becoming too expensive. In the medium term, the inflation shock will foster energy efficiency.” See the video (in French) here. (See also his interview with ESSEC Alumni here.)

In Le Monde des Grandes Écoles, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne (E92), CEO of Maison Boucheron, describes the strategy she adopted in response to the COVID-19 crisis. “We had to transform our business model overnight to move towards an organisation focused on a local customer base. We had to rapidly digitalise all our sales and collection presentation rituals, which implied the use of cutting-edge technology”. Read the article (in French) here.

Clara Chappaz (E12), Director of French Tech, answered questions from Nicolas Merlaud (E12) and Julia Néel Biz (E12), the co-founders of Teale, the winning start-up of ESSEC Founders Day 2021, for Untold, their series devoted to mental health. “If I had to retain just one tip among all the advice I was given when I took maternity leave just after my appointment to French Tech, it’s what Cédric O said to me: ‘Take a 40cm ruler and imagine that’s your career. Now look at how long 3mm is; that’s your maternity leave. So it’s going to be OK, isn’t it?’” See the video (in French) here. (See also Clara Chappaz’ interview with ESSEC Alumni here.)

Engagement 

In Les Échos, the members of ESSEC Transition Alumni teamed up with thousands of former classmates to address public authorities: “As young graduates from major schools, we are urging concrete action as of now for ecology!” They also asserted their own engagement: “We will play our full role in our daily actions, in our choice of company, in our collective actions to limit greenhouse gases, anticipate the threats to come and avoid an ecological and social disaster. We will ensure that the government takes stock of these issues and plays its part.” Read the article (in French) here.

Sabine Roux de Bézieux (E86), President of the Fondation de la Mer [Sea Foundation], brought a message of hope to the TEDx Talks stage: “We can act for the ocean.” She used the example of oil spills to prove her point. “Before the sinking of the Erika in 1999, there were around forty oil spills every year. Thanks to international regulations, today there are only around two per year.” Her hope is that we can apply the same drive and entrepreneurial spirit to the fight against plastic, over-fishing and acidification. See the video (in French) here. (See also her interview with ESSEC Alumni here.)

Experts

Economist Laurence Daziano (EXEC MBA 04) raises the following question in Les Échos: With the worsening of international tensions, are we seeing the end of globalisation, as Larry Fink, head of BlackRock recently predicted? What will the consequences be, especially for emerging countries? Read an extract of the article (in French) here.

In Les Échos, Jérôme Barthélémy (E93), professor at ESSEC, suggests four levers to foster the loyalty of company talents in the context of the “Great Resignation” and the lack of skilled candidates: remuneration, working conditions, management styles and sense of purpose. He also reveals the counterintuitive result of his research in this area: “Fostering employability builds loyalty!” Read the article (in French) here. 

In Forbes, Mathilde Godard (E17), Business Development Officer for Engie North America, reacts to the announcement of Ukraine’s connection to the European Union’s electricity network in record time, to highlight the essential but largely unknown aspect of transmission and supply in energy transition. “Up to now, the priority has been the development of micro-grids, mini networks with a capacity for local production, such as solar panels, and a storage solution, such as a battery, which can run independently. But for reasons of resilience and secured supply, any microgrid needs to be linked to a supergrid, in other words to a general network, particularly in the case of intermittent local production or limited storage capacity.” The problem is that this solution comes up against technical issues in addition to geopolitical reality. “Let’s hope that international tensions won’t undermine these collaborative systems for exchange and optimisation that we so need and will continue to need.” Read the article (in French) here. 

In Les Échos, Romaric Servajean-Hilst (E99), an Associate Professor at Kedge, reveals the dramatic rise in France in disputes regarding unfair breaches of contract and late payments. “This represents a loss amounting to billions of euros for the small-to-medium business ecosystem in particular.” It also drains the confidence of entrepreneurs and business leaders, a condition which is nevertheless essential for economic recovery. What is the explanation behind this trend? How can it be remedied? Read the article (in French) here. 

In Stratégies, Amandine Moreau (E09), Marketing Director at Libeo, explains the current trend for BtoB players to adopt brand strategies similar to those of mass consumption. “The medium-term aim is to federate communities and take advantage of their recommendation power. The aim in the long term is to prepare for the major revolution to come, that of the complete disintermediation of the economy, by building links which go beyond established BtoB networks.” Read the article (in French) here.

In Welcome to The Jungle, Bénédicte Tilloy (E82), former member of the SNCF Board of Directors and co-founder of 10h32, describes how she guided “the transition of Yves into Emma” in her company. “I would advise HR departments faced with this situation to spend at least as much time welcoming the person in their new identity as solving the administrative glitches that a transition can cause. Organisations such as ANDRH [French National Association of HR Professionals] or rights protectors now provide very helpful guides.” Read the article (in French) here.

During his TEDx Talk, Mickaël Mangot (PHD 07), Executive Director of The Happiness Economics Institute, pointed out with regret that much like the mid-life crisis, the crisis of meaning experienced by so many generally drives people to take on individual projects. According to his research, it is only through collective initiatives and projects which allow us to act together for society that we can satisfy our quest for meaning. See the video (in French) here. 

Entrepreneurs

In La Tribune, Alexandre Guenoun (E16) presents his start-up, Kiro, a digital platform aimed at making biological test results more intelligible and personalised. “It’s a way to reduce patients’ lack of understanding while improving the work flow for health care professionals.” The start-up has already signed partnerships with AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

In Financial Express, Ranjita Ravi (E13) reveals her strategy for her start-up Orxa Energies, which produces electric motorcycles in India: target a niche but fast-growing segment, manufacture locally, develop your own batteries, and take special care with recruitment. “We only hire motorcyclists!” Read the article here.

Le Figaro devoted an article to Brice Alzon (M03), “the entrepreneur who wants to make services to individuals more glamorous.” As head of the Maison des Services à la Personne, the Coviva network of senior citizen service agencies and the French Federation of Services to Individuals (FESP), he has two priorities: to defend the instant tax-back scheme and strengthen relations between this sector and public authorities. Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

Les Échos presents a profile on Natalie Hanczewski (EXEC M17), co-founder of the furniture brand NV Gallery, which is aiming for profit, obviously, but is above all ethical in its approach. “Growth is part of our objectives, of course, but it has never been my main driver.” This did not stop the company from increasing its turnover by 64% from 2020 to 2021. Read an extract of the article (in French) here.  

Miscellaneous

Les Échos hails the latest novel by Constance Debré (E99), simply entitled Nom [Name]. “The author is pursuing the path she embarked on with her two previous books. She writes in the first person and attempts to evoke a relationship with the world through life events. A radical, gripping work.” Read the article (in French) here. 

On Europe 1 radio, concert pianist Lydie Solomon (E06) described the unusual impact that COVID-19, and particularly the first lockdown, had on her musical career. “I didn’t experience this as a form of punishment, unlike other artists. Sure, we were deprived of stage performance. But that fuelled my creativity. I drew meaning from popular music; I composed around fifteen songs, got in contact with Pascal Obispo...I explored the heart of melody, from a less scholarly perspective, and that revamped my playing.” Radio programme (in French) here. 

Forbes reveals the arduous path taken by Miriam Cherrati (EXEC MBA 21) to leave behind her modest background and reach the offices of a world leader in Wealth Management. “Working as a waitress, factory worker and sales assistant, the student pushed herself endlessly to obtain her diploma from a major school.” Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

In Les Échos, Igor Quézel-Perron (E88) describes how, the day after the Russian invasion, he decided to go and fight in Ukraine, before finally organising a fundraiser and the transport of medical drugs to a refugee camp in Poland. “What can I bring? Humanity, but what is that exactly? I have to think about this.” Read the article (in French) here.

Have you spot other alumni in the news recently? Let us know!

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