ESSEC Appointments: But, Galeries Lafayette, Icade, Engie, Lego, SACEM, the French National Rugby League, and More

Leaders of major French and international groups, active players in the public and culture sectors, and a Knight of the National Order of Merit commended for his commitment to promoting blood donation. Here’s a round-up of recent appointments in the ESSEC network. 

Thomas Vandeville (E92) has been appointed Deputy CEO of the CCF banking group, which boasts assets of more than €30 billion, €20 billion in outstanding loans and 4,000 employees in retail banking and specialist financing. He began his career at Exane, presently a BNP Paribas subsidiary, in Paris and then London, where he opened the office. He then joined Merrill Lynch in New York, before returning to London in the role of mergers & acquisitions analyst. Following an MBA at INSEAD, he joined the strategy consultancy McKinsey, where he worked on strategic issues of organisation and growth in major European financial institutions. He was then successively made Group Strategic Director of Groupama and Deputy CEO of Groupama Assicurazioni in Italy. He returned to France to take up the positions of Managing Director of GAN Patrimoine, followed by Amaline Assurances and subsequently the groups’ digital transformation, before finally heading the marketing and distribution department. For the last 5 years, he has been managing retail banking, insurance and asset management at HSBC.

Anne-Laure Feldkircher (E10) has been appointed Managing Director of But International, France’s second largest furniture distributor and leading home furnishings chain with more than 340 outlets and €2.7 billion in turnover. She began her career with BNP Paribas, followed by The Boston Consulting Group, prior to taking up the position of in-house consultant for international strategy at Hermès. She then held the successive roles of Strategy & Planning project head at Groupe Casino, Strategic Director of Leader Price, and Strategic and M&A Director with the Fnac Darty group.

Olivier Buquen (E85) has been appointed Deputy CEO of Chargeurs, the French industrial group with some 2,500 employees worldwide and an annual turnover of more than €746M. He began his career in communication with Bolloré prior to joining BNP Paribas, where he rose to the position of Chief Operating Officer of the BNP Paribas Lease Group Italia subsidiary. He then moved to Plastic Omnium, holding a variety of positions culminating in Executive Vice President of Business Development & Public Relations. His next roles were for the State, notably as prefect, head of the Business Intelligence Office and government commissioner to the BPCE Group and Bpifrance. He has been with Chargeurs for around 10 years. 

Maxime Hunault (E13) has been appointed Managing Director of NoveoCare, the management delegate specialised in medical fees and providence, serving 2,200,000 customers and 68,000 businesses with 750 employees for an annual turnover of €51 million. He began his career with The Boston Consulting Group, where he guided the general management of France’s leading companies, in addition to public institutions. He was then appointed Managing Director of business development, growth and strategy for the start-up Bynativ, which specialises in tailor-made travel offers. He finally moved to NoveoCare where he has held the successive roles of Director of Transformation & Strategy and Director of Operations. 

Christelle de Robillard (E08) has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and executive board member of the property group Icade, which boasts an annual turnover of €1.8 billion. She began her career in the Budget Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where she was responsible for media and later transport policy, prior to joining the ADP group where she worked for 10 years, rising to the position of Deputy Chief Financial Officer. 

Jean-Christophe Jourde (BBA 90) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of L:a Bruket, a Swedish brand of natural, organic care products. He spent his early career at L’Oréal, initially with the cosmetics division in Canada, followed by international development roles, before joining The Estée Lauder Companies where he spent 20 years in general management for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America, rising to the position of Vice President EMEA Clinique and CSR. 

Nicolas Morineaux (E99) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Galeries Lafayette China in Shanghai. He began his career in sales & marketing with Pernod Ricard and Esso, prior to moving into the luxury sector, initially in business planning at Céline in Japan and then the financial department of the LVMH group in its Asia fashion division. He was next made Sales Director of Van Cleef & Arpels in China. He is also a consultant at re-Hub, which guides the development of luxury brands in China.  

Amroze Adjuward (E13) has been appointed Director for Northern Europe at Segula Technologies, the industrial engineering group with 400 employees and a €40M turnover which develops technology such as the self-driving car, electric aircraft and subsea energy storage. He began his career at Dexia, followed by EDF, where he rose to the position of Regulations Director. He then joined Arkema’s Talent Progam, where he held sales and financial roles. He is also a municipal councillor at Vélizy-Villacoublay town hall. 

Patrick Merland (E03) has been appointed South West Europe Environment Director, overseeing 3 divisions with a combined turnover of €45M, at Agrolab, the German laboratory group operating on a European level. His began his career in R&D with Total, followed by a move to procurement and logistics with L’Oréal, before taking up the successive positions of Sales Director and Managing Director of Intertek, in the energy sector. At the same time, he launched La Maison du Stévia, which offers a natural alternative to sugar. He was then successively appointed Sales & Marketing Director of the Eurofins IESPM laboratory and Chief Executive Officer of the industrial player Lubsens.  

Patrick Gavoty (E06) has been made a partner at Apheon (ex-Ergon), the pan-European majority mid-cap investment fund with €3 billion in assets under management. He has been with the fund for more than 10 years and now manages strategy and sustainable development. He previously worked in mergers & acquisitions with Goldman Sachs in London. Alongside his professional activities, he also steers a number of charities and a foundation, initiating multiple actions for children and teenagers. In 2019, he won the ESSEC Pioneer prize, officially awarded at the ESSEC Gala read our interview (in French).

Julie Taylor-Baumont (E14) has been appointed Chief of Staff to the CEO of Engie. Further to her experience in research with the Ministry for the Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea, in innovation with La Fabrique de la Cité, and in prospecting for Bouygues Construction, she joined the energy group 10 years ago, first as a strategy analyst at Engie Energy Services, then as a business development manager at Engie International FM à Londres, finally as a Program Development Manager at Engie Impact, in charge of helping companies, cities and governments to sitch to more reponsible models.

Perrine Guyomard (E12) has been appointed Director of both the Sacem Lab and Innovation at the SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers). She began her career with SFR as a content and music partnership assistant, then joined the Universal Music Group in London before becoming Digital Key Account Manager for the independent music distributor IDOL. She next went to work for Warner Music France, where she rose to the position of Director of Business Development & Innovation. 

Aymeric Lavin (E16) has been appointed Director of Development for the Aix-en-Provence Music Festival. He began his career with the Paris National Opera as a sales & development project manager, prior to successively joining the development department of Sadler’s Wells in London, in charge of trust and foundation relations, and that of AROP (Friends of the Paris Opera), in charge of grand donor relations. He was then made Director of Development & Patronage at the Odéon – Théâtre de l’Europe, followed by Head of Philanthropy for the Apprentis d’Auteuil foundation. 

Oriane Beaufils (E10) has been appointed Director of Conservation at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. Following a stint in the luxury sector with Hermès and LVMH, she alternated between Christie’s and Sotheby’s in their sculpture, furniture, art and antiquities departments. She then sat the French National Heritage Institute exam and became a curator. Further to initial experience at the Cluny Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, she was placed in charge of the painting collection at Château de Fontainebleau.  

Mélanie Cumbo (E09) has been appointed Director of Brand Partnerships for Lego in Denmark. On graduating from ESSEC, she launched KulturWeb, a French-Belgian consultancy specialised in assisting think tanks. She then joined the communication & marketing agency Proximity in Paris and London, before moving to Publicis, where she held the successive positions of Customer Manager and Group Account Director for the company’s luxury division. 

Duy Nguyen (E11) has been appointed Director of Business Development in charge of sponsoring and licences for the French National Rugby League. He began his career in media rights acquisition with Orange, prior to holding the successive roles of Head of International Partnerships at Amaury Sport Organisation and Head of International Development for Paris Saint-Germain. He then joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) in London, where he rose to the position of Director of Global Partnerships EME. His next position was with AS Monaco, as Sales & Sponsoring Manager, followed by Team Vitality, France’s leading e-sport team, as Head of Business Development. 

Serge Pierre Besanger (E84) has been made a Knight of the National Order of Merit for his longstanding commitment to blood donation, in both civilian and military roles. Having held general management positions with the Leroy-Somer group, he is currently a company director and teacher. He sits on the Kongsberg advisory board and is involved in the administration boards of certain subsidiaries of the EIT. He also presides over a number of blood donor charities. The holder of several Commendations from the Armed Forces, he was also awarded the Foreign Affairs and Voluntary Reservist medals.

Mehdi Draga (BBA 20 & M21), Digital Life Project Manager at Fnac Darty, has been awarded a 2023 LSA Innovation Trophy in the services category. He began his career in auditing with Mazars, followed by the Revevol Group. He then moved into strategic consulting with Stratngo Consulting, prior to holding various marketing roles with Fnac Darty.

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