Full Employment, the Agricultural Crisis, Democracy, Gender Equality and Bitcoin...ESSEC in the Media

Business leaders in France and overseas, committed citizens, experts, entrepreneurs and writers...ESSEC is making waves in all fields! Press review

Leaders

On Europe 1 radio, Patrick Martin (E83), President of the French employers’ union, MEDEF, claimed: ‘We will reach full employment if we go further to train young people and active workers, and more especially if we have an underlying basis of economic activity. Given that international competition had doubled in intensity, we need to support business activity by pursuing a supply-side policy.’ 
Listen to the programme (in French).

On RTL radio, Cécile Beliot-Zind (E97), Managing Director of Groupe Bel, listed the actions she is pursuing to develop responsible and sustainable food solutions: adapting crop growth to local contexts, working with French partner breeders, joint efforts to reduce  environmental impact, etc. ‘We’re engaged in a value chain for everyone’s benefit, from the producer to the consumer, and for a resilient agri-food model’.
Listen to the programme (in French).

Commitment

In Le Monde, Anne-Claire Pache (E94) and Arthur Gautier, respectively Director of Strategy & Societal Engagement and Executive Director of the ESSEC Philanthropy Chair, reveal why some investors, despite their strong commitment to charitable activities, are extremely wary of green finance ‘They don’t try to establish coherence between their investments and their philanthropy, which lie in two completely different value spheres. However, they are hostile to any incursion of financial principles into the sacred realm of donation. It’s a case of everything in its place.’  
Read an extract (in French).

In Les Échos, Jean Moreau (E07), co-founder of the anti-waste solution Phénix, co-signed an op-ed on the challenges facing food aid in this period of inflation. ‘We’re asking that donations to food banks from mass distributors receive tax benefits from the State.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In Le Monde, Antoine Jochyms (BBA 19) warned: ‘the disappearance of ministers from civil society continues to weaken democracy.’ He advocated training, such as that provided by his organisation Open Politics,  for citizens wishing to get involved in politics, ‘to avoid the pitfalls of transparent novices and deputies who simply toe the line.’
Read an extract (in French).

On The Conversation website, Denis Monneuse (E05), researcher in human resources at the Catholic University of the West, offers his solutions to reduce enduring gender inequality in the workplace, such as action on the part of senior management, administrators’ empowerment, the sharing of good practices and the alignment of all employees: ‘We must avoid pitting men against women in the process. Results are achieved when all players understand it is in their interest to act in this regard and embrace the cause.’ 
Read the article (in French).

The Décideurs Juridiques website (for legal professionals) published a feature on François de Cambiaire (E11), ‘a pioneering lawyer sworn to practice “human business law” and seeking to make to duty of care effective in the French legal landscape.’
Read the article (in French).

Experts

Le Monde interviewed Céline Imart (M05), a cereal producer in the Tarn region who hopes to represent farmers in the upcoming European elections. ‘After 1945, farmers were told to produce more to feed the nation. Society is now telling us we have to produce differently. However, instead of presenting a path to follow and funding this transition, we’re being told we are part of the problem. Some people are incapable of seeing that we are a part of the solution.’  the French legal landscape.’
Read an extract (in French).

On BFM TV, Clara Violes (E25) took part in a reverse interview allowing students to challenge business leaders. Her question for Marie Guillemot, Chairwoman of KPMG France’s executive board, was ‘How do you regularly check that your activities remain in keeping with your new status as a company with a mission?’ 
Watch the video (in French).

On the Harvard Business Review website, professors Marie-Léandre Gomez (E93 & PHD 02) and Isabelle Bouty (PHD 97) present the results of a 20-year study on collective dynamics in restaurant kitchen staff. ‘Starred chefs are under a great deal of daily pressure in a highly demanding and restrictive field. However, winning and keeping their title requires a culinary style and character, which thus forces them to develop their inventiveness. This is a source of inspiration for any manager or team leader seeking to combine operational excellence and creativity.’ 
Read the article (in French).

For the journal Concurrences, lawyer Aliénor Estrade (E15) analysed the implications of ongoing parliamentary and legislative work aimed at strengthening in-house counsel privilege, by drawing a comparison with recent changes in this area on a European level.
Read an extract (in French).

On the Rayon Boissons website, Georges-Édouard Duriez (M10), Director of Development & Strategy at Louis Dreyfus Company, explains why his company, specialised in farmed raw material trading, is launching a fruit brand for mass distribution: ‘Our aim is to show the good work we do in Brazil, where our 30,000 hectares of plantation, across 38 farms and employing 10,000 people, are sustainable.’ 
Read the article (in French).

International

On the Sifted website, Roxane Sanguinetti (BBA 13), highly active in London’s female entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem, criticises the impacts of the Financial Promotions Act: ‘New UK rules will drastically lower the number of women able to angel invest in start-ups.’ She argues that ‘growing the number of diverse angels directly increases the level of investment in diverse entrepreneurs. If the government cares about allocating more capital to women-led businesses and capturing diverse voices across the UK to fund the companies of the future, it must encourage the participation of diverse angels rather than hinder it.’
Read the article  

Roots & Routes website showcases Kaouthar Lbiati (M09), business leader in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors following several general management roles. This member of the Moroccan diaspora, having lived in France, the UK, the USA and Canada, emphasises her attachment to multiculturalism: ‘We certainly live presently in a polarized world, and it may feel at times there may be a clash of values. However, it is incumbent on us, the diaspora of the world, to gracefully navigate these complex times with dignity and resilience, in a way that reflects our grasp of past and new realities, to continue fostering dialogue, seal partnerships and contribute to building wealth amongst our respective nations.’ 
Read the article.

The Africa News Agency website looks back on the career of Eryomi Aholoukpe (M10), from trading in Europe to entrepreneurship in Africa. ‘After 13 years in the financial markets of Paris and London, she created Demleen to facilitate access to funding for West African impact SMEs.’
Read the article (in French).

Entrepreneurship

On M6, Marine Coré-Baillais (E95) faced the jury of Qui veut être mon associé with her Pâtisserie Numérique, a 3D food printing solution for professionals. She came away with two new investors to help open her first factory! Her recipe for success? In addition to the solidity of the project, celebrity pastry chef Pierre Hermé’s support for her enterprise left no-one indifferent...
Watch the programme (season 4, episode 8) (in French).

On the Concentric website, Romain Rouphaël (E08) explains how he is revolutionising the bitcoin market with his start-up LN Markets, which has just raised $3M. ‘It is the first platform of its kind for derivatives, enabling users to trade options and futures on the price of BTC to the USD. It’s a game changer because funds are instantly moved to the exchange and back to your wallet, so trading and custody are kept separate, dramatically reducing the risk of loss or mismanagement, as happened with FTX and other crypto exchanges.’ 
Read the article 

On the Monocle website, Jean Desportes (E06) and Grégoire Hababou (E08) revealed the beginnings and prospects of their project Sloft, which combines inspirational media for small homes, a design and furniture e-shop, and property services (flat hunting and sales, contact between design professionals and individuals, and communication for the sector’s brands, etc.…).
Listen to the programme 

Culture & Entertainment

France Culture re-ran a programme featuring the now deceased artist and author Édouard Levé (E88), following the publication of his Inédits by P.O.L. An author ‘who saw himself without a style, refusing the limit this imposes on the artist’ and who made ‘defamiliarisation an art form’.
Listen to the programme (in French).

France Bleu recommended Marguerite et le Mont Blanc, the debut novel by Michaël Sibony (M15) published by L’Aube. ‘This is above all the story of a mountain, more precisely the spellbinding and majestic Mont Blanc range. Then there’s Marguerite, both a sister who was never born and a locomotive on the Mont Blanc tramway. A lot of music, just a few merry-go-round rides, an Uncle Ajzik who says things like “Should we stop ourselves from jumping off a moving train when it takes us in the wrong direction?”, and a boy in love with a mountain, who will have to build his life between impossible grief and an obsessive passion. A complex and sensitive plot, which the author unravels with subtlety.’ defamiliarisation an art form’.
Listen to the programme (in French).

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