Future Cities, Impact Economy, Sea Protection… ESSEC Alumni in the Media

Leaders, experts, citizens, entrepreneurs and even a mentalist: ESSEC graduates are making the headlines in all fields! Press review.

Leaders

In Le Journal du Dimanche, Véronique Bédague (E87), Managing Director of Nexity, wants to reinvent the city of the future. “How are we going to inhabit the region? There will be more inhabitants, a lot of whom are already in sub-standard accommodation at present. How do we densify when environmental imperatives are changing the state of play? How do we manage the growth of remote working?” Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

In Le Figaro, Alexandre Eruimy (E10), Managing Director of Prestashop, presents impressive results for 2022. “With unprecedented growth of 40% in turnover for 2021, the e-commerce platform is pursuing its accelerated transformation to become a leader in Europe and Latin America.” Read the article (in French) here. 

In Les Échos, Isabelle Gallo (E11), partner of the Breega fund for 5 years, takes stock as she prepares to launch a new office in Spain: “In 2017, we had €45 million under our management. We’re now at €500 million.” Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

Les Échos looks back at Brice Alzon’s (M03) career “at the service of individuals.” “After time spent in California and in politics, and even a stint as a lift operator at the Eiffel Tower, he currently heads the Maison des Services à la Personne (MDSAP) [senior service agency], and Coviva, and has just been elected to the presidency of the French Federation of Services to Individuals (FESP).” Read an extract of the article (in French). 

Engagement

Co-presided by Jean Moreau (E07) and Eva Sadoun, Mouvement Impact France, a network of 10,000 entrepreneurs acting for a positive-impact economy, has published a letter to the French President in Challenges magazine, entitled “100 Days to Align Economy, Ecology and Social Progress”. Their three proposals are: a vast support scheme for ecological and social innovation, new ecological and social competitiveness, and new governance for the transition. Read the op-ed (in French) here. (See also their interview (in French) with ESSEC Alumni here)

In Les Échos, Sabine Roux de Bézieux (E86), President of the Fondation de la Mer [Sea Foundation] raises the alert on plans by states and industries to draw on deep seabed resources, “humanity's new frontier”, and calls for in-depth studies on these areas prior to any plans to exploit them. “Because in the absence of knowledge, no well-informed decisions can be made; no credible regulations nor supervisory means can be established.” Read the article (in French) here. (See also her interview (in French) with ESSEC Alumni here)

Les Échos devotes an article to the “new face of Carrefour’s CSR engagement”, Carine Kraus (E02), recently appointed Director of Engagement, and discusses her tasks and aims, “from food transition to diversity and climate protection.” Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

Libération devotes an article to Laurence Fischer (E05), triple world karate champion and ambassador for sport, who acts for female victims of violence via the NPO Fight For Dignity. “She has developed a method inspired by the fundamentals of her sport, which she hopes will become a recognised therapeutic tool alongside conventional medicine.” Read an extract of the article (in French) here. (See also her profile (in French) by ESSEC Alumni here)

Expert Views

In Le Monde, Pierre-André de Chalendar (E79) and Louis Gallois, co-presidents of the think tank La Fabrique de l'Industrie, urge the government to free French industry from the energy and technology dependence it is hampered by. They also warn of the geopolitical and environmental issues which influence this question: “To succeed in producing and travelling without damaging the climate will require very heavy investment and supplies of critical and raw materials, for which we are already seeing the emergence of new dependencies.” In other words, take care not to displace the problem instead of resolving it. Read an extract from the op-ed (in French) here.

In Les Échos, economist Laurence Daziano (EXEC MBA 04) calls for “telling Europeans the truth; there will be a price to pay for the war on the continent.” More specifically: “Higher loan premiums, energy costs and the return of geopolitical threat, etc. Governments and business owners must anticipate and invest in infrastructures which will create lasting employment, make the economy greener because oil will become rarer and more expensive, invest in education to train young people in the professions of the future and help older generations to convert to professions which are lacking in manpower.” Read an extract of the article (in French) here.  

In La Tribune, Albin Serviant (E92), founder of the group I/O Média, which has acquired Têtu, Opéra Magazine, Ideat and The Good Life, compares the future of the paper press with that of the vinyl record: “The press crisis is not a fatality, just like the record crisis in 2000 wasn’t. While digital press is an unquestionable asset which promotes mass circulation and the daily engagement of readers who are loyal to media brands, it is essential to reinvent the user experience with quality press which allows for slow paper reading on a concrete and attractive support.” Read the article (in French) here. 

On France Info, Batoul Hassoun (E07), CEO of The Salmon Consulting (Havas), points out that: “For a happy marriage of work and flexibility, we need to define the rules and a strong company culture which fosters mutuality. This is the key to finding a winning balance which enables 3 cornerstones to operate together; the individual’s needs, collective needs and the needs for ties and interpersonal dealings.” Listen to the radio programme here (in French, as of 4.30pm).

In Revue Politique et Parlementaire, Kedge teacher Romaric Servajean-Hilst (E99), suggests we should “determine the remuneration of company leaders according to their compliance with payment lead times.” A measure which would be “easy to apply and assess” and would constitute, in his view, “a factor of societal and social responsibility, in addition to competitiveness.” Read the article (in French) here. 

On the website Usbek & Rica, author and journalist France Ortelli (E06) puts a figure on “the true cost of single life.” A topic which is more serious than might appear: “In a society where the nuclear family represents the legal and financial base on which institutions are built, single people are widely discriminated against due to their marital status. Housing, food and work...the bill is high! Read the article (in French) here. 

Entrepreneurs

In Décideurs Magazine, Philippe Notton (EXEC MBA 08), founder of SiPearl, discusses his aim to “create a world leader in Europe of high-performance and low-energy micro-processors to supply European supercomputers.” He declares: “On an international level, we are the only ones in this market.” Read the article (in French) here. 

On Europe 1, Mohamed Abou Ali (E21) presents his company Polygon Therapeutics, which develops treatment to “halt cardiac deterioration after a heart attack.” Given that cardio-vascular pathologies are the number one cause of death worldwide, this is a major innovation which could “save billions for the economy.” Listen to the radio programme here (in French). 

In an article devoted to those who are “inventing the food of the future”, Le Point showcases Thomas Laurent (E07), co-founder of Micropep Technologies, which uses natural micro-proteins to develop plants and strengthen the immune system. Read an extract of the article (in French) here. (See also an extract of the ESSEC Alumni article in French on Micropep here).

Le Petit Journal acclaims Romain Palmieri (E17), Dorian Perron (E17) and Rafael Cohen, “ the trio who are revolutionising the music industry between France and the USA.” Their platform Groover puts independent musicians in touch with media, record labels and influencers to help them build relationships and become famous. “An enhanced, simplified, transparent, benevolent and effective solution for promoting artists.” Read the article (in French) here. 

The website The Local showcases two ESSEC entrepreneurs. Firstly, Judit Illes (EXEC MBA 19), founder of Avidya Retreats, which organises yoga and meditation retreats in the United Arab Emirates: “I turned my passion into a profitable activity!” Secondly, Nathalie Gourevitch (EXEC MBA 21), who is developing a brand of freeze-dried food: “As global warming and geopolitical conflicts threaten our food resources, I believe the priority is to extend this food preservation method.” Read the article here.

Le Parisien takes a look at Paulette, a start-up co-founded by Hélène Fauveau (M14), which simplifies cycle tourism by offering bike rental for a few hours or days from your departure point and with a drop-off point at your destination, thanks to its network of agencies throughout France. Read an extract of the article (in French) here. 

On BFM TV, Johannah Gay (EXEC PROG 14), Chief Marketing Officer of Woosmap, reveals how the APIs developed by her start-up fuel numerous services used on daily basis by all of us. “For example, we have software bricks that detect when you’re nearing the restaurant you’ve ordered a take-out from, and alert the kitchens. No more queueing! Other applications include tracking your deliveries, or geo-locating a service station, etc.” See the video (in French) here.

Unclassifiable

Le Figaro interviews lecturer Jérôme Adam (E00), about his documentary Tout pour être heureux [Everything you Need to be Happy], in which he meets with people who, like him, have a drug-addicted sibling. The aim of the documentary is to raise awareness. “Seeing the problem from this perspective shows the potential user the unhappiness and despair their addiction can cause for their loved ones.” Read the article (in French) here. (See also his interview (in French) with ESSEC Alumni here)

Neo TV produced a report on Jean-Emmanuel Pialoux (E05), who quit his career in auditing to become a craft shoemaker in Toulouse and launch a new project: the production of sandals with disabled workers. See the video (in French) here. (See also his interview (in French) with ESSEC Alumni here)

In Ouest France, Benoît Auzou (E99) tells how (under his stage name Benoît Loizeau) he quit his job as a company manager to become a mentalist and professional magician. “It’s really time-consuming, especially at the beginning. You need to repeat things 50,000 times to master them. Friends are your first guinea pigs. At the start, you call on them to try stuff which isn’t great...”Read an extract of the article (in French) here. (See also his interview (in French) with ESSEC Alumni here)

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

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