Luxury, Roland Garros, MEDEF, Astérix, Bataclan, AI and More: Alumni in the Media

Leaders, experts, entrepreneurs, expatriates and engaged citizens; ESSEC is making the headlines in all fields! Press review

Leaders

Le Figaro spent ‘an hour in the office’ with Béatrice Kosowski (E87), CEO of IBM France. ‘We moved out of the verticality of the Défense building and opened up our offices. We now have only three enclosed offices. We focused on collaborative spaces and exchange, which is never-ending here.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In Le Journal du Luxe, Charles Leung (E95), Chief Executive Officer of FRED Paris, revealed his strategy: launching a unique collection in association with Roland Garros, bolstering the men’s range, targeting Gen Z, artistic projects and more.
See the article (in French).

In Les Échos, Patrick Martin (E83), number 2 of the MEDEF and in the running to succeed Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux (E84), advocated ‘an effort to integrate people who are far removed from employment’ in order to solve staff shortage issues.
Read an extract (in French).

On BFM TV, Delphine Pons (E93), Managing Director of Parc Astérix, announced a record year with turnover of €170 million in 2022. ‘After COVID-19, it was clear that our visitors really wanted to have fun and make up for lost time. We thought that would calm down after a while, but it hasn’t so far.’ 
See the video (in French).

Forbes featured Nicolas Dupeux (E02), Managing Director of Paris Entertainment Comp, which includes iconic Parisian venues such as the Accor Arena, Adidas Arena and the Bataclan. ‘We’re planning to host even more major international and popular events (NBA, UFC, E-sport and chart-topping artists), while offering a complete audience experience, before and after the main event, in order to further consolidate our position as the French and European leader in entertainment.’ 
Read the article (in French).

Engagement

In Le Monde, Benjamin Abtan (M05), Director of Europe Prykhystok, co-signed an op-ed calling on European politicians to strengthen their cooperation for the millions of children affected by the war in Ukraine. ‘Offer these children a few weeks’ holiday; organise transplanted classes for a month; support the development of shelters in the areas most affected by the war.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In Les Échos, Sabine Roux de Bézieux (E86), President of La Fondation de la Mer, announced a partnership with the Transatlantic Bank to maximise its actions and raise greater awareness. '50% of the Earth’s oxygen comes from the oceans, which absorb 30% of the CO2 and 90% of the excess heat generated by human activity. Acting for the ocean means acting to reduce the effects of climate change and ensure the future of the world’s population.’
Read an extract (in French).

On France Inter radio, Emmanuelle Ledoux (M93), Managing Director of the French National Institute for the Circular Economy, warned: ‘We will not succeed in decarbonizing without real control of resources. The idea is to move away from our current linear system: we extract, we produce, we consume and throw away, to shift to a loop system where we extract less, produce better, consume less and better, and recycle rather than dispose of things.’
Listen to the programme (in French).

Le Monde asked Laure Verdeau (E08), Director of Agence Bio, what her favourite recipe was. She seized the opportunity to reiterate her fight for healthier and more responsible food. ‘Right now, people are turning away from organic produce because they think it’s expensive, whereas there has been less inflation in this sector. When you understand what it implies, i.e., zero synthetic pesticides, and what that means for consumers, farmers, the soil and nature, you know that we can’t do without. It’s a choice for society and life.’ 
Read the article (in French).

On the Usbek & Rica website, former minister Elisabeth Moreno (EXEC MBA 06) called for an assessment of diversity using numerical indicators, in order to boost inclusion in companies. ‘I’ve talked to a lot of company leaders who are wholly convinced in their diversity and inclusion policy. They’re more embarrassed when you ask them how many women, or how many people from modest social backgrounds hold managerial positions.’ 
Read the article (in French).

On the Mirror Review website, Anne-Cécile de Joode (E05), Marketing and Strategy Director of Myfood, explains how she helped to change her company, not just from a business perspective, by doubling the number of monthly leads while reducing the budget, but also from an ethical point of view, by striving for more diversity and mix in management and to obtain B-Corp certification.
Read the article.

On the Environnement Magazine website, consultant Ibtissam Benslimane (M12) explains how to raise employees’ awareness of sustainable transformation. ‘Get all levels of the organisation on board, including top management. Prioritise collective actions to create emulation. Then give everyone the means to go further individually.’
Read the article (in French).

Entrepreneurs

BFM TV interviewed Jean-Baptiste Lenoir (EXEC MBA 12), co-founder of Qotto, on the nomination of his start-up for the Tech For Good Awards. ‘In sub-Saharan Africa, 500 million people live in rural areas without electricity, which hinders local economic and social development. We provide them with simple solar kits which enable them to connect to internet and access services such as micro-loans and insurance.’
See the programme (from 1:35 - in French)

A report by Envoyé Spécial on France 2 showcased Mathilde Bignon (E12) and her brand, Désirée Fleurs, which aims to develop an eco-responsible sector for French florists. ‘A growing number of independent florists have stopped buying foreign flowers and are trying to revive interest in our local species. Flower farms and their more varied produce foster biodiversity. They prioritise short-circuit sales and are attracting more and more customers.’ 
See the programme (in French).

On BFM TV, Hugo Bazin (BBA 14) presented Tictactrip, his online comparator to combine and book low-carbon journeys. This service, geared towards the general public and travel professionals alike, is designed to better manage the carbon footprint of travel.
See the programme (in French).

On BFM TV, Max Hermann (E20) presented his Nopli start-up, ‘a Station F gem’ which creates and manages second-hand goods platforms as a white label. ‘We integrate a dedicated tab on our customer’s e-commerce site and manage both the technical maintenance and operational aspects of the service.’ 
See the programme (from 04:10 - in French)

L’Officiel featured Laëtitia Lumbroso-Revenu (E00) and her fashion and accessories brand, Destrée, which blends ‘Parisian chic and American casual’ and has won over Beyoncé, Rihanna and Gisèle Bundchen.
Read the article.

Maddyness celebrated the 10th anniversary of Setkeeper, a platform co-founded by Octave Bory (E13) and Alexandre Péron (E11) to facilitate the organisation of audio-visual productions. ‘From the distribution of constantly updated scenarios to the whole team, to contract management and a tool to manage location and casting information, our mission is to adapt digital productivity tools to the specificities of the series- and film-making world.’ Their service was awarded the 2018 César & Techniques Innovation Prize.
Read the article (in French).

On BFM TV, Raphaël Lorin (E10) explained how his start-up Arachides transforms vacant Parisian offices into 5-star hotel suites, and thus regenerate their rental profitability. This is a particularly attractive offer in light of the upcoming Olympic Games, which is set to create a dramatic rise in demand.
See the interview (in French).

Maddyness devoted an article to Percko, the brand created by Alexis Ucko (M15) and Quentin Perraudeau (M15), which addresses what is often referred to as the ‘curse of the century’, i.e., back pain.  ‘Our solutions are not a miracle in themselves, but if you suffer from back pain, your doctor will ask you about your everyday posture. Our products help to stimulate that posture.’ 
Read the article (in French).

Vivre FM interviewed Valérie Abehsera (E92), founder of the sexual information platform Sylex. ‘As ARCOM publishes its latest figures revealing a huge rise in visits by minors to pornographic sites, our aim is to answer all the questions teens have about sexuality and relationships, simply and effectively.’ 
Listen to the programme (in French).

Richard C. Delerins (E86) has launched an online version of Food Innovation Quarterly, the magazine which explores new trends in the food sector. The first edition looks at the impact of artificial intelligence on the sector.
Discover the magazine.

Experts

In Charlie Hebdo, Professor Laurent Bibard (E85) warned of the potentially negative impacts of artificial intelligence: ‘It’s not a question of being for or against technology, because it can do both good and bad. We have to move away from this binary vision imposed by people who would have us believe that technology will save us. It congeals any form of intelligent thinking. The real question is how we can we use artificial intelligence wisely. And that’s not a technological problem, but a human one.’ 
Read the article (in French).

In Le Monde, Boris Walbaum (E94), founder of the private European university, Forward College, recommended developing, on a higher education level, the acquisition of knowledge and skills which will differentiate humans and prepare them more effectively to face the ‘competition’ from artificial intelligence. ‘The control of AI results by human experts will remain essential. Universities must thus invest in critical thinking and the ability to learn how to learn. The idea is to explore situations and concepts more thoroughly, to identify contradictions and establish links between concepts in order to assess the knowledge generated by machines.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In Les Échos, Jean Barrère (EXEC M08), partner with the consultancy firm Accuracy, explained why he is banking on creativity in the face of ChatGPT. ‘Sure, this chat technology knows how to grab the spotlight and maintain its hype with formidable efficiency. However, it’s not actually aware of this, given its lack of common sense and ‘wisdom’, along with any true ability for intellectual discernment, understanding or knowledge.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In Le Point, Tristan de La Chevasnerie (E19), founder of the production agency Pierrot, explained how artificial intelligence would change SEO editing and web referencing. ‘Here are some of the roles AI can play: text re-phrasing; simple definition search; spelling correction, or the setting up of ‘extra-editing’ features, such as the insertion of key words, bold type and restructuring, etc. In fact, AI may be good news for content producers. By facilitating and automating certain tedious tasks, it unquestionably enables a writer to focus on the essence of their profession: style, verve and the quest for the right word.’ 
Read the article (in French).

In Les Échos, Mickaël Berrebi (E13), co-author of Investir pour nos valeurs? [Investing in Our Values?], explained why so-called ‘responsible’ finance is less and less so, and how to rectify this. ‘Is there really such a thing as the responsible investor? Should we stop supporting high CO2 producers, while the effort should be focused on them? Can we avoid eco-laundering? These are the issues underlying the normative battle being fought between the USA and Europe.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In La Tribune, Cédric Baecher (E00), partner and co-leader of the Sustainability practice within Wavestone, questioned the development of impact professions: are they a passing trend, smoke and mirrors or a revolution in the labour market? ‘No sector or job title can fully guarantee impact. Above all, impact relies as much on the ‘what’ as the ‘how’, i.e., the way each individual exercises their profession, behaves and interacts with others (colleagues, suppliers or rivals, and so on).’ 
Read the article (in French).

In Les Échos, Adèle Galey (E12), co-founder of Ticket for Change and somatic practitioner, suggested the next professional revolution might well be corporal. ‘The time has come to change how we see our bodies, to stop considering them as a passive and detached travel companion, but as an indispensable ally along our career path.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

In Les Échos, Jessica Her (E08), Executive Partner with IBM Consulting, suggested we re-invent our attitude to work. ‘Many French people believe their job takes up too much space in their life. Businesses whose priority is to retain talent should hear this.’ 
Read an extract (in French).

On the website Welcome to the Jungle, columnist Bénédicte Tilloy (E82) published ‘Parlez-moi de vous’ [Tell me About Yourself], a fictional series around the life of an HR team in a successful start-up. The first episodes are entitled (in French): ‘Welcome to Hypergrowthland’, ‘Have applicants become divas?’ and ‘Career equality is not for dogs’...The tone is set! A tender satire, between friendship and ego crises, inspired by the author’s own experience.
Read the series (in French).

International press 

The Corporate Magazine listed Riva Walia (IMHI 03) among its Top 20 Successful Women Leaders 2023. The first Indian-born woman to be appointed a Knight of the National Order of Merit, she currently runs the French-Canadian Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which, under her guidance, saw its revenues leap by 65% in 2022. She is also an active advocate for gender equality, notably with the UN, and for environmental transition, through her think-tank Sustainability in Canada.
Read the article.

On the Business Times website, Mireille Giraud (BBA 96) eloquently declares: ‘If I can’t reach the stars, I can at least head for the clouds’. In practical terms, the cloud. The company leader described her path from her childhood in a French village to the tech sector in Singapore. She is currently Managing Director Markets for the IT service group, Zühlke, and steers their strategy in Asia.
Read the article.

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