Players in the Inclusive Economy, Sustainable Tech, and Responsible Finance, or Women of the Year... ESSEC Alumni in the Media

From executives and entrepreneurs to citizens, experts and authors... ESSEC alumni are making the news in every field! Here's our press review.

Executives

Forbes has included three ESSEC graduates in its 40 Women of the Year: Natacha Hochet-Raab (E95) – Managing Director EMEA and Japan at FRED Paris, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (E02) – Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Vanessa Diriart (M99) – President of Galileo Global Education France. The recipients of this honour have been singled out "because they are talented, inspiring and have broken through the glass ceiling". Well done!

In the Journal du Dimanche, Cécile Béliot (E97), Bel Group CEO, responds to rumours of dissension between the historical shareholders and of a takeover by the competition, by stating: "We have never been for sale." But for how much longer? The company's "iconic and global" brands, including La Vache Qui Rit and Babybel, and turnover of €3.38 billion in 2021, have made it a target. Read an extract from the article (in French) here.

In Gala, Fleur Pellerin (E94), CEO of French-Korean investment fund Korelya Capital, looks back at the end of her career in politics after successive posts as Minister for SMEs, Innovation and the Digital Economy, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Tourism Development and French Nationals Abroad, and finally as Minister for Culture and Communication. "I might have been kicked out of the government! But I always knew it was a short-term contract." Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni interview with Fleur Pellerin.)

Le Point magazine tells the story of Interparfums, the iconic group co-founded by Philippe Bénacin (E83) and Jean Madar (E83) during their studies at ESSEC, which markets, under licence, branded perfumes developed by manufacturers at its request. "French Entrepreneurs with a Nose for Business!" Read an extract from the article (in French) here.

In Le Parisien, Fanny Picard (E92), founder and CEO of Alter Equity, maintains that: "Finance can be both responsible and profitable." She is well placed to know this, as she runs "the first French management company to offer an investment model for companies whose activities have a positive impact on the environment or on people". Read an extract from the article (in French) here.

On Radio Classique, Guillaume Paoli (E95), co-founder of Aramis Group, explains the decision to enter a fifth European market with the acquisition of Onlinecars, the Austrian leader in the sale of refurbished cars, and the opening of the group's second French refurbishing site. "These two new milestones in our development reaffirm our determination to play a pivotal role in the circular economy and industry." Watch the video (in French) here. 

Les Echos reports that Bertrand Oldra (E96) has been singled out for recognition by the US legal magazine Best Lawyers in its list of the France's most highly regarded lawyers and law firms, based on peer reviews. As a partner at Gide, Bertrand Olda specialises in real estate law. Congratulations! Read an extract from the article (in French) here. 

International

On the Chinese television channel CGTN, Francis Belin (E95), President of Christie’s Asia-Pacific, revealed that this region is now playing a leading role in the art market, with local collectors accounting for 30% of worldwide acquisitions. Watch the video here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni interview with Francis Belin.) 

On the Robb Report's Singaporean website, Eric Martineau-Fortin (M97) explains how he developed the White Star Capital fund, which now boasts a portfolio of 70 companies and more than $1 billion in assets under management worldwide. "We have shown that it is possible to invest and do business outside Silicon Valley. Read the full article here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni article on White Star Capital.)

On the Singaporean website The Business Times, Darren Webb (EXEC MBA 16), co-founder of Evolution Data Centers, explains how he is trying to reconcile technological innovation with environmental concerns by using sustainable materials and renewable energy when developing data centres in South-East Asia. Read the full article here.

Singapore’s The Business Times website also presents the best practices employed by Meryl Zucco (BBA 15) as Chief Happiness Officer. "In her previous posts, she has created programmes to improve employee satisfaction, motivation and well-being. She has also set up mentoring schemes." Read the full article here.

Commitment

In the Journal du Dimanche, some forty major business leaders, including Antoine de Saint-Affrique (E87), CEO of Danone, and Nicolas Hiéronimus (E85), Chief Executive Officer of the L'Oréal Group, launch a collective to promote "a more inclusive economy". The initiatives already undertaken within their companies include developing in-house learning, training and mentoring, creating schemes to tackle their employees' limited spending power, and ensuring that a proportion of their purchases come from social and solidarity-based enterprises and territories in need. Read the full article (in French) here.

In the Journal du Dimanche, 84 French business leaders, including Clara Delétraz (E08), Guillaume Jourdon (BBA 09), Cécile Leclair (E99), Jean Moreau (E07), Eva Sadoun and Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit (E16), react to an article in which the heads of EDF, Engie and TotalEnergies call for energy sobriety, and argue "against limiting the issue of sobriety to a one-off response made by each citizen to a crisis that is passively endured, but in favour of embracing a global approach that commits the economy to a chosen model". Read the full article (in French) here.

Le Monde du Droit presents the winners of the second edition of the Skadden Diversity Prize, which invites "law students from all backgrounds to reflect on and propose legal solutions contributing to the promotion and development of diversity in France". Jazil Lounis (M21) receives a special mention from the jury for his thesis entitled "How to improve diversity within the management teams and governing bodies of companies?" Read the full article (in French) here.

Entrepreneurs

Le Monde pays tribute to the latest exploit by Contentsquare, the French unicorn start-up created by Jonathan Cherki (E11), which raised $600 million this summer, placing its valuation at $5.6 billion, a near-record amount for a French start-up. "Contentsquare's job is to offer e-retailers all the tools they need to encourage consumers to confirm their purchases as quickly as possible, based on an analysis of the impact of photos, texts, prices, and mouse movements, in particular. To date, the company has more than one million clients, including 1,000 major companies such as BMW, Clarins, Decathlon, Samsung and Sephora." Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni interview with Jonathan Cherki.)

Forbes has published an interview with François Roth (E12), Alexandre Martin (E12) and Amaury Courbon (E12), co-founders of Colonies, who see themselves as "designers and operators of high-quality living spaces that are actually affordable". The three partners have drawn on their own experiences to develop their concept: "We've been friends since we were in neighbouring rooms and then roommates at ESSEC. We've suffered the trials and tribulations of finding accommodation, and the failure of the apartments offered to meet our needs as young professionals. After graduating, we decided to come up with a solution that would eliminate all the problems we had experienced." Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here to read the article on Colonies (in French) in Reflets Mag #144.)

Les Echos presents a special portrait of Alexia Cordier (E13), "the boss of Fifty who gets all employees moving in the right direction" – and who has just raised $10 million for her solution, which uses behavioural sciences and artificial intelligence to facilitate upskilling in large companies. Read an extract from the article (in French) here. 

Challenges magazine has broadcast an interview with Ludovic de Gromard (E11), co-founder of Chance: "pioneering psytech in France" . This augmented coaching solution dedicated to professional mobility has already aided more than 15,000 people, "one third of whom chose to remain in their current post, with another third opting for a partial change of direction and the final third embarking on a complete career change. Our satisfaction rate is 82% at the end of the process." Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here for more information about the Chance – ESSEC Alumni partnership.)

In Femme Actuelle, Axelle Ayad (M19) tells us how "her personal diagnostic odyssey and difficulty in finding a doctor", prompted her to create Mapatho.com, a platform listing specialists in chronic diseases throughout France, who are recommended by patients. Read the article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni article (in French) on Axelle Ayad's book, entitled Happy Patient.)

Stratégies paints a glowing portrait of Philippe Cantet (E95), co-founder of Spring, a brand of eco-responsible washing powder sold on a subscription basis. "It has carved out a solid reputation thanks to the success of Innocent and Shopmium, making entrepreneurship seem like second nature." Read an extract from the article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni article (in French) on Spring.)

Les Echos puts the spotlight on Nota Climat, "the new climate-oriented version of Yuka, dedicated to exposing brands that engage in greenwashing". This application, co-founded by Elsa Chai (E16), helps consumers evaluate the measures implemented by companies to improve their carbon footprint. Read the full article (in French) here.

On BFM TV, Mawa Diouf (EXEC PROG 16), co-founder with Emmanuelle Obadia (EXEC M15) of 4mgTransparency, explains how he helps pharmaceutical industry players to manage their regulatory transparency obligations. "This is a very time-consuming task with little value added, as it is mainly a matter of consolidating data from many different media to produce a single comprehensive document: the Transparency Statement. Moreover, the law is constantly changing: we need tools that can adapt at the same time. Our outsourcing solution meets these challenges." Watch the video (in French) here.

On BFM TV, Paul Cassé (M19), founder of CAPS, unveils his invention, which seems straight out of a science-fiction film: a flying capsule for personal mobility! Objective: "to establish ourselves as an alternative to traditional modes of urban transport". Watch the video (in French) here.

On B Smart, Marine Coré-Baillais (E95), founder of La Pâtisserie Numérique, talks about the amazing adventure she has embarked on: the 3D printing of cakes. "Placing digital technology in the hands of skilled craft workers is one of my driving forces. And there's nothing contradictory about that!" Watch the video (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni article (in French) on La Pâtisserie Numérique.)

On B Smart, Simon Ferniot (EXEC MBA 97), co-founder of Seafood Reboot, is inventing the food of tomorrow with his healthy and sustainable fish substitutes based on microalgae. "To attract consumers, the appearance, taste and texture must resemble animal source foods." Watch the video (in French) here.

On BMF TV, Sarah Mellouki (M20) presents Cosmecode, her start-up which is developing a skin tone modelling technology for beauty retailers, to help their customers choose the right shade of foundation. Watch the video (in French) here.

Expert opinions

In Libération, Laure Verdeau (E08), director of Agence Bio, welcomes the recent report by the French Court of Auditors on the resources allocated to organic farming: "This is an atypical report, because the Court of Auditors usually states that savings must be made. But here, it mentions the need to allocate resources to organic farming, whether for the sake of our water, since it saves money on clean-up operations, or for food resilience, since only a third of the organic products consumed in France are imported." Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni interview (in French) with Laure Verdeau.)

On the Carenews website, Marie Trellu-Kane (E94), President of Unis-Cité, calls for the universal application of civic service "to restore young people's confidence in democracy". She believes that the scheme has a triple impact: "on the young people who regain their self-confidence, on the structures that host them, and finally, on national cohesion, which is strengthened". Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni article (in French) on Marie Trellu-Kane's book Liberté, égalité et ? Pour un autre service national ("Liberty, Equality and ? Towards a Different National Service")).

In Les Echos, economist Laurence Daziano (EXEC MBA 04) deciphers the key issues at stake in the upcoming elections in Italy: "Major issues need to be resolved. The post-pandemic recovery and resilience plan must be properly implemented. The Court of Auditors has examined 31 of the 45 targets announced in the last six months and has serious doubts about whether the deadlines will be met. Moreover, the inequalities between Northern Italy and the Mezzogiorno remain massive. Finally, despite Mario Draghi's vigorous gas diplomacy conducted with numerous supplier countries (Algeria, Qatar, etc.), Italy remains reliant on Russian gas." Read the full article (in French) here.

In 20 Minutes, Michel Terestchenko (E79), the French-Ukrainian former mayor of the eastern city of Hlukhiv, gives his take on the conflict and the developments to be anticipated over the coming months: "The situation on the front line will stabilise. A very difficult winter is expected, with a social, humanitarian and economic crisis. However, there is no risk to the Zaporizhzhia power station because the Russians want it to serve the occupied territories. Vladimir Putin wants to scare people with his threats but he has no interest in damaging it." Read the full article (in French) here.  

In Le Monde, Jérôme Barthélémy (E93), Executive Vice-President at ESSEC and Professor of Strategy and Management, makes the following assertion based on academic research: "The more a hospital uses consultants, the less efficient it becomes." Here is one of his proposed explanations: "Researchers claim that the costs of consulting services reduce hospitals' capacity to invest in their own expertise. Furthermore, in some cases, consultants seem to lack sufficient knowledge of how hospitals work in order to improve their performance." Read an extract from the article (in French) here. (And click here to read an article (in French) by Jérôme Barthélémy, entitled "Pourquoi devient-on de moins en moins créatif ?" ("Why Are We Becoming Less and Less Creative?") in Reflets Mag #144.)

In Le Monde, Jean Moreau (E07) and Eva Sadoun, Co-Presidents of the Impact France movement, call for the issue of wage restraint to be extended to all companies: "At time when a new generation claims to be willing to lower its salary demands according to the engagement shown by companies, we are proposing key measures such as imposing a transparency requirement on the pay gap between the lowest and highest salaries, introducing a clear tax incentive to reduce such pay gaps, which have widened enormously since 2008, making 50% of the variable portion of compensation dependent on their ecological and social performance according to an Impact Score, and extending the cap on managers' remuneration in public companies to all companies in the social and solidarity-based economy." Read the full article (in French) here.

On the France Stratégie website, Romaric Servajean-Hilst (E99), a professor at Kedge, describes the "soft skills" that need to be developed in order to innovate and transform organisations. "The solution is often sought through tools, processes and organisational charts, when what is required above all is a collective approach adopted by real people." Read the full article (in French) here.

Miscellaneous

On the La Vie des Classiques Web portal, author Charles Senard (E04) presents his new book entitled "Carpe diem. Petite initiation à la sagesse épicurienne" ("Carpe Diem. A Brief Introduction to Epicurean Wisdom"): "Epicureanism is a philosophy whose many aspects (ethical, in particular) remain relevant today. In our society, I consider that categorising one's desires is still a very wise idea in order to distinguish between those that are natural and necessary for happiness (friendship, philosophy, not being hungry, thirsty or cold), those that are natural, but not necessary (sexuality), and those that are neither natural nor necessary (the desires for fame, power and wealth)." Read the full article (in French) here. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni articles (in French) on Charles Senard's books.)

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