Provence Club: "The Region is Both Attractive and Endearing"

The South of France may be synonymous with holidays, but it is also a land of opportunities that attracts numerous ESSEC graduates. Christophe Dubail (EXEC M98) and Alain Burger (E73), the Heads of  ESSEC Alumni’s Provence Club , tell us how they rally and drive this vast network. 

ESSEC Alumni: How many alumni are there in your region? 

Christophe Dubail: The majority are located in the Bouches-du-Rhône area, more specifically in the Aix-Marseille metropolitan area. It was a deliberate choice, however, to call ourselves ‘Provence Club’ and connect this community to more isolated alumni in the Vaucluse, Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence regions. In all, there are 260 classmates in our group on the ESSEC Alumni site and as many in our LinkedIn group. If we base our figures on the people who have signed up for one of our activities at least once in the last three years, the number actually stands at 1,500.

EA: What opportunities does the region hold for alumni? 

Alain Burger: In addition to the location of industrial leaders such as Airbus and CMA-CGM and the ecosystems around them, the region’s growth efforts focus on six excellence sectors: health (immunology, oncology, facilities, etc.); aeronautics and mechanics (helicopters, defence, microelectronics, space, etc.); maritime activities and logistics (sailing, marshalling, etc.); microelectronics and digital or creative industries (film, video games, animation, media, digital, etc.); energy and environment (offshore floating wind turbines, nuclear or hydrogen power, green chemistry, biogas and biofuels, a technology park, etc.), and of course, tourism and art de vivre. These specialities have been influenced by the history and geography of this remote region turned towards the sea.

C. Dubail: In addition, the specificity of our alumni is that many of them have created or taken over a business, often an SME or SoHo, and built on its history and longevity with innovation, internationalisation and the experience they acquired ‘in another life’.

EA: What advice do you have for alumni looking to move to your region? 

A. Burger: For anyone who is in two minds, don’t believe all the ‘south bashing’ clichés. And for those who are ready to take the plunge, suggest to your current employer they transfer you to the region to develop their activity; show them that not only is there a vibrant local market, but that the region has a lot of appeal for attracting and retaining talent, such as the quality of life, interconnection with the rest of France (high-speed intercity trains in particular) and a generally elevated rate of higher education. 

C. Dubail: For anyone arriving in the region, you’ll see, it’s easy to get to know people here, especially through activities outside of work, such as sport, culture, school or charity work. Get involved in your favourite area...and of course in the Provence Club.

EA: What actions does your club lead? 

C. Dubail: The lockdown heralded a turning point. To offset the lack of contact, we set up the VAAP (Video Cocktail for Alumni in Provence), an informal once-weekly 90-minute video conference, and then the ZZAP (Provence Alumni Zinspiring Zexperiences), a sort of VAAP with an ESSEC guest speaker to share experiences and knowledge. We have kept and enhanced these formats, thanks to a realisation made during that period, i.e. that frequency is essential for rallying and driving the community. We organise thirty or so regular events per year, including after-work events on the third Thursday of the month, which alternate in venue between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence; an after-work event in the Vaucluse three times a year, and think-tank workshops every quarter on themes such as attitudes to money, graphic expression or mindfulness.

A. Burger: There are also periodical events arising from opportunities and volunteer alumni initiatives, such as conferences and debates around topical issues (diversity and inclusion, carbon footprint, social and solidarity economy, etc.), visits to companies, concerts, and other exceptional events like the Aix-en-Provence Lyrical Art Festival. 

C. Dubail: We also team up with Greco Provence, which brings together local graduates of 12 major schools (Polytechnique, CentraleSupélec, INSEAD, HEC, Sciences Po Paris, EM Lyon, UniAgro, École de l’Air, École Navale and ENSTA Paris) and organises activities through theme clubs (Culture & Discovery, Transition Club, etc.). We have partnerships with non-profit organisations such as SouthWinners (OM football club supporters), 13^ème Art (music from the northern districts of Marseille) or the Protis Club (which leads young people from Marseille towards major schools).

A. Burger: We also place special emphasis on the ritual of welcoming newcomers to the region, with information, contacts, links to our networks and a welcoming event.

C. Dubail: We can also intervene on a professional level. We have already organised seminars with the ESSEC Alumni Career Service and we created the Chercheurs d’Opportunités [Opportunity Hunters] group which lends its support to members of our community during repositioning phases.

C. Dubail: Lastly, we make use of numerous communication tools, with groups on the ESSEC Alumni website, on LinkedIn, Whatsapp and Facebook, a newsletter and Kilafee, and inspirational monthly profiles by Yves Martin-Laval (E83) on alumni living in Provence.

C. Dubail: As you can see, we like to experiment! Don’t hesitate to share your wishes and suggestions with us, we’d be delighted to have your ideas and see how we could make them happen.

EA: Do you lead actions alongside other ESSEC Alumni clubs and chapters? 

C. Dubail: Absolutely! We work alongside the Lebanon Chapter to lend our support to the club and its members in the face of the current crisis in their country. We also organise meetings with our friends in neighbouring clubs: Côte d’Azur Club,  Rhône-Alpes Club, Languedoc-Roussillon Club… and not forgetting the fresks with the Transition Club and periodical joint events with the Entrepreneurs Club or the Wine Club. 

A. Burger: I’d just like to point out that all our events, in particular those online, are open to all alumni, living elsewhere in France or overseas!

EA: Who are the members of your team? 

C. Dubail: We owe the vibrancy of our club to the complementarity between Alain and I, and an office of loyal and active volunteers which is anything but staid. Every ESSEC member is encouraged to initiate a project or take over one of our existing activities. Don’t hesitate to contact us!

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni 
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