Olympic Games, Local Elected Representatives, FemTech, Châteaux, Stand-Up, and More... ESSEC in the Media

From economics and management to entrepreneurship, politics, culture and more... In France and abroad, ESSEC alumni are making headlines in all fields! Press Review

Leadership

Le Monde has revealed that Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (E02) is applying to lead the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF). “After graduating from ENA in the same class as Emmanuel Macron, this former rising star of French tennis became director general of the French Tennis Federation, before taking over as Minister for Sport and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.” 
Read the article (in French) 

In Capital Magazine, Cécile Beliot-Zind (E97), CEO of the Bel Group, unveils her strategy for meeting the food challenges of tomorrow. “This former Danone executive has set out to prioritise plant-based alternatives to dairy products, which should eventually account for half of the company’s business. And is already using artificial intelligence to develop new recipes.”
Read an extract (in French) 

Le Monde has published a portrait of Franck Annese (E00), the “bulimic boss of So Press” with a dozen publications under his management, including So Foot and Society, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary. “The 40-year-old has succeeded in building a press group that sells two million magazines a year and has carved out a place for itself in audiovisual production (mostly advertising) through its subsidiary Sovage. 
Read an extract (in French) 

In Ouest France, Gwendal Poullennec (E03), international director of the Michelin guides, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the benchmark setter for culinary guides, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. “What impact does a star have on restaurant economics? Are there quotas for each city? How do the inspectors work? How to remain influential in the age of Internet opinions and influencers” 
Read an extract (in French) 

Commitment

In Le Monde, Bertrand de Lacombe (E95) revives the memory of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, one of the least known to the general public. “This was the secret factory where the V2 rockets were made. A living hell for 60,000 deportees, including my grandfather, number 40829. And the most advanced centre of its time for aerospace technology, whose knowledge was not lost on everyone. From 1945 onwards, the Russians, British, French and Americans set about tracking down the German scientists who ran the factory.” And whose crimes would be overlooked so that they could contribute to the successes of NASA, the Ariane rocket, and more.
Read an extract (in French) 

Le Monde has published an interview with Raphaël Ruegger (E23), a local councillor since the age of 19 and co-founder of the Fédération Française des Trucs qui Marchent. “He travels the length and breadth of France meeting with elected representatives to identify and publicise local initiatives that are improving the quality of life.”
Read an extract (in French) 

In Les Echos, Marc Wormser (E09), head of one of France's last independent family banks, affirms his commitment to sustainable finance. “All the background noise won’t make us change our strategy: we'll have €1 billion in impact assets under management invested within the next two years, despite the calls for arms financing.” Read an extract (in French) 

RTL has interviewed Edgar Savigny (E25) on his “crazy project” to walk from Paris to Athens. “A journey of more than 3,000 kilometres to help perpetuate the legacy of Paris 2024, while raising as much money as possible for the Kabubu association and raising awareness of soft mobility.” Listen to the programme (starting at 11 min 45 - in French)
Also read our interview (in French) 

Expertise

In La Croix, the philosopher Cécile Renouard (E90) warns about the risks of adopting artificial intelligence without adding safeguards: ethical issues (“there’s a risk of considering the probabilistic source that is ChatGPT as a reliable source”), social issues (“we stress the fact that it will eliminate the need to perform arduous tasks... without taking account of the multitude of invisible click workers required for its operations”), and ecological issues (“the massive use of AI will give rise to conflicts of use concerning energy needs”)... She concludes that: “Objectivity and critical thinking are the only ways to set limits, to avoid ruining our minds, our democracies and our ecosystems.” 
Read an extract (in French) 

Les Echos reports on a study directed by Jean-Baptiste Barfety (E11) as part of his “Projet-Sens” initiative, on the impact of widespread teleworking on managers. “The 64 testimonials collected raise concerns: while flexibility is appreciated, this individual comfort masks the fragmentation of groups, the bureaucratisation of exchanges and a loss of spontaneity, provoking a discomfort that is surprisingly more marked among digital natives.” 
Read the article (in French) 

On France Info Mimsy Daly (E99), President of Medef New Caledonia, takes stock of the economic situation in her territory, one year after the start of the riots. “We're not completely out of the emergency phase, but reconstruction is beginning. As shown by the start of public works projects, amounting to around €15 billion in project costs to be financed by the state and local authorities.”
Listen to the programme (in French) 

In Les Echos, Arnaud Lehuédé (E10), a partner at Épopée Gestion, explains why the French regions are now attracting more property investment than the Paris region. “Low rents and high-quality properties explain this momentous shift.”
Read an extract (in French) 

On RTL, Isabelle Le Bot (E92), Managing Director of La France Mutualiste, and Matthias Baccino (E10), Director of Markets at Trade Republic, explain how the French can better manage their investments, during Financial Education Week. “Are we hopeless at investing? Is there a way to make our money work harder for us? From the stock markets and life insurance to financing the economy, war and contributory pension schemes... Is it really so complicated?”
Listen to the programme (in French) 

On the Fonction RH website, Octave Bory (E13), CEO of Eukonomy, extolls the merits of project-based profit-sharing, encouraged by the PACTE [Action Plan for Business Growth and Transformation] Law. “Unlike traditional profit-sharing, which applies to all employees and is based on the company's overall results, project-based profit-sharing is targeted and defined by specific objectives. In this way, it enables employees to be directly involved in the results of the activities in which they are engaged. This strategic tool remains largely underexploited.” 
Read the article (in French) 

Entrepreneurship

BFM TV puts the spotlight on Juliette Mauro (E98), co-founder of Femtech France, an initiative aiming to support all French start-ups developing innovations in women's health. “Women are affected not only by specific pathologies – notably gynaecological, such as endometriosis – but also by pathologies that are overrepresented in their ranks, such as depression and certain neurodegenerative diseases. This market is experiencing double-digit annual growth and is estimated to be worth $130 billion by 2030, compared with $70 billion today.
Watch the programme (starting at 7 min 20 - in French) 

In Business Immo, Jérémie Benmoussa (E13), Managing Director of Axtom, a group of entrepreneurs specialising in regional development, reports that operating profitability and cash flow are surpassing targets after 10 years in business. “The Group has seen its consolidated sales rising from €208 million in 2023 to €251 million in 2024 – up 20%. 
Read an extract (in French) 

On BFM TV, Pierre-Emmanuel Chadefaux (E17) presents Prosper Collection, his solution designed to facilitate the acquisition and renovation of listed or registered historic châteaux in France. “We're leveraging a mechanism that enables work and charges relating to these properties to be exempted from tax. This is one of France's last uncapped schemes.”
See the video (in French) 

Europe 1 interviews Camille Lugol (M20), founder of La Mie, which transforms unsold bread into craft beer. “Bakeries are left with 50 kilos of unsold products on their hands every week. And recycling solutions are few and far between. Hence our idea, which also has the advantage of being 100% French, short-circuit production.” 
Listen to the programme (in French) 

Culture

Marie Claire presents a portrait of Marine Leonardi (E13), a comedian with 700,000 followers on Instagram whose one-woman show Mauvaise graine is sold out across France. “Thanks to all the people who personally identify with my sketches about mental stress, I've gone from being 'crazy' to 'normal'.” 
Read an extract (in French) 

Ouest France puts the spotlight on Hélène Daccord (E17) and her non-partisan NGO Pax Musica. “Our aim is to support musicians who have found refuge in France, enabling them to pursue and develop their careers as part of an artistic partnership with renowned musicians.”
Read the article (in French) 

And finally...

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

Do you want more quality content about the ESSEC community? Join us now!

Image : © AdobeStock