Audencia's Alumni Magazine

Audencia, Sodexo and sustainable food

Within the framework of its partnership with Sodexo, a trailblazer in services related to quality of life, Audencia’s CSR Chair has conducted a study on sustainable food inside three works canteens in the Nantes region.

Individual and group interviews were carried out with a cohort of 35 participants:  business clients, guests and kitchen staff. The aim was to evaluate the end users’ eating habits within their place of work.

Gervaise Debucquet, teacher-researcher at Audencia, presented the survey’s findings at the Nantes Food Forum 2018 and the “Food and well-being in the workplace” roundtable which took place on 4 October this year.

What do we learn from the study?

The survey reveals that sustainable food remains an elusive concept for those diners taking part in the study. They tend to prioritise taste, a pleasurable eating experience and value for money over ecological considerations. Paradoxically, some of those surveyed have “sustainable” food habits while away from work without necessarily adopting these same practices at work, where they display more passive eating habits.

Sustainable food makes sense in corporate foodservice outlets as long as the company makes room for a coherent CSR policy and if it deploys in-house communication avoiding any directives to “eat sustainably”. So, herein lies the challenge to make mass catering meaningful by putting the guest in a position where he is a consum’actor just as he is in his private life.

In the spring of 2019, an experiment will be conducted in a pilot works canteen in the region. A quantitative behavioural study will further supplement these findings.

Read here the full study report by heading to the CSR Chair’s website.

Mélanie Dugue, on behalf of Audencia 

Wellbeing, healthcare, food safety and the list goes on. When it comes to what we eat, we are becoming increasingly concerned with the quality, quantity and healthy nutritional value of our food. Yesterday, it was mainly price point which determined the bulk of our purchases. Today, everything boils down to quality. Consumers are prioritising their forks over their wallets and today’s consumer is now willing to put their money where their mouth is.

In February 2018, Harris Interactive conducted a study* and the findings reveal that almost 8 out of 10 of the French people sampled reported eating responsibly. These consumers are taking things a step further by going beyond the concept of sustainable consumption, which focuses on the environment and resources: they are adding both ethical and social aspects into the mix.

This means taking a keener interest in recycling and the waste war, as well as cutting down on packaging and the amount of rubbish we produce! However, it also encompasses the fair treatment of producers, short food supply chains, responsible catering and the championing of local farming and trade.

Committed to remaining ethical throughout their career…

Many Audencia alumni have also become involved in this drive and incorporated ethics into their careers and entrepreneurial projects.

This is the case for Emeline Bergeron (Exec MBA 15), who after many years working in farm advisory services and alongside NGOs, became involved with the Domaine de la Fessardière, driven by her passion for enterprise and love of nature. On this winery, all pesticides are banned, in favour of more organic practices for “processing methods which fully allow the terroir to be brought out in the wine.” All the white wines produced on the domaine are certified “organic”.

As for Emmanuel C. Chukwuma (IMM 13), he converted his end of study project into a business creation. He founded Chooka, providing hibiscus-based beverages, developed with products which are both healthy and good for the body. Chooka works in association with farming communities in Nigeria, by respecting the principles of sustainability and fair trade and also by pooling their knowledge and resources which makes it possible for them to achieve more rapid and sustainable development.

In the same vein, we could also point to:

• Organic cider providers, Fils de Pomme, founded by Théo Brunais Le Pautremat (student entrepreneur)
• La Fratern, the responsible restaurant being created by Boris Couilleau (GE 01)
• Beauty Manake (FAM 15), who founded Kungo Farms in Botswana
• Turnkey solutions to produce your own food, without working up a sweat, provided by Johan Nazaraly (GE 11) with MyFood

Many more besides go to make up our rich and diverse community of Audencia Alumni.

* Study conducted by Harris Interactive,  institute for marketing studies, in February 2018 from a cohort of 1001 French people aged 18 and over.  78% of the sample group reported eating responsibly.

Sara Ben Lahbib (IMM 16) 

Welcome to the Audencia Forum, the meeting point bringing together recruiters with students and graduates from Audencia. Let’s get a deeper insight into what this event, already on its tenth edition, has to offer.   

If you are looking to build or effectively manage your career path, explore different professions, grow your network or land a student/graduate internship or job offer then the Business Forum is the place to be. This year on 11 and 12 October, spearheaded by Audencia, the gathering provided some golden career-boosting opportunities! No fewer than 83 companies (Amazon, BNP Paribas, Cdiscount, Disneyland Paris, Fleury Michon and many more) took part in this two-day networking event. So what do they all have in common? They are all experiencing rapid growth and are currently on the lookout for new talent. This event is therefore a great opportunity for them to recruit second-to-none candidates from among the 1,000 students attending the forum.

Making a comeback!

The Audencia Forum was also a chance to cross paths with 73 of our alumni. Two of these former graduates were back here for the first time since their graduation. They were Frédéric Lé (GE 80) who is currently Associate Director at DXC Technology, and Matthieu Lelarge (GE 06) for his part Business Analyst Manager at Ferrero France. Both have built exemplary and successful career paths which are an undeniable source of inspiration to our Audencia students.

Furthermore, a number of these graduates took advantage of the Audencia Forum to take a look back over their time at the school. This is the case for Clémentine Dauvergne (GE 18):

"Thanks to Audencia, my final year helped me hone my professional skill-set in financial audit and industrial management control, paving the way for me to join Eurovia and access the position of Head of Administration and Finance".

Another encounter, this time was with Damien Hodebourg (Bachelor - IPAC 95). He has spent his entire career working for Danone. This is an agri-food chain where 70% of interns go on to land a job at the end of their work placement.

"Feel free to come and speak to us!" he advises.

A word to the wise!

Florence Falvy, Editor

The Blin family have a history of having very close-knit bonds with Audencia and this wonderful story began when the parents, Jean-Yves and Suzanne, first crossed paths while both studying at the school. They graduated back in 1951 and their three sons would all go on to follow in their footsteps here at Audencia: Jean-Michel (GE 78), Gilles (GE 82), who would also meet his wife Christine (GE 82) during his course, and finally François (GE 87).

Without a shadow of a doubt, François is the one with the strongest bond with the school, since he is currently an alumni ambassador in Madrid.

However, he admits to initially choosing Audencia more for “the sake of convenience”. At a time when it wasn’t as easy to get around as it is today, a school’s reputation and ranking were less important than proximity. Yet, it was also an era when things were starting to open up internationally and so he decided to move to Spain, a project supported by Audencia faculty members.

“It’s so reassuring to feel supported, guided and assisted. The school fosters close student-faculty relations, whether it be with the CFO, the communications manager or the teaching staff. They have always been there for me and given me helpful advice.”

Another benefit of the school, according to François, is the importance placed on management and also the multidisciplinary nature of its teaching. “We are destined to become executives and therefore team managers, not experts but all-rounders. The school is well aware of this and today enables us to make sense of every situation and know who the specialist is in order to figure things out or find a solution.”

This same versatility can indeed be found within the Blin family: Jean-Michel is a Managing Director, Gilles a Director for administration and finance, Suzanne used to teach accounting and Christine teaches marketing. As for François, he has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a Chartered Accountant and Statutory Auditor. Since 2003, he has also become a Spanish ‘Auditor de Cuentas’ (Accounts Auditor).

This special relationship they enjoy with the school is something François is attempting to foster among his peers, students and alumni from Audencia, by dedicating himself to developing the Madrid chapter.

“Today, everyone is well aware of just how important a network is. It facilitates relations and can prove very useful in many different situations: getting to meet the experts, swapping stories, promoting and selling your products and services, or finding a job.”

He is indeed a valuable and dedicated ambassador who is helping to promote both the alumni network and the school, taking part in strengthening cross-links to other networks in Madrid such as the RAGEFE*, as well as helping to fast-track Audencians, to Madrid and beyond.

*RAGEFE: Alumni Network of the French Grandes Ecoles in Spain which currently has over 1,000 members.

Géraldine Lance, Editor

Celebrations happening all over the place

Class years from Audencia’s 88, 98 and 2008 SciencesCom programmes had the pleasure of gathering together for their 10th, 20th and 30th anniversary celebrations at the start of the new school year. Each class year had arranged to meet up in Nantes or Paris to take a look back over the good old days, while sharing stories in a joyful and convivial setting. Such was their delight in seeing each other that they have wasted no time and already arranged a meet-up in 2019, this time in the summer, where they have plumped on having a barbeque party.

Have a look at the photos 88 and 98.

Meanwhile, graduates from the Grande Ecole programme have been enjoying their own celebrations. A total of 41 of them, from the GE class year of 78, gathered on 28 September this year at Audencia. Martial Le Berre, former lecturer, joined in on the celebrations. This special school homecoming, providing them with a chance to reminisce over their student years, was greatly appreciated by all guests in attendance, an impressive 40 years post-graduation. See more photos.

On 13 October, it was the turn of those from the class of GE 08. They had their meet-up in Paris, on board a barge which was moored at the quayside. Forty attendees took part in toasting their class year’s 10th anniversary, as part of an unforgettable evening of celebrations. There was an engaging programme of events: a cocktail reception, with two rooms – two different moods (musical) and throw-back hit songs from 2004 to 2008 of course.

The GE 98, for their part, gathered together on 20 October, where 59 guests joined in on the party celebrating their 20th class year anniversary. It was quite a bash, going on until 4 o’clock in the morning, hosted at the Villa Frochot, a former Parisian cabaret.

MDC: these last 10 years have flown by

The Specialised Masters in Marketing Design Creation is all set to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Organised by three students (Roxane Joly, Fanny Spiroux and Chloé Cubaud) under the tutorship of Nicolas Minvielle, Programme Director, the anniversary weekend promises to be quite something. On 1 and 2 December, around sixty alumni are expected to attend the event being held at the Mediacampus. On the programme of events: conferences, student presentations, mingling workshops, project pitches, strategy and collaborative activities, and much more besides. Activities happening on Saturday will carry on to the Manoir de Procé where there will be a cocktail reception and an evening of dance. We are going to keep you in suspense as to the wonderful surprises we have in store for you. We will however let you in on the fact that we’ve hired a chef to take charge on Sunday morning and that the weekend will wind up over dinner hosted at the Château de la Rosière.

Audencia SciencesCom is opening up its doors  

On Saturday 8 December next month, Audencia SciencesCom is organising the first in a long series of Open Days at the Mediacampus. It’s THE place to be if you want to learn more about this school of communication and the media, where you can rub shoulders with alumni as well as the students and teams here, and find out everything you need to know about training courses, student projects, professions, international openings and lots more besides.

For more information

Amandine Luce, on behalf of the Audencia Alumni Team

Fast becoming a white hot shopping date in France

Retracing the history of Black Friday in France takes us back eight years to when it was first brought over by Amazon and Apple. Now the event forms an integral part of the French retail landscape and the proof is in the figures: in 2013, French online shoppers spent 482 million euros over Black Friday weekend. For 2018, online sales forecasts are set to reach 966 million euros, equating to an almost 100% increase in e-commerce over the past six years.

“Black Friday is a mammoth event for us here at l’Oréal, giving us an extra window of opportunity to win over new customers. Admittedly, our profit margins take a hit but it also generates a significant increase in sales. Today, Black Friday has become a mainstay with bargain hunters eagerly awaiting the date to make their purchases. What’s more, according to FEVAD (the federation of distance selling professionals) figures are very encouraging for the French market! A massive 80% of French e-shoppers are planning to make purchases during this period comprising an average shopping cart value of 180€!” explains Martin-Pierre Minaud (IMM 17), Online Brand Manager for L’Oréal Paris Makeup France.

Black Friday is changing the way we work

This event packs such a powerful retail punch that Martin-Pierre has been forced to alter his business plan.

“Today, Black Friday has become a red-letter day in retail, on a par with Christmas, Easter and back-to-school seasons. To achieve optimum sales figures, I make every effort to ensure that our web page content is on point, that the products are matched, there is makeup advice and I also buy publicity space a few days prior to attract new customers. Black Friday has completely revolutionised online trading!”

Furthermore, the number of online retailers taking part in the event is on the rise. This year, 57% of them were unleashing special Black Friday deals compared to only 22% in 2017.

This is just the beginning as henceforth Black Friday is set to become a week-long shopping bonanza and not just a one-day trading event. All this bodes well if you’re planning to grab yourself some great bargains!  

Géraldine Lance, Editor

In January, six students from Audencia will be heading out to Las Vegas and California to embark on their journey of inspiration at the Consumer Electronics Show, a trip organised and funded by alumni from the school.

Marked by experience gained during their own prior trips to the CES in Las Vegas, which provided them with much food for thought and turned out to be a great network-expanding opportunity, graduates from Audencia’s Dirigeants de l’Ouest Club (joining business leaders mainly based in Nantes and the west of France), have decided to take students from the school along with them this time. The chosen students heading out on this upcoming expedition to the United States are from courses and classes across the board.

The Audencia Foundation set up a collection in order to raise funds. Following a call for applications, 61 students presented their projects and explained their reasons in support of their bid during a two-phase selection process. In the end, six winners were chosen:  

• Xi Jin, a Chinese student from the full-time MBA course, who has just started his own company (this project is still confidential)
• Niels Rolland, a student on the Grande Ecole programme, who has recently joined forces with two friends from HEC and EDHEC to set up Ticoon “the first blockchain and decentralisation factory”
• Fiona Ge Cao, a Chinese IMM student, who hopes to combine innovation, the food industry and CSR with her ‘cookie cup’ project
• Romain Gardereau and Chloé Zirah, GE students working on a digital platform connecting psychologists and employees
• Camille Gras, undergraduate student for whom this trip is:

"a golden opportunity for me to hone my expertise that I’ll then be able to apply to my project which centres on marketing and automation. It’s also a great way to learn from the graduates we’ll be meeting during our stay and that goes for those working in Silicon Valley as well as those who’ll be travelling with us from France".

In Las Vegas, the students will be in continuous contact with graduates and businesses. They will then fly out to Silicon Valley. On the programme, there will be company tours and meet-ups with the new San Francisco branch as part of a networking event. This enriching trip has all the hallmarks of a once in a lifetime experience for students who are in pursuit of professional references.

Guy-Pierre Chomette, Editor

Velco, the FrenchTech start-up founded by three home-grown Audencians (Romain Savouré (GE 16), Pierre Régnier (GE 16) and Johnny Smith (GE 17)), has just succeeded in raising three million euros of capital to go towards stepping up their company growth. The Nantes business has devised the first ever connected handlebar which can be fitted onto any bike. So, what exactly is the ultimate goal of all this fundraising? Within the next three years, to help the company on its way to becoming the European leader in smarter connected bike mobility.

There is currently a wealth of creative talents launching themselves into the entrepreneurial world. In 2018, in the same way as Velco, they have also succeeded in creating their own start-ups, by raising business capital and launching their breakthrough product. All of them are Audencia graduates, with wide-ranging profiles and sensitivities, but they all share a common desire to break new ground within their respective markets.

Spotlight on some fellow Audencians marking this year…

• One of our recent graduates, fresh out of our Grande Ecole Programme, Paul Cales (GE 18), has set his sights on revolutionising the technical content of live shows with his start-up Naostage
• In very much the same spirit, we find Coline Mazeyrat (GE 11) and her Jho brand (tampons and sanitary towels made from organic cotton) that has come up with a product offering which was not previously catered for on the market
• Frédéric Belhache (GE 88) started Invirtus Technologies, a new start-up rethinking the services related to geolocation. Before this, he had a career working as Financial Director in a range of companies
• For Yves Le Gohebel (Exec MBA 08), at the helm of Connexing since 2009, his future business model would also take him down the road of innovation: he has developed a “connected bag”, which uses solar energy to recharge batteries

Discover their inspiring success stories!

Entrepreneurs to watch out for in 2019

2019 is just around the corner, and this year promises a plethora of upcoming initiatives!

• Cyril Neves (GE 11) and his “Petits Bidons”, providing eco-friendly laundry detergents, 100% made in France
• Mathilde Abjean (Bachelor 17), founder of Lunetik, a marketplace for second-hand glasses
• Jérôme Pasquet (MBA 06), founder of Peek’in, a solution for returning items of lost property to their owner
• Guillaume Odier (GE 17), at the helm of Captain Data, a solution allowing websites to be converted into a structured database
• Aliaume Breteau (GE 16) & Jean-Baptiste de Chaisemartin (GE 16) for Bee HealthCare, an automated medical device for taking blood samples or inserting catheters.

If we haven’t mentioned your start-up yet, please contact the team to tell us all about your project audenciaalumni@audencia.com 

  Jordi Soude (SciencesCom 07), editor & Amandine Luce, on behalf of the Audencia Alumni Team

Some fellow Audencians have changed post in recent months:

• Pierre-Edouard De Lamy (GE 15) has been appointed Private Equity Analyst at RAISE Investissement
• Fanny Guyomard (MAHTI 92) has been appointed Director of Senior Residences at Domitys 
• Yann Hinsinger (GE 91) has been appointed Managing Director at BIZZBEE
• Olivier Lopez (Audencia SciencesCom 09) has been appointed Commercial Director at La Chose agency 
• Chloé Miller (GE 13) has been appointed Senior Associate at MBO Partenaires
• Jean-Marc Pontroué (GE 86) has been appointed CEO of Officine Panerai
• Constance Quenin (GE 15) has been appointed Associate at CM-CIC Consulting, Institute of corporate administration
• Thomas Roulet (GE 09) has been appointed University Senior Lecturer in Organisation Theory at Cambridge Judge Business School and Fellow in Sociology & Management Studies at Girton College, Cambridge University
• Sandrine Rudeaux (GE 93) has been appointed Associate with the Taj law firm

A fellow Audencian has set up their own company:

• Geoffrey Chapuis (GE 16) Co-founder of Team Plaisir

We would like to express our congratulations to each of you on these appointments and on the launch of this wonderful new business venture!

If you too would like to tell us about your recent appointment or new start-up, please drop us a line here: audenciaalumni@audencia.com

Emilie Tendron, on behalf of the Audencia Alumni Team