Audencia's Alumni Magazine

On board this Air France San Francisco – Paris flight, we find the six winners of the very first Audencia Foundation CES – Silicon Valley Learning Expedition, which was entirely spearheaded, funded and organised by graduates. They are running through the shared highlights of their action-packed trip which proved to be one full of emotions, encounters and discoveries. Indeed, this trip stands to have a profound long-lasting effect on each of their personal journeys.

Arriving late evening on the eve of the event, they are thrown straight in. The immensity of the CES packs quite a punch: 35,000 exhibitors, spread out over several convention centres, several kilometres apart. This visit must clearly be well-prepared: this is no time to be improvising, otherwise you end up wasting more time racing from one place to another than you do discovering the latest tech trends. 

Guided around by Michaël Thoby (ExecMBA 13, Emotic), seasoned CES goer, the party makes a beeline for FrenchTech where it meets up with Pierre Régnier (GE 16) and Johnny Smith (GE 17) from Vel’co, who let them in on their impressions of being young graduate entrepreneurs. Vel’co is doing well and growing fast, serving as a reminder to the students that as long as you have the right project, it is indeed possible to launch your company straight after graduation.

The day is punctuated with encounters with entrepreneurs who have a range of differing profiles. Even more than the projects themselves, with anything from the connected shoe to the virtual reality headset, what really strikes a chord is getting to hear about their inspiring career paths and personal stories.

With Friday morning there is a change of scene, as they head towards the Las Vegas Convention Center, on the hunt for the huge stands where the tech giants are exhibiting. On the programme can be found 8K televisions, robots, drones, connected cars and more besides, as well as all the latest breakthrough technologies in goods, mobility, health to provide a better or easier life.

Yet, sniffing out the latest trends around a trade show, albeit on such a mind-blowing scale, still leaves you wanting more: the inventions need to be seen in a real-world context, to convince them all that they too can be part of this movement.

Now off to the Bay Area, accompanied by Lucie Gouanelle (GE 98), ambassador of the local chapter, to meet up with the Tech and Web giants, like Facebook, and the start-up ecosystem. At Plug&Play, the accelerator behind the launch of PayPal, as well as the startupper Jordi Torras (EuroMBA 04, Inbenta), VC (Venture Capital) Vincent Diallo (GE 02, BleuCapital) or even the trend scout Matthieu Soulé (GE 10, BNP Paribas Workshop), with each encounter there emerges a myriad of varying points of view – good as well as bad – about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in the Valley.

Undoubtedly, this is a pragmatic way of illustrating the essential value held dear by the Audencia Alumni network: intergenerational transmission. Testament to this is the strong personal bond forged between students Romain, Camille, Fiona, Xi, Chloé, Niels, and the graduates Michaël Thoby, Lucie Gouanelle and François Macé, who participated in making this project such a success.

Florence Alix-Gravellier and Marine Jégu, on behalf of Audencia Alumni Team

Early that morning, as Jordi Torras (EuroMBA 04) welcomes us into the Inbenta offices, outside it is pouring down with rain over Foster City, on the entry point into Silicon Valley. Looking slightly drawn, with coffee in hand, he begins by telling us how he’s just got back from a trip to Barcelona, his home city and the place where his entrepreneurial adventure had all started.

Jordi communicates in a simple and straightforward manner, common to that of US-Americans, coupled with the warmth of the Latins. He takes great pleasure in sharing his story with the students and this is palpable. He is not guarded when it comes to talking about his career path, the challenges he’s faced or his achievements. In just a few minutes, he gets straight to the point by telling it as it is for an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley.

IT expert by training, Jordi began his entrepreneurial career back in 1997 when, alongside his brother, he founded SBD, an IT consultancy business, based in Barcelona. In 2004, he sold off SBD to Alten and graduated from the EuroMBA, an exclusive two-year training programme for international executive managers, associating six EU institutions one of which is Audencia.

Feeling ready for a new entrepreneurial venture, Jordi initially thought about setting up a new consultancy business. However, challenged by persistent requests from his customers, he decided to put new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence and automatic natural language processing, to the service of customer relations. In 2010, alongside a team of experts in language, software systems and customer relations, he launched a version of Beta from his search engine with a chatbot built into it, making Inbenta the sole provider on the market offering this 2-in-1 solution.

In 2012, after making it to California after winning a Plug&Play challenge, he found it hard to adjust to his new life.

“I was totally miserable during my first year here. I didn’t manage to get any business at all.  It didn’t take me long to lose all of my benefits at Plug&Play due to the crisis and I thought about heading back to Europe. However, I was kept afloat by the income from the Inbenta operation in Spain and Brazil, so I gave myself two more years to make it. This payed off: in 2014, my luck came in as I was making a pitch at Plug&Play, I landed my first roundtable, to the tune of 2 million euros” he explains.

However, the entrepreneurial adventure was never known for being all plain sailing, and so in 2017, Jordi had to reinvent his business model to take things to the next level. He went from a personalised platform, which was time-consuming and required human resources to cater for each customer’s needs, to a catalogue of products which were rapid and simple to roll out. In parallel, the business underwent a bout of several tough months due to some HR issues and a violent attack on Inbenta’s IT systems, however this didn’t stop it from continuing to grow in line with the founder’s plans.

Jordi remains enthusiastic and upbeat but is keeping a watchful eye on proceedings at the start of 2019 and looks on with some degree of gravity. Remaining philosophical, he hopes that the year “won’t bring with it too many disasters” and that it will be a year when all their hard work pays off, in turn bringing stability for Inbenta and the team in 2020.

Florence Alix-Gravellier and Marine Jégu, on behalf of Audencia Alumni Team

A new academic year often brings along major innovation! Here at Audencia, this change has come with the launch of two new programmes for September 2019.

Firstly, there is the Specialised Master in Energy Transition Management. Audencia has designed this Bac+6 master in collaboration with three other schools in the Nantes area, namely Centrale Nantes, ENSA Nantes and the Nantes Atlantique School of Design.

In the words of André Sobczak, course director:

“This Specialised Master will enable future graduates to build a meaningful career, by training them to have the necessary skills required in the building of new business models. These will strengthen economic performance and will at the same time aid in tackling climate change. It is estimated that by 2050, some 900,000 jobs will have been created due to energy transition. Our programme is designed to meet this need.”

During their year of training, the students will work on innovative projects headed up by businesses and public authorities. They will benefit from expert guidance and will also gain from networking with some of the key actors in energy transition, such as the WWF which is one of the partners backing this specialised master. At the end of their studies, they will be equipped with all the necessary tools required to become agile managers within the energy industry.

Another new development for the start of this New Year, is the Specialised Master in Music Industry Management.

“In the midst of streaming, the development of live broadcasts, changing trends in economic models and funding, ‘diagonal’ concentration, globalisation and changing cultural practices, new skills are required to meet major upheavals in the music industry. This is the driving force behind the first Specialised Master dedicated to this sector, set up by Audencia in partnership with Campus M,” explains Carole Le Rendu, professor at Audencia and academic director of the programme.

Under the name of Specialised Master in Music Industry Management, it will enable students to grasp the various activities related to music production and broadcasting, in terms of recording and live broadcasts, for various venues and festivals. The additional advantage of this programme lies in its top-level teaching staff and panel of professional experts, including Jean-Pierre Roland, Director of the Eurockéennes of Belfort Festival, Philippe Chantepie, Inspector General for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and digital economy expert, as well as Sophie Guénebaut, Director at LABA, specialised in the setting up of creative industry projects in Europe.

For enrolment onto these programmes, applicants must be qualified to either Bac+5 level or Bac+4 with 3 years of professional experience.

Géraldine Lance, Editor

A new set-up as part of the Pôle Image Magelis, an exclusive partnership with the Morbihan CCI, seeking to promote skills within the region, the establishment of an international agribusiness institute and the list goes on. Audencia is certainly starting the new year off in style!

With its special focus on contributing to the development of creative initiatives and innovation within the region, Audencia has teamed up with the Pôle Image Magelis. This economic development centre, in the image and digital audio-visual sectors, works on a large scale (12 schools, 100 companies and associations specialised in this sector, 40 animation and video game studios) and is the leader in its field. So, what’s on offer? Unprecedented dual-competence training courses enabling students to combine both their technical know-how from an array of image-related and audio-visual production trades, whilst honing their management and leadership skills. So, from next September onwards, first year students on the Grande Ecole Programme at Audencia will be able to follow a new “animated film” programme which will be headed up by a team of experts from EMCA (a school specialising in the animated film professions). It should be noted that other courses may be established between now and the autumn of 2019 or in spring 2020 in collaboration with other schools belonging to the Pôle Image Magelis. Please also note that “animated film” and “audiovisual production and multimedia production management” specialisations will be available at the Angouleme campus from September 2020.

Working together to promote and support

Another venture underway is alongside the Morbihan CCI. Through this exclusive partnership, signed in November 2018 for a three-year period, the two institutions are pooling their resources and know-how and setting up training courses which will lead to top-level degree programmes aimed at senior executives from SME/ISEs as well as managers in domains currently undergoing widespread transformations, such as logistics or supply chain. In parallel, both partners are focussing on providing support for companies in the area with regards to issues related to economic differentiation and competitiveness.

For this reason, Audencia helped in the setting up of CIGA (Collaborative Institute of Global Agribusiness). So, what exactly does this institute seek to achieve? It aims to provide the necessary expertise in order to empower and boost agrifood talent in the area, a sector that is currently undergoing profound changes. The CIGA will also be publishing an annual barometer and carrying out its own research initiatives. So, keep watching this space!

Florence Falvy, Editor

From 15 March onwards, Audencia is heading out across the world, with its course set for China where it will be inaugurating the all new “Audencia Around the World” event. On the programme: an 8-day whistle-stop tour across the globe, meeting up with some of our 3,400 alumni currently working overseas. That is to say, no fewer than fifteen celebratory events. So, here’s to a great trip!

For Jules Verne, the author from Nantes, Around the World in 80 Days has to be his most famous book. So, as a nod to this literary reference, Audencia has decided to take inspiration from his extraordinary voyages to christen this new event celebrating all things global: “Audencia Around The World”, with its accompanying slogan, “An alumni journey in 8 days”. So, what’s the idea behind the event? To bring alumni communities together, these chapters which are present right across the world, from Dublin to Singapore, and from Abidjan to Shanghai and Sydney, not forgetting London of course. What better way to build bridges between each country and our Audencia alumni currently working outside France? Today, there are 33 chapters spanning 26 countries.

We’ve come full circle!

In this way, Audencia Around the World will be following in the footsteps of Jules Verne. There will however be one slight difference! In fact, this journey is set to start in Chengdu, in China, on 15 of next March, before a stopover on Chinese soil this time in Shenzhen, on 22 March. That tots up to a round-the-world trip in just 8 days, and it’s one which you’ll be able to follow every step of the way.  

In total, no fewer than 15 celebratory events will be hosted over four continents during the week. In each city, ambassadors will assume the role of organising the celebrations, on their preferred day, with the support of Audencia who will be providing them with a kit containing accessories etc. All events will also feature a joint communications campaign. So then, remember the name: Audencia Around the World. After all, this event might just be hitting the headlines again sometime soon.

Florence Falvy, Editor

At the age of 25, this graduate, fresh out of Audencia, got her first taste of cooperation while in Morocco alongside her husband, a medical doctor, and this experience gave Christine Brunier (GE 80) the desire to take things a step further by devoting herself to serving others.

“Our experience in Morocco proved life-changing,” Christine tells us. “Our eldest son was born out there,” she says “and we always promised ourselves that we would one day pick up the adventure where we left off.”

In fact, it was in September 2010 that Christine and Xavier would head out to Cameroon with the DCC (the French Catholic Delegation for Cooperation). Their mission: to take care of a bush hospital and a leper village.

This second assignment took two years to come to fruition in collaboration with their partner, the Ad Lucem Foundation, and its implementation coincided with a period in their lives when the couple had time to invest all their energy. “Our youngest son was finishing his studies and our mothers were both in good health,” Christine explains. Xavier handed over his GP practice in the Nantes area, Christine resigned from her post as alumni relations coordinator (Réseaudencia at that time) and they sold their family home and told the children they were leaving.

“The news didn’t come as any surprise to them; they were aware of our desire to achieve something concrete,” says Christine.

With the support of associations in and around Nantes, they managed to head out with a container of medical supplies.

“Xavier had more equipment in his GP surgery in Nantes than they had in the entire hospital,” Christine tells us.

Out in the sticks, with no water or electricity and a bush hospital to get back on its feet

Nden, the village where the hospital can be found, is located in South-East Yaounde in a tropical forest. The nearest village is a 30-minute trail away. Their first assignment was to get the hospital – left derelict – up and running again. Xavier, a French GP, found himself taking on the role of surgeon, midwife and gynaecologist in Nden. Christine ran the hospital pharmacy, the leper village and the cocoa plantation.

There was a big culture shock so we had to adapt. Patients would arrive at the hospital with their pots and pans to cook with.

“We were moved on a daily basis by their utter poverty. It’s tough finding yourself with nothing to give when you come face to face with real destitution,” Christine explains.

They couldn’t even count on having access to water. They received support from France but also from Cameroon. At that time, the defence minister was a native from one of Nden’s neighbouring villages. A humanitarian association came to install photovoltaic panels: “We managed to get water and electricity after four months,” Christine recollects.

“When you get back to France, you are a changed person”

Christine and Xavier both felt they had shared a great deal and passed a lot on throughout the two years they spent in Nden. As well as leaving behind a hospital fit for purpose, they were involved with raising preventative awareness in the surrounding villages during their times of sharing with the inhabitants. More than eight years after their return to France, Christine and Xavier have continued to give meaning to the work they carry out. Today, Christine works just a stone’s throw from Audencia’s Atlantic Campus as mission head for the Pastoral Care of Migrants. Xavier, as well as his role as permanent deacon for the diocese of Nantes, is the coordinating physician for ADAPEI (local organisations of friends and parents of disabled children).

Katie Francois, on behalf of Audencia Alumni Team

Right across the class-year board, more and more of you are getting behind this campaign year on year. Many thanks to you all!

On being invited to participate in the Audencia Foundation’s "Audacieux Ensemble" (daring together) collection fund, alumni showed up in large numbers to answer the call. With €70,000 raised in 2018 compared to €45,000 in 2017, there has been a marked increase in participation.

Out of the three possible channels of alumni donations, the open fund (a perennial fund providing support for the school where its needs are greatest) has come out on top, followed by the social and cultural openness grants and support for entrepreneurship.

A dedicated website (audacieux-ensemble.com) has enabled alumni to share memories together of time spent at the school and speak with students to get a grasp of the issues behind this collection. We managed to get our message across: with changes to their business model, tuition fees alone will no longer suffice if business schools are to remain innovative and able to train their students to cope with the current shifts and challenges faced by society.

Thanks to your kind generosity, which remains critical in enhancing the reach of the school and the network, new projects are being set up:

• The Learning Expedition, organised for the beginning of January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, enabled six students from Audencia to flex their entrepreneurial muscles as they met up with experts in the field;
• New openness grants are being developed, seeking to support students on our Management in the Music Industry programme, where the challenge is to recruit those from a range of profiles to train up key players to meet transformations in this sector.

On 31 December, the year-end results for our Daring together campaign came in positive. As a way of combining business with pleasure, those donating over €100 were entitled to a bottle of wine from their own class year vintage, as part of Audencia’s Millésime project.

Guy-Pierre Chomette, Editor

As a graduate of the International Master in Management (IMM) in 2016, Vidhi Khare initially worked for 7 years in the IT sector before joining the ranks of the RATP.

You are now in charge of online distribution for RATP Dev, subsidiary of the RATP geared towards the running of transport networks other than the Paris metro system. Could you take us through two or three important milestones in your career?

Vidhi Khare: I’ve always had a keen interest in technology. My initial training as an engineer has allowed me to work in this fast-changing world especially with the onset of the digital era. I started out working in basic engineering before going on to work in software engineering. After a 7-year period in IT consultancy, I moved on more towards technology project management and resource planning as well as business data analysis. In fact, getting into the travel industry in Europe has enabled me to combine my management and IT skills.

In what way would you say RATP Dev is an innovative business?

Vidhi Khare: With its focus on delivering increasingly performant online services, its innovation is able to meet the needs and expectations of our end users. When you think of RATP or RATP Dev, what immediately springs to mind is the RER, metro, buses, tramways, Open Tour bus, etc. However, it’s more than just that. Both businesses are massively investing in innovation. Picture yourself standing in a metro station. It is now possible to know the arrival time of the next train in real time. This may not seem like much, but it requires complex technology, especially for metros operating several feet underground.

Can you give us an example of one of these innovative projects you’ve been involved with as part of RATP Dev, one which the general public might be familiar with?

Vidhi Khare: In 2014, following RATP Dev’s takeover of Open Tour Paris, a sightseeing bus service, we had to tackle the following issue: how could we attract tourists who were strolling the streets of Paris? We set to work on a mobile device enabling you to book your ticket, pay for it with your credit card and then print it, all this in under a minute. Now, Open Tour Paris generates a large part of its activity via this channel that didn’t even exist a year ago.

Nushad Merchant (IMM 17) on behalf of Audencia Alumni Team and Guy-Pierre Chomette, Editor

The Imaginary Empire: Portugal between two globalizations is a cultural interpretation of Portuguese national identity and based on anthropology, history, geography and literary studies. Written by Guilherme Azevedo, PhD, and associate professor at Audencia since 2014, where he is deputy head of the Consulting Major, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to Portuguese studies which will appeal to both students and seasoned researchers alike.

Azevedo Guilherme. The Imaginary Empire: Portugal between two globalizations. Cambridge University Press (2018). 

Sophie teaches yoga to children in Singapore from her “So Yoga” studio, with the aim of bringing pleasure, happiness, peace and relaxation to children through the medium of yoga. Sophie is also behind the launch of “Mini Yogi”, a collection of lovely colourful books, making yoga accessible, simple and fun for little yogis. The Elephant of Wisdom is the first volume in the collection and available for purchase at www.soyoga.com.sg/miniyogi, with deliveries possible all over the world.

Sophie Spoor (GE 04). The Elephant of Wisdom

Drawing on their own business world experiences, the authors of this book explain how corporate actors can overcome the challenges they face by adopting a veritable hands-on and more efficient approach than that of the written and spoken word. Illustrated with photos and diagrams, this practical guide demonstrates how to boldly and rapidly test ideas, trying them out as opposed to deliberating for too long during the planning phase. Although trusty allies, it is not always necessary to invest in a Fab Lab or hire great “tinkerers” to achieve this! Quite the contrary: the authors’ experience proves that it is more effective to bring the actual decision makers face-to-face with hands-on practice. In enabling them to rediscover the role modelling plays in management and innovation, Maquetter shows them how innovation is literally at their fingertips. Thus, in the manager’s toolkit, models help towards bridging the gap between strategy and execution.

For deliveries and further information head to: maquetter.fr

Modelling; businesses using hands-on innovation
by Nicolas Minvielle, Martin Lauquin and Olivier Wathelet
DiateIno Editions, 2019

If you too are a graduate whose work has been published, then we’d love to hear about it. 

Please drop us a few lines at: audenciaalumni@audencia.com

Emilie Tendron, on behalf of Audencia Alumni Team