Where did you learn the basics of running a business?
I learnt the basics of running a business... on stage!This is an astonishing characteristic of consulting - you learn as an apprentice does: gathering experience on different projects, with different colleagues and different clients. After a couple of years, you realise that all the small pieces of experience you've gathered here and there, are like collecting the small pieces of a mosaic - and they start to form a great picture!
Firstly, I acquired at university the skills I consider as key foundations for consulting. I studied agronomy and biochemistry: life sciences make you curious and humble, they teach you to watch and analyse before drawing conclusions. And life sciences prepare you for complex behavior - as complex as the behavior you see in business.
Whom did you work with before becoming a consultant?
I spent a year in a biotechnology company, developing new applications for the products we manufactured. After that, I spent 18 months in Switzerland, promoting French food across the whole country, organising campaigns in the press, in department stores, in wholesale markets and organising courses in the famous Swiss hotel schools.
What will you do in ten years?
I do not know exactly - I will be 60. I guess I will still have many professional... or personal projects.
What kind of people do you like to work with?
I like people who find opportunities in difficult situations. I like those who look forward rather than backwards. I like people who are trying to "do better next time". And I like people who are open to the world.
Is there someone whom you would describe as extraordinary intelligent?
My grandfather always said: "Genius is: changing complicated stuff into simple things". And both my wife Laurence and my partner Patrick use as a motto: "KISS: Keep It Stupid and Simple". I find "intelligent" people are able to structure complex information and make it understandable.
Working many years as a consultant you have managed many projects. Are there really special ones among them?
The great thing about Hommes & Performance is the amazing variety of experiences and profiles we have in the company and the great variety of assignments we get from our clients. The really special assignments are those that are least expected: working on the five continents for a luxury-major is special or helping a client to start a small business from a bankrupt plant is also special.
Why is your company a member of IMCN?
Hommes & Performance joined IMCN because it was a great opportunity to gain access to an international network of consultants. And the values of the other members of the network fit ours perfectly: independence, experience and curiosity.