My Professional Journey
I came to HR when I was finishing my master 1 in Economic Sciences. At this time, I was president of the Faculty students association and vice president of the University students. One of my teachers, also Human Resources Director, came to me asking this question: did you think about an HR career? The answer was no, but a few months after I was doing an internship in his company, the topic? A lay off plan… I learnt how much the human touch was important in this kind of situations, that the grief curve is real and that human beings are incredible. So I chose the HR journey and applied for the best HR Master 2 in France, the Ciffop.
Graduated in 1997, I applied mainly to big companies with the very french idea of an internal career path. I have been hired by the biggest French utility company before my graduation, which was, regarding the French employment market at this time, quite an achievement. During my career in this Group, I got nearly all the possible HR assignments, payroll and administration manager, Company learning expert, Human Resources Managers, Executive Assistant to a Group HR Director, often got additional assignments like procurement, finance, facility and security management.
Along this route in different companies of the same Group, I discovered new operational activities and met wonderful people. Some of them made me grow, opening my mind to personal development, for example, some others I supported them to grow. Their smile when they succeeded was my main reward. Thanks to 2 managers coaches, I really started my personal development journey in 2004 and since I never stopped. It is not only an inner journey, knowing myself, always trying to understand my blind spots and improve myself have an impact on my relationships with others. I spontaneously started to encourage others to follow their own personal development path, my first steps as a coach.
After 15 professional years and after being myself coached to design my next professional steps, we made with my family a decision that changed our life: I accepted a job offer from the Group as Chief Administrative Officer of a dam in Laos. I was there in charge of HR of course, but also transportation, security, IT, facility management on-site and for the head office. Head of a division of 100 Laotians, I lived a wonderful professional adventure, discovering an amazing culture and amazing people. Within 4 years, and for the HR field, I, for example, developed partnerships with French and Laotian educational system to improve the technical qualification of young Laotians, updated the company compensations and benefits system and, also, the Performance Management system
From 2018 to 2023 (May) I was Chief HR of Dextra Group (Bangkok, Thailand, 1000 employees working in 25 countries, 3 factories in China, Thailand, and India), in charge of the worldwide HR function. An international position, crossing a lot of different cultures with an engaging challenge in our Vulnerable, Uncertain Complex and Ambiguous world. I played a key role in fostering a culture of coaching and continuous learning within the Group. Additionally, I spearheaded the HR digital journey and put forth the Group HR policy to actively contribute to shaping the overall Group Culture.
Currently, I am situated in France, serving as the Chief HR Officer of Olmix Group, a rapidly expanding medium-sized company. Our mission is to advance sustainable agriculture and offer environmentally friendly solutions for the well-being of plants and animals. With approximately 1000 employees spread across over 30 countries, including six factories in Brazil, France, and Vietnam, my responsibility is to lead an HR organization capable of facilitating growth and enhancing both the employee and HR experience.
Aside from this HR adventure, I also got teaching and researching adventures. I taught many years HR and negotiation for French universities and I got a PHD for research dedicated to negotiation and field negotiation with trade unions. Under @Frank Bournois’s supervision, I got my PhD in 2007. So my whole professional life has been driven by supporting others to learn and grow. Becoming a coach was a logical decision I made in 2020 with my CEO’s support. Now I am ready to use my HR and my coaching skills to support your growth.