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A day about entrepreneurship in Lille
Some entrepreneurs in Northern France attended a morning organised by SKEMA Alumni, to discuss starting a business and to share their own experiences in this area.
On 16 November on the Lille campus, alumni, students and local partners were invited to a morning conference asking the question “Is entrepreneurship a lever for growth?”. Several SKEMA alumni were present, both among the speakers and in the audience. In the keynote, Franck Hanoh (SKEMA 1990), head of the SKEMA Ventures Factory Lille, reminded everyone how important entrepreneurship is for the local economy. One by one, the panelists shared their point of view on the subject. CSR issues quickly became a part of the discussion.
A representative of the Greater Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The panelists included Yann Pitollet (SKEMA 1988), CEO of Nord France Invest, Heather Noreen, Benjamin Zimmer, Lucile Desjonqueres and Murielle Lapage, President of Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise Grand Lille and an elected member of the Greater Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Alumni came to get valuable advice
Several entrepreneurs, such as Etienne Gruyez (SKEMA 2010), CEO of Stoelzle Masnières Parfumerie, a company manufacturing glass bottles and jars for the perfume and cosmetics sectors, had made the trip to be part of the audience.
“The authenticity of the testimonials and the energy of the speakers show how much drive there is to start or run a business, but also the difficulties this entails. It was interesting to hear that the many difficulties or challenges encountered are also what drive success”, said Etienne.
A view shared by Henri Bervick (SKEMA 2010), founder of L’Equipée Verte, a start-up running “CSR team-building” programmes for companies.
“This conference/exchange with actors and observers of the entrepreneurial world has helped validate my own choice to start a business”, he explained.
The next conference in the Matinales series will be held on 22 February 2022 in Sophia Antipolis, on the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (TBC).
Register and find more information here.
PHOTOS OF THE CONFERENCE CONFERENCE REPLAY (in French)
A reverse mentoring workshop after the conference
After the morning conference, the day continued with the third edition of the reverse mentoring workshop run with the association Forces Femmes, in conjunction with SKEMA Ventures and the Women in Business Chair, headed by SKEMA professor Stephanie Chasserio, in the presence of alumni, students and women entrepreneurs.
The principle: 5 entrepreneurs from the Force Femmes association, 6 SKEMA alumni: Henri Bervick (SKEMA 2010), Melanie Rocquain (SKEMA 2008), Tanguy Dubly (SKEMA 2010), Laurent Varjacques (SKEMA 2008), Franck Hanoh (SKEMA 1990), Christophe Derville (SKEMA 1990) and five students shared their advice and experience with these entrepreneurs, who had come for an outside perspective. Experiences, intergenerational advice and titbits of legal, financial, communication and marketing information were shared in the welcoming setting provided by the KCenter.
“Participating in this workshop means giving as much as receiving. The strength of these women, combined with the ingenuity of the students and the experience of the alumni, is the recipe for a successful workshop”, acknowledged Melanie Rocquain (SKEMA 2008), head of Human Resources at AFEJI.
Photos of the SKEMA Alumni Les Matinales conference ©Lora Barra/SKEMA Business School
