Interview with Manaëlle Perchet (PGE 2017), Head of Impact & Sustainable Development I CSR Leader - Wemanity Group “Passion, a life path”

During the interview, Manaëlle Perchet (SKEMA 2017) outlined her background in great detail and also explained why she chose to build a career focused on the environment and sustainable development. You will find Manaëlle’s full bio here (in French): https://hubinstitute.com/experts/perchet.manaelle

What does your job involve at the moment? What are your duties?

As Head of Impact & Sustainable Development, I have three main responsibilities:

• educate, mobilise, and engage all of the company’s employees around solidarity and sustainable development, to give each of them the means and tools to be the change they want to see in the world.
  How? Through inspiring engagement programmes focused on causes dear to our stakeholders; through skills-based sponsorship, thanks to which we are able to support over 100 NGOs with their agile and digital transformation; and through the initiatives launched by our cooperators (fundraising, donations, challenges, impact challenges, etc.).
• help Wemanity implement a so-called “integrated” CSR approach with a view to becoming a mission-driven company where the performance criteria are People, Planet, Profit rather than just the bottom line. In other words, a company that is financially viable, has a positive impact on society, and is respectful of the environment.
• initiate a process of transformation within the company and for our clients, to make digital technology a lever for sustainable transformation through the eco-design of digital services, Green IT, or accessibility for persons with disabilities (for example).

More formally:

Within the European leader in agile and digital transformation, I assist the top management team, and all departments in the five countries where the consulting firm operates, with defining, implementing, measuring, and continuously improving the group’s sustainable and responsible performance. Scope: > 500 people

• Establish the company’s CSR and sustainable development policy with a view towards internal transformation
• Within the Executive Committee: Create, initiate, and get each of the group’s entities on board with the CSR strategy, in alignment with Wemanity’s overarching strategy, its culture, governance, and objectives
• Collect, structure and ensure the sustainability of the resources required for the CSR policy and for its implementation within each entity
• Create skills-based sponsorship and coordinate its policy within 100 partner NGOs:

Indicators: 420 days done in 2021, 310 in 2020, 170 in 2019 (Equivalent donation: < €320,000)

• Coordinate and assess the impact of internal/external actions through pre-defined reports
  Carbon footprint / Materiality matrix / Stakeholder identification / Creation of innovative positive-impact projects
• Embody and impart our values in communication and lobbying activities: conferences, webinars, ecosystem
• Create and develop the business offering dedicated to supporting Wemanity clients with measuring and optimising their digital impact #greenIT #ecodesign #accessibility
• Make digital a lever of sustainable transformation for the company and our clients
• Oversee the development of digital solutions for measuring and reducing the carbon footprint associated with digital
• Support Wemanity in its shift from Friedman’s model to a sustainable “mission-driven” model

Does your job tie in with what you studied at SKEMA?

Since Master’s degrees in CSR/sustainable development didn’t exist in my day, I am self-taught, based on my past experiences in the not-for-profit world, in the transformation of organisations, in Agile coaching, and in managing positive-impact projects. However, my MSc in Project and Programme Management & Business Development has served as a great foundation for programme management, project success, and the management of the teams I’ve had the opportunity to support.

Why did you choose CSR and the environment as a career path?

By conviction! And to be in alignment with my values. I’ve always been driven by a desire to have a positive impact, and to achieve my dreams, convinced that nothing is impossible as long as you’re ready to do what it takes to succeed (and you don’t count the hours you put in ;)). I think the most important quality for a leader is to know how to surround yourself with the right people, to seize opportunities, and to be passionate: I would hope that this is partly what has borne fruit until now.

Can you tell us about Wemanity?

Wemanity is a unique consulting group that helps its clients to become customer-centric, agile, and high-performing in a sustainable way. Since its inception in 2013, Wemanity has become the European leader in agile and digital transformation, with 450 cooperators across 5 countries (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Morocco).

OUR PURPOSE is to change the working world thanks to the power of Agile, of cooperation, and of innovation

OUR AMBITION is to become the undisputed leader in agile and digital transformations

OUR MISSION is to help our clients become customer-centric, agile and high-performing in a sustainable way

More about Wemanity: https://wemanity.com/

This year you made it onto the HUB35 list of 35 “Sustainable Leaders” under 35. Can you tell us more about this list? What does this mean to you?

Through its HUB35 list, the HUB Institute think tank wants to draw attention to the inspiring backgrounds of young “sustainable leaders” recognised by their peers and/or superiors for their capacity to drive sustainable transformations, and creates a community of promising young talents from multiple sectors to foster sharing and mutual support.

This list includes men and women committed to aligning the future of their companies with the future of the planet. Whether they are specialists in CSR, sustainable innovation and/or achieving a positive impact, they are working on sustainable projects that transform their companies so that they are able to meet the challenges of the present and the future.

For me, this nomination is a wonderful acknowledgement of the work accomplished and the impact created, but it is above all an excellent means for me to thank all the people who have believed in me from the start at WeImpact and followed my adventure, either closely or from afar. It is also an opportunity for me to continue to surround myself with inspiring, committed and proactive people who share my values, so that we can grow together and have an even greater impact.

This year, you are going to take part in SKEMA’s CSR Meet-up. What prompted this?

SKEMA has been an excellent educational, professional and relational playing field throughout my studies and career. I met some extraordinary people there I’m still close with today, as well as some passionate professors.

Taking part in SKEMA’s CSR Meet-up is a way to share, transmit, and, I hope, inspire other students on their path, whether through conferences, mentoring, or simply a friendly exchange.

I know how time-consuming, long and tedious it can be to start a business, but I don’t regret any of the efforts or small “sacrifices” I made to achieve these goals that are important to me. A “passion career” has to include passion! From there, the journey is as important as the destination!

What is your fondest memory of your years at SKEMA?

My fondest memory? Impossible to name just one, there are so many. For the purposes of this interview, I would obviously mention our humanitarian trip to Cameroon - our association funded renovation work and educational materials for a school with 350 pupils. Those few weeks were the result of several years’ work and, above all, of the unwavering commitment of all the members of the association, not to mention all the students thanks to whom we were able to arrive on site with very full bags! Then we had the exam resits (oops!) 24 hours after our return, so as you can imagine we were cramming... on the plane, in teams, our heads swimming with memories! It’s impossible to talk about my fondest memories without mentioning L3 and M1 at SKEMA Sophia, and the Semiski trip we organised. I have unforgettable memories of those two years; we had an extremely tight-knit class. And let’s not forget China, Asia, and all the friendships I made in M2 while completing my MSc in Lille.

Was it important for you to maintain ties with SKEMA?

When somebody mentions SKEMA to me, I think of a story, a journey, experiences, values, and a common culture. As such, I always take pleasure in keeping in touch or connecting with the community in order to share. It’s a common foundation that unites us!

What are your plans for the future?

I have many! The future will decide in what order I achieve them. I always have several projects going at the same time, as they often fill different but vital needs for me. However, they all have one thing in common: positive impact!

I strongly believe in the power of meeting new people, of opportunities, and of the evolution of the market towards a radical shift in paradigms for a more sustainable world going forward.  Today, companies must be economically viable, have a positive impact on society, and be respectful of the environment... My plan is therefore to keep taking this approach even further and help companies with their transformation as they make the shift towards performance criteria focused on the triple bottom line: People, Profit, Planet.  In parallel, I’m continuing to work actively on the themes of R&D relating to the impact of digital on the environment, to make digital a truly sustainable lever for transformation that serves society.

Any final words? Some advice?

I will let the great figures of the world do that for me through some quotes that inspire me daily, like mantras, and that I share with those around me as much as possible:

“Be the change you want to see in the world”- Gandhi

”The only way to discover how far you can go is to get up and start walking” - Henri Bergson

”It always seems impossible until it is done” - Nelson Mandela

So believe in your dreams and make them happen!

And finally, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” - Albert Einstein

"Let us think about what has genuine value, about what gives meaning to our lives, and rearrange our priorities accordingly” - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Contact: Manaëlle Perchet - Head of Impact I CSR Leader - Wemanity Group