After obtaining a diploma in Accounting and Finance, I joined Groupe SEB in 1995. Since then, I have learned a great deal about the world of finance working on various Group sites. After a first experience in industrial financial control at Is-sur-Tille in Burgundy, my next career move took me to another industrial site, this time at Vernon in Normandy, where I occupied the positions of Sales Controller, Central Controlling Manager and Administrative and Financial Manager. After 8 years, I felt I would like to discover new aspects of the profession and the Group offered me the chance to participate in the creation of a Shared Service Centre for accountancy at Selongey in Burgundy. The objective was to set up a centralized accounting organization based on strict procedures and processes manned by a team of fifty.  It was a very new and operational approach for the Group. After integrating 8 companies over a five-year period, I was appointed Controlling Director for Linen, Personal and Home Care business unit in Lyon.

So I am back in financial control but this time in close contact with product development as well as strategic marketing which is very exciting especially as we work with such brilliant products!

What attracted me about the opportunity to become the Director of Human Resources of Canonburg site was Groupe SEB’s long respected global reputation for the production, sales and marketing of premium brands.  All Clad and Krups in particular have an excellent reputation in the USA and are recognized as market leaders. This combined with the fact that the full spectrum of business activities is located onsite – Development, production, marketing, logistics, sales – has lead to a very entrepreneurial spirit and camaraderie among the team who work closely together. It is like being part of a family where everyone can say what they think and gives each other a hand. It was something that struck me when I arrived in 2008 when the site was in the process of being reorganized; we felt the positive impact the next year.

It is very exciting to be a member of the High End Brands team at this time of change and look forward to continued career growth and development within the Group.

I began my career with Groupe SEB in Moscow as a Personal Assistant then as the subsidiary’s Human Resources Manager. In 1999, I joined the Group’s Information Systems department in Ecully. As a Functional Expert, I manage IT projects and participate in the roll-out of new tools. After working in the field of human resources, I devote my time today to Intranet portals and collaborative services. I act as the interface between technical experts who develop IT solutions and the departments or professionals who use them in order to translate their needs into precise specifications. This calls for a great deal of discussions and I really enjoy this mix between the technical and interpersonal. Once the applications have been developed, I also assist in user training, support and maintenance.

There is no routine with us: a project lasts from 1 to 2 years at most and the technology and tools are constantly evolving. I enjoy the independence I have to manage projects, while benefiting from a shared work methodology and support from the management. Not to mention individual respect, which takes the form of real diversity within teams, among other things.

The “Developing our talents” seminar I attended at the Groupe SEB University, when I was Accounts Manager of the Group’s Brazilian subsidiary Arno, was a turning point for me in several ways.  First of all, it taught me how the Group functions as a whole. We studied all the key processes behind the core functions - finance, marketing, industry, human resources, etc. - both theoretically with lecturers from Lyon Business School and from a practical point of view with contributions from top management.  It was also very edifying to exchange points of view with colleagues from different departments and countries. Finally, it provided me with an opening for an international promotion.  During the training, human resources offered me the job of Consolidation Accountant at the Finance Division. I jumped at the chance to move up professionally, work at headquarters and live in a new country.

After two months of intensive French lessons, I started my new job at the beginning of 2009 and I’m certainly glad I did.

If you are keen to evolve professionally and you make every effort to do this, it’s possible in Groupe SEB! I began as a Personal Assistant in Brazil in 2003 and at the same time, I took a specialization in marketing, a field I am particularly interested in. After 2 years, I was appointed Marketing Assistant for Brazil, before becoming the Marketing Coordinator for South America. During this time, I supervised communication for all Group products: brand websites, local customization of advertising designed in the head office, the buying of media space, etc. This position taught me a lot about the diversity of countries on the subcontinent and relations between subsidiaries and HQ. In 2008, I was offered the post of Intranet Communication Manager at the Group headquarters. Going to France was a dream and I accepted immediately! It also provided the opportunity to progress in my career and discover the internal communication business. Today, I manage the Group’s Intranet portal with a view to boosting its global outreach, while bringing it closer to local entities units and their specific requirements. I also coordinate the development of Intranet platforms to help the Group’s teams work together more effectively.

I am in touch with colleagues from all over the world and it’s inspiring!

I participated in a one-week Groupe SEB University training seminar for young managers in the fall of 2009 in Lyon. There were about thirty of us from different branches, countries and professions, learning how to consolidate our management skills. As I was a recent recruit to the Group – June 2007 – and am based a long way from headquarters at the Hong Kong subsidiary where I am in charge of finances and IT, this training provided an ideal opportunity to widen my network of contacts. Another interesting aspect was the possibility to analyze my working methods with relation to the Group’s strategy. I was able to apply the lessons I learned as soon as I got back to the office. I discovered there were a set of reference values, shared by everyone, not just in terms of economic strategy – the ability to reconcile long-term vision and short-term management considerations – but also human values and management techniques.

The fact that we were able to have open discussions with members of the Executive Committee and the participation of top quality external lecturers helped make this seminar a resounding success.