Gironde: CPME near you

Échos Judiciaires Girondins: In the two years since you were president, what lessons and ideas have you made of your mission with business leaders?

Cécile Despons: I am an unconditional supporter of businesses and I love those who run them. This is the essence of my commitment for almost ten years, whether with the association Femme Chef d’entreprise (FCE), in employer orders or even in my mission as president of CPME Gironde. These two years have confirmed for me the importance of the activity of the economic world with our institutions. We have a role to play as spies, a force of suggestions or even actors of redemption through our knowledge of the land​​​​​​ and its ecosystem. It gave me confidence that despite the feeling of isolation we all feel, we are not alone.”

EJG: Over the past two years, what actions have you initiated, following Philippe Loiseau (former president of CPME 33)?

CD: For two years, the action initiated after Philippe Loiseau has been strengthening and reinforcing the importance of the territories within CPME 33. Gironde is the largest region in France in terms of knowledge, the broadest category. The goal we have set for ourselves for the next three years is therefore to strengthen our presence in the territories with cooperation and mutual support with representative groups on site. “CPME 33 is coming to you”: after our mooring in Libourne at the beginning of the year, and then the Arcachon basin in the second half of the year, we will establish ourselves in 2025, in Blayais and Médoc.

The goal we have set for ourselves for the next three years is to strengthen our presence and mutual support in the regions

EJG: What other types of work do you do with companies?

CD: We also do wider mutual support activities. After creating the approved prevention group (GPA) that works with the commercial court and the Apesa association, we are strengthening our support for companies that contact us (see boxes).

Support also comes through development aid. Our calling is not to introduce business, but on the contrary we have, through the signing of agreements, through our commissions, through our exchange times, the ability to allow every business leader to find doors on he would not have thought. improve.

We have collaborated closely with consular chambers and institutions on topics such as migration, housing, employment and training, CSR, etc. We have also taken a position with institutions to build two EPRs in Blayais and the runway between the airport.

UGH: How do you judge the economic situation in general French SMEs and especially Gironde SMEs at the moment: bad? Desperate? Compared to? Challenging?

CD: From 2020, businesses of all sizes have to constantly change. In fact, their role is to change, it’s true. Except there, they were faced with several crises. It started in 2019 with the Yellow Vests, then Covid then the raw materials crisis. Then the energy crisis, then the Ukraine conflict, then inflation. With the added benefit of social change leading to internal resettlement in terms of its primary and basic resource: people. From memory, I don’t remember an identical situation for a long time.

In relation to all this, I will not say that Gironde SMEs are desperate, but surely tired? The constant flexibility that has been demanded of us over the past five years means that many companies are suffering from serious weaknesses, confirmed before the commercial court, among others. In addition to the economic impact, there are also other psychological weaknesses: we talk about the burnout of the employee, we do not talk about the burnout of the business manager. That is why our act of solidarity, support and mutual support is vital to us.

EJG: You work with managers on a daily basis: what are the worrying signs you see: burnout? Problems? Suicides? Do you have any figures for Gironde?

CD: Business leaders like all French people are in a range of problems representing the most dire to the most optimistic. I don’t have an exact number. But many business leaders feel tired or even abandoned. This makes our presence even more important.

EJG: You work in close cooperation with the commercial courts of Bordeaux and Libourne: what solutions do you provide to managers in difficulty?

CD: Of course there are several possibilities to protect the manager, but also his company and, among other things, put it under the protection of the court. We often involve the commercial court and its representatives so that they can explain their role. The commercial court does not only have a sanctioning role: it can also help businesses get back on their feet. Failure is not necessary and only the result of the business manager. But still, he saw it as a personal failure. Because he put his savings, his life, into it. But like everyone, he needs help. The ad hoc mandate is a solution, as is protection. Going through the door of the commercial court does not necessarily mean liquidation.

EJG: The CPME has established a structure called GPA: can you tell us more about its mission and its results for companies in difficulty?

CD: The purpose of the GPA is to support the economic sustainability of the company in all aspects of its operations. Unfortunately, very few business leaders want to call the GPA. We are going to emphasize its usefulness, by offering a business survey to our members, which will give us figures and allow us to find business leaders who may be in an alarming situation .

EJG: In this rather gloomy picture of the French economy, do you see a glimmer of hope and even opportunities for SMEs?

cd: History shows us that even in the darkest times, there is always a glimmer of hope. So yes, it’s hard, hard. But we are seeing new ways of doing business emerging that are opening up a range of opportunities. 5 years ago, there was little talk of changed companies. Today, inclusion is a key issue. We also talk about elderly people who can be sources of solutions. I also see countless innovative companies at the technology level, at the human level, at the social level, at the environmental level. A new way to experience business. This gives me confidence that we are at a turning point.

EJG: The Barnier government has just been formed. What steps do you expect from him?

CD: CPME’s expectations are broadly the same: unemployment insurance reform, pension reform to be changed, and tax reform. In an economic context where businesses are in trouble, we expect the government to show flexibility and innovation in its measures to overcome the systematic shackles of tax increases, etc. Without businesses, there is no economy. Without savings, there is no budget. So let’s build it together.