They arrive, pumped up, Bordeaux Boxers jerseys on their shoulders and hockey sticks in their hands, like players entering the ice rink, to the acclamation of the public. Thirteen “top speakers”, as they are called, regional, national and international business leaders or entrepreneurs, came this Tuesday, October 15 to the Kedge Business School, in Talence, to discuss their journey, their experience , but above all to make the 500 business leaders and students present in the amphitheater dream and inspire.
Among the speakers, big names from the business world such as Paul de Billy, general manager of Alibaba France, Thomas Derichebourg, boss of the family company Derichebourg, Michel Biero, vice-president of Lidl France, but also Marc Planus, former footballer turned assistant architect, Joël Dupuch, oyster farmer and actor, and Christelle Gouzet, winner of “Koh-Lanta” and creator of Défi d’elles.
This event, “The living forces of the territory”, was organized at the initiative of Thierry Parienty, president of the Bordeaux Boxers hockey club and general director of Volteo, and Patrice Bégay, president of JALPB Conseils and former director of the communication of the Public Investment Bank (Bpifrance), improvised room driver for the occasion.
Failures and successes
Diane Duvert, director of Sovia, a heavy goods vehicle dealership, kicked off the evening by recounting how she established herself “in a world dominated by men”. “To become an entrepreneur, you have to like taking on challenges. It’s both difficult, with a lot of pressure, but at the same time a challenge”, she explains, recalling that business leaders are “sometimes very isolated” and that we must “open up to world and others.”
“To become an entrepreneur, you have to like taking on challenges. It’s both difficult, with a lot of pressure, but at the same time a challenge”
Teamwork is the key word here. The parallel between sport and entrepreneurship is never far away. Paul de Billy, who participated in the organization of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with Alibaba France, describes all the people who worked on this event as “athletes”. “I believe in the ability to undertake, even within a company. Innovation and technologies offer incredible possibilities. Let’s keep this spirit of determination, of conquest, let’s dream big and transform our dreams into reality,” he advises.
In turn, the speakers talk about failures, successes, perseverance, values, teamwork, but also vision, like a Boxers season filled with ups and downs. “When I took over the family business in 2009, I had to lay off 28 people. I burst into tears in the evening and I promised myself to recreate 20 times more positions for a lost job,” says Anne-Charlotte Fredenucci, president of Ametra Group, who today took over the company specializing in aeronautics, space and defense.
“In 2011, we had a major health concern with a product [bactérie E.Coli dans des steaks hachés, NDLR]. The company was on its knees,” recalls Michel Biero, vice-president of Lidl France, who started as a store manager in 2000. “Fortunately, we were able to count financially on a large, solid group, but we still had to reinvent yourself. Today, we are the fourth largest recruiter in France and we have doubled our market share,” he says with satisfaction, Lidl sneakers and socks on his feet.
“Make your dreams come true”
Sometimes all it takes is one idea to change everything. “My grandfather and my father were ragpickers, without a diploma. They spent their day collecting scrap metal. And then my father had a broader vision, wanted to do things big. He founded the Derichebourg company, today one of the world leaders in the recycling of metal waste, with a turnover of 8 billion euros,” relates Thomas Derichebourg. However, before getting there, “I saw my grandfather and my father living in poverty. I saw what it was,” he expresses with emotion, thanking his father today for having followed through with his idea.
In the audience, Maxime Brochet, a first-year international EBP student at Kedge, remembers “motivation” from all these speeches. “I was struck by the words of Joël Dupuch, who said that remorse fades with time, but not regrets. If we don’t dare to make our dreams come true, we will have regrets. I’ve experienced this before with football and I don’t want to have it again. » The succession of entrepreneurs is assured, galvanized by the positivity and success of these business leaders.
