Can you introduce yourself: background, work experience, background from AKKA?
I grew up in Lyon and went to Business school in Grenoble. During my studies, I started as an intern in AKKA Detroit, where I stayed for one year. After finishing school, I worked in AKKA for two years as a member of the Merger & Acquisition team, where I among other sales, was involved in the process of analyzing and understanding the operations of Data Respons.
After that I was executive assistant & project manager for Mauro Ricci (CEO of AKKA) for the last seven months.
In my free time, I enjoy skiing and mountain biking in the alps.
How did the launch of Data Respons France go so far? Where there any challenges or surprises?
The launch was very well received in the market. We are a startup with all the positive aspects: a young General Manager, recruiting a new team, scalable and the ability to be quick in decision-making processes. I now have the chance to create a new company culture, but at the same time lean on useful resources in DR and AKKA to assist on new customer projects and building a company from scratch.
These first weeks I’ve had two priorities: finding the best talents that will create the foundation of Data Respons France and the first customers. I’ve had plenty of interviews, met different people that gave me a lot of valuable insights and perspectives.
I am also in discussions with potential customers, but this is more challenging. It’s no secret that in the French market you need to speak French to really connect with the customer. So, the plan is to build up a small team of two key persons: a sales expert and a technical engineer. All other recourses will be used from other Data Respons companies.
What are your expectations for the foreseeable future and more short term the next months?
The big milestone is to be profitable as soon as possible, sometime the next 3-6 months. Short-term goal is to recruit and onboard a team of key specialists to be able to deliver the first projects: a salesperson and a software specialist. Everything else will come later on.
What characterizes the French marked: which opportunities and challenges do you expect Data Respons France will meet as you enter the marked?
What’s unique about DR France is that it’s specialized in complex software development. In the French market there are only a few competitors that focus primarily on software development, so there’s a huge opportunity to grow.
How will DR France contribute to reaching Data Respons sustainability goals of becoming CO2-emission neutral by 2025? What are your ambitions in this area?
Each time we build something, we will have the sustainability goals of becoming CO2-neutral by 2025 in mind. Sustainability is not only about environment, it’s also crucial to employ people in all ages, origins, cultures and genders. We will have a dedicated focus on recruiting a diversified group of people.
I am happy to meet all of you and getting to know the DR family. Don’t hesitate to reach out, share ideas or just have a chat.
