I N F O the magazine for anglo-french business french chamber of commerce in great britain
Creating the Cambridge Cluster: Richard Jennings, Deputy Director of Cambridge Enterprise
5 minutes with... Alex Beard Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House
FT Editor Lionel Barber speaks his mind at the Chamber’s Gala Dinner
july / august 2014 www.frenchchamber.co.uk
New partnership with the Royal Albert Hall
SUCCESS STORY Air Partner: from flying school to Royal Warrant
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Worldwide reach Human touch ii - info - july / august
Š photo credits: VINCI, Crossrail, BBMV and MVB photo libraries
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- info - july / august
Arnaud Bamberger
editorial
President, French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, and Executive Chairman of Cartier
W
e had great cause to celebrate the closeness of our two countries, France and Great Britain, in June as France welcomed Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with great warmth, and she, in turn, spoke about her ‘grande affection’ for the French people. I had the privilege of attending the Garden Party at the British Embassy in Paris as well as the state banquet at the Elysée Palace, where Her Majesty spoke in both English and French, saying that ‘We are famously proud of that which is particular to each of our peoples and rejoice in our cultural differences, but there is also great inspiration to be found in what we represent together. Two democracies who have faced grave perils and emerged stronger together and two of the world’s most successful economies, working together on the technologies of the future and making a vast contribution to the development of other nations.’ A gracious host, President Hollande’s international standing was elevated as other heads of state and representatives of 19 countries, among them US President Barak Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, set aside their differences and joined the Queen for the 70th anniversary commemorations of the Normandy landings. It was a moving tribute not only to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought but also to the solidarity of our nations. Back in the UK, we are preparing to bid farewell to our Ambassador, HE Mr Bernard Emié, who has been in office since April 2011. I would like to sincerely thank him for his wholehearted support for the Chamber over these three years and wish him well as he leaves to take up the Ambassadorship in Algeria this summer. We will soon be welcoming his successor, HE Mrs Sylvie Bermann, who has been the French Ambassador to China since March 2011. Another new start was commemorated with the laying of the foundation stone of the Lycée International de Londres in Wembley by the Ambassador and the former President of the Chamber, Arnaud Vaissié, who is a trustee of the French Education Charitable Trust. Scheduled to open in September 2015, the school will offer 1,100 places, helping to reduce the backlog of demand. Education and skills are indeed topical, providing the Focus for this issue of INFO. The articles look at French education in the UK, the skills gap and what is being done about it in education systems as well as businesses, the important links being forged between academia and industry, as well as entrepreneurship – not only how it is being taught but how it is blossoming from educational establishments. Plenty of food for thought. At the Chamber, we are delighted to have entered a three-year partnership with the Royal Albert Hall, which becomes a Patron member, represented by COO Jasper Hope. Last but not least we would like to congratulate Estelle Brachlianoff, Executive VicePresident of Veolia UK & Northern Europe, who received the CBI’s ‘First Women Business of the Year’ award. We are very proud to have her as a director of our Board. It only remains for me to wish you a wonderful summer, bonnes vacances, and we look forward to seeing you again at Le Dîner de la Rentrée with Fabrice Brégier, CEO of Airbus, on 23 September. I
info - july / august -
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Contents issue 213 / July - August 2014
8
5 mins with... Alex Beard
5 minutes with...
8 Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House
28
Success Story: Air Partner
70
68
New partnership signed with the Royal Albert Hall
34
Focus
32 Universities, employment and the knowledge-based economy
34 Cambridge Enterprise: commercialising
News in the City
11 Shadows and shapeshifters 12 City profile: Ian Dembinski 13 City shorties
News
14 The Queen marks 20th anniversary of the
Channel Tunnel France welcomes Queen Elizabeth II
15 Veolia partners with Government to engage women in STEM careers
17 Alstom selected for £250 million London Underground work
18 easyJet to deploy drones to inspect aircraft 19 EY to open £650k Manchester forensic technology hub
20 International SOS and Vodafone partnership 21 Schools news
Foundation stone unveiled for Lycée International de Londres
SMEs & Startups
26 Muzéo
Success Story
28 Air Partner
Managing Director: Florence Gomez Editor-in-Chief: Keri Fuller Corporate Communication Executive: Marielle Fraize Graphic Designer: Quentin Morgant Advertising & Sales: Suzanne Lycett Publications Assistant: Justine Kroll Subscription: INFO is published every 2 months Printed by: Headley Brothers Ltd
intellectual property
36 What makes university–industry collaboration successful?
37 The entrepreneurial university 39 Teaching entrepreneurship the French way 40 Franco-British cooperative education 41 The best of both worlds: French higher education programmes in the UK
42 ‘Stage’ / Internship: what is the difference? 43 The role of alumni associations 44 The teaching of employability skills 45 Education for life and business 46 Customised executive education: a way to fill the UK management skills gap?
47 Trends in in-house training and development 48 Engineering early links 49 Creating a more rounded person: the EDF Energy approach to apprenticeship
FT Editor Lionel Barber at the Chamber’s Gala Dinner
Cambridge Enterprise: Richard Jennings
Eat, Drink, Stay
60 Afternoon tea 61 Cheese & Wine
News @ the Chamber
63 New members 65 Hats off to 66 Chamber shorties 68 Partnership signed with Royal Albert Hall
Events
69 CEO Breakfast: How governments impact strategic sectors
70 Annual Gala Dinner: A celebration of ‘L’entente fructueuse’
72 Rendez-vous chez l’Occitane Rendez-vous chez Maille 73 Lotus F1 team visit
Lunch at Cartier
Forums & Clubs
50 From STEM to STEAM: developing a skilled
74 Climate Change Forum visit 75 HR 3.0: guidance on social media in the
52 Interview with Andrea Stark
76 Are friends & family the best business
Culture
77 Essential HR dos and don’ts for SMEs 78 Trade Secrets Directive – a new recipe for
workforce for the creative and cultural industries
55 Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs at the Tate Modern 56 What’s on 59 Book reviews
Contributors: Nadia Acogny, Laurent Batut, Martyn Butler, Philippe Chalon, Eric Charriaux, Lisa Colin, Paul Coyle, Nicola Ebenburger, Marguerite Gallant, Denis Gallot, Michael Harrington, Richard Jennings, Thibault Lavergne, Florence Mele, Renaud Million, Marcus Perkmann, Kevin Poulter, Emmanuelle Ries, Alexandre Robert, Serena Tierney, Judith Wallner. Cover artwork: Quentin Morgant
workplace partners?
European harmony?
80 Forthcoming Forums & Clubs and Events
Distribution: French Chamber members, FrancoBritish decision makers, Business Class lounges of Eurostar, Eurotunnel and Air France in London, Paris and Manchester Editorial and Publishing Office: French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn London WC1V 7JH Tel: (020) 7092 6600; Fax: (020) 7092 6601 www.frenchchamber.co.uk
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...i n my fi nal i nter v iew for the Tate back i n 1994 , when asked about my l i fe’s ambition, I blu rted out that I wou ld l i ke to r u n the Opera House
5 m i n u te s w ith ...
Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House You became Chief Executive of the ROH last September. What attracted you to this role and what do you bring to it from your previous position as Deputy Director of the Tate?
Opera has been a life-long passion. My first experience was when my mum took me, aged 12, to a Götz Friedrich’s 1975 production of Valkyrie at the Royal Opera House. I didn’t have a particularly refined critical response but I did think it was completely amazing. Later, when working at the Arts Council, I was the secretary of the Warnock Review of the Royal Opera House (ROH). Some time later I was offered the job as Finance Director of Scottish Opera, but for personal reasons decided to stay in London and take up a position at the Tate. It wasn’t opera, my first love, but it was an interesting organisation and the two years I planned to stay there turned into 19. However, one thread that has run through it all is a deep affection for the ROH and a profound love of that most extraordinary of art forms, opera. So when Tony Hall left for the BBC, the only other job on the planet that I wanted was this. Nick Serota (Director of the Tate) reminded me that in my final interview for the Tate back in 1994, when asked about my life’s ambition, I blurted out that I would like to run the opera house. My appreciation of ballet came a bit later. Now being here, I can give vent to my nerdy passion for opera while undertaking this voyage of discovery into ballet. What I bring from the Tate is the experience of how to work within and help an organisation that offers a platform for the world’s best artists to create life-changing experiences to as wide an audience as possible with tight financial resources.
- info - july / august
Are there crucial differences in running a performing arts organisation compared to an art gallery?
The art forms and rhythms are very different, but there are lots of parallels. You are balancing the need to sustain quite a big operation, multi-faceted in its relationships with people, and the creation of a platform where great artists can perform great work. The difference is the Tate does not have 300 artists on the payroll, and although it can be fearfully complicated pulling an exhibition together, once it’s up, it pretty well looks after itself. Whereas at ROH, each night, hundreds of people come together to create out of thin air something extraordinary, for which there might be a score, but there certainly isn’t a formula. That is both a remarkable feat and a great galvanising moment, day after day. What is your vision for the ROH?
The fundamental purpose of the ROH is to enrich people’s lives through opera and ballet, and be the most engaging, permeable and accessible lyric theatre organisation on the planet. We will continue to build on the extraordinary achievement of Tony Hall and colleagues and see how much further we can extend access to our work. We are also placing more emphasis on new productions so that the very best artists can have their chance to contribute to the repertory of which we are custodians. Both the opera and ballet companies are trying to do at least one new main stage commission every year, such as Winter’s Tale and Written on Skin. How do you ensure that what you offer is fresh and relevant in a rapidly changing world?
One way of answering that question is that both opera
and ballet deal with eternal and fundamental human truths and emotional makeup – love, death, sex, despair, tragedy. We had a co-production with the Globe of Cavali’s L’Ormindo, written centuries ago, but still speaking about emotional conditions that are relevant today. So although the repertory may have deep roots, it resonates with modern audiences because it speaks about what it is to live and be human. Secondly, when we present the repertory today, we are using tools available to us, whether it is the use of projections in Kasper Holten’s Don Giovanni, Alexander Whitley tracking dance movements with lasers to create new work, or employing new technologies to enable people to share in what happens on the ROH stage. For our recent live screening of La Traviata, we had 2,200 people in the ROH auditorium, 4,000 in Trafalgar Square, many thousands elsewhere around the country and more than 16,000 people watching it around the world on a live Internet stream. What is the Big Screens programme?
The BP Big Screens is a wonderful way of showing that although we work with the most elite artists – at the top of their game – it does not have to be for an elite. We try to do as much as we can in the auditorium – 40% of the tickets are under £40, but we still only have 2,200 seats, so using big screens allows us to reach much wider audiences. Now we augment that through cinema and live streaming. This year, we are celebrating the fact that BP has been a partner for 25 years. BP’s commitment to these free outdoor screenings means that many thousands of people are able to enjoy our work near where they live. How important is corporate sponsorship?
We turn over around £100 million, £50 million of which is generated from the box office and auditorium revenue (catering, retail, etc), £25 million from the Arts Council, £25 million from fundraising. Of that 10% is corporate sponsorship. Although relatively small, it is nevertheless important because the money allows us to do things that we could otherwise only dream of, such as the BP Big Screens and Deloitte Ignite, the annual contemporary arts festival. Who are your audiences?
It varies depending on the art form: ballet is 64% female, opera 51%. About 40% come from outside of London, and obviously the cinema audiences are distributed around the country. We take audience insight very seriously, and have a good idea of who comes and their motivation. We now have the potential to connect to people wherever they are – at a cinema near them, in the palm of their hand, in their living rooms or in the auditorium. For young people, there have to be opportunities at every level, whether it’s a performance for school kids,
participation in a youth chorus or the Youth Opera Company, joining the student programme – it has to be a consistent approach to opening doors. What part does philanthropy play?
Philanthropy has been at the heart of every art form for as long as they have existed. It is increasingly important because public and lottery funding is under severe pressure. We are lucky to have a passionately engaged, enormously supportive audience, many of whom want to be part of the process of creating that platform for artists, whether it is by giving a couple of quid to the Pointe Shoes Appeal or putting many thousands of pounds into helping bring a production to the stage. One of the reasons why London is the world’s most successful city is because it has the most vibrant cultural life of any place on earth and that talent is sustained through both public and private investment. How does the ROH benchmark itself against other great opera houses of the world?
Like any enterprise, one needs to have a combination of confidence and insecurity. You have to challenge yourself – have I got this right? Who’s doing it better? What’s out there? I don’t think there is anywhere quite like the ROH in that our funding model is distinct – not largely public or private but rather a combination of box office, private support, public investment – and that informs our character. We also have two resident companies of equal status in the house when most others are separate organisations or one is dominant. In addition, we have two auditoria so we can operate in different scales and time horizons, as well as be a bit more experimental. And we have the most extraordinary musical forces: Antonio Pappano is a genius, the orchestra is at the top of its game and the chorus is probably the best vocal ensemble of any opera house in the world. How important is Corporate & Social Responsibility (CSR)?
We are CSR! We exist to enrich people’s lives through opera and ballet, and so everything we do has that mission at its heart. It ranges from welcome performances for people who have never been to one, working with disadvantaged communities, bringing isolated older people in to see shows, community choruses for both young people and adults – I could go on and on. We invest in new talent, apprenticeships, young artists programmes, 13 apprenticeships in all of the backstage professions, and the ROH has the deepest commitment to training talent of any organisation in the performing arts. We have the partnership at High House Production Park, of which I am the chairman. That commitment to audience engagement, to outreach, to talent development, to our core charitable purpose is everywhere and fundamental to what we do. I Interview by KF
The French Chamber and the Royal Opera House have had a fruitful and valued partnership since the beginning of 2013, which they look forward to continuing in the long term
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n e ws i n t h e ci t y
Shadows and shapeshifters As shadow banking becomes more and more mainstream it will be subject to ever more scrutiny and regulation, but there will always be innovations that are hard to pin down
N
ow is the time to take shadow banking out of the shadows,’ wrote Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England in a recent article for the Financial Times. He defines this sinister-sounding activity simply as ‘the extension of credit from entities and activities outside the regular banking system’ and that could be anything from notorious ‘structured investment vehicles’ (SIVs) to hip and happening crowdfunding. Post crisis, these alternative means of lending are becoming part of a restructuring financial landscape, although they are still dogged by the role that the opacity of ‘dark’ shadow banking played in the financial crisis, when it was all about unsupervised SIVs and secretive entities that avoided rules on excessive risk taking. We all know what happened when that complex web collapsed. Ironically, but also logically, as bank lending retreats in the wake of the new regulatory regime incurred by the financial crisis, shadow banking is growing. Mark Carney acknowledges this: ‘Authorities recognise that as the banking system is reformed to become more resilient, activity can be pushed into the shadows. New regulatory requirements on banks create incentives to move activities to other parts of the financial system where they are not subject to the same prudential standards.’ Some see this as a bad thing, believing that shadow banking yet again poses a dangerous risk to the global financial system. Others view it as good for stoking the engines of growth. ‘Now it’s more about banks being disintermediated. It’s “light” shadow banking. What’s going on today is like good cholesterol as opposed to the bad cholesterol we had before,’ says Jean-Pierre Mustier, former head of Société Générale, quoted in the FT. Mark Carney concurs: ‘When conducted appropriately, it can be a valuable alternative to, and provide competition for, banks in funding the real economy.’ Certainly those who engage in peerto-peer lending or invest in pension funds would never consider themselves
participants in the sort of nefarious activities that brought banks to their knees. But this is just the tip of the iceberg that is made up of insurers, asset managers, hedge funds, specialist boutiques, broker dealers, exchange traded funds and money market mutual funds – all doing what banks used to do, and yet not subject to the same degree of scrutiny. According to Mark Carney, they can only perform those roles if they are sustainable sources of market-based finance, and he believes that bringing them into the scope of mainstream regulation would mitigate risk in the system. The Bank of England has made its first move by offering to extend liquidity facilities to some non-banks such as big broker dealers and central counterparties. ‘Regulation will evolve as shadow banking evolves,’ Mark Carney has declared, yet there remains that niggling feeling that no matter what parameters the policy makers set in their attempts to marry borrowers and lenders while creating a safer system, the shapeshifters of reinvention and innovation will fill the gaps and find ways around the rules. I KF
info - july / august - 11
news in the cit y
Ian Dembinski Ian Dembinski is Head UK Domestic Private Banking at Credit Suisse, a Patron member of the French Chamber. ‘Private banking is like a bespoke tailored suit, specifically made to measure,’ Ian Dembinski explains. He heads a group of bankers who are responsible for resident and domiciled (Res Doms), as well as a growing number of resident nondomiciled clients (Res Non Doms) – including members of the French community – requiring a very specialist ‘high-touch’ service. ‘Our clients feel they are being looked after by their own banker who is supported by an assistant and various investment specialists dedicated to creating very individual solutions for them,’ he says. While the private banking focus may be on a somewhat limited pool of clients, it is a growing pool, and Credit Suisse has an ambitious strategy to increase its market share. It has just acquired Morgan Stanley’s EMEA wealth management arm, bringing not only new clients on board but also some very talented bankers and investment specialists. ‘We are now firmly in the top 10 of private banks in the UK,’ says Ian. This is important because, as he explains, the cost of compliance requires scale. ‘You need to be pretty big or pretty small. Being somewhere in the middle is an uncomfortable place to be.’ Since the tail-end of 2012, the economic recovery and return of confidence are also contributing to wealth creation from two different sources: capital markets activity and IPOs as well as sales of businesses. And with London being the number one European capital market, many Europeans come to the UK to do their transactions and business. This trend is borne out by Credit Suisse’s statistics. Res Doms form the largest part of its client base, but the Res Non Dom segment is the fastest growing. The UK is home to some of the most renowned private banks in the world and several international ones, all competing for a slice of this small, albeit rich pie, so what differentiates them? Ian explains: ‘Our positioning is very different to the vast bulk of our competition because we are not just interested in the asset management side, but also the corporate affairs of the client. Our integrated business model combines the resources of the investment and private bank, and we are virtually the only bank which has two well-balanced divisions.’ 12 - info - july / august
Private banking clients are now also demanding liability management, which requires a strong balance sheet. Moreover, entrepreneurs starved of lending from banks are looking for access to capital market solutions such as high yield debt issues. ‘Clients often require access to the investment bank for research, trading capability and sophisticated investment solutions, and we can ask our investment bank to design bespoke products for our professional Ultra High Net Worth clients.’ Size also matters when it comes to the investment and cost of designing a Res Non Dom discretionaryofferinganddealingwith the complexities of the regime, which although completely sponsored by the UK government, is nonetheless fraught with tricky issues. Another factor is geography. ‘Many of our clients are increasingly crossborder in that they require more than one solution,’ says Ian. ‘They may require a banker here in London but want the booking of the account to be in Singapore and having a global presence means we can do that.’ So what makes a private banker? Ian himself read Modern History at Queen’s College, Oxford before entering investment banking as a graduate trainee. It may not be an obvious start to a banking career, but Ian believes that any degree from a good university shows you are capable of learning and mastering ‘the art of the relevant’. More than that, being in a rapport-building business ‘you must have an understanding of history and culture in order to actually have an impact with the client,’ he says. ‘It’s fine if you are technically brilliant, but can you converse with someone and understand the cultures of France, Germany, UK and the differences between them? Those are incredibly important skill sets.’ Ian also sits on Credit Suisse’s EMEA Foundation, which focuses on helping underprivileged children. ‘They represent the next stage of society for us and I don’t think that any institution can ignore the fact that without a stable society you can’t actually be profitable and successful,’ he says. As the lead sponsor of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Credit Suisse also invests in another aspect of society – while keeping an eye on its potential future clients. I KF
news in the cit y
UK and China agree £14 billion of trade and investment deals
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Mansion House, London
||| During his first state visit to the UK, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang signed various business deals. UK exports to China have more than doubled since 2009, and last year averaged more than £1 billion each month. The UK is the most popular European destination for Chinese investment, benefiting from over £8 billion in 2013/14 alone, creating or safeguarding over 6,000 jobs in the UK. Trade and investments between China and Britain will be eased by the direct trading of the yuan against the pound sterling which puts an end to the need to use the US dollar as an intermediary currency. The Bank of England has appointed the China Construction Bank as a yuan clearing house in London. David Cameron, who visited China last December, said that the UK’s relationship with China is ‘gaining in strength, depth and understanding’ after meeting with Premier Li Keqiang. I JK
||| London’s so-called ‘Silicon Roundabout’ attracted nearly 16,000 businesses in the last year. Accountancy group UHY Hacker Young reports that exactly 15,620 businesses set up in the EC1V postcode around Old Street. Business creation around the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ surpasses that in the Canary Wharf area fivefold, although the figure is 100 down on the year before. The booming area still holds the highest concentration of technology and media businesses in the UK. Colin Jones, UHY Hacker Young partner, explains: ‘Silicon Roundabout has maintained its position as the epicentre of the UK’s technology industry. With so many startups and established businesses in the area, it is no longer hype to compare it to Silicon Valley, or TechHub Berlin.’ Thanks to government initiatives to boost the area, big companies such as Google and Microsoft have set up offices in what is now the top area for UK startups. However, the divide between London and the rest of the UK remains a big concern as only three postcodes in the top 20 areas are located outside London. I JK
© flickr/James_Charlick
Entrepreneur numbers swell in East London
Silicon Roundabout, London
Outlook upgrade for manufacturers
Surge in flexible working
||| The UK manufacturers’ trade association raised the 2014 growth forecast for output growth to 3.6 per cent, from the previous 2.7 per cent, on the back of buoyant conditions. The latest quarterly survey published by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, and accountancy firm BDO, says strong demand at home remains a prominent driver of growth and a stronger pick up in export demand is expected to follow. The survey unveils positive state and trading conditions across the country and the sectors which should bring confidence in recruitment and investment. Tom Lawton, BDO’s Head of Manufacturing, explained: ‘Government manufacturing policy is clearly paying dividends and is creating an environment in which manufacturers are comfortable enough to commit to future investment, both in terms of employment and capital. This is a very positive indicator for the rest of the year.’ I JK
||| A survey by YouGov revealed that 26% of UK workers were likely to request flexible working now that new legislation has come into force. The rights for flexible working arrangements have been extended to any employee with more than 26 weeks of service; before it was only possible for parents with children under 17 and carers. Flexible working encompasses the following options: part-time, term-time working, job sharing, home working, flexitime and compressed hours. The new legislation gives the opportunity to employees to make a request and then employers will consider them in a ‘reasonable manner’. The survey commissioned by HR consultancy Croner forecasts a rapid surge which could take a toll on small structures like SMEs. But it also indicates that companies which are currently offering flexible working options benefit from better employee productivity and loyalty. I JK info - july / august - 13
news Compiled by Marielle Fraize
The Queen marks 20th anniversary of Channel Tunnel
HM the Queen unveils the commemorative plaque
||| On 5 June, Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, unveiled a plaque at St Pancras International station to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the launch of international high speed rail services
between the UK and mainland Europe. The unveiling of the plaque preceded her State Visit to France from 5 to 7 June at the invitation of the President François Hollande. Jacques Gounon, Groupe Eurotunnel Chairman and Chief Executive, said: ‘The opening of the Channel Tunnel 20 years ago heralded a new era in international travel and trade between the UK and continental Europe. Today 65 million vehicles and 330 million people have already travelled through the Tunnel, bringing substantial economic benefits to the UK and Europe. But for us, the first 20 years have been just the opening chapter. There is a great deal more potential for high speed passenger and rail freight services to develop in the future’. Following the unveiling ceremony, the commemorative plaque will be displayed in the international services check-in area of St Pancras International station. I
France welcomes Queen Elizabeth II on her fifth State Visit
O
n a three-day state visit to France in early June, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was given the warmest of welcomes by the French people. Crowds waving Union flags lined the Champs-Elysées to cheer the British monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh as they drove past. France is particularly fond of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal family. And this friendship is mutual. Indeed, France is the European country the Queen has most visited, having made four previous states visits in 1957, 1972, 1992 and 2004. At a reception held in her honour at the Elysée Palace, she gave a speech recalling her first visit to France in 1948 as a princess. Speaking in the tongue of Molière, of which she masters all the subtleties, the Sovereign paid tribute to the bond ‘de l’amitié, de la rivalité dans la bonne humeur, ainsi que de l’admiration. La France et le Royaume-Unis sont les gardiens de la paix et de la sécurité au niveau international.’ During her visit, the Queen honoured France’s war dead by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, met veterans from the Commonwealth, and attended 70th anniversary ceremonies at Sword Beach to commemorate the D-Day 14 - info - july / august
landings of British forces on 6 June 1944. Her visit ended with a guided tour of the Paris flower market, renamed ‘Marché aux Fleurs Reine Elizabeth II’ – a special honour from the people of Paris as it is very rare in France to name places after people during their lifetime. I JK
Queen Elizabeth II, French President François Hollande and Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, visit the newly renamed ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ flower market in Paris on 7 June
news Companies
Colas Rail appointed track delivery partner for Network Rail ||| Colas Rail have been selected by Network Rail as one of the preferred bidders for the delivery of its £800m conventional track renewals and enhancements programme for the 2014-19 funding period. Following a competitive procurement process, Colas Rail has been successful in winning work across Kent and Sussex/ Anglia to deliver conventional plain line track works worth around £75m in total over the five year period. Switch and crossings (S&C) renewals and installation will be delivered using an ‘alliance’ approach, combining the skills of Colas Rail, URS and Network Rail. The Colas Rail URS alliance has successfully won work on the south alliance areas (Anglia/Kent and Sussex/ Western, Wales and Wessex/London North Western) worth in the region of £400m over the next 10 years. I www.colasrail.co.uk
Thales traffic management system selected by Network Rail ||| Thales UK has been selected by Network Rail to provide its ARAMIS Traffic Management System (TMS) at two new Regional Operating Centres (ROCs) in Romford and Cardiff, with a contract value of £28.4 million. This will be the first time that the internationally proven TMS technology has been deployed in the UK, and is part of Network Rail’s significant investment targeted at improving rail network performance and capacity. This new contract follows Thales’ partnership with Network Rail on its innovative Intelligent Infrastructure programme, which is already significantly reducing train delays caused by asset failure. The award-winning programme is believed to be the largest real-time condition monitoring system for the rail sector globally – now monitoring over 30,000 assets in real time. Victor Chavez, CEO of Thales UK, commented: ‘We share Network Rail’s vision of a world-class railway for the UK; one that is the envy of train operators across the globe. Our selection for this first phase of the TMS programme is a huge step in our relationship with Network Rail, and we are hugely excited to bring our global TMS expertise to the UK.’ I www.thalesgroup.com/uk
WPP lifts World Cup of advertising for the fourth time ||| Sir Martin Sorrell hails ‘brilliant work for clients’ as WPP agencies set the standard once again at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. WPP was named holding company of the year for the fourth year running. Cannes Lions recognises the world’s best examples of creativity in a commercial setting. The award followed the announcement that WPP had, for the third consecutive year, won the Effie for the world’s most effective holding company. Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, declared: ‘We normally describe Cannes as our Oscars but this year it’s the World Cup of advertising and marketing. We’re thrilled to lift it for the fourth year in a row. Over the last 12 months there have been a few distractions for some in the industry, so it’s good to focus on the core of our business: brilliant work for clients. Huge thanks and congratulations to all our winning people, agencies and networks.’ I www.wpp.com
Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO and John O’Keeffe, Worldwide Creative Director
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Veolia partners with Government to engage more women in STEM careers ||| Veolia has signed up to the Government’s ‘Your Life’ campaign, an initiative from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS). It is one of the first companies to make a commitment to help encourage more female students into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) career paths. According to a recent Royal Academy of Engineering report, 100,000 new STEM graduates are needed in the UK every year until 2020 to maintain current employment numbers. Veolia has committed to visit at least 20 universities across the UK by the end of 2014 to promote its STEM careers to female students. These range from biochemistry to mechanical engineering, from soil science to chemical analytics. It has also pledged to further increase the percentage of women at all levels in its business through genuine engagement with organisations such as the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, the Women in Business Club at London Business School and the Inspiring Women Campaign. Estelle Brachlianoff, Executive Vice-President for Veolia UK and Ireland, said: ‘This initiative is critically
needed. Veolia employs 14,000 people in the UK and we are looking for more female STEM graduates to fill these roles. Women represent half the population and we need to get better at engaging them, particularly when they are making important choices about their career path. This initiative is not just good for women, but UK Plc overall.’ I www.veolia.co.uk/
Alstom selected for £250 million London Underground work ||| Alstom has been named as one of 17 companies that will be undertaking the modernisation of London Underground’s high voltage electrical systems. The suppliers have been chosen for two eight-year power upgrade ‘frameworks’ that run concurrently for the design, installation and commissioning of power networks. Once complete, the work will allow London Underground to run more services for customers more
Alstom already operates the Northern Line and has provided half the trains on the London Underground
smoothly and reliably. The frameworks cover the design, installation and commissioning of high voltage substations, and 11kV and 22kV cable routing, and have a four-year break option. Recently, Alstom’s Board of Directors decided to issue a positive recommendation of the offer from General Electric (GE) and expressed their satisfaction that the productive exchanges established with the French State had resulted in a business proposal that not only addresses the interests of Alstom and of its stakeholders, but also provides assurances in connection with concerns expressed by the French State. Patrick Kron, Chairman and CEO of Alstom, commented: ‘The combination of the very complementary Energy businesses of Alstom and GE would create a stronger entity, best placed to serve customers globally and invest in people and technology over the long run. Alstom would be associated to this ambitious combination through the Energy alliances. Alstom Transport, a solid leader with a large portfolio of technologies and a worldwide presence in a dynamic market, would be further strengthened through the acquisition of GE’s signalling business as well as a farreaching rail alliance with GE. I www.alstom.com info - july / august - 17
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Airbus awarded CAA Study for passive radar use ||| The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s aviation regulator, has awarded a study to Airbus Defence and Space to examine the feasibility of using the latest radar technology for better air traffic management. Conventional radar uses a rotating antenna to sweep the sky, actively sending out radio pulses and detecting those which are reflected back from aircraft. Airbus Defence and Space has developed a so-called ‘passive radar’ system that does not emit any radiation, but instead analyses radiation reflections from other emitters, such as radio and television stations, to detect objects. By measuring the differences between the original broadcast signal and the signals reflected from aircraft in the air, the position of the aircraft can be detected. The difference is that a passive radar system that relies on signals already in the air avoids creating additional emissions in populated areas, releases bandwidth for other uses and addresses the problem of misleading echoes from wind farms. Passive radar may also help to free up spectrum that could be used for an upcoming 5G network. I www. airbus-group.com
Airbus Defence and Space passive radar demonstrator in receiving position
easyJet to deploy drones to inspect aircraft ||| easyJet disclosed it will be applying new and innovative technologies to help operate its fleet of 220 Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft even more efficiently and reduce delays while maintaining its industry
Drone technology will be used for external aircraft inspection (Easyjet Innovation Day, Luton Airport)
leading punctuality and safety records. Commenting on these advances, chief executive of easyJet, Carolyn McCall, said: ‘We have examined and assessed cutting edge technology across many different industries and are now applying a range of new technologies to the aviation sector for the first time to help us run our fleet of aircraft more effectively, efficiently and safely.’ The airline revealed it is working with Coptercraft, Measurement Solutions and Bristol Robotics Laboratory to modify existing technology so that drones can be employed to inspect its fleet of Airbus aircraft. The drones will be programmed to scan and assess the planes reporting back to engineers on any damage which may require further inspection or maintenance work. The drones are currently in development with a view to trialling them in the coming months and introducing them into operation as early as next year. I www.easyjet.com
Atos to play key role at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games ||| Atos declared it is on target to deliver one of the most advanced games management and information technology systems ever used at a Commonwealth Games for Glasgow 2014. With an expected global viewing audience of around 1.5 billion, up to 1 million ticket holders expected, 4,500 athletes participating and more than 2,500 journalists covering Glasgow 2014, the role played by Atos in delivering Games information and results will be essential for all involved. Atos’ Games Management System and Games Information Systems has supported the Glasgow 2014 team in the recruitment of the 15,000 volunteer Clyde-siders (50,811 applications were processed). Atos is in the process of accrediting participants, managing registration, assigning access privileges, and access control information for 70,000 people involved in the Games (including athletes, officials, workforce, Clyde-siders, media and sponsors) and will in real-time provide accurate information and results for each of the athletes participating at each stage of competition, in each of the Games’ 17 sports to worldwide media organisations, sports officials and websites. I www.uk.atos.net 18 - info - july / august
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Bouygues UK celebrates as Mary Rose Museum wins award ||| The Mary Rose Museum, which opened to the public on 31 May last year has received the Michael Middleton Special Award, presented by the Civic Trust in recognition of this exemplary conservation project. Bouygues UK was in charge of the construction of what is said to be the most ambitious heritage project seen in Europe this decade. The Michael Middleton Award is a memorial and tribute to a person who was instrumental in helping to establish the Civic Trust Awards in 1959. This highly complex project involved the creation of a new museum building around and over The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth the top of the Mary Rose, protecting and showcasing the ship’s original hull. One of Henry VIII’s favourite ships, Mary Rose was Areas, nestling comfortably within Portsmouth’s Historic built in 1510 and sank during an engagement with the Dockyard. French fleet in 1545. Her wreck was discovered in 1971 and Victor Rose, a judge on the Civic Trust Awards National raised in 1982 – seminal events in the history of nautical Panel, says of the Museum: ‘By combining delicate archaeology. conservation, contemporary architecture and specialist Delahaye_LondresAccueil_83.5x126 10/4/14 11:19 This iconic 21st century building epitomises Michael technical expertise, a truly unique design has been Middleton’s philosophy of good practice in Conservation created.’ I www.bouygues-uk.com
EY to open £650k Manchester forensic technology hub ||| EY is to open its first dedicated forensic technology facility outside of London. The new Manchester based laboratory will see EY investing £650,000 and hiring an additional 50 forensic professionals over the next two years to complement the existing team. The facility is scheduled to open in the autumn and will initially specialise in collecting, managing and analysing data for legal disputes and regulatory investigations across the UK, a process known as e-Discovery, as well as supporting the firm’s Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services team. According to the Law Society, the UK legal services market is worth £25.6 billion and with 40% of all global disputes being settled under English Law, the facility will support the collection of electronic evidence that underpins many of these cases. Aside from traditional data collection, predominantly from laptops and computers, EY is seeing significant growth in demand for data collection from mobile phones, tablets and social media. I www.ey.com
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CBRE to manage Liverpool Innovation Park ||| CBRE’s Liverpool Property and Asset Management team has been instructed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to manage the extensive 22 acre (37,000m2) Liverpool Innovation Park on Edge Lane. This latest instruction continues the ongoing relationship between the HCA and the CBRE team who undertake work on both the HCA’s 18,000m2 Exchange Station office scheme in the heart of Liverpool’s business district and the 35 acre Kings Waterfront mixed-use development in Liverpool, which is the North West’s largest single site regeneration project comprising a 9,000 seat arena, a 1,500 seat conference centre, two hotels, apartments, a multi-storey car park and the conference centre extension which is now under construction. At Liverpool Innovation Park, CBRE will be advising on
property and asset management to further enhance the facilities and attraction of the offices on the Park which has become home to many successful, mostly IT related, businesses and those who benefit from the site’s excellent and resilient internet connections. CBRE will deploy a team of three to work on-site to oversee the operation of the business park which houses a business community of some 500 people. I www.cbre.co.uk
International SOS and Vodafone agree new partnership ||| International SOS and Vodafone have made public a new partnership with the signing of three new contracts that will focus on the provision of a range of integrated communications services. Under the first agreement, Vodafone will manage mobility services for around 1,300 employees in a number of key markets. The new contract will help International SOS reduce the complexity of managing its mobile communications. Vodafone has also won a contract for cloud and hosting services in the UK which provides International SOS with a secure IT infrastructure to host a range of applications. Richard Davies, Chief Information Officer at International SOS adds: ‘Having good, reliable communications isn’t just important to the smooth running of our business, it is essential. With every single call potentially a lifeline, it was vital that we teamed up with a global operator whose coverage was particularly robust in the regions where we operate.’ I www.internationalsos.com
Eurotunnel wins in two categories at National Coach Awards ||| Eurotunnel Le Shuttle was awarded as best coach transporter at the National Coach Awards 2014. More than 450 coach industry professionals attended the
prestigious ceremony in Blackpool on Thursday 15 May. During the ceremony at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, the leading coach and tourism magazine, Coach Monthly, awarded Eurotunnel Le Shuttle ‘Cross Sea Carrier of the Year’, ahead of Condor Ferries, DFDS Seaways and P&O Ferries, and the ‘Coach Tourism Green Award’. These two awards, judged by the coach operators themselves, are recognition of Eurotunnel Le Shuttle’s commitment to providing an environmentally friendly transport service and are testament to the strong performance of the company during what was a record year: over 64,000 coaches were carried in 2013 (+9%), in addition to 2.4 million cars. I www.eurotunnelgroup.com
Left to right: Stuart Render, Steve Hornby, Tracy Bayliss, Joel Fauquette, Brooke Kinsella 20 - info - july / august
news Schools
Foundation stone unveiled for Lycée International de Londres ||| The French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, HE Mr Bernard Emié, laid the foundation stone of the new Lycée International de Londres in Wembley, northwest London. The ceremony was attended by Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, the trustees of the French Education Charitable Trust including Arnaud Vaissié, past President of the French Chamber, the French Consul General, the School Directors, representatives of the French Chamber and large corporate donors as well as key stakeholders. The Lycée International de Londres (LIL), a 1,100 pupil French international school, will open its doors in the former Brent Town Hall in September 2015. LIL is a much needed addition to the oversubscribed network of French schools in London. The beautiful campus is set over 5 acres with 12,000 square metres of newly refurbished and purpose built teaching space for the three levels of schooling from years 1 through 13 (up to year 11 initially, with years 12 and 13 by 2017), and will include multiple onsite sports facilities such as two external sports pitches and a gymnasium. LIL will be unique amongst French schools in London to have these features onsite. Bouygues UK are undertaking the refurbishment of the listed Town Hall building and the construction of the new adjacent teaching block. I
HEC Paris ranked top by FT ||| The Financial Times has ranked HEC Paris number one worldwide in its annual ranking of the world’s top Business Schools in executive education programmes for senior managers and executives. This ranking evaluates both open enrolment programmes for individuals as well as custom-designed programmes for companies. Mainly based on the satisfaction of participants and corporate clients, it highlights the quality of the programme design, teaching methods, new skills and learning, and excellence of the faculty. Bernard Ramanantsoa, Dean of HEC Paris, concludes: ‘The rankings will have an important impact on the recognition of HEC Paris as a worldwide leader in management education. This success wouldn’t have been possible without the joint effort of HEC Paris staff members, our faculty and of course our executive education participants and partner companies who have placed their trust in our programmes.’ I www.hec.edu
Left to right: Arnaud Vaissié, Muhammed Butt and HE Mr Bernard Emié
Artist’s impression of the new school campus
NEOMA Business School students win L’Oréal Brand Storm ||| Students in the ‘Brand Management’ elective of the NEOMA Business School Master Grande Ecole programme distinguished themselves in the French final of the competition organised by L’Oréal, and represented France in the International Final on 12 June, in which students from 45 different countries competed. L’Oréal Brand Storm is organised in two parts (a national competition followed by an international final). The first phase, organised nationally, was held between 10 prestigious French schools. Students were asked to work on the brand Kiehl’s. Each team played the role of an international marketing team whose task was to develop a range of men’s skin, hair and bodycare products. The students presented their recommendations at the L’Oréal head office to a jury made up of marketing and HR experts from the company. I www.neoma-bs.fr info - july / august - 21
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EDHEC Business School launches new Executive MBA programmes ||| EDHEC Business School has launched two new Executive MBA programmes – one to help next generation family business owners; the other to help busy Parisbased professionals boost and redefine their careers. The programmes will expand executive training options at EDHEC, which was placed 19th in Europe and second in France for customised executive programmes in the 2014 Financial Times Executive Education Ranking. The EDHEC Paris EMBA builds on the success of the school’s Lille EMBA programme and offers exciting electives, soft skills training, and case studies that focus on new business models from China, Brazil and India. The first of its kind in Europe, the EDHEC Family Business
Global EMBA provides leadership and governance training to young executives, and gives students important tools and insight to better understand the international marketplace. The programmes will start in early 2015. EDHEC has also been reaccredited by the AACSB for another five years. EDHEC was one of the first international business schools to be rated based on the AACSB’s new performance standards, and received high marks from auditors for the success of its business strategy, which focuses on business training and research that is helpful to global business and society at large. I www.edhec.edu
Grenoble Ecole de Management launches Energy Market Barometer
© Copyright Agence Prisme / Pierre Jayet
||| Shale gas, nuclear energy, energy prices, CO2 emissions... all are examined in the first edition of the Energy Market Barometer launched by Grenoble Ecole de Management, which gauges short, medium
The Campus of Grenoble Ecole de Management
and long-term trends in the French energy market by questioning 200 experts from industry, the academic world and the civil service. ‘The aim of this Barometer is to ‘take the pulse’ of the energy sector and identify the keys and challenges to be defined over the coming six months and five years,’ explains Joachim Schleich, researcher at Grenoble Ecole de Management and survey coordinator. This first edition focuses on the panel’s expectations concerning shale gas, the share of nuclear energy, renewable energy in the future and energy price developments. Among the major conclusions is that exploitation of shale gas will soon be legalised in France... according to a majority of experts. I www.grenoble-em.com
Groupe INSEEC launches innovation and entrepreneurship programme ||| Group INSEEC UK is launching a new business programme to encourage young people to run their own businesses. It is no coincidence that many of the political parties encourage entrepreneurship as young businesses are increasingly the key to future employment and regeneration. This programme will be, as is the policy of Groupe INSEEC, delivered by experienced lecturers and practitioners in the heart of the fast-growing entrepreneurial hub of London, providing general management courses together with highly-specialised modules in the areas of Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship. It is designed to provide graduates 22 - info - july / august
with business drive, valuable insight and practical tools to design, build, and oversee development projects. This programme creates an excellent foundation to pursue a variety of careers: starting up your own business, taking over a family business, bringing innovation to large multi-nationals, or working as a business consultant. Says UK Director, Ron Morris: ‘In the short time that Groupe INSEEC has been in the UK, we have begun to establish a fantastic network of entrepreneurs and innovative businesses: this course, coupled with our upcoming startup incubator for students and alumnis, will help our students innovate and succeed in Europe’s most vibrant entrepreneurial city.’ I www.inseec.com
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ESCP Europe creates annual survey for the Hydrogen Group ||| ESCP Europe Business School offers organisations ‘company consultancy projects’ where student teams work on ‘live’ projects. A recent example, ‘Global Professionals on the Move’ involved postgraduate students, supervised by a tutor, who created and ran an annual survey for the Hydrogen Group, a global recruitment company. The survey is the authoritative international reference, generating excellent media coverage for both organisations. Hydrogen replaced consultancy firms with postgraduate students who offered a fresh set of minds, diverse cultural backgrounds and nationalities, and different approaches to generating ideas. Professor Jeremy Baker, tutor of the first team, recalls that it felt very creative and entrepreneurial, with lots of options and dialogue between the two organisations. The resulting survey filled a gap in the market, putting the focus on the perspective of individuals rather than companies. It has been refined each year, including new smart-phone and tablet questionnaires. Students on the Master in European Business and the Master in Marketing and Creativity (one-year/two-city courses), gain hands-on experience through such projects, applying what they have learnt and gaining soft skills and business sense. Topics range from market analysis and investment opportunities to brand development and support for startups. The next wave of projects will start in September, so do get in touch if you are interested – they are free of charge. I www.escpeurope.eu
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ESSCA School of Management earns AASCB accreditation
Staff at the Angers campus of ESSCA School of Management
||| ESSCA School of Management has earned accreditation by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), confirming its
place among the best business schools in France. Only 5% of business schools worldwide have the prestigious AACSB label, which is the hallmark of excellence in business education. The accreditation certifies the quality of education, teaching and research provided by a highly qualified faculty. It also acknowledges the school’s international dimension and the quality of its relations with the corporate world. ‘With this double accreditation ESSCA will pursue its international development through the signature of additional double degrees in Asia, North and Latin America and the opening of new programmes in Brazil on the same model as it already has done in Shanghai since 2007,’ says Catherine Leblanc, Dean and General Director of ESSCA School of Management. I www.essca.fr
Conception BLEUGRIS communication - 06 04 65 60 88 - Juin 2014 - Photo : Olivier Bahier
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1000mercis Group launches Numberly brand
numberly mercis group
||| 1000mercis Group, founded in Paris in 2000, will from now on be trading under the brand Numberly for all international activities. The group established its first international branch in London in 2009 and has since seen steady international growth, opening an office in New York in 2012, followed this year by Dubai and San Francisco. With Numberly, the group aims to support this international development with a name easier to enunciate for nonFrench tongues. With a key focus on leveraging data for Customer Acquisition and Retention purposes, 1000mercis Group provides innovative solutions for companies willing to optimise the ROI of their digital activities on email, mobile, social media and also Display via the programmatic RTB ecosystem. I www.1000mercis.com
Crefovi launches law of luxury goods seminar series
Cripps Harries Hall rebranded Cripps
||| Crefovi is partnering with Ladurée and the International Association of Lawyers for the Creative Industries (ialci) for the launch of the first seminar of the law of luxury goods series: ‘How to market through celebrities & music bands – publicity rights, product placement & endorsement deals’. Bringing together luxury goods professionals with stars from the entertainment industry, this first seminar focuses on the business and legal aspects of forging win-win endorsement deals and partnership agreements between luxury brands and top entertainers. It will be informed by several case studies of successful endorsement deals and partnerships brokered by luxury and fashion brands with film actors, sports athletes as well as music bands and performers. Various presentations on key points to take into account while negotiating partnership agreements will be made, and Q&A sessions will follow each talk. The seminar takes place on 22 July at the Pullman London St Pancras. Visit ialci.org to register. I www.crefovi.com
||| The merger of two leading south-east law firms has culminated with a new name and brand for the combined business. Cripps brings together the best elements of the cultures and working practices of its constituent elements – Cripps Harries Hall and Vertex Law – and offers clients comprehensive, customer-focused legal expertise. The firm has enjoyed strong growth since the merger formally took place on 30 September last year, opening new offices in Discovery Park, launching private client services from its Kings Hill premises and announcing plans for a new headquarters building, scheduled to open in 2016. ‘The merger has more than delivered on our hopes and expectations,’ says Managing Partner Gavin Tyler. ‘We have come together as a single team, stronger than the constituent parts, united under a new brand, and committed to delivering an excellent service to our clients.’ I www.cripps.co.uk
Voulez-vous parler launch new blog ||| If you’ve learnt a foreign language, you know that the road isn’t always smooth. This is why Sophie Marette from Voulez-vous parler – language and book addict with a taste for writing – decided to create a blog at the same time as launching VVP’s website, to share her love, tips and material recommendations to learn languages. Her tips are mainly French, but extend to other languages, such as Danish, inspired by watching so many Danish television series that she started to remember Danish words. There will soon be videos and an article about Japanese, which is as fascinating as its culture and easy to pronounce for francophones. The target audience is her students, clients, teachers and anyone interested in languages. I www.blog.voulezvousparler.com
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Muzéo ||| Muzéo is an artwork company and an iconographic design agency that specialises in the use of images in interior design. ‘You could say we control the entire chain of image design and its context from source to installation,’ says President Eric Angiboust, who bought the 10-year-old company in 2010, and has overseen its rapid development with an annual growth rate of 20-30%.
Staffed by a 35-strong team, the Paris-based agency has two main areas of expertise. One is its ability to source images and conceptualise them within an interior design. Not only does Muzéo have access to a wealth of images thanks to its partnerships with cultural institutions such as Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN Grand Palais), the US Library of Congress and the British Museum to name a few, image banks like Corbis and Getty, as well as artists and art galleries, but it also has teams familiar with all the portfolios so they know where to find the right images and expertise in managing copyright and licensing. After that, the ‘storytelling’ begins, as the designers, scenographs or iconographs work with interior designers to incorporate images into interiors and spaces in a way that conveys the essence of a brand 26 - info - july / august
while eliciting an emotional response from customers. Muzéo has worked on creative briefs from well-known designers such as Philippe Starck, Didier Gomez, Olivia Putman, Jacques Garcia and Jean-Philippe Nuel. Its second expertise is its mastery of print techniques onto a variety of materials, as well as the design, production and installation of products incorporating images, such as framed paintings, reproductions or pictures, wallpaper, lamps, headboards, mirrors, upholstery, ceilings and soft furnishings. This is bespoke work, supported by a research and development studio, which explores new tools and materials to create unique products for every client that are manufactured in the company’s own workshop in France. Muzéo’s main clients for this are in the hospitality industry – hotels and restaurants – but it also works in
©Philippe Starck
spotlight on s m e s & s ta r t u p s
SLS South Beach Hotel, Miami
Fouquet’s, Paris retailspaces,offices,highend private residences and even nursing homes. Accounting for 10% of its turnover, the Accor Group is one of its major clients: Muzéo designed headboards and wall decorations with artistic etchings for 5,000 Ibis rooms across the world, as well as individual hotel projects from the Pullman, La Defense in Paris to the Sofitel Malabo Sipopo
in Equatorial Guinea, Sofitel Arc de Triomphe, Sofitel Amsterdam and recently the brand new Piscine Molitor Sofitel. In fact, on the basis of its work for Accor in Brazil, Muzéo has opened a subsidiary there. Other clients include the Lucien Barrière Hotels & Casinos, InterContinental Hotel Group, Marriott, Hilton and Brasserie Blanc in the UK. Within the last two years, Muzéo has opened up to a wider market with the development of a website (muzeo.com) that allows customers to select images, formats and frames, try out different configurations and then have them made up and delivered within five days. These are not mere poster-style prints, but rather artworks from Muzéo’s extensive portfolio (over 200,000 images) that are printed on canvas and varnished to look very close to the original paintings, drawings or photographs. ‘We don’t organise scarcity, on the contrary, we open it to everyone,’ says Eric. ‘You can buy a Man Ray, not a real one of course, but exactly the same for a couple of hundred rather than million.’ At the moment the website is in French, but there are plans to launch an English version in the near future. Muzéo is also planning to set up a business unit in the UK. It currently does 30% of its (BtoB) business abroad and already works in the UK but on a small scale. ‘Most of this work is with UK architects but mainly for overseas projects,’ Eric explains. ‘The idea is to work with them in the UK market, and so we want to duplicate the structure that we have in France in the UK.’ His reasoning is that the UK has the strongest and most dynamic hotel industry in Europe at the moment, and is also a stepping stone to Asia and the USA. Eric is in the process of hiring a business developer in the UK with the help of the French Chamber, and hopes to establish its London office and production workshop before the summer. I KF info - july / august - 27
s u cc e s s s to ry
Air Partner Half a century is a long time, especially in the aviation business, but it’s 53 years and counting for Air Partner, which has evolved from a school for military pilots converting to civilian licences into a global air charter company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. Life President Tony Mack (junior)
T
ony Mack started the business in 1961. ‘He was the real the Beatles (individually), Status Quo – it was that sort of risk taker,’ says his son, also Tony Mack, who eventually business,’ recalls Tony. bought the company from him and is now Life President, Tony himself joined the company when his father having stepped back from an executive role to allow new offered him a job for the same salary he was earning at blood into what he calls ‘a young person’s business’. Tony Coutts Bank. He did everything from cleaning aeroplanes Mack senior was in the Royal Air Force during the war to the accounts, and also learnt to fly. ‘It just captured me, and was later involved in the Berlin Airlift, during which the directness and immediacy of the business,’ he says, tonnes of supplies were flown into West Berlin when it ‘The phone would go and it might be someone who’d was blockaded by the Soviets. He later worked as an air missed their flight wanting us to get them to Aberdeen in traffic controller, and for various air charter companies, time for the helicopter shuttle to an oil rig, so we’d finish but his specialisation was crew training. Having bought our coffee and off we’d go.’ one of the first flight simulators – ‘a funny little box run Although the airline business is seen as ‘sexy’, it is on vacuum and generators, which moved just like a small notoriously hard to make money. ‘We made a living,’ says aeroplane’ – and leased some light aircraft, he set up his Tony, ‘but by the early eighties it was becoming a crowded own training school for pilots leaving the RAF, who had to market’. More than that, there was a certain discomfort learn instrumentation before qualifying to commercially about the client. ‘Of course we wanted to use our planes fly. ‘He was successful because he knew everyone in the and crew, but no-one told the client that it was a noisy, airline industry – all the chief pilots of all the airlines,’ jokes cramped four-hour flight to Nice with no toilet, and Tony. Based in the historic art deco Beehive Terminal at that for a bit more money there were alternatives.’ So Gatwick, Airways Training, as the company was originally Air London decided to take an impartial approach, and called, flew more movements than British Caledonia in began giving their clients options, each of which would their little Beagles. be the best value available for that day. However, the pilot training ‘We guaranteed they could not get a better We always wanted to business tended to be feast or famine, deal anywhere because, if we couldn’t run the business that depending on the demand for get it, no-one could.’ Sometimes they everyone wanted to work used their own planes, but gradually the commercial pilots, and there was a lot for and to be the business charter business got quieter as brokerage of spare time, particularly at weekends, so in the 1970s, the decision was taken that always does the best took off. to start doing some charter to fill The turning point came when Tony for its clients the gaps. With that came a change bought the business from his father of name to Air London. ‘We couldn’t in 1983, and sold the last two planes to have Airways Training on the planes as it would look as concentrate on aircraft broking. He began developing if we were still learners!’ says Tony. In time, charter came the business in new directions, not just small planes, but to dominate, and the company acquired its own fleet of commercial aircraft and freight. By the time the company six twin-engined planes. ‘We would go to the Channel was floated on the Unlisted Securities Market (the Islands, Ireland, Paris, the South of France – all the usual forerunner to the Alternative Investment Market [AIM]) in places. We flew Katherine Hepburn to Guernsey for lunch, 1989, turnover had increased tenfold to £10 million. ‘It was the Queen Mother in Denmark, Bing Crosby to a golf not that we needed financing – we had never borrowed tournament in Scotland, Henry Cooper, Gerald Harper, money and always kept a lot in the business – but ‘brokers’ 28 - info - july / august
had a bad image and as we sometimes handled millions of pounds for clients we wanted to have that credibility and transparency,’ Tony explains. Full listing on the London Stock Exchange came a few years later in 1995. No sooner had the company floated than the early 1990s recession hit, and times got tough. Tony admits that this is a business susceptible to the economic climate: ‘We are not in a particular sector because our clients range from Saudi princesses to pop groups, investment banks to multi-millionaires flitting between homes, footballers to Japanese businessmen going around Europe, however, chartering a plane is often a discretionary purchase.’ Nevertheless, the company has always managed to make money, and weathered the most recent recession relatively well, remaining profitable and paying dividends throughout despite the challenging economic conditions. In 2014 its turnover was up 7% to £224 million, with an increase of 28% in its underlying pretax profit. Diversification and expansion has also helped keep it buoyant. In 1994, the company spread its wings over the Channel, opening its first overseas office in France. Despite being told that aircraft broking ‘wasn’t the French way’, it was very quickly successful and led the way to the rest. As the company began its global spread, opening offices in the US, Europe and eventually Asia, the name Air London no longer fitted so it became Air Partner. The raison d’etre behind having 21 offices worldwide, is, as Tony explains, because it is a relationship business and it is important to have local people dealing with local clients, speaking their language and being able to banter about local happenings such as the football results. Air Partner’s clients range from sports teams to bankers, and tour operators to heads of state, but one of its specialisms is emergency rescue and evacuation, for which it has a dedicated Emergency Planning department. ‘We have an ex-group captain who assesses the situation on the ground for big companies in places like Africa, evaluating the facilities and planning escape routes should there be political unrest,’ Tony explains. ‘We have even done evacuations for the British government, from Lebanon in 2006 for example.’ Air Partner has also been a provider of air ambulance flights since 1979, and with its global network has a guaranteed response time of 20 minutes in most parts of the world. It has even organised life-saving organ transport flights. At the other extreme, one of the company’s most unique attributes is its Royal Warrant by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen, as it is the first and only aviation company to hold one. After the responsibility for Royal Travel was transferred to the Royal Household in 1997, Air Partner was asked to quote for the cost of chartering a Dominie to various places. ‘A Dominie is a military aeroplane, so we guessed who it might be for although we never knew for sure,’ says Tony. They began to book
planes and after some years, Air Partner’s enterprising CEO at the time applied for and got the Royal Warrant, which the company has now had for 10 years. Air Partner operates across a number of sectors. In the summer it does a lot of supplemental haul for the holiday companies and its work for the oil and gas sector has seen steady growth, especially when projects are in the exploration phase. Government contracts are wide ranging from taking orchestras for a Royal visit to transporting troops to Finland for cold weather training. And then there is the entertainment and industry – bands, film crews, sports teams. Geographically, there is still unchartered territory. ‘We are not yet in South America or Australia and not in Africa properly,’ says Tony . Despite the challenges of the economic recession, the air charter business is enjoying a resurgence of confidence and as a result Air Partner has gone from strength to strength in recent years. The company prides itself on its reputation for ‘doing things properly and well’. One example is providing its clients with the comfort and security of an insurance policy known as CharterPLUS Guarantee ,which affords cover in the event of the financial failure of an operator, technical delay or any other incident at no extra cost. Another is its JetCard – the most flexible on the market – which allows holders to determine their own travel itineraries for an allinclusive fixed price and allows upwards of 25 hours of flight time on the widest range of new-generation private jets available today, enabling them to travel anywhere in the world at any time whilst enjoying exclusive access to exciting social and sporting events. Jet charter is also a way to enjoy the benefits of travelling by private plane without the costs of ownership. Tony adds, ‘The JetCard provides a year of flying for the same amount you would lose in the depreciation of your own jet.’ So much of Air Partner’s success over the years has been down to its agility and reactivity to the market and its clients. But more than that, it has continued to encapsulate the ‘can do’ attitude of its founder and his successors. As Tony puts it: ‘We always wanted to run the business that everyone wanted to work for and to be the business that always does the best for its clients.’ I KF info - july / august - 29
“EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A BETTER FUTURE. IMAGINE WHAT A COMPANY OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS CAN DO.” François-Henri Pinault, HEC class of 1985 CEO of Kering (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Boucheron, Puma…)
#1
BUSINESS SCHOOL WORLDWIDE FOR EXECUTIVE EDUCATION Financial Times ranking 2014 30 - info - july / august
TOMORROW IS OUR BUSINESS www.exed.hec.edu
focus
Education, skills & training for future-minded companies ‘Universities and higher education are worthwhile in their own right. They transform the lives of individuals and shape our society for the better. But universities are also powerhouses for economic growth. They are a vital part of the government’s long term economic plan to build a more resilient economy and create jobs.’ So said UK Universities and Science Minister David Willets in a speech to the Universities UK conference in April. And so begins this Focus on Education and Skills Training, with a look at intersection between education and business, how universities are becoming platforms for entrepreneurs and are at the heart of clusters, as well as collaborating with industry on projects that advance development and innovation. All this has a significant impact on the economy: UK higher education sector contributed an output of over £73 billion and more than 750,000 full-time jobs in 2011 to 2012, equating to 2.8% of GDP. Moreover, educational institutions are becoming less dependent on the public purse as they bring in substantial revenues by working flexibly with business and the outside world. Another dimension of working with business is teaching it. Business schools have long taught management and finance, but entrepreneurship is a relatively new subject to be formally studied. But by its very nature, it is one that has to be approached differently – traditional classrooms have given way to laboratories and incubators – and as Professor Paul Coyle, Director of
the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education, points out, ‘enterprising skills’ such as creativity, decision making, risk taking, resilience, dealing with ambiguity and team work are of benefit to all students, not just those who go on to become entrepreneurs. ‘Skills’ is indeed a much bandied around word, more often than not associated with ‘gap’. In the UK, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) get the most coverage as a shortage of engineers looms, but for many employers, it is more basic skills that are lacking – socalled employability skills, or even life skills. How higher education can produce job-ready graduates is a question several articles grapple with, touching on culture, education systems and interactions with business. Indeed, some businesses and industries take their role in this very seriously with initiatives that start much earlier to garner interest and spot aptitude amongst primary school students, and continue through to their own apprenticeship and in-house training schemes. From two ends of the spectrum come insights into approaches to harness the engineering and creative skills of the future, that makes for very optimistic reading. ‘The true purpose of education is to make minds not careers’, American writer and critic William Deresiewicz wrote, albeit somewhat controversially in his essay The Disadvantages of An Elite Education. But, if education can make minds as well as careers, instilling skills, creating jobs and economic growth , so much the better.� I KF
contents
part one: Education for and with business
32 Universities, employment and the knowledge-based
34 Cambridge Enterprise: commercialising intellectual
economy property
part two: SKILLS AND TRAINING
44 The teaching of employability skills 45 Education for life and business 46 Customised executive education: a way to fill the UK
36 What makes university–industry collaboration successful?
management skills gap?
47 Training and development at Altran: promoting professional
37 The entrepreneurial university
development through multi-channel learning
39 Teaching entrepreneurship the French way
48 Engineering early links
40 Franco-British cooperative education
49 Creating a more rounded person: the EDF Energy approach to
41 The best of both worlds: French higher education
programmes in the UK
42 Stage / Internship: what is the difference? 43 The role of alumni associations
apprenticeship
50 From STEM to STEAM: developing a skilled workforce for
the creative and cultural industries
52 Interview with Andrea Stark, Chief Executive of High House
Production Park
focus Part one: Education for, with and within business
Universities, employment and the knowledgebased economy Philippe Chalon, Managing Director of the Cercle d’outre manche considers how and why British universities have become so successful in developing and growing high-tech businesses and what might be holding their French counterparts back from doing the same
A
recent study published by The Kauffman shows that France is not playing in the Major League Foundation shows that from 1980 to 2005, nearly in terms of Academic and Research competitiveness. all net job creation in the United States occurred in Lack of visibility and little foreign recognition have companies less than five years old. It is clear that become an important issue. Let’s take a look at what new and young companies – and the entrepreneurs is not quite right: that create them – are the engines of job creation and • Top academic institutions remain scattered, with little eventual economic recovery. or no inter/pluridisciplinarity. Although there are The global market has become so competitive that about as many university students in France as in the innovation is now as valuable an investment as sales UK (around 2.5 million), there are almost 25 times more and marketing. Markets are becoming more global, high education institutions in France: 4,300+ academia not less, so the value of innovation will continue to (most of them monodisciplinary), as opposed to only increase. 162 British (pluridisciplinary) academia. For the past 20 years or so, the UK has become a leader in the high tech sector. Key to its R&D success • France relies a bit too much on a form of negative is the quality of its universities, which have become selection: access to university is granted to anybody a platform for the development and growth of new with a baccalauréat, but the failure rates are quite businesses. Many British universities high at around 50% after the first combine the activities of technology year. On the contrary, the UK favours The global market has transfer, company incubation and a more positive selection: access to early stage venture capital funding, academia is fairly selective, but each become so competitive providing a most interesting case student is looked after from his first that innovation is now as study for France. day at university until graduation valuable an investment as In the case of France, the 2007 day. sales and marketing. reform giving autonomy to its universities opened the gates to a • French students’ English level rush of new ideas. Some business clusters have been remains grossly deficient. Students, researchers set up, some universities have created high-tech centres and managers all perform poorly in tests, especially and most higher education institutions have sought when compared to their European counterparts. international partnerships to lure and retain talent. According to several international surveys, 85% of Globalisation and technology enhancements have French high school graduates hardly speak enough hastened the evolution, compelling France to adapt more English to make themselves understood when going rapidly in order to keep up with the pace of innovation on a trip abroad. This is clearly a major drawback in and catch up with the leading pack. the global competition. Grandes Ecoles and some French universities have gained a reputation for excellence, mostly because • All French researchers are tenured, and a large both have succeeded in producing the technical and majority of them hold a public servant status, managerial elite of the country. Yet a few facts have whereas most British researchers agree to five-year rocked the boat. The Shanghai ranking, for instance, result-based contracts. British academics do have a 32 - info - july / august
focus
Cambridge University has been particularly strong in facilitating the development of a high-tech cluster
direct interest in any commercial applications that may arise from their research. This can account for the fact that, even if they find themselves in relatively similar situations as far as the patents are concerned, British researchers are more often interested in getting involved in startups than their French counterparts. University reforms in the UK have come a long way over the past 30 years. In the 1980s, many British universities were reluctant to implement Margaret Thatcher’s reforms to help the academic environment become the driver of entrepreneurship and wealth creation. A 1986 law allowed British universities to commercialise new inventions, and to have a say in the firms’ profit-sharing, in exchange for licence agreements on these patents. Another key aspect is that universities have been exhorted by the state to create venture capital funds. The biggest funds, such as Imperial Innovations (Imperial College) for
instance, now raise funds from international private investors and some have even become publicly traded companies. Under the firm encouragement of both Tory and Labour governments, ‘blue sky’ researchers have managed to bury the hatchet with the business world. By means of significant incentives and more flexible contracts, more academics have become involved in startups alongside their academic career, while the government has egged on universities to create their own venture capital funds. Over the last 10 years, British graduates have also developed a more entrepreneurial attitude, helped by a strong network of 50,000 business angels across the country which gives a chance to promising 25-year-old entrepreneurs. It is not just coming up with new ideas that is important, but actually putting them into practice, bringing them to the market, and exploiting them in a manner that leads to job and wealth creation. I
Created in 2004 by Arnaud Vaissié, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of International SOS La France et le Royaume-Uni à la criseExecutive (2008-2014) and President of CCI France International and Pascal Boris, BNP Paribas,faceChief Deux approches de la gestion de la crise et leurs conséquences sur la croissance et l’emploi Officer UK (1999-2007) and Honorary President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, the Cercle d’outre-Manche (CoM) is a group of 30 French L business leaders operating in the UK and France. The CoM is organised as a think-tank and its purpose is to compare French and British competitiveness. In particular, it is attempting to develop a benchmarking approach in order to depict the best practices in both countries and suggest new policies in France. The CoM has published studies on a wide array of subjects including employment law, taxation, innovation, digital economy and more recently immigration and diversity in the workplace.Their latest publication is about France and the UK facing the crisis -:HTLATD=^Y[UU^: (2008-2014): ‘A tale of 2 countries’. www.cercledoutremanche.com |||
Pascal BORIS � Arnaud VAISSIÉ
ABOUT THE CERCLE D’OUTRE-MANCHE
« économies matelas » et les « économies trampoline » ?
rables, leurs politiques publiques pour sortir de la crise et leurs
résultats aujourd’hui sur l’emploi et la croissance sont assez
largement opposés. Il est intéressant d’analyser ce modèle britannique qui maintient l’emploi tant dans les phases de
croissance que dans les phases de crise. La France peut-elle
s’inspirer du fonctionnement du marché du travail britannique et de sa stratégie fiscale pour réduire son taux de chômage et relancer sa croissance ?
� Le Cercle d’Outre-Manche rassemble des dirigeants français de groupes internationaux opérant au Royaume-Uni et en France. Ce groupe de réflexion utilise le benchmarking comme outil de réforme des politiques publiques en mettant en avant les meilleures pratiques des deux pays.
www.cercledoutremanche.com
ISBN : 979-10-93946-00-9
PRIX : 10 �
Couv France & RU face crise.indd 2
La France et le Royaume-Uni face à la crise (2008-2014)
a crise aurait-elle révélé et accentué le fossé entre les
Alors que la France et le Royaume-Uni sont deux pays compa-
La France et le
Royaume-Uni face à la crise (2008-2014)
Deux approches de la gestion de la crise et leurs conséquences sur la croissance et l’emploi
Préface de Claude BÉBÉAR
Pascal BORIS � Arnaud VAISSIÉ
15/06/14 19:56
info - july / august - 33
focus
Cambridge Enterprise: commercialising intellectual property Richard jennings, Deputy Director of Cambridge Enterprise Ltd, the University of Cambridge’s commercial development subsidiary, tells INFO how it creates and nurtures startups
turn down some for various reasons – it may have been Its genesis goes back to the late 1960s, when Britain was published before, there is prior art in the patent literature being ‘reforged in the white hot heat of technological with which the academic was not familiar, or we do not revolution’ to paraphrase the then Prime Minister Harold see it as a viable commercial prospect. In such a case, or Wilson. Cambridge is a very traditional, medieval city if the researcher is very enthusiastic anyway, we have a within a tight green belt, but partly in response to various mechanism for allowing the academics to exploit the government initiatives and of the University of Cambridge technology themselves. it decided that knowledge-based, high-technology industry would be beneficial to the local community. Planning Once you find a viable project, do you help set up a company restrictions were eased, and Trinity College led the way for it? in setting up the Cambridge Science Park, which was the In some cases, yes, but to some extent we have to align first in England. At the same time, the the interests of the academic and the Wolfson Cambridge Industrial Unit was University too. Many academics are Licensing leaves the set up to promote links between the not interested in setting up companies. academics doing what University’s Engineering Department It may be that their technology is they’re best at while the and industry, establishing the germs best exploited by licensing, so we of these relationships then. But the take the idea to an existing company companies do what they are watershed came in the late 1980s when with all the expertise and resources, best at, and there’s a flow the Thatcher government changed the and then in principle they develop of knowledge and money legislation, allowing universities to it commercially and we receive between the two parties. own and exploit their own intellectual the royalty from that exploitation. property. Cambridge, like other That’s a very clean situation. It leaves universities, started doing so and Cambridge Enterprise the academics doing what they’re best at while the pursues this activity to this day. We see it as our role as part companies do what they are best at, and there’s a flow of of the University to disseminate knowledge for the benefit knowledge and money between the two parties. of society, when commercial routes are the best way of In Cambridge, where we do so much cutting-edge doing this. We recognise that technology and knowledge research, the technology may be so radical that there is transfer in a commercial sense complements the core no immediately obvious market for it. If we cannot find activities of the University in research and teaching. a licensee, we may create our own licensee in the form of a spin-off company, or we could put a technology with How does this work in practice? multiple applications into a company to develop and We are a wholly owned subsidiary of the University and then license it in various business sectors as it evolves. the University is our sole shareholder. In a sense we are A core part of our activity is patenting and licensing. We the University’s trading arm. It’s an effective way of also manage consultancy contracts that academics have allowing charities – as all UK universities are – to engage in with external parties. commercial activities. We provide a service to Cambridge We set up probably half a dozen companies a year, but academics when they want to indulge in commercial over the years it has been in excess of 100. Currently we activities. We speak to academics, telling them what we hold equity in 68. Some have been sold, others have made can do to help them identify commercial possibilities. quite a lot of money: recently Horizon Discovery was There is also a big drive from sponsors of research at floated on the Alternative Investment Market bringing a the University to ensure that the intellectual property few million into our coffers; and BlueGnome was sold to generated is appropriately managed and commercially Illumina for $100 million a couple of years ago. exploited. Often academics approach us with an idea they think might have commercial potential. If the project has How do you fund these startups? potential, we partner with them to take it forward. We Thanks to company sales and income from our business How and why was Cambridge Enterprise Ltd established?
34 - info - july / august
focus over the early stage funding process, and stay with them a bit longer to get more potential upside for the University. We work closely alongside CIC and see them as a fantastic local resource to provide additional funding following our own seed funding. What is your International Outreach Programme?
Many people have come to Cambridge to find out about the Cambridge Phenomenon, what part the University has played, and how we have developed Cambridge Enterprise. Having been approached frequently for active consultancy work and advice, we turned an ad hoc set of circumstances into something more organised. We advise external parties on setting up organisations like ours around innovation and enterprise. Not wanting to detract from our own core business, we actively manage the programme but largely use very experienced external consultants, whom we know well, to deliver the service. Do you have links with other clusters around the world?
we now have a fairly substantial ‘evergreen’ fund of our own that we can use to inject seed funding into new startup companies that come out of University research. Income from licensing is shared between the inventor and the University, which allows us to keep a proportion as working capital for our own activities. We get some funding directly from the University and also benefit from the Government’s Higher Education Innovation Fund.1 We also attract outside investment through an investment forum called Cambridge Enterprise Venture Partners. It has taken some time to develop but we now have a very active network of business angels and fullblown venture capital companies with whom we work. We’ve formalised it to an extent by putting on regular events for them where we present our themes. We also leverage additional funding from the government’s Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS), which allow individuals to invest in higher-risk new companies by offering tax reliefs. For this we are in partnership with an independent investment management firm called Parkwalk. The University of Cambridge Enterprise Fund, which they manage, has attracted a lot of investors, including many alumni. They have raised several million pounds, which are invested alongside ours so that we can leverage our funds effectively with this external money. What about later stage funding?
Collectively our investments have attracted £1.3 billion of further investment, so we are confident we can set up worthwhile companies that people want to invest in. But, having seen the need for later-stage capital we recently set up our own £50 million fund called Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC). It is a local fund linked to the University that enables us to put more money into companies so we can retain the value of our investment, have more control
The academic community is globally networked in a way that companies are quite nonplussed by. A huge number of academic papers are collaborative between centres all over the world, so working with lots of organisations on a global basis is commonplace. Some years ago an organisation called the Cambridge Network was set up with the University as one of the founder members, to promulgate links between the local companies and the University to develop Cambridge as a centre for science and technology, and then more formally to link Cambridge with other centres of technology on a worldwide basis. We have particularly strong links with companies and investors in Silicon Valley, and elsewhere in Europe, such as Leuven in Belgium and Sophia Antipolis in the South of France. We were a bit behind the US at one point in terms of patent and licensing, but the UK has caught up pretty well, and was ahead of Continental Europe for many years. However France, Germany and Scandinavia are catching up very rapidly indeed. Leuven in particular is an outstanding centre for tech transfer activities. Britain is unique in that we are not organised on a regional basis like most continental countries. We don’t have departments as they do in France or other business regions like the US. Even our Chambers of Commerce are quite different beasts. In Britain, initiatives arise from either central government or are grassroots activities, and like the US, universities have been allowed to develop their own way of knowledge transfer. To some extent it is hard to be entrepreneurial and innovative on a collective basis or in a more top-down, centrally managed basis, whereas without this, Britain is curiously good at it. On the other hand, we sometimes lack the benefits of synergy or collaboration in larger scale activities. It’s important to achieve a balance. I Interview by KF
1. Funding for knowledge exchange to support and develop a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between universities and colleges and the wider world, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK. www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/kes/heif/
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What makes university–industry collaboration successful? A balance between interests has to be found, writes Dr Markus Perkmann, Associate Professor of Technology and Innovation Management at Imperial College Business School
L
inks between universities and industry are because it advances their research. Only a minority of important precursors of innovation within the academics – although this is the important sub-group of economy. Among these links, the commercialisation of academic entrepreneurs – works with industry because universities’ intellectual property has attracted most of they are motivated by financial gain. the limelight. Some universities have had considerable This means collaborative projects should contain success in commercialising their research and creating both a commercial and an academic aspect to satisfy the spin-out companies. For instance, Imperial College incentives of both partners involved. Firms cannot usually London, through its commercialisation entity Imperial expect academics to conduct outsourced research delivered Innovations, has created more than 80 spin-out companies in short time frames. Rather, the value of having academics based on patents invented by Imperial academics. Some involved is often in testing out new ideas and using of these companies have been major academic laboratories for experimental success stories and are now listed on UK projects that are not yet mainstream but Firms increasingly and US stock exchanges. potentially highly promising. Firms also see the administrative work with universities to participate in the While commercialisation is important, burden and cost of there are other links between universities development of specific areas of science and industry that are also of high relevance. and technology. intellectual property In fact, the annual income of all UK A second potential bone of contention protection as a major universities from commercialisation is £87 relates to intellectual property barrier for university million while the income from contract considerations. Usually, the more the cost collaboration. research and consulting is a high multiple of a collaboration is borne by the industrial of this amount, at around £1.5 billion. partners, the more likely any intellectual These figures demonstrate the value industry puts on property arising from it will be controlled by them. collaborating with university researchers, and show that Academics are often happy with these arrangements as universities are not really those ivory towers as commonly long as there are opportunities for academic exploitation, portrayed. Recent surveys conducted by Imperial College i.e. publication. If public funding is provided, the issue is and the University of Cambridge researchers demonstrated more complicated and universities legitimately seek to that large numbers of academics regularly interact with claim some ownership. industry and other users in different ways. However, firms increasingly see the administrative Increasingly, firms have moved from small-scale and burden and cost of intellectual property protection as ad-hoc collaboration to a more strategic approach to work a major barrier for university collaboration. There are with universities. This allows them to access state-of-the some experiments where companies and universities art knowledge, and also leverage public research funds. experiment with ‘open intellectual property regimes’. The Examples of large centres include the Rio Tinto Centre at case of the Structural Genomics Consortium, a research Imperial, the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre at organisation part-funded by pharmaceutical companies, Loughborough and the Centre for Advanced Photonics and illustrates how industry can benefit from academic Electronics at Cambridge. Rolls Royce is working with all work without necessarily owning property rights to all three universities via their University Technology Centres the outputs generated. These experiments are currently programme. confined to precompetitive research and it remains to be In our research, we have examined what makes these seen how these collaborations develop. What they suggest, collaborations successful. A first big issue concerns the however, is that it is often difficult to put monetary value cultural differences between academia and industry. on basic research, and hence the costs and inconvenience Successful initiatives manage to build into the incentives of patenting has to be traded off with the benefits of of the university researchers involved. Our research actually having research results that may benefit both the suggests that most academics work with industry primarily development of science and innovation. I 36 - info - july / august
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The entrepreneurial university Professor Paul Coyle, Programme Director for the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education and Director of the Entrepreneurial University Leaders programme, describes what is happening in UK universities to prepare not only future entrepreneurs but employable graduates
The entrepreneurial university and economic growth Governments around the world are increasingly looking to universities to be engines of innovation and economic growth. Throughout Europe there is a deep and longstanding interest in how government, universities and business can work collaboratively with the aim of growing and sustaining both regional and national economies. A university which collaborates with government and business, in this so-called Triple Helix arrangement, is regarded as being an entrepreneurial university. Studying at the entrepreneurial university The development and promotion of entrepreneurship have been strategic objectives within the EU for many years and it is now widely accepted that the development of an entrepreneurial mindset is, therefore, more than just desirable; it is necessary. There is a vital role for education in promoting and establishing such entrepreneurial attitudes. Many universities now offer options for students to study enterprise and entrepreneurship in addition to their core curriculum and to gain practical experience in activities outside the classroom. In the UK, the course curriculum at university is nowadays likely to offer an explicit description of the enterprising skills to be developed by students e.g. creativity, decision-making, risk taking, resilience, dealing with ambiguity and team work. It is a commonly held view that all students will benefit from these enterprising skills whatever their future employment. Some students will want to apply these enterprising skills specifically to self-employment and entrepreneurship. Students themselves are taking the initiative in developing their enterprise and entrepreneurship skills. For example, the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) is an organisation which directly supports students to create their own enterprise society at their university, so that they can organise regular events, learning from entrepreneurship experts and providing support to each other. A number of universities in the UK have begun to issue an electronic Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) in order to provide a detailed picture of student achievement which is not limited to a record of academic achievement but which includes other information that will be useful to potential employers such as details of extra-curricular activities, prizes,
employability awards and voluntary work. The HEAR is aligned with the European Diploma Supplement, making it easier for employers to compare qualifications gained in higher education systems across Europe.
Preparation for employment and entrepreneurship Universities are keenly aware that students, especially the ones who pay tuition fees as they do in the UK, want to know how their university education will equip them with the right knowledge and skills to help them get a job. Nowadays, employers commonly require enterprising skills from all the graduates they employ, not just those who have specifically studied business. Increasing efforts are being made by universities to help students gain a better understanding of their options for employment and to gauge the potential for selfemployment. Work-related skills are often developed through in-course work experience undertaken during projects and via internships. Universities are preparing students to work in large corporations, in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with their different challenges and are stimulating students to have the ambition to set up their own businesses. Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, funded by the European Commission, is a cross-border exchange programme which gives new or aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other EU countries. The role of employers Employers can play a vital role in supporting universities to develop graduates with the required knowledge and entrepreneurial mindset. Working together, info - july / august - 37
universities and business can predict future workforce requirements, identify required levels of knowledge and standards of skill, produce case study materials and live briefs to support on-course learning, and agree the numbers, scope and terms & conditions of internships. Employers can also directly assist students and graduates, by creating a bridge between study and work, providing work placement and work experience, facilitating learning in the workplace and the development of industry-level skills, and helping the transition from study into work.
Universities and business working together There are enablers and obstacles to collaboration between universities and business. The University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) has examined the extent of university business cooperation in Europe. The results show that in the UK, senior university staff perceive themselves to be European leaders in this type of co-operation, although this view was not always shared by UK academics. In France, despite the high degree of an official commitment to cooperation, implementation was considered to be less developed and there was an identified need for more action. These issues can be addressed by university leaders who
must develop an entrepreneurial culture within which individual academics are empowered and rewarded for collaborating with businesses.
Entrepreneurial leadership The Entrepreneurial University Leader’s Programme (EULP) is an executive development programme delivered annually since 2010. It is run by the UK’s National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE) in partnership with Universities UK, an organisation whose members are the 133 executive heads of all the UK universities. The programme is delivered with the support of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. The EULP explores the concept of the entrepreneurial university and the practical application of that concept by universities in Europe, the Far East, the UK and the USA. Entrepreneurial University of the Year NCEE also sponsors an award for the UK’s Entrepreneurial University of the Year. This recognises good practice by universities which strive to educate their students to be both enterprising and entrepreneurial, prepare students for employment and self-employment, and work with government and business to generate economic success within their region and nation. I
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Teaching entrepreneurship the French way HEC ||| Can entrepreneurship be taught? Or is it rather a gift that a handful of individuals are born with? HEC Paris has always believed in the former, and
has consistently placed entrepreneurship at the very heart of the learning process, helping more than 100 startups come to life every year. ‘Entrepreneurship is one of the major components of our global strategy’, says Bernard Ramanantsoa, Dean of HEC Paris. ‘For 35 years, we have strived to innovate, and to make connections between entrepreneurs of all kinds: students, participants and graduates, as well as the researchers and scientists of the University of Paris Saclay.’ From a pedagogical point of view, HEC Paris has developed for its pre-experience Masters students a specific track, ‘HEC Entrepreneurs’, which provides training for young entrepreneurs who are ready to step into positions of operational responsibility alongside managers, creators, venture capitalists and strategic advisors.The MBA programme also has an ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Specialisation’. Furthermore, HEC boasts ‘Challenge +’, a leading training programme designed to support companies in the early stages of their development when working on innovative projects with strong potential. In addition to the array of academic programmes on offer, HEC Paris has recently inaugurated an Entrepreneurship Lab (e-Lab), which is a space where students can come together and create high-quality ventures in an environment which favours reflection and interactivity.The cutting-edge e-Lab offers students high-tech technology, as they are immersed in a digital environment that can be adapted to suit different needs: from video conferences, to creativity talks and coaching sessions. The e-Lab also acts as a meeting point where inventors, scientists, venture capitalists, lawyers and alumni are all invited to share their ideas and knowledge with students. Finally, HEC’s Incubator allows many students to develop exciting ideas for new businesses before, during, and after their time at HEC Paris.The potential high risks of setting up a new firm can often be a deterrent, so the HEC Incubator provides students with the insight and necessary tools to manage these startup risks and enable them to pursue their ambitions with greater confidence. Since its creation, HEC’s incubator has generated 130 startups including Sarenza, Dealissime (Living Social), Photoways and Spartoo, amongst others. I Marguerite Gallant, London Office Director, HEC Paris
NEOMA At NEOMA Business School, entrepreneurship teaching is a continuum of four complementary phases: 1. Information: Entrepreneur conferences – both formal and informal – are held to allow for exchange between entrepreneurs, startup managers and students. ‘Explor’action’ seminars are also conducted, bringing management students together with those in different disciplines to find original ideas and new perspectives on technologies during sessions animated by CEOs. For those organised in engineering schools, management and engineering students are mixed in teams to generate more original ideas.The school also organises meetings between startups, project owners and company creation networks through its PoweredBy forum. 2. Sensitisation: Students undertake entrepreneurial projects from idea to business plan, which they then have to defend in front of professionals. Entrepreneurship courses are also conducted using the inductive method (example then theory) and a ‘learning by doing’ approach is preferred.The International Intrapreneurship Programme gives students the opportunity to work on an international development mission for regional SMEs, while the Startup Weekend and NEOMA Startup gives students 2.5 days to learn about startup creation. 3. Specialisation: An Entrepreneur Specialisation programme is organised around a startup project where students are followed by professional coaches and mentors. When required by the project, courses are conducted by CEOs. 4. Incubation: The incubation programme entails coaching, mentoring and expertise missions. Activities include pitch preparation sessions, brown bag seminars, open days and CEOs roundtables. A variety of complementary services are also available: 360° communication, project expenses, entrepreneurial grants (for students with financial difficulties) and web development for project websites. One problem we encountered in the incubator was that management students lacked the technological competency to handle IT-related projects such as internet websites, mobile apps and other IT services.This led to the creation of a web development unit supported by engineering students on short-term internships who worked on projects alongside management students. Project owners subsequently invited engineering students to join their projects as co-founders beyond the duration of the internship. This has created a situation where managers work with engineers on a long-term basis, and engineers become involved in startups and the culture of entrepreneurship. To date, the unit has developed more than 20 websites; four manager/engineer pairs were formed to create companies; five startups have continued to work with their initial coders and others are in the pipeline. I Associate Professor Denis Gallot, in charge of Entrepreneur Major and NEOMA Incubator |||
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Franco-British cooperative education Laurent Batut, Deputy Cultural Counsellor and Cooperative Education Attaché at the French Embassy studies the two-way relationship, strengthened by a long history of exchange
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ranco-British cooperative education is one of the oldest examples of a two-way exchange between our countries. Exchange programmes for Language Assistants have been running since the end of the 19th century and have become increasingly popular ever since. Additionally, the Franco-British cooperative education agreement of 2 March 1948 has been the backbone of our exchange programmes for over 65 years. One point in particular defines this cooperation: despite the fact that the Ministry of Education has a regulatory role, the countries’ Local Education Authorities remain autonomous in their decision-making processes. Both the French and English Ministers of Education signed an agreement on 4 February 2003 during the Le Touquet summit to formalise existing cooperation and foster new collaborations. In addition to this, both French and Scottish Ministers signed a letter of intent in 2004 to boost this cooperation. These two agreements were renewed in 2011 by England and in 2013 by Scotland, during the French Trade Delegation trip there. Other negotiations are currently taking place to include Wales in a partnership of this nature. In addition to the establishment of these political
HE Mr Bernard Emié and First Minister Alex Salmond renew the Franco-Scottish educational cooperation
dialogues, the main aim of these different agreements is to promote the learning of the other language, facilitate exchange programmes (for both students and teachers) and carry out staff training. French schools have most of their exchange programmes with the UK, particularly England: for example more that 25 cooperation agreements have been signed between French and British Local Education Authority representatives and almost 1,500 partnerships between schools have been established. Over 45,000 pupils take part each year. Local Education Authority representatives from both capitals have facilitated exchanges between Paris, Créteil and Versailles with various London boroughs. Despite the great success of this cooperative education, there are still a number of administrative issues to be resolved. The eTwinning1 programme has helped pupils overcome these hurdles by using new technology. The EU is subsidising more and more of these programmes – Erasmus being the most well known – to facilitate European cultural exchanges. The Local Education Authority representatives are focusing on broadening students’ horizons and international references. The quality of the teaching of these foreign languages is at the heart of these exchanges. Not everybody is convinced that foreign language skills increase a pupil’s employability. This is despite the fact that the Confederation of British Industry carried out a survey that demonstrates that French is seen as the most useful language in business, even if the Mandarin or Arabic speaking employees are also valued. It is crucial for businesses to recognise that there is still much to do to emphasise the importance of the relationship between employability, foreign language skills and understanding cultural norms. I 1. eTwinning is the community for schools in Europe – a platform for teachers to connect, develop collaborative projects and share ideas through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) support, tools and services.
Entente Cordiale scholarships ||| The
Entente Cordiale Scholarship Scheme was created in 1995 by French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister John Major who took a long-sighted view of Franco-British relations by seeking to build up over time a group of future leaders and decision-makers who had benefited from direct experience and education in each other’s countries. The result is a prestigious bilateral awards scheme that funds postgraduate students who want to study on the other side of the Channel. Funded by the private sector, the scheme also relies on the on-going sponsorship of companies such as EDF Energy and Areva, which have a vested interest in strong bilateral ties and share the scheme’s long-term aims. In the 15 years since it was founded more than 400 scholars have already benefited from the scheme.There are no set fields of study, enabling scholars to pursue a diversity of disciplines; they are now working in different sectors; from engineering to medicine, arts, architecture, economics and journalism. I www.entente-cordiale.org
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The best of both worlds: French higher education programmes in the UK The different qualities of both French and British education systems in relocated programmes makes for a good combination, as Sylvie Rolland, Associate Professor of marketing at Université Paris-Dauphine and in charge of Global Bachelor Dauphine in London, explains
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he UK is becoming increasingly attractive for French higher education institutions looking to relocate study programmes. The number of double degrees is rising; ESCP Business School offers part of its programme in London, as does EDHEC Business School and Groupe INSEEC. Now Université Paris-Dauphine is launching its new Global Bachelor Dauphine there in September 2014. The conditions are extremely favourable for such a development. Both academic and scientific communities have always been closely connected by joint research and common projects between French and British faculty members or research teams. For students, both higher education systems appear to be mutually attractive: 20% of internationally mobile French students go to the UK, rating it the second most attractive English-speaking country worldwide, while 8% of internationally mobile British students choose France as their first European destination and the third worldwide. However, weaker UK mobility to Europe means exchange programme numbers are imbalanced. The Erasmus programme attracted more than 6,500 French students to the UK in 2011/12, but only 4,200 British students to France.
Relocated programmes Relocated programmes have great potential for integrating more British students into French Higher Education, while exposing French students to the English world. ‘The Global Bachelor Dauphine is the first entirely relocated French programme in the UK for first and second year students,’ explains Laurent Batsch, President of Université Paris-Dauphine. ‘Early internationalisation is our credo. For this new programme, London is a very attractive place: there are over 300,000 French citizens, numerous Dauphine alumni and vibrant economic sectors close to our core academic fields of Management, Economics and Finance.’ Relocated programmes also foster pedagogic innovation. Not only do they introduce a foreign university’s programme to another country, but they also confront the characteristics of two Higher Education systems and create new links between them.
Different pedagogic approaches French and British higher education offer numerous ways of doing so. Both systems share the core idea of promoting excellence in prestigious institutions. However, the pedagogic approaches are very different. French excellence programmes usually focus on intensive course work and examinations, while British universities have fewer teaching hours, giving more space to individual work, creativity and methods. UK students specialise early, during A Levels, whereas French students often only specialise in the third year of their Bachelor degrees. Impact of recruitment paths Different recruitment policies in both countries also has an impact on the higher education systems. French students usually apply for a first job in their specialisation field, after five years of study, whereas British students tend to enter the job market after Bachelor graduation, not necessarily in their specialisation fields for they can benefit from firm intern graduate programmes. French companies expect applicable knowledge and professional experience from graduates. Numerous excellence programmes therefore concern practical fields such as Engineering, Management or Economics. In the UK, traditional disciplines such as Ancient Languages, Literature or History are considered as equally prestigious pathways to business careers. Combination and innovation French higher education programs in the UK can take advantage of these complementary approaches to offer innovative study programs, as the new Global Bachelor Dauphine in London illustrates. Its intensive course work of up to 20 hours per week is appreciated in the UK, mainly by young stydents who feel reassured by these regulated courses. The recruitment of local professors allows for the combination of French and British teaching methods, offering new ways of introducing diversity and creativity into class, while a blend of practical and theoretical knowledge, an important aspect of French excellence programmes, not only enhances learning, but also contributes to reinforcing links between the university and the business world in the UK. I info - july / august - 41
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‘Stage’ / Internship: what is the difference? Lisa Colin from Sciences Po Strasbourg looks at the different approaches in the UK and France
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he latest act of Parliament in France (June 2014) with regard to internships (stages) sparked a debate over how companies use, or for some exploit, student internships. This new law aims to regulate internships by limiting their duration and the amount a company can offer. This piece of legislation is the latest of five laws on the subject in the past eight years (including Lois ‘Cherpion’ in 2009 and 2011, Loi ‘Fioraso’ in July 2013). The French government encourages undergraduates to seek internships as a way of improving their employability and knowledge of the job market. That was the main objective of the Loi Fioraso passed in July 2013, which limited internships to six months. Often seen as bogus internships involving more time spent at the photocopier and the ‘sacrosanct’ coffee machine than anywhere more useful and productive, French authorities want to turn them into work experience opportunities, as integral parts of a student’s training. The situation is fundamentally different in the UK. First, internships are not as regulated and terms and conditions are less strict. Internships or work placements may take place at secondary or higher education levels. They are not statutory except for certain careers and can be strongly recommended, in the legal professions for example. They can form part of professional training or be used for ‘NEETs’ (Not in Education, Employment or Training). In France, every intern has to do a training course or be a current university student. Many graduates choose to go on a work placement rather than be unemployed. Many
accept unpaid placements, as companies are not required to offer a minimum wage to interns. The ever increasing demand for work placements and internships prompted the British government to introduce a platform ‘Graduate Talent Pool’ in England (‘Go Wales Work Placement’ in Wales) to help students find a suitable offer. As in France, work placements have raised concerns as most students in the UK are expected to repay their student loans once they have obtained their degrees. Such a situation might put less affluent students at risk, for work placements increase employability and companies tend to recruit interns or past interns. As far as pay is concerned, the contrast between the two countries exemplifies their different approaches. In the UK, interns are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage, if their work placement is less than 12 months long. In France every intern is to be paid €436.05 a month if the placement has lasted over two months. Virtual internships have also developed in the UK, whereby interns are expected to interact with their ‘colleagues’ via a computer screen and seldom go to the office. These would still be unthinkable in France where sharing the experience of a working environment is one of the justifications of work placements in the first place. In both countries work placements and internships are considered as the best way to improve employability among young graduates. But they have also raised concerns with regards to their regulation. Answers to that very question illustrate the differences between our two traditions. I
In the UK, students doing an internship first have to define their role: is this internship part of their higher education course? If so, the student receives an intern status. If it is personal work experience outside of their studies, then their status is either worker, employee or volunteer, for which British students need to sign a contract. For internships required by schools however, British and French students alike have to sign a formal internship agreement between the student, their school and the company. The UK Government states:‘Students required to do an internship for less than 1 year as part of a UK-based further or higher education course aren’t entitled to the National Minimum Wage’. However, if the student is considered a worker or an employee during their internship, a contract needs to be signed and they must be paid the minimum wage. Students who are promised a contract of future work at the end of their internships, have a ‘worker’ status. Compulsory or not? Neither country forces students on higher education courses to do an internship.The school or university freely decides the content of their courses and if an internship is required for their students to graduate. Some UK courses clearly stipulate ‘MBA with internship’. If France has a longer tradition of internships within academia, Britain is surely catching up with universities developing departments and websites dedicated to finding internships. I Alexandre Robert, My Internship Abroad
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The role of alumni associations ||| Business
school and university students enjoy a strong sense of community that will carry on as alumni throughout their professional lives and beyond. From connecting people during social events and professional conferences to providing ad-hoc services, the alumni network complements the educational curriculum by connecting the three major stakeholder groups: students, academic staff and industry leaders. Facing an increasingly competitive job market, students seek out the experience that professionals with similar backgrounds can provide. Exchanging views with alumni, who went through the same educational programmes only a few years before, helps them to define their study paths and ambitions. Alumni groups are also a valuable source of information for schools to better understand the needs of the professional world. Regular communication between the different stakeholders is critical to ensure the educational offering is responsive to the changes and challenges of the work place. At our social meetings, we hear experienced professionals talking about how their education complemented their professional aspirations. Such feedback is vital for students in need of guidance and can open their eyes to the professional benefits of a wellstructured training programme. Most students are looking to complete their training with an academic experience abroad and UK universities are a favoured target.We have developed a programme to rate and review the benefits of each institution, allowing students wanting to study in the UK to make an informed choice. Our alumni group’s members are also able to provide informal assistance and guidance.
I have visited the University of Bristol twice a year since joining EDF Energy to share my experiences and enthusiasm for the nuclear industry and my role in the company. It is very important for undergraduates to be made aware of the array of different roles that are available and how their degree relates to those roles. Students can hear this from someone they can relate to, as a recent graduate from the same university and can also ask questions knowing that they will get an honest answer. It is very important for alumni to go back to their universities for this very reason, if not only to give back to the university which got them where they are today.
Renaud Million, representative of Arts et MĂŠtiers alumni in the UK
Michael Harrington, Chemistry Engineer, EDF Energy
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focus Part two: skills and training
The teaching of employability skills Florence Mele UK Director of Studies at ESCP Europe Business School considers another kind of skills gap and how it could be bridged
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avid Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, said in an interview with The Guardian: ‘We’re churning out all these people with [science] qualifications but they don’t always quite match what employers want.’ All too often though, learners of all ages enter the workplace without the transferable employability skills they need and employers are increasingly looking for candidates that have skills which many school and university courses do not traditionally provide. Set against the statistic of a 44% increase in UK higher level qualifications being delivered in the last decade, should split in teams which compete against each other. Group Higher Education adapt at a faster pace to ensure its work has been used in teaching for years. What is learnt through social interactions with peers forms the basis output is aligned to delivering economically valuable skills? Why go to university if there is little chance of for more complex thinking and understanding. At ESCP gaining appropriate employment? Europe, company projects are part of the curriculum. Graduates arriving on the job market face ruthless They consist of consultancy assignments carried out for a client and completed by groups of students. Also, case competition. Students going to job interviews are now studies are widely used during lectures, allowing students required to have many skills that universities courses do not traditionally cover. Businesses often impose their own to read about real life business situations. criteria on graduates and can therefore be highly selective. Moreover, guest speakers are invited during lectures For example, graduates are requested to have already had to relate their business experience. Such sessions are work experience through internships during their studies. particularly popular with students as it gives them the And it is difficult for students to find internships with no opportunity to meet professionals and connect what they previous experience – here a vicious cycle starts. have studied with the guest speaker’s own experience. Finally, a powerful way to teach employability skills The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) defines is by making internships part of higher employability skills as: ‘a set of attributes, skills and knowledge that all labour education. Internships or work placements Should Higher market participants should possess are ways for students to gain experience, Education adapt at a to ensure they have the capability of add a line on their CV and possibly faster pace to ensure provide a professional reference. This will being effective in the workplace – to the prove very useful when entering the job benefit of themselves, their employer its output is aligned to and the wider economy’. National delivering economically market and meeting recruiters. Summer employer surveys show that the skills internships in the UK last 8 to 10 weeks and valuable skills? are a way to be pre-selected for graduate for graduates fall into four areas: selfschemes. In some cases, they may lead reliance skills (proactivity, willingness to learn), people skills (oral communication, leadership), directly to recruitment. Moreover, they provide students general employment skills (problem solving, numeracy), with the possibility of exploring an industry sector before they graduate and determine if they have an interest in specialist skills (IT, languages). There are many ways to teach students beyond the field. This helps them understand what career choice they should make after graduation. Furthermore, during classic lectures. For example, ESCP Europe’s founder Vital Roux invented business simulations in the early 19th internships, students start to make contacts in the business world and to start building a professional network that century. The idea is to put students in real life situations. will support them when they apply to positions. Finally, Simulations allow students to engage and take action, triggering a learning mechanism different from lecturing. as some internships are remunerated, there is a beneficial Simulations are a useful teaching strategy for illustrating financial aspect that should not be underestimated in the present context of rising university fees. I a complex and changing situation. Also, students are 44 - info - july / august
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Education for life and business Nadia Mensah-Acogny, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of business consultancy Acosphere, shines a spotlight on a different kind of skills gap that is vital for post-crisis business success
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istorically, education has been delivered in a classroom setting where students were fed a series of notions and taught a number of skills. They then went into the job market armed with their prestigious degrees and ready to rule the world. Companies hired them, betting on their talents to create more business, revenue and profit. Alas! They would soon find out that most of them were missing three essential qualities: character, confidence and sales acumen. As consultants working with SMEs and larger Fortune 500 companies, we often notice a distinct skills hiatus that stems from a gap in education and higher learning, even up to MBA level. The discontinuity is twofold. First, there is a stark absence of professional sales education that should focus on building competence, confidence, character and capability (the 4Cs of High PerformanceTM) to unleash high levels of productivity and foster the culture of high performance needed to sustain a real competitive advantage. Second, this translates into a distinct lack of ‘character development’ in people which, combined with weakly structured professional sales departments often fail to generate outstanding business results. An ability to recognise one’s programming, change one’s beliefs and behaviours to influence the outcome of actions and even transform character, is an invaluable life skill. It gives young people the maturity and ability to cope with life’s demands and challenging situations. Having a strong character is the essence of a great leader. As Stephen Covey, business guru and motivational speaker, remarked: ‘Character and competence drive EVERYTHING else in an organisation’. Similarly, Dale Carnegie, the American writer and lecturer, said that life skills, character-building skills and confidence-building skills are three vital components of being able to lead, direct, manage and succeed in business. Yet few, if any, schools and business schools teach these skills as an essential part of their curriculum. Most European educational systems and the French one in particular, focus more on mistakes than
on achievements. As a consequence, the system often infuses anxiety and lack of confidence into individuals. Peter Gumble’s book On achève bien les écoliers (Les Editions Grasset) raises a major question: ‘Why is France the only country in the world that condemns its children for what they have not done rather than celebrate them for what they could achieve?’ As a result, the system breeds perfectionists, intellectually sharp and highly creative individuals, crafty and very specialised engineers who design and create amazing products. But more often than not, they are unable to sell them to world markets. Take the Minitel, the Concorde or even the TGV as examples – all significant global opportunities that failed to compete on a global scale. On the other hand, the British educational system breeds more pragmatic individuals, accounting and finance orientated, very creative too, but who, like the French seem to regard sales with disdain and with a lack of trust. In a recovering post-recession market, with a growing need to rebuild the economy through entrepreneurship, the ability to generate sales and have the confidence and character to lead an organisation has evidently become an increasingly vital component. Whilst in the US it is widely understood that sales is the engine of a company and is the very focus of new graduates entering a workforce, in European companies, sales at a professional level pales in comparison. Moreover, in some top UK and French business schools, sales is still not taught as an essential part of business education. It is sometimes argued that business schools have taken the easier approach of teaching marketing. However, teaching marketing without understanding sales produces weaker, less focused campaigns and costs companies a lot of money. In a fast changing and increasingly competitive global market, companies need a strong sales entity. It is no more about charming, chatty individuals doing their best to win contracts. The art of sales is nowadays a fine combination of science and technique. Those who master it will be the great winners. American journalist Sydney J. Harris said that ‘the whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows’. Being French, I would add that it should turn the ‘miroirs aux alouettes’ (lures) into windows of opportunities. I info - july / august - 45
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Customised executive education: a way to fill the UK management skills gap? Business schools are now moving into the arena of business consultancy, harnessing their expertise to co-design bespoke organisational solutions for companies, as Marguerite Gallant London Office Director of HEC Paris reports
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early three-quarters of organisations in England reported a deficit in management and leadership skills – alarming statistics that were brought to light by the CIPD Annual Survey Report in 2012. Two years down the line, average training budgets in the UK have increased by less than 4% per employee. In a recent report, the Chartered Management Institute surveyed 4,500 managers across the UK, including over 300 CEOs and 550 Human Resource directors to help determine how management and learning development influence company performance. The results showed strong links between effective management development and improving both business and people performance. Interestingly, the report also indicated that managers rated qualifications from business schools and professional bodies as the top two most effective ways of developing their abilities. Should ‘UK Plc’ embrace executive education more widely to promote better management and leadership?
The role of business education Where can management education help? Evidence shows that the knowledge needed to enhance the performance of a business generally already exists in the organisation. But when a company seeks out a business school to educate its top executives, they can expect something more. Many business schools offer short, practical executive courses that help build management excellence in functional areas like marketing, finance or accounting. But leading global business schools such as HEC Paris also offer corporations the opportunity to co-design programmes that enable them to apply the cutting-edge research, academic vision and business acumen of a world-class faculty to the concrete reality of their own enterprise. Facilitators are diverse – professors, researchers, but also coaches and top corporate professionals at major international companies who are often alumni of the school. The focus is on organisational rather than individual learning, in alignment with the corporate strategy. It is about helping managers to develop the 46 - info - july / august
knowledge and skills to deal with issues like major change at company level, downsizing, growth, teambuilding or leadership development. HEC Paris has over 30 years of experience in designing such custom programmes for companies, and has been ranked Number 2 worldwide in this area for six consecutive years. Its declared mission is to produce and transmit the most advanced knowledge in the area of management of organisations, thereby to educate responsible and enlightened minds capable of inventing solutions to the world’s greatest economic, social, and environmental challenges of the future. Marina Kundu, Associate Dean in charge of Executive Education, says ‘Our role is to partner with companies who subscribe to this vision and want to take the long view to reflect on the future of business and society. Companies don’t need us to tell them how to run their business today; what they expect is for us to help them prepare to run it better tomorrow.’ Business school education can and should promote not only best practices but also next practices, leveraging academic research and building on the interactive learning that stems from challenging and open discussion, rather than formulaic answers. I
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CASE STUDY: DEVELOPING FUTURE LEADERS AT ATOS Atos is an international IT services company with over 76,000 employees in 47 countries. In the late 2000s, Atos had to engage in a rapid and extensive transformation of its activities to maintain its leadership position, as competition from new entrants increased and major new trends such as social networks, cloud computing and big data revolutionised the sector. The company decided to launch an ambitious learning and development initiative with the support of HEC Paris as strategic partner. Directed at the top talented managers in the organisation, Atos new talent development programme (Gold Program) launched in January 2010. Taking a highly collaborative approach, a steering committee, made up of Atos VPs for Communication and Training & Development, Atos’ Global Talent Manager and three HEC coordinators, was set up to drive the project. An initial ‘pilot’ with 40 participants and three modules on intercultural management and leadership, corporate strategy and innovation, and change management was launched. The programme was then rolled out under the sponsorship of CEO, Thierry Breton. It has become a corporate reference in terms of professional recognition, community development, career acceleration as well as a talent pool for leading transformation initiatives. The Gold Program has had a substantial impact on retention rates and career progression at Atos, with more than 50% of former participants being promoted to higher senior-level positions within one year. I |||
Trends in in-house training and development Judith Wallner, Group Recruitment & Commitment Director at Altran explains new approaches to training for a company with over 21,000 employees in 20 countries worldwide
A new approach to learning Responding to the demands of decentralised corporate structure, the standard, classroom training model has been modified into a more flexible and varied approach: e-learning, blended learning, mentoring, coaching, videos/virtual seminars/online, specific mission projects, co-development and participation in conferences/ seminars/professional association events are just some of the new learning and development methods. Turning a new portfolio like this into reality requires a change in the mindset of employees and training managers alike and needs time to be fully implemented. As Altran consultants mainly deliver projects on the client site, distance-learning and coaching by more experienced colleagues are often the current training norm. The major challenge in moving to a multi-channel learning approach will be to transform the programmes currently offered by local training academies (which include technical, functional, method, language and management topics) into these new delivery modes. For the time being, Altran will continue to offer a balanced mix of training styles. Limits of distance training methods For learning/development topics such as management, communication, leadership and sales – where the
exchange of experience and the use of role-play make an important contribution to the learning experience of the participants – classroom training is still an important method. This is particularly the case with the management training journey. In Altran’s case, this is provided by the Group’s professional training centre, the International Management Academy, which designs and implements group wide leadership, sales, project training and personal development programmes. Its role is to provide employees with support in taking on responsibility and to accompany them in their career development. As well as the building-up of knowledge, exchanging of practical experience and networking with colleagues, the sharing of a common management language internationally is fast becoming an important requirement for leaders. Serving global clients and carrying responsibility for transnational projects, they need to manage and enable teams using consistent terminology in all countries. To this end, Altran has a redesigned training programme for managers in the Northern Europe region started in May 2014. It makes use of a variety of training methods, including role-play, classroom training, group projects, codevelopment sessions and input directly from top management. I info - july / august - 47
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Engineering early links Enthusing school children about science and engineering is one of the ways companies are addressing the skills gap and recruiting future engineers. Martyn Butlin, Media Relations Manager at EDF Energy’s Heysham and Hartlepool power stations, describes some of the initiatives
esearch carried out by the Royal Academy of from the web-based science and sustainability site ‘The Engineering, found that British industry will need Pod’ to which 18,500 schools are signed up. Recently it 100,000 new graduates in science, technology, also ran the Big Energy project which encouraged 11-12 engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects every year-olds from across the UK to look at energy efficiency. year until 2020 just to maintain current Many also explored the benefits of each employment numbers. The RAE’s report form of electricity production with Against this backdrop showed that annually only 90,000 mentors from EDF Energy. Karen Cooper, of a national shortage STEM-subject students are graduating science teacher at Heysham High School of engineers, companies in Lancashire, said: ‘Being able to work and of those, around 25% of engineering are finding novel ways students don’t follow that career. with people from the power station was to encourage youngsters a fantastic opportunity. The pupils have Against this backdrop of a national shortage of engineers, companies are seen how science is being used everyday.’ to see engineering as a finding novel ways to encourage The eight nuclear power stations are credible and exciting youngsters to see engineering as a closely linked to the secondary schools’ career. credible and exciting career. science weeks sending out engineers to EDF Energy, which operates nuclear, talk to pupils, inviting schools to tour coal, gas and wind sites across the UK, runs graduate the site and also organising Christmas Science lectures and apprentice recruitment schemes, but also actively which has seen more than 1,000 teenagers entertained by encourages school pupils to strongly consider studying science performers. STEM subjects. In 2013 the company opened the last Individual stations also develop discrete programmes. of seven new Visitor Centres which serve a number of At Hartlepool power station, Teesside, sixth formers from purposes from allowing members of the community two colleges are working with 15 engineer mentors for a to see behind the scenes of a nuclear power station to year. The aim of the programme, which is in its second showing pupils and students heavy engineering in action. year, is to encourage the sixth-formers to return to the In 12 months, the centres have seen around 30,000 north east after university to join either EDF Energy or people through their doors and many of those have been other engineering companies. education links, from eight-year-olds at primary schools Alison Willetts, Director of Faculty (STEM) at Hartlepool to graduates at university. Sixth Form College, said: ‘The vast majority of our 17 The company also has a number of school partnerships students who “spear headed” the first mentoring scheme have now applied for mathematics and engineering degrees at Russell Group universities with a view to working in industry. We hope that their links with EDF Energy will be maintained throughout their undergraduate programmes and return to EDF Energy on graduate apprenticeship schemes.’ It will be some time before the UK’s industries see the benefits of schemes such as The Pod and young engineers mentoring sixth formers but companies such as EDF Energy are convinced that making early links with pupils will pay dividends in the future. I School children visiting Heysham Nuclear Power Station 48 - info - july / august
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Creating a more rounded person: the EDF Energy approach to apprenticeship
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nsuring apprentices get the right level of training and support during the first years of their engineering career is vital for businesses. Industry takes different approaches to training apprentices from block or day release at the local further education college or a specially-designed in-house programme. EDF Energy has a four-year apprentice programme, with the first two years spent at HMS Sultan – a specialist training facility near Portsmouth. Around 120 first and second year apprentices will be at HMS Sultan at any one time, returning to their ‘home’ sites during the summer and for the final two years of the scheme. Putting all the apprentices in one training facility allows EDF Energy to ensure common practices and cultures are adopted and accepted. And as the apprentices are away from home they live together at HMS Collingwood, a neighbouring naval base, which has superb leisure facilities. Much emphasis is put on the apprentices’ life skills and they travel to Europe to represent the company, as well as visiting EDF Energy facilities in France. Dan Mosson, 20, a fourth-year apprentice at Hunterston B power station, said: ‘I loved being away from home for the first two years of the course. During my time at HMS Sultan I also learned about maths, fitting and quickly focused on what I am doing now which is mechanical engineering. These days I overhaul pumps and valves working in the station’s fuel route.’ Although the company receives thousands of applications, it has recently set up ‘Access to Engineering’ courses near its sites in Heysham, Lancashire and Hinkley Point, Somerset. The courses are aimed at technically gifted youngsters who need an academic boost, ready for a guaranteed interview. I Martyn Butlin, EDF Energy
EDF Energy’s first year apprentices on the induction week in the Lake District ahead of joining the apprentice scheme at HMS Sultan, near Portsmouth
Apprentices who spent time working at the Submarine Museum, Gosport, while on their first two years at HMS Sultan with Ian Williams, EDF Energy Apprentice Manager
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From STEM to STEAM: developing a skilled workforce for the creative and cultural industries Joining the dots between education, skills training and employers is key to the future of this important sector as Pauline Tambling Joint CEO of Creative & Cultural Skills explains
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© Briony Campbell_930
uch is made of the STEM skills gap and ways to address it, but what about creative skills? The UK’s creative industries generate £70,000 a minute and account for 10% of exports, contributing significantly to the British economy, but the skills needed and jobs available in this important sector have tended to be obscured. The government recognises the importance of the creative economy – a September 2013 report by the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee recommended that the same importance be placed on the arts as any other subject – but more needs to be done to bring the creative and cultural industries sector closer together with the education sector so that jobs and skills can dovetail. The body tasked with making these connections is Creative & Cultural Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the creative and cultural industries (including craft, design, cultural heritage, performing arts, music, literature and visual arts). It works with government, Further and Higher Education institutions and employers to facilitate skills solutions for the creation of jobs and growth in the sector. Creative & Cultural Skills has charity status and is funded in part by the Skills Funding Agency and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, and with support from its network of partners in industry and education as well as from the Arts Council. As Joint CEO Pauline Tambling explains, Creative & Cultural Skills engages with businesses from the creative industries to help them take on apprentices, interns and trainees, but its role starts much earlier: ‘We are really
The Backstage Centre in operation
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interested in careers advice and guidance so that young people understand what actual jobs are available. There is an assumption that we need more actors, musicians or artists but the real vacancies are often technical, backstage, front of house, etc. – jobs that the average careers teachers wouldn’t know about, much less how to get into them.’ Moreover, there are misperceptions about the industry that have to be rectified. ‘The view is that there are no real jobs in the creative industries, just “fluffy” ones. But if you think about the health and safety regime required in any sort of visitor attraction, theatre or music venue – that’s not light, fluffy stuff. It’s also wrong to foster this opposition between science, technology, engineering and arts subjects. Arts subjects should be covered in the curriculum because there is as much work in this sector as in other sectors. In fact, through three recessions, there has been no decrease in the numbers of people employed in our sector. Our big problem is that you can’t see the jobs, and because of the opaque career routes the government does not put energy into thinking about our sector as a genuine growth area.’ Creative & Cultural Skills has also been instrumental in setting up apprenticeships in the arts sector. ‘Until we set up apprenticeships in 2009, there hadn’t been any at all in the creative industries,’ Pauline says, ‘meaning there was no meaningful engagement with further education and most government money went to performing arts and art design foundation courses.’ Since then, 3,500 apprenticeships have been created, providing tangible evidence that the creative industries sector is growing and thereby attracting more public funding. Another problem has been access to creative industry jobs, many of which are never formally advertised, relying on contacts, word of mouth and being in the right place at the right time. One initiative to address this is the Building a Creative Nation campaign, launched in 2013, which aims to create 6,500 jobs for young people across the creative
© Briony Campbell
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Simon Talbot, Technical Manager (right) and Thomas Dear, Creative Apprentice
industries. ‘Our bid is to move employers up a notch technicians reach retirement, as well as for ongoing in terms of taking on and identifying access routes for professional development in the industry. The £13 young and unemployed people,’ explains Pauline. ‘We million Centre, which opened in March 2013, combines can incentivise employers by giving them some of the a state-of-the-art 875 square metre sound stage/working wage costs of taking on new staff and encourage them performance space with high specification training to take on apprenticeships if they haven’t done so rooms, a dance studio, recording studio and Mac suites. before. People question the job readiness of an 18-yearSouth Essex College is in residence at the Centre, old apprentice, particularly as graduates enabling students who are doing a B Tech are not job ready, but we are finding that Production Arts or a higher education Our bid is to move when employers do take on apprentices, course in music production to train on employers up a because of the structured learning that goes site and learn alongside professionals who notch in terms with it they end up keeping them.’ Since hire the space for rehearsals, recordings or of taking on and filming. In addition, students and tutors last April, 1,400 young people have been placed in either apprenticeships or paid from another 30 colleges across the UK identifying access internships through the scheme. Moreover, with which Creative & Cultural Skills has routes for young the visibility of creative industry jobs has partnerships come in for master classes and unemployed improved because employers have started and workshops. ‘It is fundamental that people working with Job Centre Plus. ‘It has been students are learning in the here and now, a culture change because the arts sector rather than going down the traditional tends not to advertise jobs there,’ Pauline explains, ‘and educational route of frontloaded training,’ says Pauline. it’s another way of making sure the government knows ‘Our thesis is that if young people are moving in and out there are jobs in the creative industries.’ of the creative industries all the time throughout their But one of the most tangible interventions for education there is a chance they will find the right career creative skills training is The Backstage Centre at High route into what they want to do.’ In taking the lead as House Production Park in Thurrock, which was built by a creative skills training hub, The Backstage Centre has Creative & Cultural Skills in response to an identified provided that crucial interface between industry and need for over 6,500 new jobs in the live music and education that will help future-proof the UK’s creative theatre industries by 2017, as a whole generation of economy. I KF info - july / august - 51
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Interview with Andrea Stark, Chief Executive of High House Production Park Andrea Stark speaks to INFO about the importance of a coherent education and skills training programme within the creative industries and how High House Production Park is setting the benchmark in this nationally and influencing educational policy
You were instrumental in establishing High House Production Park and are now its first Chief Executive. What was the impetus behind its creation?
The opportunity came along thanks to the Olympics. As Executive Director of Arts Council East and South East, I was thinking about what could be done in Thurrock, an area in the industrial part of the Thames Estuary that has not traditionally drawn down much Arts Council or cultural funding. Like many places, young people there have creative ambition but if you can’t link that through to opportunity then it has no way of getting any further. It is particularly poignant for a place that is on the doorstep of a world city, which is pre-eminent in creative industries. I realised we needed a big, bold idea and wondered if we could make a link between a big cultural organisation in London by offering them some kind of storage facility, meet a business need and thereby kick off a relationship. I contacted Tony Hall, then Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, who, unbeknown to me, was looking for somewhere to relocate their set and scenery production workshop, which was then warehoused in the area designated for the Olympic Park. Over time it became clear we could do something much more ambitious than relocate the backstage facilities into a shed; we could build something new that was deliberately designed to make visible what’s invisible about our industry, which is what happens off stage, particularly as that’s where the skills shortages are. So we decided to create a state-ofthe art building for a world-class organisation that also highlighted the kind of jobs you can do in this industry. Alongside that, we also hatched the plan to build a national skills academy for the live events industry. What are the skills shortages in the creative industries?
There’s always a demand for top-end craft and technical skills in our industry, such as scenic art, carpentry, costume construction, sewing, draughtsmanship, metalwork and fabrication. Such skills are sometimes taught through higher education courses, but more often than not, as they are very traditional and specific, you need to learn them from someone on the job. While there are many courses to train young people for the stage, there is very little training for those behind the stage, and that applies not only to the creative and cultural industries but also 52 - info - july / august
related industries like big exhibitions, outdoor events and even cruise liners. Because there were no clear progression routes and our industry doesn’t always present itself in a coherent enough manner to work out what it needs to do to sustain its talent pipeline, the job opportunities are not understood. That very low profile meant that only those in the know were actually able to progress in the industry and we were not tapping into the much bigger talent pool that was out there. What role does HHPP play in education and skills training?
At one time, Thurrock had one of the highest levels of 16-year-old school leavers in the country and some of its schools were not achieving good Ofsted ratings. There was a sense that ambition was capped and job opportunities for most young people were limited to working in a shopping centre or as semi-skilled labour in warehousing. To change that you have to do something off-scale but you also have to go deep. So, before the building work even started, the ROH embedded an education team into the local community, which initially focused on engagement and project activity to stimulate interest, and is now moving on to shaping the education and skills agenda for real. One example of that is the new ROH Costume Centre being built at the Park. This will not only house about 20,000 costumes, including the historic collection, but it will also be the costume-making centre for the ROH, and
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the team established there will work in partnership with the local further education college to offer its students live industry experience. Another example is the Council’s recent commitment to ‘an entitlement to culture for every young person in Thurrock’ in order to stimulate their interest, feed their general progression at school and, importantly, build their self-confidence. For us, because we are building a new industry in the area, it also gives us the earliest opportunity to pull through talent. The ROH will be working with head teachers and the Council to coordinate and create regular opportunities for schools, many of which will be delivered at HHPP. As Chief Executive, what do you do?
I play the role of friendly broker – sometimes between the partners at the Park because there is still value to unlock by working closely together; sometimes of wider ambition in the area, such as advising the council on its new cultural strategy or providing advice to the local enterprise partnership on role of creative industries in driving successful economic growth. You need a very deep level of collaboration between the partners and the place if you are going to effect the change we are aspiring towards. Most of my time is spent in the service of our partnership at HHPP, working out with them what they need that they can’t deliver either by themselves or particularly at that time. It’s quite an unconventional model but the idea is that this is a longterm partnership that will help to build a sustainable future of the park and its role in the wider area. How do you envisage HHPP evolving as ‘a centre of excellence for culture, creative skills and regeneration’?
In a broader context, the creative talent of London pushes ever eastward as workspaces become unaffordable, but this gives us massive opportunities to work much more closely with London around creative industry growth. We are talking with the culture and regeneration teams of the Greater London Authority at the Mayor’s office about what we could be doing together to facilitate a creative industries growth corridor that stretches from
Scenic painters at the Royal Opera House Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop
the city of London The creative industries along the north side do not stand alone; if of the Thames to you tot up the impact the sea at Southend. of creative occupations Rather than waiting to see what happens in every sector of we need to pull those the economy you are opportunities towards talking about a lot of us by thinking ahead jobs about how we can create work space and other initiatives to attract creative people and companies alongside, providing excellent education, training and progression for local talent. How do you think what you’ve done at HHPP could influence education policy?
The needs in Thurrock are not dissimilar to many towns in England – good jobs, a rewarding working life, a sense of dignity about the work you do and a feeling of excitement for the future. I link the role of HHPP unashamedly to job creation and cultivating the right conditions for future prosperity. The creative industries do not stand alone; if you tot up the impact of creative occupations in every sector of the economy you are talking about a lot of jobs. And those jobs are high value in terms of gross value added. So an investment in a young person’s cultural life is an investment in our economy. If we are serious about planning long term for those parts of the economy that we think are going to deliver the greatest benefits as a society, then it is time to join the dots. I have no hesitation in telling people from the government or enterprise partnerships that you won’t have sustainable growth in the creative industries if you don’t start making practical links between what happens in school and at the key moment when a young person makes choices about where they go post-16. Our industry has more of a leadership role to play in that and we all have to be a lot more self-confident about the link between a healthy cultural life and a more prosperous and healthy society. I Interview by Keri Fuller
High House Production Park
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PROGRAMMES
Compiled by Justine Kroll
Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs at the Tate Modern ||| Henri Matisse is a giant of modern art. This landmark exhibition explores the final chapter in his career in which he began ‘carving into colour’ and his series of spectacular cut-outs was born. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see so many of the artist’s works in one place and discover Matisse’s final artistic triumph. In his late sixties, when ill health first prevented Matisse from painting, he began to cut into painted paper with scissors to make drafts for a number of commissions. In time, Matisse chose cut-outs over painting: he had invented a new medium. From snowflowers to dancers, circus scenes and a famous snail, the exhibition showcases a dazzling array of 120 works made between 1936 and 1954. Bold, exuberant and often large in scale, the cut-outs have an engaging simplicity coupled with incredible creative sophistication. The exhibition marks a historic moment, when treasures from around the world can be seen together. Tate’s The Snail 1953 is shown alongside its sister work Memory of Oceania 1953 and Large Composition with Masks 1953 at 10 metres long. A photograph of Matisse’s studio reveals that these works were initially conceived as a unified whole, and this is the first time they will have been together in over 50 years. Matisse’s famous series of Blue Nudes represent the artist’s renewed interest in the figure. London is first to host the exhibition before it travels to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Thereafter the works will be returned to galleries and private owners around the world. For the first time ever, a film about the exhibition is being broadcast live into cinemas around the country. Matisse Live offers an intimate, behindthe-scenes view of the artist via beautiful footage of the works, interviews with his friends plus rare archive footage of Matisse at work. I
In a staging full of grace, surprise and once-in-a-generation loans, curated to allow Matisse’s vision to ring out, the show demonstrates how many of his later concerns – with hybridity, spectacle and immersive installation – became those of artists today. The show feels both timeless and timely, classical and open-ended. – Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times
17 April 2014 to 7 September 2014 / Open daily 10am to 6pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays / Full price £18
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w h at ’ s o n : a s e l e c t i o n o f e x h i b i t i o n s i n l o n d o n a n d b e yo n d barb ic an ce ntre , london
© Texas Instruments
Digital Revolution
Speak & Spell, 1978, Texas Instruments
3 July 2014 – 14 September 2014 Open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 11pm and from 10am to 11pm on Sundays / Full price: £12.50
||| Digital Revolution is the most comprehensive presentation of digital creativity to be staged in the UK. This interactive exhibition brings together for the first time a range of artists, filmmakers, architects, designers, musicians and game developers, all pushing the boundaries of their fields using digital media. The exhibition includes new commissions from artists Umbrellium, Universal Everything, Seeper, Susan Kare, global music artist and entrepreneur will.i.am and artist Yuri Suzuki as well as DevArt, a major new collaboration with Google exploring creative coding. The show also features works by Oscar-winning VFX Supervisors: Paul Franklin and his team at Double Negative for Christopher Nolan’s film Inception as well as Tim Webber and Framestore’s visual effects behind Gravity. I
b riti s h m u s eu m , london
Ancient Lives, New Discoveries ||| The exhibition uses state-of-the-art technology to allow visitors to delve inside mummy cases and examine the bodies underneath the wrappings, bringing us face to face with eight people who lived in the Nile Valley thousands of years ago. From a priest’s daughter to a temple singer, a middle-aged man to a young child, a temple doorkeeper to a woman with a Christian tattoo, ‘Ancient lives, new discoveries’ will present how they lived and what happened to them after they died. Using interactive technology, visitors will discover new information about each mummy, from their state of health to how they were embalmed and preserved. Unravel the mysteries of mummification and gain a unique insight into these people’s lives. I 22 May 2014 – 30 November 2014 / Open daily from 10am to 5.30pm / Fridays open until 8.30pm / Full price: £10
© Trustees of the British Museum
Cartonnage of a priestess, adult, casing with a gilded face, named Tayesmutengebtiu, also called Tamut. Found in Thebes, 22nd Dynasty (c. 900 BC)
gallery elena shch u kina , london
Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Elena Shchukina
Laure Hatchuel-Becker: Form and Colour
Medusa, 2013, oil on canvas, 100x100cm
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||| Form and Colour is the first UK solo exhibition of French artist Laure Hatchuel-Becker. Inspired by dot paintings of Australian Aboriginal artists, many of Hatchuel-Becker’s three-dimensional oil paintings focus on symmetry, alignment and colour to create simple structures. The inclusion of humble elements such as gauze or driftwood in some of her works echoes Arte Povera’s return to simple objects and messages. Moreover, her reliance on a palette knife to create highly textured surfaces is but one of several techniques she employs. The relationship between form and colour lying at the heart of aesthetic perception is also central to Hatchuel-Becker’s practice. Her polychromatic works reflect her passion for travel and art history. As such, her rich visual vocabulary is full of symbolism and subjectivity. Following the gallery’s concept of showing art alongside interior pieces, the exhibition will include a Hatchuel-Becker designed table in addition to other furniture and objects. I 14 April – 6 September 2014 / Monday-Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Saturday from 10am to 6pm / Admission free
tat e b r i ta i n , l o n d o n
British Folk Art
Alfred Wallis, The Blue Ship c.1934 Oil paint on board on wood
||| Over 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles and objects have been drawn together from collections across the country in an exhibition that will celebrate folk art in the UK. Folk art is an established subject in many countries; however in Britain the genre remains elusive. Rarely considered in the context of art history, ‘folk art’ has been viewed as part of social history or folklore studies. The exhibition includes surprising and diverse examples of British folk art, from rustic leather Toby jugs to brightly coloured ships’ figureheads and highly accomplished carousel horses. While much folk art is anonymous, this exhibition also presents works by a number of prominent individuals. I 10 June – 7 September 2014 / Open daily 10am to 6pm / Full price: £14.50
v & a m u s eu m , london
©George Lange
Disobedient Objects ||| From Suffragette teapots to protest robots, this exhibition examines the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. It will demonstrate how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design. Disobedient Objects focuses on the period from 1980 to the present, a time that has brought new technologies and political challenges. On display will be arts of rebellion from around the world that illuminate the role of making things in grassroots movements for social change: finely woven banners; defaced currency; changing designs for barricades and blockades; political video games; an inflatable general assembly to facilitate consensus decision making; experimental activist bicycles; and textiles bearing witness to political murders. I
Guerilla Girls
26 July 2014 –1 February 2015 / Open daily 10am to 5.30pm / Fridays 10am to 10pm/ Free admission
s c o t t i s h n at i o n a l g a l l e ry o f m o d e r n a r t , e d i n b u r g h
American Impressionism | A New Vision ||| The exhibition traces the discovery of Impressionism by American artists in the late 19th-century. Divided into four groups these include: major figures such as Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler who lived in Paris and were close personal friends of the French Impressionists, especially Degas and Monet; the group of American artists who trained in Paris and/or settled near Monet at Giverny in 1887; American Impressionists working in the United States, including William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam and Theodore Robinson and Later Impressionism and the American group known as ‘The Ten’. I 19 July 2014 − 19 October 2014 / Open daily from 10am to 5pm (6pm for August only) / Full price: £8 Frank W Benson, Eleanor 1901, oil on canvas Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. info - july / august - 57
p e o p l e ’ s h i s t o ry m u s e u m , m a n c h e s t e r
A Land Fit for Heroes: War and the Working Class 1914-1918 ||| A Land Fit For Heroes examines how World War I changed society, radically altering the social, economic, cultural and political outlook of the British people. The exhibition shows how women’s life was altered by the emancipation of work and the Representation of the People Act which enfranchised women over 30 for the first time in 1918. Objects displayed in the exhibition show how war provided the impetus for a radical change in the labour movement. World War I cost millions of lives. However, from the horrors of the war sprung a new social and political confidence amongst the working classes that would help define the new Britain forged in the latter half of the 20th century. I
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24 May 2014 – 1 February 2015 / Open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm / Admission free
book reviews These books, recently translated into English, were selected by the French Institute
Talking to Ghosts
The Poisoning Angel
by Hervé Le Corre Published by Maclehose Press Translated by Frank Wynne Original title: Les cœurs déchiquetés
by Jean Teulé Published by Gallic Books Translated by Melanie Florence Original title: Fleur de tonnerre
||| With his son Pablo’s kidnapping still unsolved, and his marriage ruined by the torment of hope, the brutal murder of a single mother in her own home is an almost welcome diversion for Commandant Vilar. The woman leaves behind a son, Victor, thrown into the foster system with only his mother’s urn for company. Struggling with bullies, trauma and the first pangs of teenage love, Victor carries a secret that followed his mother to her grave. Struggling for leads, Vilar is shaken when the colleague investigating Pablo’s kidnapping disappears. When a sadistic caller claims to have information about his son, Vilar is torn between duty and a desperate chance of redemption. I
||| A shocking yet entertaining novel based on the story of real-life poisoner Hélène Jégado, one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. Schooled in the ancient beliefs of the Breton people by her mother, the beautiful Hélène grows up feeling detached from the world around her and yet destined for a terrible vocation: to do the work of l’Ankou, death’s henchman. Beginning with the demise of her own mother, she leaves a trail of devastation with the special soups and cakes she makes – those who taste them never recover. Jean Teulé brings his unique blend of imagination and historical insight to a novel that is both an upbeat portrait of 19th century provincial French life and a startling chronicle of a decades-long killing spree carried out by the most notorious female poisoner in history. I
Escape by Dominique Manotti Published by Arcadia Books Translated by Ros Schwartz and Amanda Hopkinson Original title: L’évasion
||| It’s 1987. Two prisoners, one a leftwing militant, the other a petty crook, both Italian, break out of jail in a rubbish lorry. One heads over the French border, for his girlfriend in Paris’ migrant quarter of Belleville, and the other home to Milan. The first, Carlo, is killed in a shoot-out during a bank robbery, under suspicious circumstances. Frightened by a manhunt launched in Italy by Interpol, the second prisoner, Filippo, returns to the immigrant community in Paris, where he takes a job as a security guard, and spends his nights writing the story of a Red Brigadier as recounted to him in jail by Carlo. Thanks to his landlady Cristina, the book finds a publisher and becomes a bestseller. Filippo, carefully coached by their press office, steadfastly refuses to own the story, insisting that all his stories are fiction and that this is a work of imagination. The public doesn’t buy it, nor do the police, and dogged investigations begin to produce the reasons why. Ultimately Filippo cannot escape his fate: that of a man with an assumed identity that carries far greater risks than his own. I
The Incorrigible Optimists Club by Jean-Michel Guenassia Published by Atlantic Books Translated by Euan Cameron Original title: Le Club des Incorrigibles Optimistes
||| Paris, 1959. As dusk settles over the immigrant quarter, 12-year-old Michel Marini – amateur photographer and compulsive reader – is drawn to the hum of the local bistro. From his usual position at the football table, he has a vantage point on a grown-up world of rock ‘n’ roll and the Algerian War. But as the sun sinks and the plastic players spin, Michel’s concentration is not on the game, but on the huddle of men in the shadows of a back room... Past the bar, behind a partly drawn curtain, a group of Eastern European men gather, where under cirrus of smoke and over the squares of chess boards, they tell of their lives before France – of lovers and wives, children and ambitions, all exiled behind the Iron Curtain. Michel is introduced to a world beyond the boundaries of his childhood experience, a world of men made formidable in the face of history, ideas and politics: the world of the Incorrigible Optimists Club. I info - july / august - 59
eat •
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Afternoon tea ||| Afternoon tea is a quintessentially English custom, said to have been introduced in the mid-1840s by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. At that time, luncheon was a light meal and dinner was served late, leaving the Duchess with ‘that sinking feeling’ in the long afternoon. She found that having tea accompanied by sandwiches and cakes served to her in her boudoir in the late afternoon was the perfect antidote, and soon began inviting friends to join her. The practice caught on in fashionable society, and became an established tradition in middle and upper class homes. Nowadays, it is an occasional luxury rather than a daily practice in British households, but it has been enshrined in many of the best hotels in the country, each of which puts their own twist on the traditional repast of finger sandwiches, cream and jam scones and delicate cakes, served with a choice of the finest teas. Apart from the classic afternoon tea, there are a plethora of themed versions – Chocolate, Champagne, Chelsea Flower Show, even a Sex and the City Par-tea… With the onset of summer and a certain tennis tournament in Southwest London, Wimbledon Afternoon Teas were rolled out in many establishments. Chef Pierre Rabuzzi from the Landmark Hotel told INFO how a French pastry chef puts his own spin on these two very English traditions: How does a French Pastry Chef come to be making patisserie for afternoon tea in a London hotel?
I was quite young when I became a Pastry Chef – it was always what I wanted to be – and my job has given me the opportunity to travel. After working in the USA, Dubai and French Polynesia, I decided to come back to Europe, and ended up in London, which is still international but closer to France! Do you stick to traditional French recipes or adapt them to local tastes in different countries?
I like to play with local ingredients, for example when I was in the Middle East I made the pastries a bit sweeter and used nuts and dates. In London, I incorporate a bit of the British touch, using tea flavours as well as seasonal ingredients such as English strawberries and other berries. I also put a little twist on classic British desserts, such as Eton Mess or trifle. So how do you approach the Wimbledon-themed afternoon tea?
I discovered that people associate 60 - info - july / august
Wimbledon with strawberries and cream, so that’s why we have strawberry mousse cake with a little mascarpone cream on macaron. As a nod to the British summer tipple we also have a Pimms jelly with strawberry, orange and little pieces of candied cucumber, and we have used the flavour of Earl Grey tea for the cream on the chocolate mousse. Finally we have a mint cheesecake with a shortbread and lemon ball to represent the green grass and tennis balls of Wimbledon. Do you side with Cornwall or Devon over whether the cream or jam should be first onto the scone?
I think everyone should have it the way they prefer! What is your favourite pastry or ingredient?
I don’t have a favourite, but I do have a very sweet tooth and I love chocolate. When I plan my menus I have to be careful that I don’t overdo the chocolate! Dark chocolate has a range of flavours from spicy to fruity and I enjoy working with it. I KF
French and Japanese cuisines take pride of place at La Plage - Majestic Barrière restaurant ||| Two well-known Chefs are offering two different styles of cuisine at the Hôtel Majestic Barrière in Cannes this summer. The restaurant La Plage–Majestic Barrière at the hotel’s new private beach will be serving the cuisine of Maryan Gandon, who favours traditionally prepared local products enhanced with a dash of his own creativity. He has also added a wide range of delicately spiced vegetarian dishes to the menu. While at Kinugawa –La Plage–Majestic Barrière, Chef Toyofumi Ozuru’s modern Japanese cuisine offers such signature dishes as sea bream sashimi marinated with citrus, and the famous ‘Black Cod’ marinated in miso. I
Brin d’amour by La Cave à Fromage ||| Charles Aznavour sang ‘misery is smoother under the sun’. Corsica, better known as ‘L’île de Beauté’ enjoys year-round sun. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, Corsican traditions prevail over the individualistic behaviour that comes from modern life. This French slice of paradise brings to mind ‘Brin d’Amour’, a unique cheese which carries the island’s folklores and values – simplicity,
generosity and character. A bouquet of local wild herbs made of rosemary, fennel seeds and juniper berries coats the tender ewe’s milk cheese inspiring us to sing. Sheep’s milk cheese has a natural sweetness and tenderness, especially when it is still young, white and soft. With waves of intense and deep herbal aromas, ‘Brin d’Amour’ is the best possible way to escape misery. I by Eric Charriaux
E: eric@cheese.biz T: +44 (0)845 108 8222 W: www.la-cave.co.uk
Your wine with a Brin d’Amour by Wine Story ||| As spring gives way to summer, we start to crave a few rays of sunshine, especially if the British weather shows no signs of improvement and we have no plans to go abroad. So for a taste of the sun I suggest a Tavel Rosé wine from the very hot South of the Rhône Valley to go with the cheese from beautiful, sunny Corsica. Tavel wines are all rosé and their fame goes all the way back to medieval times; it received AOC status in 1936 when the system was first introduced. The 933-hectare vineyards are located in the commune of Tavel only, close to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and just north of Avignon. Tavel is one of the few rosé wines that can benefit from aging as it is usually more full bodied than an average rosé. Considered as one of the best French rosés, it holds the rank of a ‘cru’ in the Rhône Valley with the likes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Gigondas. Both its acidity and freshness will be ideal with Brin
d’Amour and its red fruit scents will harmonise with the aromatic herbs encrusting the cheese. The Tavel is also a perfect accompaniment to a Mediterranean dish like ‘pissaladière’. I particularly recommend a new comer in the Domaine Des Muretins appellation, as its first vintage is a ‘coup de maître’, being full of fruit and yet lighter than some of its alcoholic competitors. On this small vineyard of six hectares, François Dauvergne and Jean-François Ranvier managed to produce a very balanced hand-harvested wine that adapts greatly to the local natural conditions: hot weather, low rainfall, low yield, strong Mistral winds, various soils (including the local pudding stone) and grape patchwork (Grenache Noir and Blanc, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Clairette). On a sunny day, this wine really is a ‘Brin d’Amour’. I by Thibault Lavergne E: thibault@winestory.co.uk T: +44 (0)7921 770 691 W: www.winestory.co.uk
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News at the Chamber T
he Chamber’s cultural links have been strengthened by a new partnership with the Royal Albert Hall, that great institution built at the instigation of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, to promote understanding and appreciation of the Arts and Sciences. The Royal Albert Hall has joined us as a Patron member, and the occasion was marked at the Hall, where Patron members gathered to watch a Dress Rehearsal of the ballet Romeo & Juliet. We have also welcomed in this period six new Corporate members and 24 Active members. We have some new faces at the Chamber, with the arrival of Christelle Berthevas as the new Head of Membership and Frédérique Compain, as the Forums & Clubs Project Manager. Both come with impressive experience and will enhance our team. This busy season was crowned with our Annual Gala Dinner, held earlier in the year than usual to avoid congestion in the second semester. It may have been third time lucky for us in securing our guest speaker Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times, but his entertaining speech was worth the wait, striking just the right balance between humour and seriousness. To top it all, £21,500 was raised at the silent auction for the charity Handicap International. Victor Chavez, CEO of Thales UK was another superb speaker at our CEO Breakfast held in April. Patron events have included a day at Lotus F1 Team and lunch at Cartier. A number of inspiring and thought-provoking sessions of our Forums and Clubs have taken place, particularly the Climate Change Forum’s visit to PwC’s headquarters at 7 More London, the most sustainable office building in the country, and by complete contrast Veolia’s Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility, where waste and recyclable materials are sorted. Recent events, including the CEO Breakfast with Jean-Jacques Lebel, Chairman of L’Oréal UK and Ireland, the Annual Legal Lunch, the Annual General Meeting and the Summer Champagne Reception, will be reported on in the next issue of INFO. Further ahead in September, we can look forward to hearing from Fabrice Brégier, President & CEO of Airbus at our Dîner de la Rentrée… and of course seeing you all again. Enjoy the summer! I KF
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Discover the French Chamber
112
SMEs used our Accountancy Outsourcing and Company Set-up services in 2013
new members 1 New patron memberS
ROYAL ALBERT HALL | Iconic London Concert Venue Represented by Jasper Hope, Chief Operating Officer | www.royalalberthall.com The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. Its breathtaking auditorium hosts over 370 shows a year by some of the greatest artists on earth. The magical atmosphere combined with inspired artists creates legendary events. Opened in 1871 as part of Prince Albert’s vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences, the Hall is a registered charity which operates without public funding, remaining true to his founding ambitions within a modern context. Extending the brand with 200 events outside the auditorium, the Hall has broadened its appeal to younger, diverse audiences whilst still engaging its existing customers.
6 new corporate members
Christian Liaigre Ltd | International luxury design and furniture brand Represented by Asli Bohane, General Manager | www.christian-liaigre.fr Christian Liaigre is the producer of original designs that have defined the contemporary classic style in interiors for 30 years. Known for its aesthetic of refined beauty and subtle luxury, his creative vision is rooted in traditional crafts, arts and culture. Present in 25 countries across Europe, America and Asia, Liaigre brings a distinctly unique design approach to an international clientele.
GMP Wealth Management | Tax, estate, investment, protection & retirement planning Represented by Guillaume Molhant Proost, Principal | www.gmpwm.co.uk We specialise in providing high quality personal advice on all aspects of wealth management to provide complete solutions for our clients’ and their family’s financial well-being. We provide expertise in investment strategy, investment planning, retirement and protection for individual and corporate clients. We assist businesses in the increasingly complex area of corporate financial planning, providing guidance on pensions, protection for directors, key employees or shareholders, tax reliefs and aspects of exit strategy planning.
H3P Limited | Accounting, Tax, Finance and Consulting Represented by Eric Hinderer, Director | www.h3p.com H3P is an auditing, accounting and advisory company specialised in providing lifelong support for projects beginning with the initial financial structuring and continuing with the day-to-day management. H3P offers innovative and alternative solutions that are responsive to your business issues. H3P provides high level expertise in: Structuring & Financing, Financial projections, Accounting & Reporting, Internal control, Audit, Valuation & Transaction support.
Kingsley Napley LLP | Law firm Represented by William Healing, Partner | www.kingsleynapley.co.uk Kingsley Napley is an internationally recognised law firm based in central London. Its clients include high net worth individuals, international families, investors and other private clients as well as owner-managed businesses, large public companies, regulatory and government bodies. The firm’s lawyers are renowned for integrity and expertise in dealing with complex and often high profile cases involving wealth planning, tax, immigration, family, real estate, corporate and commercial, clinical negligence, criminal, regulatory, dispute resolution, employment, professional discipline and public law issues.
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new members Bulgari Hotel and Residences, London | Luxury hotel located in Knightsbridge, London Represented by Sylvain Ercoli, General Manager | www.bulgarihotels.com Located in the heart of Knightsbridge, the Bulgari Hotel & Residences, London is the perfect expression of timeless glamour. Designed by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners, the hotel pays tribute to Bulgari’s silversmith origins with silver forming the underlying theme. Eighty-five elegant rooms and suites complement exceptional facilities including the stunning Bulgari Spa and new restaurant, Rivea London under the guidance of Alain Ducasse.
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel | Luxury Hotel Represented by Matthew Rowlette, Director of Sales and Marketing | www.stpancrasrenaissance.co.uk St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is a 5-star luxury hotel located on the doorstep of St Pancras International station. The hotel provides 245 bedrooms, including 38 stunningly restored Chambers Suites, 10 meeting and private dining rooms for up to 550 people, a spa with six treatment rooms, a pool, and two critically acclaimed bars and restaurants, including Marcus Wareing’s The Gilbert Scott.
24 new Active members
Achaclip
E(ye) brain
Shoe heel protection: Talon Clip & Talon Chic Represented by Anne-Marie Pharisier, General Manager/ Founder www.tc-for-shoes.com
Medical devices Represented by Maryline Zany, Corporate Secretary www.eye-brain.com
Acosphere Ltd
Luxury designer of bespoke travels worldwide Represented by Sophie Arbib, Associate Director www.exclusifvoyages.com
Global business development consultancy transforming companies Represented by Nadia Mensah-Acogny, Co-Founder & Managing Partner www.acosphere.com
Aleron Partners Specialist professional services firm using quantitative analysis to improve performance Represented by Nicolas Ponset, Managing Partner www.aleronpartners.com
Belcom247 Global network installation & maintenance services Represented by Patrice Demeocq, Director – France www.belcom247.com
Boisset La Famille des Grands Vins Manufacture and distribution of wines Represented by Gilles Seguin, Managing Director www.boisset.fr
Callan School London English language school with the Callan Method Represented by Bérénice Lévénez, CEO www.callanschoollondon.com
Cushman & Wakefield LLP Global commercial real estate firm Represented by Vincent Simond, Associate www.cushmanwakefield.com
Doherty Associates IT support and services Represented by Ariane Stalé, Operations Manager www.doherty.co.uk
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Exclusif Voyages Ltd
Gallery Elena Shchukina Art gallery Represented by Elena Shchukina, Owner www.galleryelenashchukina.com
Henner Employed benefits insurance broker Represented by Marco Sgarbi, Regional Manager Europe www.henner.com
Hub2Asia UK Quality control inspection services in Asia Represented by Sébastien Breteau, CEO www.asiainspection.com
KVA Applications Designer & manufacturer of load banks Represented by Thomas Lahaye, Export Development Manager www.kva-applications.fr
Launchworks Ventures Ltd A niche strategy and innovation consulting firm Represented by Laure Reillier, Director www.launchworksventures.com
Linkfluence Social media intelligence Represented by Jonathan Charbit, EMEA Business Developer www.linkfluence.com
new members
Simplement Londres
Maison Corthay Luxury men’s shoes – bespoke & ready to wear Represented by Laurence Massoni, Store Manager – CRM Manager www.corthay.com
London based relocation services Represented by Sandra Redon, Co-Director www.simplementlondres.com
MAS Legal
Online marketplace for local food commerce Represented by Marc-David Choukroun, CEO www.thefoodassembly.com
Legal services for trademark protection & intellectual property Represented by Severine Mas, Solicitor and Avocat www.mas-legal.com
OneyTech Internet antifraud solutions provider Represented by François Delaigue, International Development Manager www.sellsecure.com
Ponthier Frozen and chilled purées, coulis, cooked chestnuts Represented by Yves Ponthier, CEO www.ponthier.net
The Food Assembly
The London Jam ltd Jam manufacturer Represented by Pierre-Louis Phelipot, Owner www.thelondonjamfactory.com
Tizir Limited Vertically integrated zircon and titanium business Represented by Jean-Michel Fourcade, CEO www.tizir.co.uk
For more information (including email, address, phone number, etc.), please consult the online directory at www. frenchchamber.co.uk/membership/search-for-members.
h at s o f f t o Estelle Brachlianoff, Executive Vice-President Veolia UK & Northern Europe, received the CBI’s ‘First Women Business of the Year’ award at the UK’s premier awards event for senior level business women and professionals. Reflecting Estelle’s belief that diversity equals innovation, Veolia employs over 90 nationalities in the UK and has raised female Board-level representation and graduate intake. Externally, Estelle is promoting careers within the industry on platforms as diverse as the BitC* Responsible Business Week, the Institute of Civil Engineers and the London Business School. This is resulting in the sector becoming more attractive to new recruits as it becomes seen as the innovationdriven catalyst for the expanding ‘circular economy’ I Estelle Brachlianoff receiving the award from Fiona Cannon OBE, Diversity and Inclusion Director at Lloyds Banking Group (l) and Mishal Husain, BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ presenter (r)
Linda Jackson was appointed CEO of the Citroën brand worldwide on 1 June 2014. Before moving to Paris to take up her new role, Linda lived in Warwickshire and was based at Citroën UK’s head office in Coventry. She was Managing Director – Citroën UK & Ireland from July 2010 to May 2014. Her successor in this role is Arnaud Leclerc. Linda began her automotive career at MG Rover and was appointed as MG Rover’s European Finance Director in 2004. She then joined Citroën UK as Finance Director in 2005. Linda moved back to Paris to take up the position of Finance Director for Citroën France in 2009 and returned to the UK as Managing Director - Citroën UK & Ireland in 2010. Linda was born in Coventry and studied for her MBA at Warwick University. I Linda Jackson
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n e w fac e s François Croquette is the new Cultural Counsellor of the French Embassy and Director of the French Institute. He first came to London in 2002 as an exchange diplomat on secondment at the Foreign Office, and stayed on as Second Counsellor at the French Embassy from 2003 to 2006. A long-time human rights defender, he completed a Certificate in International Human Rights Law and Practice from the London School of Economics during his first posting in London. He is passionate about the promotion of French culture and was Cultural Counsellor in Montreal, Canada, from 2006 to 2010. He then worked as Diplomatic Counsellor for the President of the Senate from 2011 to 2013. Before taking office in London, he was Principal Private Secretary for the Minister for International Development. I François Croquette
chamber shorties
Welcome to our new Head of Membership and Patron Relationship Manager, Christelle Berthevas Christelle Berthevas is an advertising professional with over 14 years of regional and global experience in integrated communication. She worked in award-winning advertising agencies, most notably Interpublic and Havas Group. In both Paris and London, she managed existing accounts such as Danone, Nestlé, Alcatel, Avis, E.Leclerc, and l’Assurance Maladie on a long-term basis, helping them develop their scope of activity, while increasing her client portfolio. She has planned and implemented successful strategic projects and communication campaigns with multi-disciplinary teams. Christelle replaces Karine Desplanches, who has left to pursue new opportunities. We would like to thank Karine for her hard work and contribution to the Chamber. I
Welcome to Frédérique Compain and Elizabeth Hodkinson Frédérique Compain takes over from Karim Mijal as the Forums & Clubs’ Project Manager. Frédérique graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Internationales, Paris in 2007, with a BA in International Relations, including a year at Reed College in the United States. She then completed a double MA in European Policy Studies both at the University of Leonard de Vinci in Paris and London South Bank University. She worked on the 2014 French Consular Councillor Abroad election campaign with Olivier Cadic, representative at the Assembly for French Citizens Abroad (AFE), and prior to that as a Parliamentary Assistant to Fabienne Keller for 4 years in the French Senate. Before that, she was Head of External Communication at the French Association in Tokyo. We would like to thank Karim for his contribution to the development of the Forums & Clubs, and wish all the best to Frédérique in her new role. I 66 - info - july / august
Elizabeth Hodkinson joins the Chamber as Events & Marketing Coordinator, replacing Kim Darragon, who has taken up a new career challenge. Elizabeth read for an MA in French and Russian at Glasgow University, allowing her to spend a year at Blaise Pascal University in Clermont Ferrand and three months working in an orphanage just outside of Moscow and exploring the country to improve her Russian. After university she moved to Paris, where she worked as a bilingual assistant at the International Chamber of Commerce. Her desire to start a career in Marketing and Events, whilst continuing to work with French companies led her to the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain. We would like to thank Kim for her hard work and dedication to the Events Department, and wish all the best to Elizabeth in her new role. I
DESIGN trade delegation The Chamber’s Business Consultancy organised its very first trade delegation in the Design sector in partnership with the Alsace Chamber of Commerce in France from 18 to 20 June. Six French companies offering design products and solutions met UK buyers, architects and interior designers with the objective
of entering the UK’s growing and competitive design market, which is widely regarded as being one of the most avant garde in the world. A total of 38 BtoB meetings were organised over two and a half days, alongside visits of the Conran Shop, The Design Chelsea Centre Harbour and Harrods. I
SCET delegation visit The French Chamber had the great pleasure of welcoming a delegation of 40 French chairmen and managing directors from semi-public companies in the housing and town planning sectors, as well as several mayors. All the participants are part of the SCET network, a leading operator in equipment and infrastructure management in France. The SCET network organises trade missions in inspiring cities every year to share best practice, benchmark and learn from other countries’ urban regeneration strategies. Previous visits included Saint Petersburg in 2009, Copenhagen in 2011, Riga in 2012 and Berlin in 2013. The delegation had the opportunity to meet high profile representatives of London’s Housing, Renovation and Transport authorities including Richard Blakeway, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Land and Property; Ian Birch, Transport Economist for Transport for London (TFL); Gavin Pooley, CEO of Here East, London’s new digital community at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. They also met Emmanuel Betry, Financial Counsellor for the French Embassy; Nicolas Guérin, CEO of Bouygues
Delegates pose with Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
Development UK and Marc Reboux, Senior Director, EMEA Office Agency for CBRE. The group toured some of London’s most iconic urban regeneration landmarks, among them the new King’s Cross area, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Canary Wharf and the Shard, and cruised the Thames for a view of developments on the river. I
Annual Activity Report 2013 published The Annual Activity Report 2013, which showcases all the Chamber’s activities and results for last year, is out. Much more than a record of all the events and activities, the report provides many interesting facts and figures, and an overview of all the Chamber’s services, as well as the outlook for 2014. Printed versions will be sent to all members’ main representatives and a digital version can be viewed online at www.frenchchamber.co.uk I
Movingdesign brings together France and the UK on screen Movingdesign successfully took up the challenge to digitally illustrate the French Chamber’s mission of ‘connecting & developing French & British businesses’. Displayed on the digital mirror Movingdesign had previously installed in the lobby of the Chamber, this eye-catching 3D carousel shows business buildings growing between emblematic monuments from our capitals as well as large cities in both countries such as the Bullring in Birmingham, Belfast Titanic, the MuCEM in Marseille and the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Make a special point of watching it next time you visit the Chamber! Otherwise catch the video on our website www.frenchchamber.co.uk/events/videos I info - july / august - 67
French Chamber signs a partnership with the Royal Albert Hall
Arnaud Bamberger and Jasper Hope shake on the partnership
T
he French Chamber has signed a three-year partnership with the Royal Albert Hall (The Hall) to build synergies between the two organisations, and has welcomed this renowned institution as a Patron member. This is the latest in a number of valuable partnerships the Chamber has signed so far, most notably with the Royal Opera House and the Financial Times. The partnership was signed on 10 June by the French Chamber President, Arnaud Bamberger and Jasper Hope, Chief Operating Officer of the Hall, during a Champagne reception in the Hall’s Prince of Wales Room, which was attended by more than 45 Patron members. Jasper Hope spoke about the importance of French artists in The Hall’s history, including Claude François, who performed there in 1978, Johnny Halliday, Patricia Kass and more recently Charles Aznavour. This was followed by a Dress Rehearsal of the ballet Romeo & Juliet by British
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The Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial
choreographer Derek Deane with Tamara Rojo as Juliet and Carlos Acosta as Romeo. This very exclusive behind-the-scenes event gave Patron members the chance to see the final adjustments to a large and fantastic production. As Arnaud Bamberger commented in his speech, what better place to watch Romeo & Juliet than The Hall, which embodies the incredible love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Opened in 1871, it was part of Prince Albert’s vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences, although he unfortunately died not long after its construction began. The bereft Queen Victoria spent the money intended for The Hall on the Albert Memorial, with the result that it took years to be completed and the original capacity of 30,000 had to be reduced to 5,500. Now a registered charity which operates without public funding, the Hall remains true to Prince Albert’s founding ambitions within a modern context. The Hall will be hosting another Patron event and a Luxury Club breakfast in the coming months. I JK
recent event c eo b r e a k fa s t
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23 a pri l
How governments impact strategic sectors Sponsored by
Victor Chavez, Chief Executive of Thales UK, gave unique insights into how the political landscape shapes policy and progress
I
could give you fantastic insights into the technology of autonomous air systems’, Victor Chavez quipped, but he chose instead to speak about a subject close to many industrialists’ hearts – the impact of globalisation on strategic sectors, and the role of national governments in shaping the market. As he explained, with the General Election on the horizon, what different potential governments offer in terms of strategy and policy thinking will have a significant impact on the long-term health and prosperity of the UK. Strategic sectors – those which are subject to government intervention or manipulation – can differ greatly from country to country, and are shifting as nations strive for growth and adapt to shrinking budgets. Most obvious for the delivery of national security is Defence, but Energy is increasingly important too and Cyber Security is ‘the new kid on the block’. Interestingly, as Victor pointed out, some sectors are now being identified as strategic because of the potential economic value of strong indigenous industrial capability – Aerospace, IT, Advanced Electronics, Manufacturing and Automotive fall into this category. Victor commented that globalisation has not been pervasive in those strategic markets relied upon for security and prosperity, with government remaining central to how they operate. Choices have been made to forego some of the potential gains in efficiency and fluid allocation of capital in exchange for greater certainty. But it is by no means a static picture. ‘Over recent years we have seen even in our naturally conservative industries an increasing freedom of movement for capital, supply chains and suppliers,’ he observed, noting that the UK has been in the vanguard of globalisation in strategic sectors, exemplified by the Ministry of Defence sourcing globally wherever possible – most recently tanker ships from South Korea as well as the ongoing strategic partnership with France – and the UK government awarding the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station contract to EDF Energy. In marked contrast to France, the UK government has stepped back from leading industrial strategies for fear of distorting the market by ‘picking winners’. While this approach has been hugely successful in sectors seeking permissive business environments, such as Automotive or Financial Services, where the UK has ‘caught the wave’ of globalisation, in others requiring high capital and
plant requirements, the UK has had more mixed results. Recognising the need for a more strategic approach in certain sectors to put the UK on a level playing field, the government changed tack in 2010, launching a number of ‘Growth Partnerships’ in sectors such as Aerospace, Life Sciences, Cyber and Oil & Gas to name but a few. These were designed to set out the sort of long-term strategies which attract inward investment from global companies and to give certainty to the UK’s plans. Although it is early days, Victor applauded this pragmatic approach for its focus on innovation and competitiveness, support for the development of key future technologies, addressing of key skills issues and providing coherency for exports. However, he cautioned that there is no room for complacency. We may be in a global ‘race’ for high tech jobs and investment but there is no finish line, and ‘hungry, focused and unsentimental competitors are looking to ‘eat the lunch’ of Britain, France and other Western powers in strategic sectors – some with far more explicit strategies to acquire technology, funnel business to national champions and undercut established companies on the export market.’ Both the UK and France have to recognise and strengthen their distinct market positions in the global race, bolstering not only their innovation and competitiveness but also their attractiveness as investment markets for global companies. ‘And this means everything from focused R&D spend to having an attractive tax regime, from a strong supply of skills to sufficient airport capacity,’ he said. Whichever government takes over in 2015, its role will be absolutely central to the success of strategic industries as Britain’s trade and economic edge depends on making disruptive, bold improvements to its offer to global businesses. I KF info - july / august - 69
A celebration of ‘L’entente fructueuse’
With the date moved to earlier in the year, this year’s gala dinner heralded summer rather than winter, and the prevailing mood matched the lighter evening. Over 350 guests gathered in the Landmark Hotel for the event, headlined by Financial Times Editor Lionel Barber rnaud Bamberger, President of the French Chamber launched the evening’s proceedings by welcoming guests to the Chamber’s 131st gala dinner and thanking the French Ambassador and the French Embassy for their ongoing support for the Chamber. He made a special point of thanking the Chamber’s loyal sponsors – main sponsors EY and HSBC, and supporting sponsors, Accor, Colas Rail, EDF Energy and Safran – as well as partners – Pernod Ricard UK for the Perrier Jouët Champagne, Les Vins de Pessac Léognan for the white wines, Le Conseil des vins de Saint-Emilion for the red, and Chanel, which for the 20th year running had presented a gift of perfume to each and every guest. He also expressed gratitude to the twenty-two member companies that had generously donated gifts for the silent auction held over the course of the evening for the benefit of charity partner Handicap International. Jean-Baptiste Richardier, co-founder of Handicap International, took to the stage to explain how the organisation supports disabled and vulnerable people in situations of poverty, exclusion, conflict and disaster in 60 countries. He spoke passionately about the victims of the current Syrian crisis and appealed to the audience to support Handicap International’s work there and amongst refugees in neighbouring countries through their bids. In his address which followed, the French Ambassador, HE Mr Bernard Emié, said what a pleasure it was to be taking part in the Gala Dinner for the third time, and to be joined by someone with such global 70 - info - july / august
influence as Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times. ‘Admittedly you don’t have as many Twitter followers as Lady Gaga or Pope Francis, but you’re still a major opinion maker,’ he joked. On a more serious note he commented on the ‘real shock’ of the European election results and France’s commitment to reform and build ‘quake-proof’ policies to meet the goals of growth, employment and attractiveness. He went on: ‘But an EU today perceived as too distant and abstract will also have to be reformed, to steer it back towards its citizens’ main expectations: results in terms of employment, growth and investment. This road map for the coming years will have to restore the subsidiarity principle to its former glory, without, however, unravelling the political project in which we’ve invested everything and which has brought us so much over the past 60 years.’ Turning to the bilateral relationship he expressed satisfaction that Franco-British relations were ‘substantive and productive’, evidenced by the excellent bilateral summit on defence, energy and space in January and the State Visit to France of Her Majesty the Queen. ‘This fifth State Visit, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War, psymbolises the Franco-British brotherhood in arms,’ he commented. ‘It
recent event annual gal a dinner
is just as apparent during crises as it is in the daily task of building close defence cooperation both bilaterally and at European level.’ Anglo-French relations were also the subject on which guest of honour Lionel Barber spoke. ‘Is there a trickier topic to talk about, especially for the Editor of the Financial Times?’ he quipped. ‘We’ve had a few ups and downs, but relations now between Britain and France are better than they have been for some time, and we need to separate the little niggles over red carpets from what our two nations have in common… like our language. Think about it, words like ‘amour propre’, ‘enfant terrible’, ‘frisson’ and Farage!’ Jokes aside, he expanded on the ‘enduring benefits of bilateral cooperation’ and stated that Britain has much to learn from France in the case of infrastructure projects, nuclear energy and education. However, he warned that in the present economic context, ‘l’entente cordiale has lost some of its lustre and become l’entente frugale’, with the fall-out of the crisis partly explaining the gains made by populous nationalist parties such as UKIP and the Front National. ‘Their rise does not necessarily herald a new age of extremism but it does highlight voter alienation, not just in reaction to austerity but also to the dislocation caused by forces of globalisation, from the free movement of goods, capital and labour. Forces of fragmentation – political, economic, social – are in the ascendancy, partly due to social media and the broader digital revolution.’ Some had the tendency to gloat that the UK economy is in recovery while France remains stuck in the doldrums, Lionel noted, but pointed out that while Britain’s nominal GDP growth is impressive, private households remain heavily indebted, the current account deficit is uncomfortably large, exports have failed to pick up and the productivity gap is as wide as ever. ‘This is not a balanced recovery yet,’ he opined. He also touched on the UK’s position as a ‘hostage to fortune’ with impending referendums: one on Scotland and one on EU membership if the Conservatives come to power. His opinion on both was unequivocal: ‘Our union with more than 300 years of history is in peril, both at home and abroad.’ On France he said, ‘Having observed French politics for more than 20 years, I can safely say that there is more resilience in France than many outsiders might imagine. While some time has been lost for reforms it is by no means too late.’ ‘I remain a cautious optimist about Britain, France, our bilateral relationship and Europe,’ he concluded, ‘and you here in business will play an important catalysing role just as you did more than 30 years ago with the launch of the single market.’ He closed with a toast, ‘in the spirit of General de Gaulle’ to ‘l’entente fructueuse’. Questions from the audience followed. In response to
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Lionel Barber
Arnaud Bamberger and Jean-Baptiste Richardier
Gabrielle Ducomble and her quartet
one on a possible UK referendum on the EU he said ‘the idea of the UK being reduced to a rump outside the EU is an interesting concept – and I mean “interesting” in the Chinese sense.’ French jazz vocalist Gabrielle Ducomble and her quintet performed three beautiful songs, oozing Gallic charm and sophistication. All the while, guests made use of iPads to bid in the silent auction. It was the first time the Chamber had ever tried this means of fundraising and there was some nervous anticipation as to its outcome, but when the hammer finally fell and the final bids were tallied, an amazing £21,500 had been raised for Handicap International – a buoyant end to a superb evening. I KF info - july / august - 71
recent events r e n d e z - v o u s c h e z l’ o c c i ta n e
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13 m ay Sponsored by
Provence comes to Covent Garden
Chamber member L’Occitane welcomed fellow members in their Covent Garden boutique for an evening of détente networking
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he fifth edition of ‘Rendez-vous chez…’ was once again a sold out event. The 40 guests, both men and women, were greeted by L’Occitane team offering hand massages and face care testing. Members were invited to discover over 30 years of expertise in creating products of exceptional quality in the brand new twostorey boutique. It was a match made in heaven with fellow member PAUL providing gourmet delights among which champagne, canapés and macarons for all the guests. Even if L’Occitane’s inspiration comes from the captivating colours, scents and traditions of Provence, members were introduced to their new collection (only featured in the Covent Garden’s shop) ‘L’Occitane au Brésil’ which celebrates Brazilian biodiversity with well-being & beauty products. Guests left having made new connections with hands full of their favourite products. I JK r e n d e z- v o u s c h e z m a i l l e
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17 j u n e 2 014 Sponsored by
Cutting the mustard In London’s first maison maille store, members enjoyed new taste sensations while networking round 30 members from a wide variety of sectors gathered in the first Maison Maille store to be established outside of France. Over the centuries, Maison Maille has become the standard for highquality condiments, continuously putting creativity, tradition, and know-how into the service of culinary excellence. After an introduction to the history of Maison Maille and what it offers in terms of corporate tastings and private events, members were shown round the boutique, and then indulged in tastings of some of the house’s 40 flavoured products. Mustard with White Wine and Walnuts was by far the most popular and members were just as delighted by the atmosphere and the opportunity to network with fellow members. On this occasion Aubaine provided canapés and is introducing a ‘Maille menu’ in its restaurants – a perfect example of Chamber members working together! I JK 72 - info - july / august
pat r o n e v e n t s lot u s f1 t e a m v i s i t
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Lap of honour with the Lotus F1 Team
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eather and general mood aligned for the Patron visit to the Lotus F1 Team. Based in Oxfordshire, the Lotus Team has been home to some of the greatest drivers in history; legendary men such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, and Kimi Raikkonen to name but a few. Patron members were welcomed by CEO Matthew Carter and a surprise guest – Romain Grosjean. There were smiles all round as the Formula 1 driver gamely signed autographs and posed for pictures with admiring members. Sponsored by Altran, which is an official technical partner of Lotus F1, the afternoon unfolded with an exclusive tour of the site during which members were let into the secrets of the unique nature of each Formula 1 car and the originality of Lotus F1 Team as a constructor in the bunker-like engine room. The great day ended with a bon enfant competition on the different simulators as Patron members faced the BATAK machine that measures speed performance and tested race simulators while sitting in a real Formula 1 car. Not that we are keeping score but the French Chamber team thought it was a definite win-win! I JK
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Romain Grosjean signing autographs
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A touch of class at Cartier
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hamber President and Executive Chairman of Cartier Arnaud Bamberger welcomed the French Ambassador to the UK, HE Mr Bernard Emié and fellow Patron members to an exclusive lunch at the London headquarters of Maison Cartier on New Bond Street. The privileged guests were served an exquisite meal in the dining room, located above the very first Cartier boutique in the UK, opened in 1902 after Pierre (Alfred Cartier’s second son) moved to London at his father’s request. Clyde Tabiner, Cartier’s Training Manager, gave a presentation on the history and legacy of the brand in a relaxed an convivial atmosphere, and Arnaud Bamberger brought out his best wines for the occasion, including Chateau Gloria St. Julien, Henri Martin (1982). It was not the first time that members had been invited by Arnaud Bamberger to Cartier, but it was the first time he had hosted them as President of the French Chamber. I JK
Arnaud Bamberger addressing the gathering of Patron members at Cartier. Before him, seated at one of the three tables were: HE Mr Bernard Emié, Ludovic de Montille (BNP Paribas), Yves Masson (AXA UK Plc), Ursula Morgenstern (Atos UK & Ireland), Robin Southwell OBE (Airbus Group UK), Philippe Mellier (De Beers Group), Madani Sow (Bouygues UK), Elisabeth Markart (Banque Transatlantique), Maxime Holder (PAUL UK), Pierre Henri Denain (Natixis) and Estelle Brachlianoff (Veolia Environnement) info - july / august - 73
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17 j u n e
Sustainability at work In a day of two distinct halves, members of the Climate Change Forum toured PwC’s More London office and Veolia’s Southwark Material Recovery Facility
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wC’s strikingly modern building at 7 More London, just adjacent to City Hall on the Thames, is one of the most eco-friendly offices in the UK. Trevor Rollings, Senior Facilities Manager, who has been involved with the project from conception, took Forum members, led by the Chair Richard Brown, on a tour of the building, from top terrace to basement, explaining the construction, systems and processes that combine to make this the first building in London to be awarded a new elite standard for BREEAM1 of ‘Outstanding’, with an 87% rating. Built with concrete containing 80% recycled aggregate, the building is powered, heated and cooled by an on-site trigeneration plant, fuelled by recycled cooking oil that is collected and refined by Uptown Oil, London’s only licensed biodiesel producer. Together with solar panels and regenerative lifts it provides 51% of the office’s energy requirements. A high-performance, all-glass skin lets in plenty of light and the interior climate is modulated by a chilled beam system using natural air convection, as well as sunshades and louvers. The fact that it is a smart building too means that workers can control the light, LED of course, and temperature of their desk areas by accessing an integrated IT system from their laptops. Overall, CO2 emissions have been reduced by 47%. The Foster-designed building has an interior courtyard, open to the elements, bringing light to the centre of the office floors. About 6,000 people are assigned to 500,000 square foot (46,500m2) building, but the work place is designed to accommodate only 4,500 desks complemented with different kinds of breakout spaces that have to be reserved and checked into, making for a flexible and dynamic working environment. How the workplace impacts staff has been carefully tracked as Mark Thompson, Sustainability and Climate Change Director explained. Informative signage increased awareness and understanding of sustainability by around 60% with a concomitant uplift in engagement and productivity. Taking that a step further, he described how such an environment supports wellbeing, helping to 1. Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
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build resilience in people and create value for the company. From a sustainable building the Forum moved on to a sustainability business, where waste is turned into a resource. Veolia’s Southwark Material Recovery Centre is the most central waste treatment and recycling facility in London, serving a socially and economically diverse borough, which has implications for recycling rates, as General Manager Fabrice Bouchon explained. The target is 44% by March 2020 and 38% was reached last quarter. Its location, only 70m from the nearest residential estate meant special measures had to be taken to contain noise, heat and smell, but the award-winning design of the facility earned it an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating. On a tour of the facility, forum members watched dry recyclable waste being sorted by an impressively complex system of chutes and conveyor belts as well as by human eye and hand into paper, plastic, metal and glass, and sent on to different processors. They also glimpsed residual waste being put through a two-week anaerobic process to produce a high-calorific-value fuel for energy from waste plants both in the UK and Europe. Thanks to both PwC and Veolia Environmental Services for welcoming Forum members and giving such fascinating insights into their different operations. I KF
Waste being sorted by hand at the material recovery facility
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30 april
HR 3.0: guidance on social media in the workplace The unstoppable rise in social media presents both opportunities and challenges for HR professionals. In his update for the HR Forum, Kevin Poulter, Senior Associate at Bircham Dyson Bell and a specialist in social media, gave some pointers for the good management and control of this often wayward communications tool
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ocial media is a phenomenon. For example, in just scrutiny. If you are employing a senior or public facing over 10 short years, Facebook has grown from an employee, it is not only diligent but essential to check Ivy League dating site into a behemoth with over 1.25 their digital and public footprint. billion active users. Over a third Employees’ social media output of the UK population logs in every should be monitored, especially for Employees’ social day to update their status, upload a public facing organisations and those media output should be photo of their home-cooked food or who trade on reputation and high just to poke, like or comment. And it standards. If employees choose to monitored, especially doesn’t stop there. Twitter, LinkedIn, make their employers identifiable for public facing Whatsapp, Pinterest, Snapchat or through social media chats or postings, organisations and those any other of the hundreds of social regardless of so called ‘disclaimers’, who trade on reputation media platforms available on your they must be made aware of their and high standards. computer, your smartphone and responsibilities to the organisation. now even your watch and spectacles If you already have a policy in place, (Google Glass, anyone?) are distracting us 24 hours a day ensure it is properly moderated and enforced. If an from our work, our families and our real time friends. employee acts outside of the policy, you should react The impact of social media on the workplace and, if appropriate, take action. Regular reminders is notable for many reasons. Without doubt, the to the workforce about what is and isn’t acceptable temptation of a constantly updating and evolving conduct will make any policy, written or not, more virtual world in our pocket can be overwhelming. enforceable. Social media breaks have replaced cigarette breaks in Without doubt, social media will continue to some workplaces, as employees sneak away for their evolve over the next 10 years and so must our approach hourly ‘fix’. Elsewhere, the policing of social media and understanding of this valuable but potentially channels both in and out of the workplace has become harmful tool for communication. HR managers in necessary as bullying, harassment and victimisation particular must stay ahead of the curve and not merely has moved online. react to the change. Your employees will increasingly Social media presents any number of opportunities look to you for guidance on personal and professional for business, but it also has the potential to cause a security, privacy and to identify where acceptable number of problems for employers, from recruitment boundaries lie as the distinction between work and to post-termination activity. play blurs even more. I Recruitment has perhaps been revolutionised the most. As an ever-growing number of people live out their personal and professional lives online, how employers target and secure candidates has changed, as has the way that they are vetted. Vacancies can be promoted cheaply and easily to a focused demographic and each role has the potential to reach a wider and more diverse pool of candidates. But as much as social media can assist candidates with their job search, it also has the potential to cause terminal damage. That was the case for 17-year-old Paris Brown, who lasted only a matter of days in her role as Kent Youth Police Commissioner before her Twitter past caught up with her and her employer was forced to defend both itself and its juvenile employee against public and press info - july / august - 75
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recent sme & entrepreneurs club
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Friends & family – are they the best business partners? What is the secret to successful business partnerships with one’s nearest and dearest? Three members of the club shared their different experiences with surprisingly similar conclusions: it’s all about complementarity, communication and trust, but also passion for a common goal It is quite unusual to live, work, eat, breathe with your brother and sometimes it can be quite intense. However the business would not be what it is today without both of us being involved. What is quite surprising and very fortunate, is that we are extremely complimentary and both bring very different qualities to the business. For example, my brother deals with the contractors, negociates supplier contracts and assists in managing and developing the technology of the hotel. These are areas that I admit are not my strong points. I am more the organiser, dealing with the human resources and operational aspects, and driving the team to be the best that they can be. I guess you could say that I am more the operational manager and my brother is the development manager. We are fortunate to understand each others’ strengths and weaknesses and are able to act accordingly, so we do not step on each other toes. However, we do talk on a daily basis about certain decisions that need to be taken. We also share the same goal which is to make the business successful. We adopt a unified family business model, which means that we are there to help and support each other, especially emotionally when times are tough. I Olivia Byrne, Eccleston Square Hotel
Cedric and I started French Resources almost 5 years ago. We are business friends as much as business partners. We met on our first day at the Bureau Emploi of the French Consulate and worked together for seven years building up a relationship based on trust and honesty towards each other, as well as our clients and candidates. We have different characters and we complement each other. When the employment section closed, we decided to start our own bilingual recruitment business. We now both work from our respective homes, but we speak to each other at least twice a day to move our business forward, but also to share gossip! And we believe that the backbone of our business relationship is still trust and honesty. I Laurence Parry, French Resources
Since 2013 I’ve been working for my wife’s production company, Minky Productions. Together we produce and deliver filmed content to an international client base. We get to the heart of a brief and we offer memorable and creative solutions for television broadcasters, brands, online publications and live events. The first time we worked together, it was pretty intense. I had launched Cinémoi, the first television channel dedicated to French cinema, broadcasting on Sky and Virgin, and was television controller. Lucia joined the team as Head of Productions and Creative Director. Minky Productions created all our original content and on screen branding. After five years in the UK, Cinémoi moved to the USA. As a team, Lucia and I felt ready to work on other projects. Being independent can sometimes be challenging but it also allows us to choose our projects and clients, to be reactive and innovative. Lucia and I complement each other very well. She is the director, the creative mind, the artist. She’s got a great eye and sensitivity to cinematic material. I have total belief in her talents. As a producer, I manage the teams, deal with clients and look after the distribution and promotion. My personal creative outlet is in curation and programming. We try hard to not allow work to overtake or damage our private family life. Thanks to our daughter we know when to stop. We’re lucky as we always enjoy working together; it’s probably because we both work in the field we’re passionate about. I Julien Planté, Minky Production
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recent sme & entrepreneurs club
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10 j u n e
Essential HR dos and don’ts for SMEs & Entrepreneurs Emmanuelle Ries, Partner and Head of the Employment Team at Miller Rosenfalck LLP, gives tips for SMEs to tackle HR issues from employee engagement to disciplinary actions and sickness absences Employee engagement Employee engagement is key to the success of your company and it is advisable to have a documented process in place to provide regular quarterly feedback and not wait for the annual review to comment on an employee’s performance. It is of course important for the employee to feel that his work is valued and recognised, and employers should have yearly salary reviews as well as looking at the range of contractual benefits offered to the employee, from pension contributions and medical insurance to bonus and commission arrangements. Beware of gender or other discriminations and pay gaps. Disciplinary actions Within two months from the start of employment you must have an employment contract in place. The contract needs to make clear reference to disciplinary and grievance policies. The procedures will be in your staff handbook or you should follow the ACAS guide. When invoking the disciplinary procedure, do follow different processes for different offences. If you are dealing with a minor one-off conduct offence, you will approach it differently from tackling under-performance. The disciplinary process will involve several phases: 1. Investigation of any allegations of misconduct or poor performance; 2. Presentation of the investigation findings to the employee in writing and if appropriate, invitation to a disciplinary or capability meeting by letter outlining the possible outcomes of the meeting, including the different disciplinary sanctions; 3. Holding a meeting with the employee – do allow the employee to be accompanied at the meeting by a trade union official or a work colleague; 4. Adjourn the meeting to make a decision; 5. Communicate the decision to the employee, reminding the employee of his right of appeal of the decision. When deciding to terminate an employee’s employment, remember the five fair reasons for dismissal (capability, conduct, lack of qualifications, redundancy and some other substantial reason) and the need for procedural fairness. Do follow a fair consultation process for redundancy – beware of collective redundancies procedures. Bear in mind the process to terminate the employment of employees within 24 months but do follow a fair process. Have a dialogue with the employee and document the reason for dismissal to be able to
flush out and resist a potential discrimination claim.
Legal and contractual entitlements on termination Do ensure the employee receives their legal and contractual entitlements on termination: • Notice or PILON – do give and pay minimum statutory or contractual notice of termination of employment • Pay in lieu of accrued untaken holidays • Contractual benefits during notice period • Bonus payment (if applicable) • Statutory Redundancy Pay (calculated by reference to length of service and age, the maximum SRP is £13,920 for 30 years’ employment). • Additional ex gratia redundancy pay (if applicable) When dealing with a grievance procedure, do be aware that if you want to initiate an amicable separation and agree a ‘without prejudice’ settlement package, the timing of the discussion will be crucial, both legally, and psychologically for the employee. Managing sickness absence Do put robust parameters in place and communicate company policy on sickness absence, do be clear that repeated infringements will trigger a capability or disciplinary process. Don’t let people just email in if they are sick. Ask them to telephone a senior manager – it’s much more accountable. Be aware that a reactive illness, such as stress, does not necessarily equal a disability. Request Fit Notes and initiate a dialogue with the employee. Don’t postpone a disciplinary or grievance procedure until the employee returns to work: NHS guidelines are that it is better for the employee to attend the process. And do be firm: postponing the process once or twice is likely to lead to multiple postponements. Do adjust the process to remove barriers to the employee attending; e.g. change the location, allow family members to attend or do it by telephone. If the employee still won’t attend, you can often hold the meeting in their absence. For SMEs so particularly reliant on their employees to grow business, it is crucial to keep the dialogue open with employees at all times. It may help to look at disciplinary action as a tool for this ongoing dialogue in setting the parameters of expectations within which everyone can be clear as to what is expected of them. To ensure these parameters are set out clearly, do seek advice to put in place a staff handbook and policies which will assist in promoting best practice in the long term. I info - july / august - 77
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recent legal forum
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5 june
Trade Secrets Directive – a new recipe for European harmony? At the recent Legal Forum session, Serena Tierney, Head of Intellectual Property at Bircham Dyson Bell, elaborated on the progress towards a harmonised European framework for protecting trade secrets, and also summarised the European Court of Justice’s ruling against Google
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esearch and innovation in Europe are regarded as key to continued economic success. One of the pillars of the EU 2020 Strategy is the Innovation Union initiative under which the Commission is charged with creating an innovation-friendly environment. Its latest action is to propose a Directive to establish a new legal framework for protecting trade secrets.
Background Successive surveys of EU businesses have indicated that they value trade secrets as highly as patents for protecting innovation. The legal regimes for protecting trade secrets differ significantly in scope, judicial routes to enforcement and sanctions from one Member State to another. The proposal The intention of the Directive is to provide ‘a single, clear and coherent legal regime protecting against misappropriation of trade secrets in EU Member States’. The main provisions are: 1. It applies only to civil law and not criminal law; 2. A minimum level of harmonisation leaving Member States free to apply stricter rules; 3. Establishment of common principles, definitions and safeguards as well as civil measures, procedures and remedies; 4. Consistent six-year limitation period for bringing claims; 5. Requirement for courts to order that trade secrets disclosed in court proceedings are kept confidential, subject to the owner providing good reason; 6. A favourable damages regime for employees acting ‘without intent’. What is a ‘trade secret’? In line with the World Trade Organisation TRIPs (TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) definition, a trade secret is information that: • Is secret in the sense that it is not generally known or readily accessible within the relevant circles; • Has commercial value because it is secret; and • Has had reasonable steps taken to preserve its secrecy. What does it mean for my business? The definition of ‘trade secret’, consistent six-year 78 - info - july / august
limitation period and protection of a trade secret in court proceedings are all to be welcomed and provide a greater degree of harmonisation of legal protection across the EU. The key issues for most businesses are likely to be around the following issues: • Lower level of damages recoverable against former employees. The ambiguity over the meaning of ‘without intent’ could seriously undermine protection for trade secrets against those who pose a serious risk. There is clearly a need to balance the rights of former employees but the text should be clarified; • Likely significant variation between Member States in the availability of pre-action and interim measures against alleged infringers; • There is a carve-out for acquisition, use and disclosure of trade secrets where allowed by national law. Again this is unhelpfully ambiguous and may well lead to significant national differences; • The conflict between the obligation on the courts to take into account all appropriate factors including economic loss to the owner of the trade secret and unfair profits made by the infringer, and the discretion to order damages to be paid on a foregone royalty basis. There remains time for business to make representations to the EU institutions including the Parliament on the proposals.
The current state of play The Commission published its proposed text in October 2013. The Council published its Opinion endorsing a compromise text on 27 May 2014. The Commission must now negotiate with Parliament to try and reach agreement. Given that we have yet to see the new Parliament at work, it is difficult to predict the likelihood of an early agreement. A new Directive would have to be implemented by Member States within 12 months of its adoption. A new recipe for European harmony? Unless Parliament makes changes to the current draft there will continue to be significant differences in practice between Member States in the measures available to protect trade secrets. I
The Google ruling In a landmark ruling against Google in May, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that individuals have a ‘right to be forgotten’. The CJEU has decided that Google is subject to the EU data protection regime. This is so even though Google had adopted a corporate structure designed to take it outside the reach of the law in the EU. Google Inc (a US corporation) carries out all the searching operations including producing the list of search results. It has no physical presence on the territory of any Member State: even its servers are located elsewhere. It is the data controller for the personal data processed in relation to its searches. Google has subsidiary companies in various Member States that are responsible for selling advertising which appears next to local search results. The Data Protection Directive applies to processing that takes place ‘in the context of’ an establishment of the data controller that is located in a Member State. The court decided that processing carried out by Google Inc was ‘in the context of’ the operations of Google Spain since: a. without the search results there would be no advertising space for Google Spain to sell; and b. without the income from advertising sold by Google Spain, Google Inc’s Spanish search activities would not be commercially viable. The court held that results from a Google search are a massive interference with the fundamental right to a private and family life. If Google’s processing in relation to a search against someone’s name (e.g. ‘John Smith’) produces links that show information that is inaccurate, out-of-date or irrelevant (or no longer relevant), Google is processing unlawfully.The person concerned can ask Google to remove the link unless there are public interest reasons justifying continued access to the information. This is so, even if publication on the underlying website is entirely lawful. If Google does not remove the link, the person has the right to take the request to the national supervisory authority (Information Commissioner’s Office [ICO] in the UK; Commission Nationale d’Informatique et des Libertés [CNIL] in France).
f o rt h co m i n g f o ru m s & c lu b s
Joint Session: Finance Forum and Climate Change Forum
The Finance Forum is co-chaired by Patrick Gougeon, former UK Director ESCP Europe and John Peachey, Managing Director, CFO, Global Markets, HSBC Bank Plc. The Climate Change Forum is chaired by Richard Brown,Chairman, Department for Transport Franchising Advisory Panel When: 9 September, 10.00-12.00am Theme: The green economy and how to finance sustainability Open to all finance directors and environmental sustainability directors, MDs and CEOs
SME & Entrepreneurs Club
Co-chaired by Sébastien Delecour, Managing Director, Doublet UK Ltd and Sophie Mirman, Owner and Founder of Trotters Childrenswear & Accessories When: 10 September, 8.30-10.00am Theme: How to fund and manage growth? Open to all SMEs and entrepreneurs
Cross-Cultural Relations Forum
Chaired by Peter Alfandary, Head of French Team, Reed Smith LLP, Vice President of the French Chamber When: 16 September, 8.45-10.15am Theme: Working session By application only
Legal Forum
Chaired by Olivier Morel, Partner & Head of International Corporate Investment, Cripps LLP When: 23 September, 9.00-10.30am Theme: Working session By application only
HR Forum
Chaired by Rose Gledhill, HR Director - Northern Europe International SOS When: 24 September, 8.30-10.00am Theme: How to foster a culture of innovation Open to HR directors and managers
For more information, please contact Frédérique Compain at fcompain@ccfgb.co.uk or +44 0207 092 6638
info - july / august - 79
f o rt h co m i n g e v e n t s
16 Sep
18.30 - 20.30
17 Sep
INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT TASTING Where: The Grand Connaught Rooms, 61 - 65 Great Queen Street London, WC2B 5DA Dress code: Business attire Cost: £30+VAT per person An opportunity to network in an even wider environment, with members of 11 other Chambers, while enjoying an international tasting with a selection of wines and other drinks from Argentina, Austria, Canada, France, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Contact Sonia Olsen at solsen@ccfgb.co.uk or 0207 092 6642
DINER DES CHEFS Where: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester Cost: £145+VAT per person By application only Contact Frédérique Compain at fcompain@ccfgb.co.uk or 0207 092 6638
from 19.30
23 Sep
19.00 - 22.30
DINER DE LA RENTREE Guest speaker: Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of Airbus Where: Four Seasons London at Park Lane, London W1J 7DR Dress code: Lounge suit Sponsor: Airbus Champagne partner: Vranken Pommery Wine partner: Le Conseil des vins du Médoc Cost: £100+VAT per person; £1,140+VAT for a table of 12 Prior to becoming CEO, Fabrice was Airbus’s Chief Operating Officer (2006-12). Between 1993 and 2006, he held various leadership roles in the aerospace and defence sector, including running EADS’s helicopter manufacturing division. He was also the CEO of MBDA, the leading European missile systems company. Fabrice previously worked for the French civil service for seven years (1986-93), during which time he was an adviser to several government ministers. He began his career in the industrial sector, initially as an engineer at a nuclear power plant in south-eastern France, before working in Japan for Pechiney, the French aluminium company. Fabrice graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1980 and, subsequently, from the École des Mines. He was born in 1961 in Dijon, France. Contact Cécilia Gonzalez at cgonzalez@ccfgb.co.uk or 0207 092 6643
29 Sep
08.15 - 10.00
QUARTERLY ECONOMIC UPDATE Speaker: Stephen King, Global Chief Economist, HSBC Bank Plc Where: Médiathèque, French Institute, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2D Cost: £25+VAT per person / Early bird price £20 (until 15th August) By application only Contact Frédérique Compain at fcompain@ccfgb.co.uk or 0207 092 6638
pat r o n e v e n t
11 Sep
DISCOVER RUINART Where: Möet Hennessy, 18 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1 W0DH Partner: Möet Hennessy Open to Patron members (main representatives only) & their spouses Join us for an exclusive evening of Ruinart champagne tasting. Contact Cécilia Gonzalez at cgonzalez@ccfgb.co.uk or 0207 092 6643
80 - info - july / august
Patron Members of the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain
LOGO Nยบ dossier : 20110049E Date : 31/05/11 Validation DA/DC : Validation Client
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