The New Workplace

I N F O t h e

m a g a z i n e

f o r

a n g l o - f r e n c h

french chamber of great britain www.frenchchamber.co.uk

b u s i n e s s

MAY/ JUNE 2015

The new

work place An end to uncertainty? What to

Reinventing a London icon:

make of the UK election results

Battersea Power Station development

Pierre-Henri Denain of NATIXIS

‘The next step in the continuum

talks sailing, strategy and growth

of the workplace’ Interview with

Michel Mossessian architecture that makes business happen

Eric van der Kleij, CEO of Level39 AN INTERVIEW WITH DANY BOON

Š photo credits: VINCI, Crossrail, BBMV and MVB photo libraries

CONSTRUCTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE At VINCI Construction Grands Projets, we engineer solutions that are not only financially competitive, but also work in a way that is sustainable for the planet.

Sustainability goes beyond the care we take in protecting our people and our environment.

It’s also a commitment to offer new solutions to our clients and stakeholders.

We nurture Innovation.

Every two years, the VINCI Innovation Awards get increased entries, reaching 2,075 in 2013. These awards reflect the core values of the group and we are proud at VINCI Construction Grands Projets that the Lee Tunnel project (Thames Water) was awarded the Grand Prize in the UK & Ireland.

To learn more please visit www.vinci-construction-projects.com/british-isles

Discover more...

ONE BANK, 30 MILLION CLIENTS 76 COUNTRIES, ONE TEAM SPIRIT SOCIETEGENERALE.COM

Societe Generale is a French credit institution (bank) and an investment services provider (entitled to perform any banking activity and/or to provide any investment service under MiFID except the operation of Multilateral Trading Facilities) authorised and regulated by the French Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (“ACPR”) (the French Prudential and Resolution Control Authority) and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers («AMF»). This document is issued in the U.K. by the London Branch of Societe Generale, authorized in the U.K. by the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request. © 2015 Societe Generale Group and its affiliates. © Getty / xPACIFICA - FRED & FARID

Richard Brown

editorial

President, French Chamber of Great Britain, Chairman, Department for Transport Franchise Advisory Panel and former Chairman and CEO of Eurostar

A

s this issue of INFO goes to press, the British people, despite all the polls and predictions, have given the Conservatives an outright majority in parliament, voting for security, stability and strong government rather than change. How closely the Conservatives stick to their economic plan remains to be seen, but an in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU is now definite, meaning continued uncertainty for a while to come, for businesses in particular.

For most businesses, the workplace is the beating heart of their organisations, but as the Focus of this issue reveals, it is undergoing significant transformation in response to greater forces – technology, environment, talent, generational shifts and societal changes. ‘The New Workplace’ presents a fascinating range of articles that look at how change is taking place, not only in the physical office, but also the way we work, how we work and why we work. Technology has certainly precipitated much of this, but it is clear that people are driving it too. While all companies are at different stages in the continuum of the workplace, it is interesting to read what those at the cutting edge – the likes of Campus London and Level39 – have to say about where we might all be headed.

Back in Paris, preparations are under way for COP21, the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference. In this issue we report on the conference we co-organised as a precursor to it, which revealed just how much business is doing to drive the climate change agenda, in many cases in spite of the apparent indifference of their boards and investors. The message that emerged was that many businesses are willing and able to go the distance but need clearer government policy and support. Speaking for the French Government, HE Ms Sylvie Bermann will be devoting the next Ambassador’s Brief on 27 May to this topic with a talk on ‘Climate justice and business opportunities: the challenges for the 2015 Paris summit’. I hope to see many of our Patron and Corporate members there.

We are not quite done with elections yet. As you know, the Chamber’s Annual General Meeting takes place on 25 June, and this will be the occasion for voting for a new President and Deputy President.

I do urge you as members to attend this important meeting, not only to exercise your vote, but also to be able to hear about and review the activities and achievements of your Chamber over the past year. Finally, as my tenure as President of the Chamber comes to an end at the AGM, I would like to thank our Chamber members, Advisory Councillors and Board members for their support and the opportunity to serve as both Deputy President and President. I

info - may / june -

Contents issue 218 / May - June 2015

7

UK General Election 2015

52

Goût de France / Good of The workplace France the future

8

5 minutes with Warner Rootliep

42

62

Level39: Workplaces in the clouds and beyond

TRAVELOGUE ‘Move up’ at Abu’s Camp in Botswana

36

UK General Election 2015

Focus: The new workplace 34 The changing face of workplace 36 Adam Strudwick: designing the new

5 minutes with...

workplace

News in the City

38 Bring Your Own...

39 Case study: Deloitte Digital 40 From cubicles to couches: reaping employee

10 Growing pains 11 Profile: Pierre-Henri Denain, CEO, EMEA,

41 What corporate culture for the office of the

Corporate & Investment Banking, Natixis

News 12 GDF SUEZ becomes ENGIE 13 Airbus launches global aerospace business accelerator BizLab

15 Alstom to maintain sleeper trains in the UK 17 Capgemini buys IGATE 20 School News

SMEs & Start-ups 24 Profile: The London Jam Factory 26 Briefs 29 Chamber Networking Stories 30 Success Story: Mossessian & Partners

Dany Boon

Adam Strudwick: Designing the new workplace

7 Judging the tree by its fruit

8 Warner Rootliep, Air France-KLM

55

& business reward future?

42 Level39: workplaces in the clouds and beyond

44 Campus London: physical space that matters 45 Central Working: reinventing the ‘office’ 46 Human Capital 48 Work-life conflict and interaction 49 Does flexible working work?

50 Case study: Culture, values and engagement at PwC

51 Mobility and its implications for the workplace

Mindfulness at work: fad or blessing?

52 The workplace of the future

Culture 55 An interview with Dany Boon

56 What’s on 58 Book reviews

Eat, Drink, Stay 59 RIVEA 61 Cheese & Wine Press 62 Travelogue: ‘Move up’ at Abu’s Camp in Botswana

News at the Chamber 65 New members 66 Hello / Goodbye 67 Hats off to Chamber shorties

Events 69 Visit to the new Battersea Power Station development

70 Breakfast with Tom Meggle, Louis Vuitton 71 M2M Cocktail & Exhibition 72 Climate Conference: the business view

Forum & Clubs 74 HR Forum: Flexibility at PwC 75 Legal Forum: Employment Law 76 Forthcoming Forums & Clubs / Events

Managing Director: Florence Gomez Editor-in-Chief: Keri Fuller Corporate Communication Executive: Marielle Fraize Graphic Designer: Katherine Millet Advertising & Sales: Suzanne Lycett Publications Assistant: Jeanne Mattei Subscription: INFO is published every 2 months Printed by: CPI Colour

Contributors: Tim Allen, Dr Alexandra Beauregard, Philippe Chalon, Eric Charriaux, Sarah Drinkwater, Carissa Kilgour, Eric van der Kleij, Thibault Lavergne, Martin Laws, James Layfield, Marc Mosthav, Eniga de Montfort, Melanie Stancliffe, Adam Strudwick, Mark Thompson, Veronique Tran, Benjamin G Voyer, Helen Webb Cover artwork: Katherine Millet

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 Great Britain Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn London WC1V 7JH Tel: (020) 7092 6600; Fax: (020) 7092 6601 www.frenchchamber.co.uk

UK Gener a l Election 2015

Judging the tree by its fruit Philippe Chalon, Chair of the Chamber’s Economic Update forum, Director of External Affairs at International SOS and Managing Director of Le Cercle d’outre Manche, analyses why Britain unexpectedly voted in a majority Conservative government and how it might shape the country’s future

E

lection Forecast UK had put the probability of a hung British parliament at 97%. No one talked about anything over 300 seats, and no one even mentioned the possibility of an overall majority for the Tories. The result of the general election is the biggest surprise since 1945. Gaining five seats more than the requisite 326 to form a majority government, and with two million more votes than Labour (9,347,326), the Conservative party (11,334,520) was given a clear mandate to get on with the work they started five years ago. This personal triumph for David Cameron – and Nicola Sturgeon – will not just reshape British politics but could also reshape the future of the United Kingdom itself.

Campaigns are legendarily won or lost on the economy: ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’. David Cameron’s return to 10 Downing Street revealed that the Tories’ strength on the economy was at the heart of the party’s election victory. For the past five years, the Conservatives have built their economic credibility by cutting spending and implementing a pro-business environment. As a result, Britain has enjoyed the fastest rate of growth in the G7 group of developed countries with record numbers of jobs.

Job creation figures speak for themselves: from 2010 to 2015, unemployment rate fell 2.5 points from 8 % to 5.5 %, together with a sharp increase in the labour force.

In 2014 alone, over 600,000 jobs were created in the UK, bringing the total number of jobs to 31 million, a historic record. Last year, David Cameron’s government helped create more than 1,500 jobs a day – as much as in the rest of the EU. The unemployment rate for young people is now back to its 2007 level at 16%: a significant drop of 50% compared to where it was only three years ago.

It is no coincidence that a hundred British business leaders publicly expressed their support for the Conservatives: all of them have seen their businesses grow again, they have created jobs and they are ready for more.

From Labour’s perspective, its biggest mistake was clearly to shift towards ‘Old Labour’. Labour business leaders including Lord Alan Sugar found themselves losing confidence in Ed Miliband’s party because of its negative business policies. As a result, the party was portrayed as moving backwards. There was indeed a widespread belief that Labour could take Britain back to the ‘nasty 1970s’.

Despite his triumph, David Cameron will have to

tackle serious issues following the SNP’s almost clean sweep in Scotland and the significant vote given to UKIP (3,881,129 votes). What the election result does not show is whether or not British voters want to remain part of the EU, or even part of their own United Kingdom.

This election is not the end. It is the beginning of an unpredictable time.

For the time being, let’s just say that David Cameron’s victory provides food for thought for political parties and leaders anywhere. The UK has shown that a government can be both reformist and popular. This is quite an achievement on its own.

It is worth mentioning that following their defeat, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg resigned as leaders of Labour and Lib Dem. At respectively 46 and 48 years old, they already belong to the old generation of their parties. It is perhaps a sign of health that British democracy is so quick to rejuvenate. I

UK election results Number of seats gained (out of 650) / share of the vote (%)

8 seats 56 seats

(7.9%)

23 seats (20.5%)

(4.7%)

331 seats (36.9%)

232 seats (30.4%)

Conservative Party (David Cameron) Labour Party (Ed Miliband) Scottish National Party (Nicola Sturgeon) Liberal Democrats (Nick Clegg) Other parties info - may / june -

5 m i n u te s w ith ...

Warner Rootliep General Manager UK & Ireland, Air France-KLM

What first drew you to – and has kept you in – the airline industry as a career?

I was always interested by the mix of transport and logistics in combination with an international career.

In the 25 years you have spent in the airline industry, you must have seen some changes. What have been the most significant?

Indeed, a lot has changed in the last 25 years. The most significant changes are probably the rise of the lowcost airlines which created a new, larger market for air travel. Far-reaching joint ventures, and consolidation have also been significant developments in which both Air France and KLM have played a pioneering role.

You have been General Manager UK & Ireland since July 2013. How does this market compare to others such as Germany and the Indian subcontinent where you were previously?

The UK government has a liberal approach towards air travel. It is easy to get traffic rights to fly to the UK and the UK economy is doing well. In combination with the large and growing presence of the low-cost carriers, we are seeing a large capacity increase resulting in a very competitive market. Other European governments such as France and Germany are less liberal about allowing foreign carriers to fly into their countries!

What is Air France-KLM’s position in the UK market?

From 20 departure points in the UK, the Air FranceKLM Group offers 231 destinations in 103 countries via its award-winning hubs – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. In 2014, Air France and KLM transported 6 million passengers to and from the UK. We have a unique position as we fly

- info - may / june

from more departure points in the UK than any other carrier, linking all regions to a worldwide network.

For example, Air France-KLM offers an impressive 34 destinations in China and is the largest operator to China from the UK. Is cargo transportation part of the UK & Ireland business?

I head the Commercial passenger related activities in this market. We have a separate Cargo entity in the UK & Ireland, which doesn’t fall within my remit, but we work closely with them on our internal processes.

Air France-KLM employs nearly 1,500 staff in the UK across several activities: Commercial, Cargo, Ground handling, Engineering, Servicing and Crew. So it is fair to say that we contribute to the local economy, and that UK & Ireland is a strategic market for our Group.

Before Air France and KLM merged in 2003, you had spent your whole career with KLM. From your own perspective, what were the main challenges of merging two distinct companies and cultures, and how does it work in practice?

Indeed, I come from the KLM part of the family. Working in a multicultural environment has been interesting for me. KLM has a tradition of entrepreneurship that reflects the Dutch trader or, if you wish, ‘pirate’ tradition! In my view, Air France brings more longterm strategic thinking to the table. The challenge is to keep the best of both worlds! In an establishment like the UK, we have achieved a completely integrated organisation and I believe the partnership works very well.

Air France-KLM had a tough year in 2014 with a pilot strike and cost pressures on long-haul routes. How is it addressing these issues in order to stay a competitive global player?

5 m i n u t e s w i t h Wa r n e r R o o t l i e p

Over the last three years Air France-KLM has implemented a number of measures that resulted in a unit cost decrease of 8% as well as a significant reduction of our net debt. Adjusted for the September strike, 2014 would have shown a profit. What is important is that we have continued to invest in new products during this period of cost reductions. Both Air France and KLM have introduced new cabins on both long and short haul, which has met with strong customer appreciation!

Is Transavia Air France-KLM’s answer to the relentless expansion of low-cost airlines, and how is it positioning itself and planning to develop in the European market?

Premiere. This is an area that will not be affected by the cost reductions we have planned for the next two years. It is absolutely crucial to provide the best quality, especially since we are facing such fierce competition.

Between 2015 and 2017 the customer experience will be significantly improved; we will invest around €1 billion in renewing and retrofitting our long haul fleet. But we are also focusing on restructuring, cost reduction and financial discipline. The uncertainty of economic growth and strong pressure from our competitors (mainly low-cost carriers in Europe and Gulf carriers on long haul) has forced us to speed up and emphasise cost reduction. This process starts with maintaining a strong capacity discipline, which has meant postponing some fleet deliveries. In terms of unit cost reduction, the objective we have fixed for the group is a minimum 1.5% a year, which will result in €2 billion savings between 2014 and 2017.

I am not in charge of Transavia but to use our CEO’s words to our customers last October, I would say that ‘the development of Transavia in France is also good news for the French people, as the project will create new jobs. Our strategy is to offer you a wide range of services, including low-cost and very high What is important is that we have premium products, for continued to invest in new products both your professional and leisure trips.’ Transavia during this period of cost reductions... will actually be starting It is absolutely crucial to provide the flights from this market – best quality, especially since we are between Dublin and Paris facing such fierce competition Orly – this summer.

Currency and fuel are important factors for any airline.

Have the recent weaknesses in both the euro and the oil price had any implications, whether positive or negative, for Air France-KLM? How are these variables managed?

Currency fluctuation and fuel price fluctuation are external variables which always have an impact on the related arena industries. Fuel is about a third of our cost. Consumers expect our prices to drop in line with the drop in fuel prices. This is not the case as we hedge fuel in advance and we have to pay our fuel in US dollars. As a result, our fuel expenses are not dropping in line with the barrel price.

On that topic, we are proud to be pioneering biofuel on our flights. We recently operated long haul commercial flights to Aruba, Bonaire and New York on biofuels.

What is Perform 2020? Will it have any direct impact on the UK & Ireland business?

Perform 2020 is the latest strategic plan launched in 2014.

First, we are focusing on products. We will concentrate on the long haul business mainly, continuing to invest in products such as our new Business Class and La

Your Chief Executive Alexandre de Juniac recently said he wanted a ‘deep transformation’ in the company. What does this mean for Air France-KLM going forward?

We have benchmarked various elements of our UK organisation, as a result of which we are not going to be making any drastic changes. Over the last five years we have increased our productivity by 30%! But even with this positive contribution to the company’s turnaround we cannot become complacent and will continue to challenge and innovate in our processes and ways of working. Our full focus for 2015 will be on generating our targeted revenues from the UK market.

What does Air France-KLM get from being a member of the French Chamber?

We enjoy a very good relationship with the French Chamber. I believe that most readers and members of the Chamber will already know our brands but it is always a good way for us to raise awareness about our new products and our frequent traveller programme Flying Blue. It is also a good opportunity for us to reach out to the SMEs who travel regularly to France, Europe or around the world for business and who we could work with thanks to our Bluebiz programme and other initiatives. And finally it is a good way to keep in touch with our loyal customers. I Interview by KF info - may / june -

n e ws i n t h e ci t y

Growing pains ||| UK growth appeared to have stumbled in the first quarter of 2015. Coming in at just 0.3%, it was half the rate of growth in the last quarter of 2014 and the slowest since the end of 2012. So what is the cause of this lacklustre expansion in the economy? And is it cause for panic or just an aberration?

Most economists and commentators think it is a mere wobble. They point to a construction industry that has been dampened by election uncertainty, production industries hurt by the oil price collapse and a manufacturing sector struggling with a strengthening pound. Yet there are areas of concern - notably the services industries, which had a difficult few months, possibly because of less demand from important markets such as China and US, possibly also because of election uncertainty.

This leaves the domestic-facing services as the main driver of growth, underlining the fact that the rebalancing of the economy towards manufacturing and export is as elusive as ever.

However, few are calling it the start of a slowdown.

Overall business confidence remains high. Many economists foresee a second quarter bounce back, and John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, was quoted in the FT as saying that his members view the economy as ‘more resilient’ than official figures suggest. Add to that a record employment rate of 73.4%, the highest since records began in the 1970s, which indicates strong hiring momentum. EY’s Item Club is forecasting that low inflation and stronger eurozone growth will help the UK economy expand 2.8% in 2015 and 3% in 2016.

That being said, the horizon is not entirely cloudless. With a referendum on EU membership by 2017 now confirmed, the prospect of a Brexit has to be considered, and there are also those who see lower growth as the ‘new normal’ rather than temporary as the period of strong non-inflationary growth comes to an end. The coming months will determine whether those risks become reality. I KF

Update on the social contributions laws for French expats ||| In 2013, the EU Commission opened an infringement procedure against France to contest the compliance of social contributions (also called CSGCRDS) with European law. On 26 February, the EU Court of Justice concluded that the income from French citizens working in the EU but outside France cannot be subject to social contributions.

These taxes are charged at 15.5% of gross income.

What does that mean? First, the scope of this decision covers all French citizens living and working abroad, and foreigners living in France affiliated to their local 10 - info - may / june

social security, e.g. an employee of an English company, paying NI contributions in the UK, living and working in France. Secondly, the decision means that income, property revenues, interests from life insurance or real estate capital gains should not be subject to those taxes, if the taxpayer is living and contributing to a social security system in an EU member country.

What are the next steps? It is key to understand that this decision of the EU Commission does not modify the French law as is. Therefore, on 11 March, Frederic Lefebvre, MP of the 1st district

of French people living abroad, proposed a new version of the law to remove the social contributions.

As the law has not yet been amended, French taxpayers still have to pay these taxes.

How will you be affected? We recommend initiating a claim with the tax administration in France, before 31 December 2015 to obtain the refund of CSG-CRDS for 2012 and 2013. This procedure does not require the presence of a lawyer, but we strongly recommend having the support of qualified experts in fiscal assistance. I For more information, contact Jérôme Giet at Equance jgiet@equance.com

Ne w s i n t h e C i t y

Profile

Pierre-Henri Denain Pierre-Henri Denain, CEO, EMEA, Corporate & Investment Banking, NATIXIS

L

ancaster University seems an unlikely alma mater for a French banker, but it is PierreHenri Denain’s. Having come through the French business school system, with, as he wryly puts it, ‘a major in sailing and a minor in skiing’ (Pierre-Henri jokes that Banque Indosuez was his first ‘employer’ because it sponsored their boat), he decided to take things a bit more seriously and embarked on an exchange programme at a foreign university. He chose Lancaster, partly because it allowed him to get a second degree – an MSc alongside his ESCP Europe Diplôme Grande Ecole – which was relatively unusual in 1988, and partly because it was in an English-speaking country, not too far from home. ‘I was not disappointed,’ he says. ‘I got my MSc, but more importantly got quite involved in mathematical finance.’ Attracted to academia, he then spent a couple of years at the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) where he did research in financial econometrics and option pricing. It was not at all mainstream, but the Paris born and bred Pierre-Henri was looking for an experience that was ‘a bit out of the ordinary’.

Eventually he did follow the inevitable path to the City, starting with Manufacturers Hanover, a predecessor of JP Morgan, and then joining Credit Suisse Financial Products in 1991, where he spent close to a decade marketing derivative products to French-speaking Europe, ‘mostly fixed income, equity derivatives and some commodities – anything that trades apart from electricity.’ But then, having never worked for a French firm in his life, he decided to return to Paris: ‘I figured that by working for a French bank I would have different clients, get a different perspective and it would be an interesting experience – which it was,’ he says. After a year, however, Pierre-Henri realised he was ‘better suited to an Anglo-Saxon environment’ and moved to Citigroup ‘technically in France but in London on a weekly basis’.

In 2006, he joined Natixis, heading fixed income sales, and three years later moved back to London to run the capital markets business initially, becoming Head of the Corporate Investment Bank in 2011 and adding Head of EMEA to that in 2013. As Senior Country Manager, PierreHenri is fairly hands-on, spending time with clients and

being involved in transactions, while also keeping an eye on risk control and people management of the 350 London-based staff and double that in EMEA. In the UK, Natixis has a significant and growing presence in asset management. The 12th largest asset manager globally, with $800 billion under management, it operates through a successful multi-boutique model of 23 affiliates.

Pierre-Henri is effectively the head of Natixis in the UK (albeit with limited oversight of asset management) and has executive responsibility over the corporate investment banking business, which is mostly a capital markets operation with structured finance in project financing, acquisition finance and real estate. As a medium-sized bank with the financial backing of a very large group in BPCE, one of the 29 global systemic banks, Pierre-Henri describes Natixis as a ‘fairly unusual animal’. He accredits the remarkable performance of Natixis’ share price over the past four years as a reflection of its discipline and consistency, which he also attributes to ‘not trying to be everything to everybody’.

‘Disciplined about what we do, but expanding what we do well’ sums up Natixis’ growth strategy in the UK – including their efforts to attract new clients and, to a lesser extent, new geographies. For Natixis, the Gulf is an important growth area (Natixis has offices in Dubai), as are Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan, all of which come under Pierre-Henri’s remit as Head of EMEA. That said, the UK remains the most significant market.

‘We are a bank that is growing, and that growth is coming from our business outside of France,’ he comments. ‘The other thing that sets us apart is that we are extremely disciplined in our balance sheet management and risk taking,’ he adds. ‘We have not had to reinvent ourselves.’

With Natixis having such a significant stake in the UK, Pierre-Henri’s views on the political risk are unsurprising: ‘A Brexit would be bad news, both for the UK and for the rest of Europe because the UK brings a bit of discipline to the European process,’ he says. ‘But at the moment, it does not affect the way we view our business. I don’t believe that any other place in Europe could replace London. But if it came to it, we would adapt our model and being small with a significant European footprint, we could move quite easily.’ On the other hand, he sees the UK as still being a huge opportunity, not so much as UK plc but as a global financial sector. ‘I see no reason why we could not double our relatively small market share over the next five years,’ he states. ‘We’ve grown 15-20% every year for the past four years, and even though we can’t carry on at that rate, there is a lot more we can do here.’ Pierre-Henri may not sail anymore, but he makes it sound like plain sailing. I KF info - may / june - 11

news Compiled by Marielle Fraize

Companies

GDF SUEZ becomes ENGIE ||| GDF SUEZ has changed its name to ENGIE with a new logo and slogan ‘By People for People’. ENGIE Chairman and CEO Gérard Mestrallet said: ‘The energy transition is more than ever a reality for which we have both great ambitions and a great responsibility.

To meet the new challenges of this reality and to accelerate our development, we have decided to give the Group a new name: ENGIE. It is an easy name and one that is powerful, a name that evokes energy for everyone and in all cultures, a name embodying

our values and activities. We thus confirm our new ambition and the dynamics of change that drive our Group.’ I www.gdfsuez.com

HSBC to locate retail bank head office in Birmingham ||| HSBC has announced that the head office of its UK ring-fenced retail bank, serving HSBC UK’s personal and business customers, will be located in Birmingham. As a result, around 1,000 head office roles will move from London to Birmingham before the ring-fencing deadline of 1 January 2019.

Antonio Simoes, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC UK, said: ‘We want to be the bank of choice in the UK. Creating our ring-fenced bank head office in Birmingham gets us a step closer to that ambition for our 16 million personal and business customers. We have a strong track record of establishing banks outside of London, with First Direct in Leeds and M&S Bank in Chester both recognised for great customer service. Birmingham City Council has worked hard and significantly invested to make the city an attractive home for UK businesses and their employees.’ I www.hsbc.co.uk

Artist’s impression of HSBC’s new Birmingham head office

12 - info - may / june

news

Airbus launches global aerospace business accelerator BizLab ||| Airbus has launched its global aerospace business accelerator where start-ups and Airbus ‘intrapreneurs’ (internal entrepreneurs) can work together to speed up the transformation of their innovative ideas into valuable businesses. The launch in Toulouse was attended by Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO, Ed Steinike, Coca Cola SVP and Chief Information Officer, and Semyon Dukach, Techstar Boston Managing Director.

As competition in the aerospace industry intensifies, Airbus aims to accelerate the pace at which it can commercialise innovative ideas drawn from within Airbus and outside, including from customers and other external partners. Airbus BizLab will support this strategy.

‘New ideas and innovation are key to keeping Airbus at the forefront of the aviation sector. The challenge is to speed up the process of transforming the most promising ideas to life and this is the primary goal of Bizlab,’ said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus

Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO

President and CEO. ‘BizLab will give Airbus added business agility by helping us to harvest the best innovative ideas coming from different sectors and to bring them to market more quickly.’ I www.airbusgroup.com

Costain/VINCI joint venture wins motorway contract in Wales

The proposed viaduct over the river Usk is part of the 24km project

||| The Welsh Government has awarded Costain/VINCI Joint Venture (50% each, represented by Taylor Woodrow and VINCI Construction Grands Projets), the first stage of an ECI (Early Contractor Involvement) contract for the M4 Corridor to the south of the city of Newport. This new 24km long section of motorway includes a 2.5 km long cable-stayed viaduct above the river Usk, two key interchanges and 36 structures. The £750 million project will improve infrastructure in Wales by making it more efficient, safer and more sustainable. Development work will commence immediately, a Public Local Inquiry should get under way within 18 months, and construction, subject to approval by the authorities, could start in spring 2018. I www.vinciconstruction.co.uk info - may / june - 13

5 doors R&GO Nav App included Excellent manoeuvrability

The official fuel consumption ďŹ gures in mpg (l/100km) for the All-New Renault Twingo Dynamique SCe 70 Stop & Start are: Urban 56.5 (5.0); Extra Urban 76.4 (3.7); Combined 67.3 (4.2). The official CO2 emissions are 95g/km. EU Directive and Regulation 692/2008 test environment ďŹ gures. Fuel consumption and CO2 may vary with driving styles, road conditions and other factors.

news

Alstom to maintain sleeper trains in the UK

||| Alstom has been awarded a 15-year service contract worth €125 million by Serco to maintain 75 passenger cars on the ‘Caledonian Sleeper’ trains, one of only two sleeper services in the UK. Alstom has been providing maintenance services for the Caledonian Sleeper trains

for more than a decade. During the first three years, the Alstom teams will carry out preventive and corrective maintenance work, while also ensuring that the cars continue to function to their highest potential. From 2018, Serco will acquire a new fleet which will also be maintained by Alstom for the final 12 years of the contract. The maintenance will be mainly carried out at Alstom Polmadie (Glasgow) and Wembley (London) traincare centres.

‘We are delighted to continue maintaining the Caledonian Sleeper trains, especially as the new vehicles come into service, offering an upgraded experience for passengers. This is a significant longterm contract for Alstom that highlights Alstom’s maintenance capabilities across a range of trains in the UK’, said Terence Watson, President of Alstom UK. I www.alstom.com

Renault Twingo takes on the supercars at the 2015 British GQ car awards ||| The All-New Renault Twingo, which went on sale in the UK in September 2014, has been awarded the title of ‘Best Answer to the City Car Dilemma’ in the 2015 British GQ Car Awards. Renault’s city car was one of just eight production cars to pick up an award, and is a third of the price of the base model of the next most affordable car.

Commenting on the award, Ken Ramirez, Managing Director, Renault UK said: ‘All-New Twingo represents a bold innovation in the city car category with its clever rear-engined layout.

We were always confident that our latest Twingo would prove to be a hit so everyone at Renault is thrilled to see our newest city car recognised at the 2015 GQ Car Awards, especially alongside such sports cars and exotica.’

All-New Twingo has now picked up several major awards including ‘City Car of the Year’ in the 2014 TopGear Magazine Awards, ‘City Car of the Year’ in the UK Car of the Year Awards and ‘Best City Car’ in the Daily Express 2014 Motoring Oscars. I www.renault.co.uk

Veolia stars in Corporate Responsibility Index ||| Veolia has been awarded 4 stars in Business in the Community’s annual benchmark of responsible business, the Corporate Responsibility Index (CR Index). The business drove corporate responsibility and sustainability values through its core business strategy and demonstrated a commitment to provide sustainable products and services, engage with stakeholders whilst developing robust workplace practices. The achievement recognised its work in community engagement programmes notably from the development of a Social Return on Investment methodology to calculate the social value it brings through its contracts and activities. Commenting, Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice President for Veolia in UK and Ireland said: ‘Over the last two years we have been changing the landscape of environmental management with our new ‘Resourcing the World’ strategy – manufacturing green products and green energy whilst preserving precious resources. Sustainability is at the heart of what we do – both in terms of social responsibility and environmental performance.’ I www.veolia.co.uk info - may / june - 15

news

Atos launches platform to meet Big Data challenges

||| Atos recently launched the Self-Service Hadoop software platform, aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of enterprises by making available fast and service-based Big Data software components.

It is a generic software platform that standardises the infrastructure requirements with respect to any field of

application while making access easy. The development of Hadoop Self-Service is the result of cooperation and a strategic partnership with MapR, the software provider of the open source platform.

‘Thanks to the combination of MapR’s distribution of Hadoop, which is entirely designed to meet the requirements of enterprises, and a software base for automatic deployment developed by Atos, Hadoop Self-Service enables the implementation of a Big Data platform on all types of infrastructure without the need to take their specific characteristics into account. Clearly, the solution is independent of the infrastructure. In this regard, Atos’s offer is positioned above orchestrators, virtual machine monitors or physical servers and enables developers and business stakeholders to overcome systems problems,’ explained Jérôme Sandrini Vice-President Big Data Software and Atos Professional Services. I www.uk.atos.net

International SOS unveils multi-language Assistance App ||| International SOS has released the latest version of its award-winning Assistance App. The free app delivers travel information, advice and connectivity into the hands of business travellers and expatriates, helping an organisation and its travellers make the most of their membership.

Rich Gallagher, Chief Digital Officer at International SOS said: ‘Our market-leading Assistance App is at the heart of our digital interaction with the millions of travelling International SOS members. The innovations it contains will certainly expand the breadth, depth and value of that interaction – supporting our ultimate goal of keeping travellers safe.’ I www. internationalsos.com

Asendia shares its e-commerce know-how ||| Retailers around the world are increasingly in search of relevant market information and practical know-how when expanding cross-border. For this reason, Asendia has compiled a series of comprehensive white papers aiming to help businesses better face the challenges and pitfalls related to entering some of 16 - info - may / june

the key e-commerce destinations.

Available through the company website, these free downloadable white papers give useful information and practical know-how on key destinations for ecommerce, including France, Switzerland, the USA and Germany. The French market, for example, is relatively easy to enter and be successful in. Logistics are less complex than entering other countries and distribution costs can be low. For these reasons, France is often the first country to which European e-commerce retailers will enter when expanding cross border. I www.asendia.com

news

Capgemini buys IGATE ||| Capegemini recently acquired the US-listed technology and services company IGATE for a total of $4 billion, allowing the company to significantly expand its presence in the North American market.

‘IGATE is a leading company that perfectly fits our strategic ambition. It will give us a new status on the American market, and take further our industrialisation journey to offer ever more competitive services to our clients. This will also give to the Group’s Indian operations a new scale, allowing us to compete on par with the best US-based and Indian-based companies,’ declared Capgemini Chairman and CEO Paul Hermelin. I www.capgemini.com

Deloitte UK releases top eight business technology trends of 2015 ||| As technology and business become ever more intertwined, Deloitte’s 6th Annual Tech Trends Report reveals the impact of IT on businesses and outlines the top macro technology developments that will disrupt businesses in the next 18-24 months.

Kevin Walsh, head of technology consulting at Deloitte UK, explains: ‘As technology evolves faster than ever before, it is increasingly critical to the success of enterprises. Our report looks at the remarkable rate of IT change in business and provides an insider’s view of both what is happening today, and what will occur in the coming months across different industries, geographies and company sizes.

Our report encourages executives to be the catalyst of change for emerging technology, to explore the risks and embrace the opportunities it has to offer.’

Key trends include ambient computing, IT worker and the future, CIO as chief integration officer as well as dimensional marketing. Other trends

include amplified intelligence (use of artificial intelligence to amplify workers’ abilities), the API* economy (soft components being reused, shared and monetised), software-defined everything (the entire infrastructure and operating environment being virtualised and automated), and core renaissance (modernising systems to pay down technical debt, replatforming solutions and embracing innovative new services).

The report also includes a section dedicated to six exponential technologies whose impact may be profound. These include: artificial intelligence, robotics, additive manufacturing, quantum computing, industrial biology and cybersecurity. For example, in recognition of the critical importance of the latter, a ‘Cyber Implications’ section has been added within each chapter to explore the potential IT security and privacy considerations for each trend. I * Application Programming Interface www.deloitte.com

Morgan Stanley launches Healthy Cities programme in London ||| Morgan Stanley recently launched its Healthy Cities programme in London, following the success of the programme across three cities in the US in 2014.

The initiative is designed to improve child health by driving innovative interventions in the areas of wellness, nutrition and play.

With a focus on Poplar, a community close to the firm’s headquarters in London, Morgan Stanley collaborated with renowned scientist and health expert Dr Paul Sacher and his research team who ensured that the voices of parents and carers living in the Poplar community were represented in the planning and execution of the programme.

The team’s robust evaluation was designed to gain a deep understanding of the socio-cultural and physical landscape in the community.

Colm Kelleher, President of Institutional Securities, said: ‘Morgan Stanley is committed to giving back to the communities in which we live and work. The Healthy London programme in Poplar represents a partnership between a number of different stakeholders, each bringing their expertise and knowledge to help build a programme with the intention of having a significant and long-lasting impact on the community.’ I www.morganstanley.com info - may / june - 17

Proud to be the UK’s largest producer of low carbon electricity Feel better energy To find out more about our low carbon nuclear generation visit www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture. Character under licence from BeatBots LLC. EDF Energy plc, registered number 2366852, registered office: 40 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7EN. Incorporated in England & Wales.

news

4 Patron members among 2015 World’s Most Ethical Companies

||| This year’s list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, recently unveiled by the Ethisphere Institute, recognises firms that have had a material impact on the way business is conducted by fostering a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the company. In its ninth year, the 2015 honourees list includes four Patron members of the French Chamber.

Capgemini was recognised for its commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices ensuring long-term value to key stakeholders around

the world, including customers, employees, suppliers, regulators and investors.

L’Oréal was honoured for the sixth time for its commitment to leading ethical business standards, alongside the launch of the new edition of its Code of Ethics aimed at adapting its values and ethical principles to the new challenges of our times.

The ranking also highlights Schneider Electric’s commitment to ethics and governance, managed via its charter ‘Our Principles of Responsibility’, which depicts a set of guidelines to give the Group’s associates a common base of responsible behaviour as well as its ‘Responsibility & Ethics Dynamics’ programme, which helps the company to manage any ethical issues that may arise.

Also part of the final list, CBRE was recognised for its strong corporate culture focused on commitments ethics and compliance as well as responsible business practices, dedicated to serving the communities in which its employees live and work. I www.uk.capgemini.com www.loreal.co.uk www.schneider-electric.com www.cbre.com

EDF Energy joins Disability Confident campaign ||| EDF Energy recently signed improvements in disability a pledge to become a partner employment in a decade. In of the Government’s Disability 2014, the employment rate Confident campaign in the for disabled people rose by presence of the Minister of 2.5% ,and there are now 3.1 State for Disabled People, Mark million disabled people in Harper MP, and EDF Energy employment.

CEO Vincent de Rivaz. British Janet Hogben, Chief People Paralympian and gold medalist Officer at EDF Energy, said: Deborah Criddle also attended ‘EDF Energy has always been the event. committed to creating an The company joins a number inclusive working environment of employers, including FTSE and we are proud to sign this 100 companies and small pledge and join the Disability businesses, who have signed Confident campaign. In order the pledge as a commitment to to recruit and retain the best continue to support employees EDF Energy CEO, Vincent de Rivaz (left) with and most diverse talent, we

Minister of State for Disabled People, with disabilities and ensure that know that creating a culture they have the opportunities to Mark Harper MP of inclusion is fundamental. develop in the workplace.

We want all employees to feel The Department for Work and Pensions is already that they have the same opportunities to develop and seeing results since the launch of the Disability thrive at EDF Energy.’ I Confident campaign, with the best year-on-year www.edfenergy.com info - may / june - 19

news Schools

London & Paris have the most reputable universities ||| London and Paris are the cities with the highest number of prestigious universities in the world, according to the latest Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2015, as judged by 10,000 senior academics from across the world. The two European cities each have five universities in a poll of 100 with the greatest reputations.

After the USA, the UK has the most representatives in the top 100: 12 up from 10 last year and nine in 2013, according to the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2015.

Universities in the ‘golden triangle’ of London, Oxford and Cambridge continued to rank highly. As well as Cambridge (2) and Oxford (3) rising closer to the summit, Imperial College London was 14th, University College London moved up from 25th to 17th, the London School of Economics and

Political Science rose two places to 22nd, King’s College London jumped 12 places from 43rd to 31st and the London Business School was ranked in the 91-100 band. King’s is one of the rising stars of the rankings, after moving up from the 61-70 band in 2013.

The UK also saw two new entrants to the top 100: Warwick and Durham universities both entered in the 81-90 group.

With two top 100 universities last year, France now has five, which are all in Paris and led by Pantheon-Sorbonne University – Paris 1 and Paris Sorbonne University – Paris 4, which are both in the 51-60 band. Other top Paris institutions include the Ecole Normale Superieure, Ecole Polytechnique and the Pasteur Institute. I www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-universityrankings/2015/reputation-ranking

Top French high school opens in London this September ||| École Jeannine Manuel (EABJM) will open its doors in London in September 2015. In its first year, the school will welcome about 200 pupils from Moyenne Section to Cinquième (Reception to Year 8) from all nationalities and cultural backgrounds. This is a first step towards a primary and secondary school for 1,300 pupils leading to the French and the International Baccalaureates. École Jeannine Manuel will follow the French national curriculum, enriched and adapted with the exception of English, Science and Chinese programmes developed specifically by and for the School. The curriculum will also include sports, with outside sport facilities at the pupil’s disposal, as well as an After School programme.

As in France, the mission of the school is ‘to promote international understanding The school will be located in central London’s Bedford Square through the bilingual education of a multicultural community of students, the fostering of student body and faculty, and has been consistently pedagogical innovation and the constant exploration ranked among the top high schools in France and of best practices in the context of an ever-changing even number one, according to the latest ranking by global environment’. The school is positioned as L’Internaute magazine. I a truly bicultural institution with a multicultural www.ecolejeanninemanuel.org.uk 20 - info - may / june

news

ESCP Europe’s Energy Society takes to the road to showcase EVs

Setting out from the ESCP London campus

||| A recent study suggests that the UK could cut 40% of its energy imports by switching to electric vehicles (EVs). While the environmental benefits are clear, most people think EVs only work for short journeys.

Aiming to prove otherwise, ESCP Europe’s UK Energy Society is planning a tour to the business school’s five campuses in March 2016: from London to Berlin, Turin, Madrid and Paris. ‘We want to show that you can drive EVs to see Europe in a sustainable form of transport without sacrificing the fun, comfort and performance,’ the Energy Society says.

MAP YOUR OWN COURSE! ESCP Europe Executive MBA

On 21 March, to promote and gain support for the European tour, Energy Society members (students and alumni) drove two Nissan Leaf electric cars around London, experiencing what it was like driving and charging them, their comfort and convenience.

Starting at ESCP Europe’s campus in Hampstead, they set off to take pictures by Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Greenwich Observatory and the O2/Millennium Dome, before returning to a pub by the campus to celebrate. En route they chose one of London’s 1,300 charging stations and plugged in a car. It was very easy and only necessary for the experience, as the other car lasted all day without a top-up. The teams enjoyed their day, experiencing the feel of driving EVs, and showing they can function well in daily life. They even preferred the EV experience which was smoother, quieter and cleaner to drive.

Next stop: Paris and then the European tour. The ESCP Energy Society would welcome any help with finances or loans of electric cars from organisations wishing to promote EVs, proving they are suited for long journeys. We wish them luck! I www.escpeurope.eu

PARIS | LONDON | BERLIN | MADRID | TORINO

ESCP Europe Executive MBA: 2nd worldwide for International Course Experience (Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking, 2014/15)

The Executive MBA is an 18- or 30-month part-time programme with a range of international study tracks, electives and seminars.

Apply Now for 2016!

Ensure your place in our January intake at escpeurope.eu/mba Scholarships Available to Women Leaders and employees from NGOs/not-forprofits, emerging markets, SMEs and Entrepreneurs. www.escpeurope.eu

Early Bird Apply before 1st July to take advantage of the 15% early bird discount!

Contact: Crochenka McCarthy Tel: +44 (0)20 7443 8823 Email: cmccarthy@escpeurope.eu

ESCP Europe is among the 1% of business schools worldwide to be triple-accredited

infoBusiness - may / june The World’s First School- 21 (est. 1819)

news

HEC organises Business Game Case Study Competition ||| The HEC Business Game (HBG) case study competition recently took place on the HEC Paris Campus, bringing together 150 students from the most prestigious universities in the world. Participants paired in teams and had to tackle five challenges presented by corporate partners in their respective fields of work. The 150 selected students hailed from 33 different universities, and represented 32 different nationalities as well as diverse fields of studies ranging from business, engineering and communication to law and political science. The HEC Business Game collaborated with partners including Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, Crédit Agricole S.A., Gameloft and Lufthansa as well as the HEC Paris Summer School. Each corporate partner sent a team of representatives to HEC Paris to interact with students and guide them during case resolutions.

While all corporate partners offered outstanding prizes to winning students, the top prize – participation in the 2015 HEC Paris Summer School – was awarded

L to R: HBG presidents Thomas Conversano and Alain Etienne with award winners Olga Szafonov and Anita Torok

to Anita Torok and Olga Szafonov. The two students will have the opportunity to return to HEC Paris this summer to participate in the intensive HEC Paris summer school with other leading students from around the world.

The HEC Business Game is part of a European network of business games composed of five business schools: Solvay School of Economics, Belgium (which began the network in 2007), St Gallen, Switzerland (2014), HEC Paris (2015), Durham University, UK (2016) and Nova University, Portugal (2016). I www.hec.edu

A spirited event at INSEEC wine and spirits institute ||| Findings from a research Students spend the first project conducted by Spirits half of the course in Marketing & Management Bordeaux before coming to MBA students were Groupe INSEEC’s London presented at the Groupe campus. The programme INSEEC UK campus in is delivered by a wide March.

Papers looking and impressive array of into ‘White Spirits: From industry practitioners.

National to International The course also includes Commercial Success’ company visits, and a examined Baijiu and Scotland distilleries tour, Aguardiente to assess which was mentored how they could migrate by whisky expert from national status in and Editor of Whisky China and Columbia INSEEC Spirits Marketing & Management MBA students on the Quarterly magazine, respectively, to become study tour to Scotland Colin Hampden-White. known UK brands.

‘This is a valuable, The evening was hosted and wittily moderated innovative course attended by students from

by International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR) around the world who are determined to work in Chairman Val Smith and there were several wine and the industry. Working with the IWSR, the Portman spirit professionals in the audience who contributed Group and successful industry practitioners is expert insight on the students’ work. the ideal springboard for their future careers,’ Groupe INSEEC’s MBA course in Spirits says Ron Morris, INSEEC London Director. I Marketing & Management is run over two countries. www. inseec.com 22 - info - may / june

news

EDHEC Business School to host NewGen Talent Centre Breakfast ||| On 22 May, EDHEC will be hosting its annual NewGen Talent Centre Breakfast in London, aimed at recruiters and talent managers, on ‘Attracting, retaining and integrating star millennial talent’. As millennials stay in a job, on average, for only 18 months, it has become a great challenge for HR teams and companies to attract young, innovative and high-potential talents. The objective of the event will be to help companies to retain the Gen Y rockstars of today who will become the business leaders of tomorrow. EDHEC NewGen Talent Centre Director, Manuelle Malot, will present insights from the Centre’s comprehensive three-part study on the difficulty to retain millennials. For more information and to register visit http://careers-events.edhec.com/ I www.edhec.com

© Pan Chao-Qun

Grenoble MBA ranked first in France for graduate employment

Grenoble Graduate School of Business is an international school within Grenoble Ecole de Management

||| Grenoble Graduate School of Business (GGSB)’s MBA is ranked first in France and 10th in Europe for graduate employment according to a new report. The ranking, by business education guide QS, examines the return on investment of business school programmes across Europe.

The report finds that 92% of GGSB students are employed within three months of graduation

and the school has one of the shortest ‘payback periods’ (how fast graduates recoup their business school investment) of all European Schools.

The school was also ranked third in France and 12th in Europe

by QS when it comes to fostering entrepreneurship. Grenoble is a hotbed of high-tech research activity, providing students with ideal conditions in which to

innovate and launch business start-ups.

GGSB is an international school within Grenoble Ecole de Management, which has a specialist focus on the management of technology and innovation. GGSB MBA students can study full-time in Grenoble, Paris or London, or part-time in Moscow or Tbilisi. I www.grenoble-em.com

CV and cover letter workshops at Callan School ||| Callan School London is well known for its Callan Method English Classes, which focus on improving speaking and listening skills.

Now to help students to write their CVs and cover letters, learn streetwise English and improve their writing, the school has created new workshops,

which will be run on weekdays as well as at the weekend. From summer 2015, students will have the opportunity to master the tools to apply for a job in the UK, get an overview of the English used in daily life or learn tips for enhancing their writing. I www.callanschoollondon.com info - may / june - 23

spotlight on s m e s & s ta r t- u p s

Profile The London Jam Factory

Not just JAM Pierre-Louis Phelipot traded corporate life for a copper pot when he established his jam-making business last year, little realising how far and fast his kitchen enterprise would take him

I

t all started when Pierre-Louis Phelipot’s mother moved house, and gave him a big copper pot that she no longer had space for. Being something of a foodie, he felt he should put it to the use for which it was intended – making jam. ‘I really love jam, but I was bored of the flavours you get in supermarkets,’ Pierre-Louis explains, ‘So I started experimenting by mixing different herbs and spices with the fruit.’

Before long, Pierre-Louis was offering his jams to friends and friends of friends. Word spread – literally – to a coffee shop in Islington, which got in touch with him, asking to buy some jams to serve with

24 - info - may / june

their breakfasts. ‘Initially I was making about 20 pots a month, but soon it became 100 pots, coffee shop clients were asking where they could buy the jam for themselves, and it just grew and grew,’ he recounts.

Life began to get a bit out of control when Pierre-Louis found himself buying fruit at the market at 4am before going into work at 8am and then returning home to make jam in the evenings and on the weekends. At that stage, he was Managing Director of Momentum, Eurostar’s customer services provider, overseeing a workforce of 1,000 in France, Belgium and the UK. ‘I told myself I needed to stop the jam because I could not do both,’ he admits, ‘but it was my partner who suggested that I should rather stop my job.’

It was not a decision Pierre-Louis took lightly, and he canvassed the opinion of friends widely.

‘Interestingly, everyone in the UK urged me to go for it, but my French friends all told me I was crazy!’ He adds: ‘I am in the UK exactly for that reason – there is a real energy of people trying things and not being afraid of failing.’ So, in April 2014, Pierre-Louis made the jump. To make the move from a kitchen enterprise to a commercial operation he set up four traditional copper jam-making pots in a small factory in North London, and together with Magali Wannepain, who

had worked with him at Momentum, set up a small team for production as well as sales and marketing.

But the real kick-start came when The London Jam Factory made its debut at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair at Olympia in September. ‘That was massive for us,’ says Pierre-Louis. ‘We got loads of new clients: Jamie Oliver came on board, patisseries, bakeries, delis, coffee shops and food assemblies.’ Clients came from further afield too – Germany and Switzerland in particular.

The jam’s popularity comes down to the fact that it is ‘not just jam’. It has a high fruit content, no additives or preservatives, and half the amount of sugar of commercial jam, not to mention PierreLouis’s culinary genius. He has developed over 100 different flavours, which are combinations of fruit and ‘something else’ that is only added at the very end of each batch, when he judges the best combination, depending on the particular batch of fruit and how it has evolved. ‘Sometimes I work with contrast, for instant raspberry, which is quite acidic, with Valrhona dark chocolate, which is quite rounded.

Others are more complementary, such as my apricot and lavender, which both come from Luberon in the South of France,’ he explains.

Keeping up with orders can be difficult with so many variations, so Pierre-Louis has settled on 70 flavours that he guarantees all year round and the remaining 30 are limited editions that change from time to time, such as his Quince, Orange Blossom and Raspberry Juice for Mother’s Day. As well as jams, Pierre-Louis makes marmalade – his Lemon Rosemary Mint and Blood Orange, Mango & Passion Fruit marmalades won a silver at the Dalemain World’s Original Marmalade Awards in February – and more recently, by popular demand, he has turned his hand to Dulche de Leche and is also developing a Caramel.

With less sugar, getting the right texture was not easy, but through trial and error, Pierre-Louis refined a process of cooking and standing the jam over three days, which amplifies the effect of the pectin in the chemical reaction that occurs together with the lemon juice and the copper pot. He sources his fruit from New Spitalfields Market in Leyton, and a number of local farmers in Kent, Essex and Buckinghamshire, who sell him their excess fruit. Some of it has been rejected by supermarkets simply for not being the right size or shape, and would otherwise be thrown away.

Pierre-Louis and his team are on track to produce

50,000 pots this year, although the factory has capacity to increase that tenfold. Recognising that he has to gear up to the next level in terms of volume, Pierre-Louis is looking at bringing in investors – something he had previously dismissed when he was first approached by one. The whole production process is still manual, although The London Jam Factory will soon be getting a bottling and capping machine, which will speed things up and help particularly with the miniature range that will be launched for hotels. But Pierre-Louis is determined to retain the artisan element where it adds value – ‘Your eyes, your hand and the way you stir, helps the product,’ he says. ‘My idea is to offer a very honest product, so I don’t want to cut corners, I don’t want it to be too expensive because it’s still only jam, but I want to make sure that what I put on the market is something that I can be proud of.’ I KF

Pierre -Lou is is looki ng at bri ngi ng i n i nvestors – somethi ng he had prev iously d ismissed when he was fi rst approached by one info - may / june - 25

spotlight on s m e s & s ta r t- u p s

London & Partners named one of the UK’s best companies to work for particularly successful at delivering value for London, with a return on investment of 15:1, and in the last financial year alone the work of the company has resulted in £328 million in economic benefit for the capital and created 4,450 new Gordon Innes, Chief Executive Officer at London & jobs. It has also launched Partners major initiatives to promote London, including ||| London & Partners, the Mayor’s London Technology Week, the official promotional company for London, has been recently named London Story, the Autumn Season by the Sunday Times as one of the and London’s Guest of Honour.

Gordon Innes, CEO of London UK’s best organisations to work & Partners, said: ‘We’re an for, ranking 86th in the category of extremely young company, so Best Not-for-Profit Organisations to Work For. to achieve this placing so soon in our lifespan is an amazing London & Partners has been

achievement and testament to the drive and dedication of our staff. Our placing shows that those who work at London & Partners are fully engaged at delivering value to our wonderful city by building its international reputation, attracting students and visitors, and encouraging foreign investment.

‘Our staff enjoys a congenial working environment, bolstered by modern practices such as remote working and hotdesking.

We also operate out of a state-ofthe-art riverside office, which has recently been refurbished and showcases the best of London to visitors, clients and stakeholders alike.’ I www.londonandpartners.com

Browne Jacobson leads on new Access to Finance portal for SMEs

Adam Smith, Partner at Deloitte, Andy Street, Chairman of GBSLEP, Alex Bishop, BPS Chair and Paul Ray, Head of Banking at Browne Jacobson

||| Browne Jacobson has recently launched a new website in partnership with BPS Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), aimed at helping SMEs to find the right pathway to potential funding.

The website segments potential funders into areas of specialism and expertise. For 70 finance providers 26 - info - may / june

registered on the site, they can connect with local business and make the local market aware of finance offerings which will help them develop and grow their activities. Beyond simply signposting potential funders, the website also provides explanations and tips to users to explain the different types of finance potentially available to them and the stage of their business at which they might be most relevant.

Commenting on the launch of the website, Paul Ray, Browne Jacobson’s Head of Banking & Finance said: ‘This initiative is evidence of Browne Jacobson’s commitment to the business communities within which it operates. The world of finance is complex and difficult to navigate and access to finance remains one of the biggest challenges for SMEs. I’ve been delighted to use my and Browne Jacobson’s market knowledge and contacts to add real value to this project. This has included introducing a number of the funders who are featured on the website. I am sure that they and businesses in the region will get real value from this.’ I www.accesstofinancegreaterbirmingham.co.uk www.brownejacobson.com

spotlight on s m e s & s ta r t- u p s

© Epic Foundation 2015

Caudalie gives €1m support to children and youth globally

||| Caudalie has committed €1 million to support Epic Foundation, a global not-for-profit start-up that bridges the gap between a new generation of individual and corporate donors and organisations supporting children and youth.

Caudalie is historically a major donor to environmental causes and has been a member of ‘One Percent for the Planet’ since 2012. The donation, which will be dispersed over a period of three years, will go to non governmental organisations (NGOs) and social enterprises in Epic Foundation’s selected portfolio of organisations supporting children and youth.

‘Young people around the world are facing numerous challenges to meet their potential.

This commitment will make a tremendous difference. As more and more companies practice social responsibility as part of their business models, we are truly excited to partner with Caudalie and provide our innovative tools at no charge,’ said Alexandre Mars, Epic Foundation founder and director. I www.epic.foundation www.caudalie.com

Porsche Design receives six prestigious Red Dot Awards ||| The Porsche Design Timepiece No. 1 along with five other Porsche Design products were awarded the international Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015, a prestigious seal of quality for excellent design.

The Red Dot Award, established in 1954, is one of the most distinguished design competitions worldwide. The jury of annually elected renowned specialists and international design experts ensures that only products of the highest quality receive the award. Around 2,000 companies from 56 different countries submitted more than 4,900 designs for this year’s Red Dot Award. The award ceremony will take place on 29 June in Essen, Germany.

‘Porsche Design does not follow any modern trends – instead, it offers customers long-lasting products created with the intention of becoming companions for life,’ says Roland Heiler, Chief Design Officer of the Porsche Design Group. ‘Trends come and go – but good design endures. That is why our products do not feature any distracting gimmicks: They are always credible and genuine. We are pleased that this philosophy has received recognition – yet we also regard this as our duty.’ I www.porsche-design.com

HL TRAD launches new software Language Business Solution (LBS) ||| Along with the development of its new offices in Europe, HL TRAD, an international translation agency dedicated to legal and financial professionals, is preparing the implementation of an innovative ERP (enterprise resource planning) software package, in order to optimise project management.

The software which has been created specifically for HL TRAD’s translation activity will help ensure security access to shared data as well as qualitative and quick project management with productivity gains of 20%, immediate visibility of translators’ availability and their quality assessment. I www.hltrad.co.uk info - may / june - 27

spotlight on s m e s & s ta r t- u p s

Simplement Londres partners with London & Partners

||| Simplement Londres, a specialist relocation company offering home finding, school finding and other services to overseas families moving to London, has announced a partnership with London & Partners,

under the brand name Simply London Relocation.

London & Partners, the official promotional company for London, whose aim it is to attract businesses and visitors to the capital, works with carefully selected partners to provide comprehensive services to those moving to the capital, including relocation.

Launched in 2012 by French businesswomen Sylvie Froger and Sandra Redon, Simplement Londres has established a niche in relocating families within and around the capital.

‘We began by assisting French families relocating to London with international blue chip companies, finding areas, properties and schools that suited their needs and helping them save time and settle as quickly as possible,’ says Sylvie Froger. ‘We now offer the same services to other nationalities looking to do the same and our relationship with London & Partners will enable us to further grow our business.’ I www.simplementlondres.com

Vabble selected for UCL Digital Business Labs Program

Marlin Apartments among The Caterer’s Best Places to Work 2015

||| Vabble.co, a digital start-up founded by Kahina Belaid has been selected for the University College London (UCL) Business Lab Program. UCL is a leading multidisciplinary university in both London and the world, with 11,000 staff and 35,000 students.

Kahina Belaid The UCL Digital Business Lab Program brings amazing students and disruptive startups closer providing user experience consultations, cross-device testing and large-scale beta testing with detailed use analytics.

Vabble will push its disruptive recruitment website to the 45,000 UCL staff and students and get the opportunity to test, iterate and develop new features with the help of UX (user experience) consultants.

Thanks to this selection, Vabble will get the opportunity to connect directly with thousands of talents who will become ambassadors for the recruitment web platform. I www.vabble.co

||| Marlin Apartments has ranked 11th in the 30 Best Places to Work 2015 list compiled by The Caterer magazine. The company, which also won an Industry Leader award last December, was recognised for its development track that allows any employee to gain experience in Susan Cully various departments before settling in a preferred area of the business. Other employee schemes include a successful NVQ programme to train school leavers new to the hospitality industry, as well as subsidised gym memberships and free fresh fruit as a company-wide health initiative.

‘I am thrilled that Marlin has managed to rank amongst and higher than larger prestigious hospitality companies. It is an honour because it recognises what we have achieved for our own employees and that the programmes and initiatives we have in place for them are effective at creating a positive work ethic,’ said Susan Cully, Marlin Apartments’ Managing Director. I www.marlinapartments.com

Sylvie Froger and Sandra Redon, co-founders of Simplement Londres

28 - info - may / june

Networking Stories chamber

The Chamber’s networking platforms have been put to good use by our members who have paired up for some great initiatives. Here are their stories:

I had the opportunity to meet Arnaud on the ‘Merci Maman’ stand at the Member-to-Member Cocktail Reception and became one of their loyal clients before I moved to the position of Marketing Manager for Mustela in the UK. When I joined the company, the idea of contacting them for a partnership was very obvious. The two brands’ audiences have a good crossover and we share the same values such as family, children, as well as quality of products and services. We set up a Facebook competition offering a Mustela hamper to Merci Maman fans and they offered a Merci Maman Family Necklace to ours! The competition met our expectations and engagement was very high (more than 1,550 likes on the Merci Maman Necklace). Proof that Merci Maman was the perfect fit for Mustela lovers!

Merci Maman is continuing to grow strongly and we are looking to work with similar minded companies to build mutually beneficial partnerships. Our cross marketing operation with Mustela is a great example of how two members can work together and leverage on each other’s strengths at very limited costs.

We were offering our Facebook fans Mustela products and Mustela was offering their fans one of our personalised necklaces.

Over the last two years, we have also been working with another member of the French Chamber, a prime spirits company, to design gold plated bracelets that were handed over to VIPs during an event.

We are convinced that there are many other opportunities to work with other members of the Chamber.

Hannah Medioni, Marketing Manager, Mustela UK

Arnaud de Montille, co-founder of Merci Maman

I had the pleasure of meeting Jaime Faus, General Manager at Pullman London St Pancras, at the Diner des Chefs last November, a highly enjoyable event organised by the French Chamber Being placed at the same table, we enjoyed a nice dinner and an interesting discussion at the same time. After a few exchanges we met again at the Pullman St Pancras with the Executive Chef.

There we enjoyed a tasting of Caviar Petrossian and decided to organise a Caviar Month at the Golden Arrow, the bar & restaurant of Pullman St Pancras.

Antoine and I met last year at the Diner des Chefs organised by the Chamber. As the UK Sales Manager for Caviar Petrossian, Antoine was able to tell me about his exclusive product that I felt would be perfect for our restaurant, the Golden Arrow and its forthcoming Indulgence Month promotion.

As a business, the Pullman London St Pancras is always looking for reputable trusted suppliers to bring the ultimate gastronomic experience to our customers like no other. The caviar promotion proved popular for us; Antoine will be booking hotel rooms in the near future for his clients, so it’s really a win win situation!

Antoine Gautier, UK Sales Manager, Caviar Petrossian

Jaime Faus, General Manager Pullman London St Pancras

info - may / june - 29

s u cc e s s s to ry

Mossessian & Partners

Michel Mossessian, Exchange House, London

10 years ago, Michel Mossessian cut loose from the mothership of architectural practices to set up his own. His small Londonbased firm has thrived, punching well above its weight in the international arena

I

n his bright Hoxton studio, strewn with futuristic architectural models and wall-papered with computer renderings of his projects, architect Michel Mossessian talks about the Middle Age tradition of his profession.

‘As a student, I had an intuition that you don’t suddenly become an architect when you graduate – you have to go through times and cycles and be exposed to masters. You continue to be an apprentice until a master tells you that you are ready,’ he explains.

A graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture in Paris, Michel was singled out for a Villa Médicis Hors les Murs fellowship, which allowed him to study further overseas ‘to complete and fulfill his vision of the world’. He chose the Cooper Union

School of Architecture in New York and later Harvard Graduate School of Design, both outstanding schools with exceptional masters from whom he could learn.

‘They questioned what architecture is,’ he says. ‘I learned that a building is not just a shell – its form comes from a conjunction of intent, ideas and purpose which has to be expressed to its inhabitants, to mankind and culture.’

At Harvard, Michel studied for his PhD in Computer Aided Design under the tutelage of Professor Bill Mitchell, whose work has been credited with profoundly changing the way architects approached building design, and was exposed to other brilliant minds such as Marvin Minsky, a cognitive scientist in artificial intelligence, and Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. But it was Visiting Professor Bruce Graham, architect of the Sears Tower1 and John Hancock Center in Chicago as well as the masterplan for London’s Canary Wharf, who would have the greatest influence. ‘He saw my drawings, not one line of which looked like a building, and said to me, “I’m going to teach you about buildings.”’ Following the master, Michel pulled out of Harvard to join Bruce Graham’s practice, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), considered the ‘Mecca of architecture’.

Although based in Chicago, Michel’s first building was Exchange House above Liverpool Street Station in London. ‘Every single line I drew was built,’ he says proudly of a building that combined the best of technology, engineering and architecture, and created a destination in East London. At SOM, Michel also worked on the King’s Cross masterplan, bringing him into contact with the likes of Gehry, Foster and Chipperfield, who were yet to reach the heights of their architectural renown.

When the Gulf War brought all development activities to a halt in the early 1990s, Michel returned to academia, teaching at the University of Pennsylvania and doing research on facades with the building industry in Italy. Towards the end of the decade, he returned to Paris as a one-man band, working on small residential and cultural projects. But things were starting to happen again in London, and in 2000, Michel was offered the design lead of SOM’s restructured London practice.

Happy to be back in the arena, Michel became immersed in projects in Canary Wharf, the City and beyond with a masterplan for Bratislava. But the real big fish he landed was the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, after a year-long competition against 22 top international architecture firms. ‘That was when I developed my methodology about how to capture the psyche of a client,’ he explains. ‘We could not talk to the client because it was a competition, so I came up with my Black Box concept, based on principles of artificial intelligence, which is the space where we establish the vision before we draw, taking into account the environment

1. Renamed Willis Tower in 2009, this 110-storey Chicago skyscraper is the tallest building in America and until 1998 was the tallest building in the world.

30 - info - may / june

Msheireb Downtown Doha – aerial view of masterplan

beyond the physical – climate, programme, aspiration, activities and people.’ It was also a way to manage egos trying to impose individual visions in a collaborative process.

‘Out of multiple points of entry came one concept, which was very well received,’ he says.

However, Michel’s biggest achievement was snatched from him when the partners decided to move the design development to Chicago and New York, sidelining the London office. Bruised and uncertain of what to do next, Michel sought the advice of Lord Rogers and Lord Foster. ‘They are masters and I still considered myself as an apprentice,’ he recalls. One of them – he won’t

nature and bring technical specialisms to it’ in a way that makes the architecture ‘look like it belongs to the place.’ However, they fuelled a perception that Michel had become an architect of the Arabic world, and it took two years to get an invitation to participate in the competition for the King’s Cross redevelopment.

Mossessian won not one, but two buildings out of this, which are currently awaiting planning approval.

As Mossession Architecture marks its 10th anniversary, and Michel his 15th year in London, what is next? ‘There are two places that are close to my heart and progression – Paris and New York,’ Michel says, ‘and I am looking at how I can help Paris.’ He sees Paris and London as communicating vessels – the success of one benefits the other. Right now London is a model for the world with the kind of regeneration that is happening in the heart of the city. ‘The beauty of London is that it has the imperatives of ownership, tradition and preservation of history, without being stiff about what can be done for better value – there is a flexibility of interpretation, unlike Paris, which is constrained by a nineteenth century model and vision,’ he explains. But

A rchitectu re speaks to people, engages, gives a sense of belongi ng, creates cu ltu re. It is a place where you feel right and want to meet with people.

If you have this, busi ness happens say who – told him his work spoke for itself, and the time had come to go it alone. ‘Basically, a master had told me, you’re done, you can start now. Without this kick, I would never have started my own practice.’ So in 2005, Michel established Mossessian Architecture. ‘It was scary,’ he admits, ‘I went from being a prima donna designer who wins everything to an employer who had to convince people to work for me.’ His first work came from a former client who asked Michel to design his residence in Kent. That led to the commission for the Carmine Building at Five Merchant Square in the Paddington Basin Development, an exceptional building that well and truly established the practice.

Local work began drying up with the onset of the financial crisis 2008, but Michel struck lucky again by being shortlisted for a project in Doha, Qatar, and winning the schematic design for the main public square and 26 buildings. It was no mean feat for a small practice of 25 in competition with big name international firms with workforces of hundreds. Another competition win for the regeneration of the World Heritage Medina in Fez, Morocco, became a ‘cherished project’, also helping to sustain them during the recession. Both projects are award winning, which Michel attributes to being able ‘to understand the psyche of a culture, work with

London’s success is creating other problems such as unaffordable living costs, and this, in Michel’s view, is an opportunity for Paris. ‘Maybe we can reinvent Paris from London,’ he says. ‘Paris could house the creative industries that are being priced out of London, the very ones that have made London the best city on the planet.’

Joining the French Chamber was a way to meet compatriots who might share this impetus.

Undergirding this all is his passionately held belief in the power of his art: ‘Architecture speaks to people, engages, gives a sense of belonging, creates culture. It is a place where you feel right and want to meet with people. If you have this, business happens.’

I KF 5 Merchant Square, London South-east view at dusk

info - may / june - 31

Next-level learning for greater success The Financial Times and IE Business School have formed the FT|IE Corporate Learning Alliance. It’s a powerful combination that gives business leaders and their companies a measurable advantage. This advantage is a unique blend of business theory, practical knowledge and powerful delivery methods.

Through our alliance you enjoy the benefits of executive education expertise from some of world’s best business schools, localised learning in your chosen language and programs fully tailored to your business goals.

We help leaders and their teams work smarter, perform better and drive lasting value.

Find out more at www.ftiecla.com

Real-world corporate learning

focus

Thenewworkplace

M

any of us have witnessed significant change in the workplace within our own working lives. For quite some time, technology has been the main driver of this, opening up new ways and styles of working that are a world apart from traditional norms. Physical work spaces are changing too, as fixed desks and cubicle blocks give way to a more fluid mix of different types of spaces for different work activities, from collaborative to contemplative. IT infrastructure is having to grapple with an increasingly wireless and interconnected world with concomitant complexities around privacy, security and cost. For some companies, particularly tech, creative and digital start-ups, the new workplace is already a reality. London is home to many of the co-working spaces, incubators, accelerators and clusters that have sprung up to cater for them, and the heads of three of the most pioneering ones – London Campus, Central Working and Level39 give their insights into how and why they work. But while early adopters have revolutionised their working environments and practices, for many companies it is a slower more evolutionary process, albeit one that it inevitable.

‘We shape our places and then our places shape us’ Winston Churchill

The reason for this is that the workforce is changing, and in some ways, it is now people who are driving change in the workplace on a more conceptual level. New generations of employees have brought about shifts in attitudes and approaches to work, and companies in competition for talent have no option but to adapt in order to attract and retain the people with the skills they need. As with any change, there are challenges. While technology has loosened our ties to the physical office, it has also lengthened the working day and week, blurred the lines between work and private lives, and, ironically, complicated processes, leading to ‘the overwhelmed employee’. Traditional corporate culture is also struggling with the transition to more flexible working – presenteeism is still an issue in many companies – and the kind of engagement and management needed for a different generation of employees. The realities of 21st century life don’t quite fit with the way work is traditionally organised either, and as employees become more empowered, assumptions about how work needs to be done will be increasingly brought into question. The workplace is on a continuum – it will continue to evolve. The following articles give glimpses of what the workplace of the future might be and our contributors have put some predictions on the table(t). We may be there sooner than we think. I KF

info - may / june - 33

focus

The changing face of Workplace The workplace is changing with innovative technology and new age lifestyles, including generational shifts in attitudes and values, challenging the old rhetoric. Is the very concept of the workplace, as we know it, being redefined as a result? Tim Allen, EMEA Head of Workplace Consulting at CBRE takes stock

A

largely unknown fact is that the biggest where work happens. The young people interviewed investment for business, after its employees, met in focus groups in 11 cities worldwide. is the workplace. Given the extent of such capital The results demonstrated some interesting themes. expenditure, companies are increasingly sitting up Unsurprisingly perhaps, flexible options to include and taking note that the working environment is remote working, the ability to work at a choice of crucial to their success. locations or indeed the offer of different types of office On top of the economics it is also increasingly space featured heavily across all regions. In addition acknowledged that the workspace has the power monetary stimulus was, in many cases, superseded by to help and conversely hinder its employees too. In access to stimulating projects and working with ‘likeessence, the place of work is a fundamental feature minded’ individuals towards a common goal. In other which shouldn’t be overlooked as it drives culture, words a sense of purpose at work driven by meaning vision, values and ultimately results. and happiness is seen as – or indeed more – important For example, technology has changed the way, than financial success. and continues to alter, how we work and ultimately While views differed between regions – those in conduct business.

Europe and the US Laptops and wi-fi had more traditional ... the place of work is a f u ndamental freed us from fixed views compared to featu re which shou ld n’t be overlooked locations quite some their counterparts in as it d rives cu ltu re, v ision, values and time ago which was Asia – the expectation u lti mately resu lts a market revelation. is that the workplace Physical space followed should adapt to cater suit with more choice and types of spaces available. for the next generations’ needs in much the same way The new norm is no longer fixed linear desks that that university campuses do. have been commonplace, and an office staple, over The desire for continuous learning and recent years. Instead, novel ways of working are development in the workplace emerged as a constant increasingly being introduced – the onus being on the trend and key facet across all cultures. As a result, right mix of creative and collaborative areas and quiet, many younger professionals are keen to sit next to contemplative space. Corporate culture is steadily senior management as ease of access to uninterrupted catching up too, yet has some way to go to challenge knowledge sharing, and inclusion in ad hoc discussions the status quo of ‘presenteeism’ which remains an on a variety of topics, is opened. This ultimately helps issue for some managers. to deliver a fast track promotion too.

To understand what the future holds for the Those with more working experience are likely typical working environment, a recent global study to be at a different stage in their career, perhaps was undertaken, titled ‘Fast Forward 2030: The Future coinciding with family and caring commitments. of Work and the Workplace’. 220 young adults across This doesn’t stop their thirst for working; instead, an the globe were asked to share their views on how organisation that is flexible with a choice of location workplace trends will impact business, evolve work and working patterns across a day becomes an practices and continue to revolutionise how, when and increasingly attractive option.

34 - info - may / june

The new workplace is an amalgamation of different types of work spaces and styles

The challenge for businesses is to juggle the current array of choice for maximum employee satisfaction.

One piece of latest technology being adopted is video conferencing that has the callers’ screens at head height and on wheels moving freely around a room, controlled by the user from their actual location. With the birth of such technology and ongoing advancement of others, it’s not surprising that employers may struggle to understand where to prioritise efforts to attract, retain and fully support the talent they need.

Holding onto the best employees, and catching the attention of them in the first place, is now a major consideration across boardrooms globally. In a recent study conducted by CBRE spanning global corporations, two thirds or 67% reported that their own workplace strategy was primarily driven by the need to attract and retain talent. In context, this is a 20% increase from two years ago and dislodges cost savings from the top spot (56% in 2013 to 43% today) into third place as the principal aim of such a programme.

This is important. It’s proven that staff who are engaged with their organisation are more likely to stay, and an engaged workforce is also proven to be more productive. A recent market study cites levels of engagement in UK industry as a whole at a paltry 17%, which is a major reason for staff attrition. As individuals, most are keen to see a clear and consistent connection between the rhetoric and the actions of employers which is why the power of the workplace is playing an increasing pivotal role.

A work environment that is tired, poorly maintained, lacks facilities, has outdated and inflexible IT that is

status driven without employee flexibility will simply not compute. Instead, a business that expresses an ‘authentic brand’ with articulated values that are delivered day to day will almost inevitably be an employer of choice. This is a powerful tool especially in a global market where high calibre employees are often willing to change location and even region for the right role and a career enhancing opportunity.

Adding further weight to the discussion is the emerging trend and widely debated topic of employee ‘wellness’. Some companies have offered discounted gym memberships and free fruit for staff for a number of years. However, the debate has matured into how far the responsible employer should be actively promoting a healthy and well balanced lifestyle for its employees. For example, CBRE’s corporate head office in Los Angeles is the world’s first WELL-certified workplace which incorporates a number of peoplecentric aspects such as advanced air filtration, dietary and nutrition information on display, hydration stations, a wellness concierge to provide guidance for employees, UV air sanitisers, cardiovascular equipment and even exercise and stretching zones.

Perhaps the term ‘workplace’ is now too narrow a definition for those in an industry involved with supporting the infrastructure of a business to enable it to do what it does, but better. That infrastructure of real estate, facilities management, sustainability, IT and HR is the glue for any company. A further trend to emerge might be that of a new role in the C-Suite that better connects and commands all of these for the benefit of stakeholders: the CWO – Chief Work Officer. I info - may / june - 35

focus

Adam strudwick:

Designing the new workplace Adam Strudwick is Design Director at the London office of HLW, a leading global full service architectural firm that specialises in workplace design and strategy. Adam spoke to INFO about how physical meets conceptual in workplace design, and what is shaping the places where we work

As a designer of workplaces, how has your job evolved over the years?

Advancement of technology has had an enormous impact on the way we run our lives at home and at work, and will continue to do so. Workplace design has changed to better support a mobile work force. Spaces have evolved to better support mobile technology.

Having technology free up the way we move through space has opened our minds to creating space that better supports the varied business activities that take place in workplaces, making for more diverse, open and varied workplace solutions which truly support business needs rather than hierarchical business diagrams.

Aesthetics have loosened up and we have moved into more of a ‘post corporate’ visual language where an organisation’s identity, values and brand can be represented in multiple ways rather than a fixed approach centred around corporate colours, images and logos. Google, a client of HLW’s for well over 10 years, and other tech companies are some of the more progressive organisations which have really disrupted the market and led the way.

Sustainability is higher on the agenda and should now be a given as a priority on all projects – in recent years ‘Wellness’ has also had a growing importance in workplace design. Creating environments that support employees’ health and development should be an intrinsic part of a design scheme and can benefit an organisation in terms of staff attraction, retention, productivity and reduction in sick days.

Have your clients’ expectations and requirements changed?

Over the last 10 years, design has become more culturally significant and in the world of workplace this means our clients are more educated and have higher expectations that our design solutions need to meet. Factors such as IT development, sustainability, reuse of existing building stock and an increase in the interest of linking workplace design to productivity and profitability has meant that workplace design should now be a science as much as an art. Many of these evolving expectations are linked to global shifts – technology development, global warming, 36 - info - may / june

city densification. A key issue is space efficiency and occupier density. How much space is allocated per staff member is an example of this: in the last 10 years this allocation has fallen from 14sqm per person down to as little as 8sqm per person on some projects. Our job is to deliver engaging, collaborative and comfortable spaces that realise maximum efficiency for our clients.

In your experience, is it the designer or client who drives workplace design innovation?

The short answer is both. A truly successful project is a true collaboration between the client (including the end users) and the design team. Our ethos of ‘Our Work Tells Your Story’ encapsulates this – all of our projects are designed to achieve a reflection of our client’s identity and needs. The designer needs to understand the intricacies of the future client vision, cultural aspirations, business drivers and values. As industry experts, we can bring our knowledge and expertise to the table to help turn their workplace into a true business asset which reflects and supports business vision as well as the people that work within it. A successful design solution can also help to support change management strategies which often run in tandem with built environment change. We educate our clients as part of the process to ensure they are getting the best from their business and from us.

How do you, as a designer, integrate the different elements of the workplace, namely technology, environment, working practices and HR?

Through briefing, in-depth user engagement, ongoing and open communication and most importantly by identifying communication paths, project roles and responsibilities early. Our ongoing learning process is supported by our blog – the HLW Storyboard (www. hlwstoryboard.com/blog/). We continuously challenge the conventions of standard office design in all its facets and ensure we are always learning and able to pass this on to our clients. On most projects we act as Lead Designer and therefore often our role is to drive the wider design team to ensure that all areas such as technology, HR and sustainability are included and

®Hufton+Crow

HLW’s design for the Post Office HQ

coordinated on our projects. Workplace design is a truly global industry – we have offices in London, New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Shanghai and our teams are constantly talking to ensure we lead best practice on global and local issues. We’ve recently completed projects in Paris for advertising agency BBDO and are currently working in the city on a project for a Japanese bank, so it’s imperative that we can design with local and global best practice in mind.

What are some of the most innovative features you have incorporated into workplace designs?

As I mentioned, there is certainly a trend for a looser ‘post corporate’ direction. Some new things we have done recently include using decommissioned lifts as meeting spaces, creating a music venue in an office, putting a public events space for the community within offices, getting a graffiti artist to decorate spaces, and a shipping container that automatically opens up to reveal a coffee bar. All these ideas are reflections of the client, the building and the local context. Our design team is continually looking for ways to innovate across all parts of our workplace strategy and design projects.

Do you view the workplace as a purely physical space or is there a conceptual element you have to take into account?

Conceptual elements and physical space are intrinsically linked. Good upfront briefing and engagement will result in a robust concept or ‘big idea’ which responds directly to the business brand/culture/identity/locality. A good concept reflects the uniqueness of each client and provides grounding for design solutions going forward.

A concept should pay homage to each client and be

Sustai nabi l it y is higher on the agenda and shou ld now be a given as a priorit y on al l projects unique to each and every project. The physical nature of a space is a relatively small part of a story – we need to consider, develop and support the cultural aspects of a building and the people that use it. In reality, delivering a building that supports a business culture and business practices now and in the future is our aim – they also need to look great!

How do you imagine the workplace of the future?

Wow that’s quite a question! Certainly developments in technology will drive some thinking. There is a school of thought that says that the traditional office as we know it will soon be redundant. I don’t subscribe to this theory – an office is about work but it’s also about community. Many people can work flexibly and this is great sometimes, but I don’t particularly look forward to a future where everyone works from home and tries to collaborate digitally or, even worse, not at all. A lot of the richest encounters we have in the office are serendipitous and we should actively seek this out and as designers create spaces that enhance this. It is true that work patterns and how organisations procure and manage their real estate will change – the growth in coworking spaces is an example of this. We will see less rows of desking, that’s for sure, but the office as a place for people to come together, make money, be human, collaborate, argue, think, create – that’s something we should celebrate and fight for. After all, the workplace is work & place. I Interview by KF www.hlw.com; E: astrudwick@hlw.com info - may / june - 37

Bring Your Own...

Technology has been having a transformative effect on the workplace for some time now, but it is the interconnectivity of everything that is proving most challenging for traditional business models and forcing a rethink about the role of IT departments and infrastructure, as Marc Mosthav, Chief Information Officer UK & Ireland at Atos explains

I

f you believe the hype, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is the answer to everything. In reality, the promised gigantic savings for businesses have not really materialised. The other promise, that BYOD will make staff happier, also seems to be a little exaggerated. Nevertheless, BYOD is here to stay. It has been hugely disruptive to the thinking of traditional IT departments and that is a good thing – it has forced creative thinking and continues to drive innovation.

In actual fact, it is not so much about bringing your own device, but more about the consumerisation of IT. We all are experiencing digital convenience in our private lives like never before. The device choice is immense and stretches from PCs (yes, some people still have them) to laptops, tablets and phones all the way to televisions. Everything is connected and (most) things pretty much just work out of the box. And it is not just limited to devices.

Ordering online takes a few clicks and goods arrive within a day or so. Even most interactions with the authorities are now online and easy to do.

It is therefore not surprising that we are starting to expect the same at our workplaces. Business IT, however, has to grapple with budgets, security concerns and legal constraints. A company such as Amazon, whose business model depends on it, has invested heavily in usability to make its site easy to use and order from, but the same cannot be said for

internal IT systems of other types of businesses. They are usually a support function and investments have to reflect this, while ensuring that progress is being made.

IT infrastructure is also undergoing a change. WiFi networks are proliferating, allowing corporate machines to be independent of wires, but also giving access to visitors and BYOD devices. Modern printing facilities no longer have to be connected to ‘internal’ networks. As a result, the office environment is changing – people are no longer tied to desks, half height cupboards become meeting places, and any space where people can get together becomes usable.

So what do IT people need to focus on? It is a bit like the Keynesian debate – how much governance is right?

I think we are seeing a gradual reduction in the physical reach of governance and becoming more concerned about core data centres and company data rather than the periphery. Many companies already have systems that allow employees to work just as effectively from home or on the move as they can in the office. This raises the question of whether we really need internal networks in our offices. I believe that offices are morphing into environments that are social meeting points, where you are surrounded by colleagues rather than strangers. While this has obvious implications for the IT environment, it also opens up a new world of possibilities for office design. I

We al l are experienci ng d igital convenience i n ou r private l ives l i ke never before... It is therefore not su rprisi ng that we are starti ng to expect the same at ou r workplaces

38 - info - may / june

focus

C a s e s t u dy

Deloitte Digital, Buckley Building, Clerkenwell

W

hen Deloitte took space for its Deloitte Digital business in a trendy refurbished industrial building in Clerkenwell, at the heart of London’s ‘technology belt’, it was making a very clear statement.

While it is well documented that the workplace is increasingly a key element of employers’ talent attraction and retention offering, Deloitte also saw this new location and office space as a critical driver of its clients’ and customers’ experience of working with its specialist technology consultancy practice.

Royston Seward, the partner leading Deloitte Digital, adds ‘Enabling our clients and customers to engage and collaborate with us in open, creative spaces enables them and us to expand our thinking in ways that, frankly, is less likely to occur in a traditional corporate space.’

A year after opening, the Deloitte Buckley Building space has become a firm favourite with both Deloitte’s employees and its clients, and not just those from the ‘technology’ sector. Seward adds: ‘Our Clerkenwell studio space is a flexible working and collaboration environment that supports our distinctive identity, digital culture and highly agile ways of working. The location of the building was important; we wanted to be in a location associated with the London tech boom that would resonate with staff and clients alike.

Enabling our clients and customers to engage and collaborate with us in open, creative spaces enables them and us to expand our thinking in ways that, frankly, is less likely to occur in a traditional corporate space The embedded technology throughout creates an interactive space that facilitates group working; we see clients engaging and voicing their opinions in a way that we haven’t seen before.’

Martin Laws, the partner leading Deloitte’ services to its clients around the challenges of the ‘future of work’ debate, adds: ‘It is important to see beyond the interior design of the building, the quirky chairs and the fabulous barista-style coffee machine. It is the “how” the business operates in this space, supported by these design features, that is actually the real success. The office has essentially become a physical manifestation of our Deloitte Digital business vision, allowing us to do everything with a modern edge that sets it apart from the other parts of the Deloitte business. And it does set an interesting benchmark for how Deloitte will use its workplace in the future.’ I info - may / june - 39

focus

From cu bi cles to co u ch es

reaping employee & business reward The design of the physical workplace goes far beyond the aesthetic – it makes business sense to have the right environment for employees to engage, interact and create, says Tim Allen, EMEA Head of Workplace Consulting at CBRE contemplative caves, a workplace that reflects a company’s ethos and wider brand objectives is crucial.

This means it is simply no longer acceptable to have access to just a desk and uninspiring meeting rooms.

Individuals seek and require spaces for quick conversations with colleagues, conference calls on speaker phones, private phone calls, reading documents, or writing reports. In addition, space needs to be available for increasingly informal client meetings over a cup of coffee. Furthermore, the workspace must be somewhere easily accessible CBRE’s Downtown Los Angeles corporate HQ has various shared work settings to which is equally inviting as it is enticing support different activities throughout the day for staff to work there. Otherwise employees could be – and may choose to be – somewhere else. ven if you’re not in the workplace business, it is clear Another crucial feature is a well-connected space that the industry is gaining more precedence than ever provides a strong and stable wi-fi connection. After all, before. The rationale for this is twofold. On the one hand, access to information – from individual files to shared all employees are consumers of the workplace and on company drives – is essential. For these reasons, the the other, ‘workplaces of the future’, as idealised by some ultimate ideal is a workplace that envelops its inhabitants technology companies and the latest start-up vision of coso business values are understood within a design working spaces particularly in London and Manchester, are gaining momentum. Furthermore, whether it’s through our own experiences or those of family and friends, the environment in which we work is an emotive Ind iv iduals seek and requ i re spaces topic given it’s where a significant proportion of time is for qu ick conversations with spent. The last point is crucial. Time spent at work is a col leagues, conference cal ls on speaker core reason why workplace issues are increasing in profile. phones, private phone cal ls, read i ng This in itself is creating industry change. For example, docu ments, or writi ng reports the increasing body of knowledge gained from years of project reviews supports the recognition that employee time could be better supported and more productive if framework which enables its employees to recharge the right workspace is provided and technology is aligned their cultural batteries and feel engaged. The majority of to tasks, people and the culture. employees want to feel part of a team that matters, which Choice is another key facet. The way we work has delivers more than just outputs and rightly justifies the evolved in line with technology so the type of space serious investment of time and grey matter into outcomes on offer is now catching up with employee needs. The workplace industry can see the evolution of the last 30 that make a difference. As a result, many companies now understand the business benefit of such a workplace and years of alternative working strategies being adopted the inherent impact it has on its people, their work and their as a mainstream view – such that many companies clients. Ultimately, time spent in a rewarding setting will in the Fortune 500 now implement a variance of this. reap results. I So whether it’s slides, swings and sofas or calming,

E

40 - info - may / june

focus

What corporate CULTURE for the office of the FUTURE? Corporate cultures dictate workplaces and spaces, and the best are seen as drivers for innovation and productivity, but one size does not necessarily fit all, explains Benjamin G. Voyer, Associate Professor & Academic Director, ESCP Europe

O

ffice space regulates interactions between at work, in which employees are given opportunities individuals, allowing employees to meet and to relax the way they want – with nap rooms, game interact and share information more or less easily, rooms, etc. – and are allowed to devote part of their work anonymously or under the direct control of work time to external personal or charity projects (for their supervisors or peers, promoting a sense of example, the ‘20 Percent Time’ policy at Google2). This community or competition. The way companies type of culture is thought to foster, with an adequate design their workspaces can change how frequently office space design, increased productivity. their employees meet, or where (in a break-out room, When thinking about importing such types of a cafeteria, or a corridor, best practice, however, for example). Designing companies should take T hi n ki ng about the of fice space innovative office space into consideration three of the f utu re therefore requ i res is important, and can elements. First, corporate consideri ng the role and natu re be instrumental to cultures need to match work performance. Yet, employees personalities, of the organisational cu ltu re i n office space and layout and local cultural practices. which employees evolve only explains part of Walmart found itself in performance at work. a difficult position in The organisational culture interacts with office space Germany when it tried to enforce a corporate culture design. Thinking about the office space of the future that was perceived as too American, and not adapted therefore requires considering the role and nature to a European context, for instance banning romantic of the organisational culture in which employees relationships inside the organisation. Second, evolve. changes in organisational cultures lead to employee Organisational culture is commonly defined as ‘the adaptations, which in turn can diminish the efficiency way things are done’1 in a particular organisation or of imported practices. Third, importing elements institution. Organisations can choose to reach similar from another culture into an existing strong existing goals in very different ways, fostering different types culture can lead to potential culture conflicts between of cultures. For instance, achieving high employee promoters of the former and the new culture. productivity can be obtained through rigorous Overall, in order to make sure the office of the continuous monitoring of performance, combined future contributes to organisational performance, with financial incentives, as is often the case in the managers need to understand how office space will finance industry. Or it can be obtained by giving interact with existing corporate cultures, and facilitate employees flexibility, such as flexible working hours or not the adoption of new best practices. In addition, or the ability to work from home. organisational cultures, as well as office spaces, have For companies, it can be tempting to try to change to be shaped with employees’ personalities in mind. an organisational culture, or to import best practices While the start-up way of doing things might work from other organisations. Hiring a new CEO, for very well for young employees, it might not necessarily instance, often leads to a ‘change of culture’, which for older individuals, or employees coming from very can be accompanied by office space redesign. Some different cultures (e.g. bankers). Finally, what worked corporate cultures are also iconic in the way they break in the past does not always work in the future – too existing corporate cultural norms, while offering new often, imported ‘best practices’ work in the short term space design. Corporate cultures in start-ups are often because of a novelty effect, which gradually decreases about promoting a fun, laissez-faire type of culture in the few months following its adoption. I 1. Lundy and Cowling, 1996 2. The Google ‘20 Percent Time’ Policy allows employees to spend one day a week working on side projects that are not necessarily part of their normal job descriptions

info - may / june - 41

Workplaces in the clouds and beyond Eric van der Kleij is the Head of Level39, a financial, retail, cyber security and smart city technologies incubator and accelerator space on the 39th floor of One Canada Square, Canary Wharf. A technology entrepreneur himself and formerly the first Chief Executive of Tech City Investment Organisation, Eric has experienced first-hand the evolution of the workplace

Level39 is a lot more than just office space for fintech companies. What is it all about?

At Level39, we help our member companies grow by putting them in touch with hard-to-reach experts and mentors. The workplace we have created is the manifestation of this intersection between innovators and established companies. It is the next step in the continuum of the workplace.

It is worth mentioning that government policy has focused on creating the optimum environment for innovation and entrepreneurship; what we do at Level39 is create the workplace equivalent of this optimum environment for businesses to flourish.

I used a lot of the lessons I learnt during my time at Tech City to help curate this cluster. We have ensured that the proximity between small innovators and big companies is so frictionless that I can text a senior executive in any one of the banks around us and ask him to pop in at lunchtime to give some feedback to a start-up. These are meetings that would have taken me 12 months to get when I was in a start-up.

It works the other way too: UBS is putting its new innovation lab in Level39 to investigate crypto and Blockchain technologies, potentially one of the most important transformations in financial services.

New practices like this, coupled with tools such as Slack, which enables you to participate in multiple meetings on your mobile, Scrum and other agile development technologies are part of the evolution of the workplace.

How is the office designed to facilitate this?

Everything about the design of Level39 sends a signal that this is a place to discover new things and for the imagination to flourish. We have poked holes in our ceiling wherever we can to show what’s happening under the hood; we have painted the pipes in our event space so people can see how systems work; we use computer-room floor tiles as furniture as we like to highlight how stuff works. We want our entrepreneurs 42 - info - may / june

to know that ideas don’t have to be completed here, and that there is still room for ideation and discovery.

As a result, we have banks and major organisations using Level39 as a meeting place for their teams where they have the freedom to think out of the box and create.

Do you seek to create a collaborative environment in the same way as other co-working spaces?

Our Pantry space for drop-in members is designed for ‘orchestrated serendipity’. To enhance this we use strong cultural tools with the intention of helping the community of 173 companies at Level39 to connect with each other. One of these is the ‘Cookie Bell’, which is rung at around 3pm every day when warm cookies are delivered to the Pantry. Because the timing is not exact, people start hanging around the coffee machines and Pantry before and just after the bell, introducing themselves to each other and talking

focus

about what they are doing. One person became the Chief Technology Officer of three companies thanks to the Cookie Bell! These are the kind of frictionless collisions we like to encourage. It also raises the community’s knowledge, especially when the high growth communities on the 42nd and 24th floor join us around the Cookie Bell too.

In addition to these spaces for making connections, we facilitate the bridge through a programme called Office Hours with over 100 mentors, mostly from external companies and banks, providing support on a voluntary basis. They come here for two or three hours at a time and meet with up to six Level39 companies at regular, scheduled intervals for an exchange of feedback and ideas.

What other working arrangements do you have at Level39?

In what sense is Level39 an accelerator?

We have Hot Desks for those who only need desks occasionally, which are assigned by our reception team as and when they are required. But for those who want a more permanent spot for their equipment and growing teams we have Fixed Desks. Often little clusters get together and you see side-by-side coding taking place, which is the rebirth of an old technique that is not only incredibly resilient, but also raises the quality massively. Even IBM is doing that here with its London Bluemix Garage in our High Growth: 42 space,

All of our member companies can access up to seven hours of curriculum every week. During these sessions, ambitious entrepreneurs are introduced to expert mentors who can help hone their ideas and business models, and can crunch their route-to-market time.

We also run accelerator programmes and allow other people to run their accelerator programmes from our space. These programmes are comprised of cohorts of companies who work together intensely on a curriculum for a period of between six and 12

which is for fast growing businesses and collaborations with high technology companies. This is the part of IBM most determined to disrupt the company, and they bring very secure Cloud capability and powerful stuff such as Watson, its Artificial Intelligence engine, to our community.

Meetings are also taking place in new ways and need different spaces that lend themselves to these. We have spaces for stand-up meetings which encourage more efficiency – three 15-20 minute meetings can take place in the space of one one-hour meeting; what we call ‘sandboxes’ for start-ups to brainstorm away from their desks and a 200-seat event space. Agile technology has also introduced the concept of working in ‘scrums’ – groups of four or so people that convene around a common purpose area. For our investor, founder and finance communities we have the ClubLounge39 – one of the highest restaurants in London – which is designed for deal-making and dining.

weeks to help accelerate their businesses. That is a very different model from a co-working space or a shared space.

How important is location for Level39?

Being in the financial district is important for our fintech companies, but more than that, Canary Wharf is a place that people really want to come to. Part of that is having a very strong retail proposition, but it is also about being a destination. What is happening at Canary Wharf, especially with the development of the new phase, is sending a very clear signal to some of the most capable and high potential global companies that this is a terrific place for them. It is ably assisted by the magnificent appearance of the Crossrail station, which will be transformational for this area: 39 minutes from Heathrow to Canary Wharf will be a game changer. I Interview by KF info - may / june - 43

CAMPUS LONDON

Physical space that matters Campus London was one of the first collaborative workspaces to be opened in Tech City in 2012. Its head, Sarah Drinkwater, explains how it has revolutionised the concept of the workplace

What was the idea behind the creation of Campus London?

The idea behind Campus London was that physical space matters. Starting a company can be tough; we wanted to create a space where founders can find a support network, education, workspace, mentoring and more.

Had Google opened other Campuses elsewhere before this?

London was the home for our first Campus for several reasons; firstly, it’s a truly global city with many established industries (in Old Street, we’re equidistant from the City, Europe’s financial capital, and the creative agencies of Soho). Secondly, there was a density of startups here struggling to find space to work and run events.

Thirdly, we had a large Google office here and draw on their expertise across marketing, engineering and more to mentor our start-ups. We now have Campus Tel Aviv (launched 2013) and Campus Seoul (boxfresh!) with three more to come (Madrid, Sao Paulo, Warsaw).

are based here – that’s where all those great co-working spaces come in!

What kind of events does Campus run?

We have several core programmes around mentoring, learning, connecting and inspiration. Mentoring is a dropin session where you can sign up for 30 minutes chatting with a Google expert on a particular topic. Last year, we ran 1,100 hours of mentoring and covered everything from branding to Google Analytics to software development. For learning, we have a Saturday programme, Be A Founder, with inspiration and a product-refining workshop element designed to help you quit your job! And connection includes Campus for Mums, our 9-week baby friendly start-up school, where parents bring their babies, develop a strong support network, and have interactive sessions from UX (User experience) to customer acquisition.

How closely do you get involved with the start-ups?

Co-working spaces have now proliferated in London, so what differentiates Campus London from the rest?

The busy basement café at Campus London is our open workspace, and the best place to meet other founders!

Two start-ups based in our co-working floors met elsewhere in London and realised, despite sitting near each other, they’d never spoken. Overnight, they built Coffee Labs (coffeelabs.co), an algorithm that matches you once a month to a stranger, for coffee, and we gave them 500 coffees to test it. They’re now white-labelling the site for big corporates who want to encourage their employees to mix more. I Interview by KF

Campus London has something for every founder. Come to our open access workspace to get started, come to one of the free 850 events we ran last year for education or inspiration (even host your own!), move into paid coworking through our partners TechHub when you need it, and apply to fund Seedcamp when you’re ready to scale. Doing well? Come back and inspire founders a few years, or even a few months, behind you.

It’s been so exciting to see the growth of co-working spaces in London, from vertically led places like Level 39 (fintech) to luxe team rooms. I see Campus London as being a hub where all those start-ups can meet or attend and run events. We have 41,000 members, from firsttimers to old hands, designers to developers. We’re only one building so, of course, not all of our event attendees

The co-working area of Campus London

Does Google have any involvement in the Campus?

Campus London is a Google space but, to be clear, it’s a building for start-ups, rather than Google employees. We do not fund companies at Campus, nor take equity. We often run Google product sessions but companies should build on whatever platform works for them. It’s truly a community-led space.

44 - info - may / june

CENTRAL WORKING

Reinventing the ‘office’ James Layfield, founder and CEO of Central Working shares his insights on the new type of working environment growing businesses are looking for and how his club meets their needs

Y

ou spend most of your life at work. Wouldn’t you want to spend that time in the most effective way, surrounded by the loveliest people? Wouldn’t you want to really grow? We didn’t think the current world’s view of an ‘office’ did that, so we reinvented it.

Being an entrepreneur myself, I know firsthand the barriers facing businesses in their quest for success, and the huge rise in rent costs and lack of a supportive community are high up there. Leases don’t work for fast growth businesses because they make it impossible to plan and end up distracting them from what is important – growing. Likewise, the importance of joining a community in which you can connect, collaborate and share is invaluable. Central Working is looking to solve many of these problems for growing businesses.

Many pred icted the death of the of fice as we know it, but I don’t thi n k we wi l l al l be worki ng from home i n the f utu re

a number of tools to help facilitate useful human networking because we know how powerful it can be, but also understand how often it can be neglected.

Some of these tools are online while others are real world, networking events.

‘Change’ in business is accepted more easily these days. This is largely a result of disruptive technology penetrating most sectors. Businesses need the flexibility to adapt and scale. Additionally, the saying ‘it’s who you know, not what you know’ has never been so important in business as it is now. Companies of all sizes recognise the importance of supporting a sense of community and are taking steps to ensure that the space they’re working in helps them thrive.

Many predicted the death of the office as we know it, but I don’t think we will all be working from home in the future; in fact, I think there will be an even greater emphasis on spaces where employees and businesses can collaborate, face to face, to share and develop ideas. The best ideas and teams come from those collaborating and we will see businesses of all sizes embracing new kinds of spaces. I

Businesses from a large range of sectors understand that you need more than just four walls to succeed. You need communities in the best locations, where you can connect, collaborate and share ideas – just look at the huge growth in collaborative spaces, accelerators and co-working spaces. For me, London’s proximity to existing industry clusters, talent, venture capital and international markets make it a go-to destination for the best and brightest ideas, which will see even more demand for new environments for growth.

Central Working is lucky to be home to exciting businesses of all shapes and sizes, from members like GrowUp, who build sustainable commercial urban farms growing food for local markets, to partners like Microsoft Ventures. We work very closely with our members and spend time getting to know them and understanding their goals. This means we can then give them tailored support and advice as well as connections to help them thrive. We also use info - may / june - 45

focus

Human Capital

Martin Laws

Carissa Kilgour

P

ick up any business article, podcast or blog by economists, social scientists, business strategists or human capital experts and each appears to be offering their own perspective on ‘the future of work’; the reemerged ‘war for talent’ post the global recession, the rise of the virtual worker and global talent networks, the collision of talent with fast-moving cognitive workplace technology, or the challenges of managing a Millennial generation that is rapidly becoming the majority of our future workforce.

Deloitte’s latest global research suggests that this corporate focus on the fast-changing world of work is both long overdue and also high up the agenda of many of the world’s largest corporations. Advancing

The future of work is so much more than ‘just’ the latest workplaces enabled by the latest technology. As recent Deloitte global research shows, the HR and talent management dimensions are critical to the future of work debate. Martin Laws, Partner and Lead of Deloitte’s Work+Place initiative together with Carissa Kilgour, Director, look at the issues

– that presents perhaps the largest opportunity and most current challenge for many companies. Yet many corporates, worryingly, appear to be behind the curve in their readiness to manage tomorrow’s workforce and working practices.

Deloitte’s 2015 Global Human Capital Trends survey of more than 3,300 organisations across 106 countries, identified employee engagement and culture as a priority talent challenge. The new world of work is changing the way employers need to engage people: employees today work more hours and are nearly continuously connected to their jobs by pervasive mobile technologies. They work on demanding cross-functional teams that often bring new people

... modern, innovative, flexible and creative workplaces capture our imagination as to how the ‘future of work ’ could look. But it is the sourcing, managing and retaining of the fast evolving skill sets required by... businesses that presents perhaps the largest opportunity and most current challenge for many companies technology and machine learning is undoubtedly a trigger, with Oxford University research of the US market and joint Deloitte/Oxford University research of the UK market indicating that 47% of US and 35% of UK jobs could be replaced by automation technology within two decades. And modern, innovative, flexible and creative workplaces capture our imagination as to how ‘the future of work’ could look. But it is the sourcing, managing and retaining of the fast evolving skill sets required by tomorrow’s businesses – indeed by today’s businesses if they are to survive for tomorrow 46 - info - may / june

together at a rapid rate. Flexibility, empowerment, development and mobility all now play a big role in defining a company’s working culture. And one in three workers surveyed by Deloitte reported that being able to flexibly integrate work and life is the most important factor in their choosing a job. It is telling that recent entrants to the employment market no longer talk about work-life balance, but rather worklife integration. They expect their work and the other parts of their lives to connect seamlessly.

The growing influence of Generation Y (the

focus

Business and HR leaders should put the ‘simplification of work ’ on their agenda in 2015 and focus on individual, organisational and work- specific programmes that reduce complexity and help people focus on what really matters Millennial workforce born between 1982 and 2004) is proving critical. By 2025, they could represent 75% of the workforce. For this emerging workforce generation, purpose, mission and work-life fit is valued more than compensation growth or skills development, with more than half believing that increased mobile working would improve their personal productivity.

But, highlighting the supporting changes in corporate culture, attitudes, models and processes that will be necessary to succeed in this new world of work, Deloitte’s research has also identified that less than one in 10 organisations believe they currently have the performance management practices in place capable of managing a flexible workforce.

The pace of skills change appears to be accelerating too. The Deloitte London Futures report showed that 84% of London-based employers anticipated some or significant changes in the required skill set of their employees in the next decade, with digital know-how heading the list of fast-emerging priority skills.

Simply attracting this new talent is only the start of the challenge. A strong corporate culture is needed to drive employee engagement, enable changing skill sets and adapt to the unrelenting pace of technology change. But at the same time, there are concerns over the rise in the phenomenon of the ‘overwhelmed employee’, struggling to cope with organisational complexity, information overload and a 24/7 connected work environment. Global Human Capital Trends 2015 concludes that: ‘Not only has technology become a critical and pivotal part of human resources, but we have also identified a new human capital issue… the overwhelmed employee. Organisations face an imperative to find ways to absorb more technology while simultaneously making it simple.’ We are increasingly overwhelmed by the flood of data in

our lives but are unfortunately saddled with an ancient computing architecture that has not seen a major upgrade in more than 50,000 years: the human brain.

It is telling that more than 70% of the global organisations surveyed by Deloitte rated the need to simplify work as an ‘important problem’, with more than 25% citing it as ‘very important’. Today, only 10% of companies have a major work simplification programme; 44% are working on one.

Design thinking, work redesign and technology replacement are becoming critical for HR and business leaders seeking to simplify work practices and systems.

Many of the positive intentions of tomorrow’s ways of working – technology, globalisation, mobility, the virtual workforce – are actually adding complexity to work. But technology and design thinking are helpfully converging in a way that offers significant opportunities for businesses to get ahead of the curve. Deloitte’s research highlights that business and HR leaders should put ‘the simplification of work’ on their agenda for 2015 and focus on individual, organisational and work-specific programmes that reduce complexity and help people focus on what really matters.

Enabled by evolving technology in the workplace that could not have been envisaged a decade ago, and a generation of talent that is growing up with new expectations from the ever-lengthening portfolio careers ahead of them, the future of work presents a fascinating opportunity and challenge to every employer. How employers respond to this challenge and manage their interconnected strategies, processes and attitudes around their talent, technology, geographic locations and physical workplace is going to be key to their winning this war for tomorrow’s talent. I info - may / june - 47

focus

Work-life conflict and interaction A mismatch between the realities of 21st century life and the way work is organised is bringing into question how work needs to be done and how it should be done in the future, observes Dr Alexandra Beauregard, Assistant Professor of Employment Relations and Organisational Behaviour at London School of Economics

W

hy are work-life issues so relevant today? Four major societal shifts contribute to higher levels of interaction between our paid work and our personal lives. First of all, the growing proportion of women in the labour force means that household work and caregiving are often performed by people whose time and energy are also allocated to the workplace. Secondly, as the average age of the population increases, more employees are called upon to provide unpaid eldercare – and to make things more complicated, one third of workers aged 35-59 care for both elderly parents and dependent children (the ‘sandwich generation’).

Time-wise, there’s been a decreasing trend in the average number of hours worked by UK employees over the past two decades. But managers, professionals, and small business owners are all working longer hours, and many others have more than one job out of financial necessity. Finally, advances in communications technology mean that employees can be available to work at any time, and from any location. Some organisations develop cultures that make constant availability a criterion for career advancement, and in an economic downturn, employees often feel obliged to work beyond regular hours and outside of their regular workplace just to keep their jobs secure. Bringing work into the home can make it difficult to attend to family responsibilities, and it reduces the amount of time available overall for leisure and social activities.

Work-life conflict has serious repercussions for industry. The more conflict, the less job satisfaction and organisational commitment employees report.

Research tells us that more work-life conflict results in reduced job effort and performance, increased absenteeism and intentions to quit, and a greater likelihood of counterproductive work behaviour (e.g. coming in late, taking unauthorised breaks, and working more slowly than is appropriate). At a personal level, employees suffering from work-life conflict are less satisfied with family life, more likely to withdraw from 48 - info - may / june

family or social activities, and more prone to stress, anxiety and depression. They’re also more apt to report experiencing psychosomatic symptoms like headaches, tension and fatigue, as well as cognitive difficulties such as problems staying awake, concentrating, and being alert.

What does this mean for the future? Many have argued that the current model of work is unsustainable. The ‘ideal worker’ remains perpetually available, prioritises work above all else, and has few if any outside commitments.

With dual-earner households an economic imperative for most families, the pool of ‘ideal workers’ grows ever smaller. Unchallenged assumptions about the need for senior level positions to be staffed on a full-time, long-hours basis results in many talented individuals – predominantly but not exclusively women – being underemployed, working in jobs that make inadequate use of their skills and qualifications. Meanwhile, the Confederation of British Industry warns of a skills shortage and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development finds that 62% of British employers report engaging in a ‘war for talent’.

There is a profound mismatch between the way work is organised and the realities of 21st century life.

Few of us have stay-at-home partners (or live-in staff) to take care of domestic responsibilities while we give our all to paid work. Few of us want to work at a level below our capabilities in exchange for flexibility or reduced hours. The artificial distinction between ‘full-time’ and ‘part-time’ work needs to give way to a more meaningful interpretation of contribution and impact, taking a longterm view of business needs and the dynamic nature of the life course. Non-work commitments ebb and flow; employees working 20 hours a week may ramp up to 40 hours as their situation changes (and may already be as objectively productive as a less efficient ‘full-time’ colleague). We must question our assumptions about how work needs to be done, and start asking: how do we need to do our work? I

focus

Does flexible working work?

What can we expect and more importantly what will be the consequences of a more flexible working culture? asks Melanie Stancliffe, Partner at Thomas Eggar LLP

T

he majority of UK employers now allow some form of flexible working. Whether formally or informally, infrequently or regularly, there is a growing acceptance of working part-time, remotely, on compressed hours, or no fixed hours at all. True, all employees now have the right to request to work more flexibly, but that is not a right to work flexibly. Once employers have given ‘reasonable consideration’, they are not obliged to agree to the proposed working pattern, so why the shift in culture? Is it benevolence, a commitment to wellness, accommodation of life cycles and commitments? No, usually its pure economics.

The soaring cost of office space in major cities and technological advances have created a sound business case for home working. Retailers have long relied on flexible staff, not to mention seasonal workers.

This became more mainstream in the recession. UK businesses had largely positive experiences of part-time working – many reduced working hours but preserved

The soaring cost of office space in major cities and technological advances have created a sound business case for home working jobs – giving immediate savings on redundancy pay and future savings on recruitment costs. When there are insufficient hot-desks in Whitehall, we know flexible working has become a public as well as private norm.

The pros...

Government, industry and academic surveys attest to the increased productivity of staff working flexibly, greater employee engagement, improved retention rates, lower periods of sickness absences and a greater attraction to recruits. Generation Z (born post 1994) desire work-life integration, so flexible working enhances the ability to attract talent.

‘Agile working’ is typically seen for staff who are skilled, in senior positions and working in larger businesses (250+ employees). It isn’t universally embraced. Yahoo’s CEO famously restricted home working and at the other extreme in the hierarchy, virtual personal assistants have thrived. Common themes of flexible working include: autonomy over work, efficient time management skills,

output capable of being measured, commitment to the organisation and trustworthiness. ...and the cons Flexible working is not without its detractors. The main objections concern the impact on service delivery, the inability to have oversight and paradoxically, concerns about cost. Businesses in the UK and France must meet client needs, but they too are evolving. Clients situated across the globe in different time zones, want to connect outside of the 9 to 5 workday. Flexing working hours can cater for this.

In finance and professional services particularly, traditional approaches to presenteeism and perceptions of clients needing 24/7 availability have mitigated against flexible working. Whilst the talent gap has centred on the loss of professional women because of inflexible practices, both genders express the fear that flexible working will be ‘career limiting’. Business leaders play a key role in busting these myths.

Historically, flexible working has been associated with caring responsibilities, statistically more likely to be a female than male concern. Permitting all employees to request flexibility is an important step in reducing stereotypical assumptions and reducing resentments by way of inclusion. Home working and reduced hours enable employees to avoid the commute and have more time for other pursuits (whether study, sports or family).

New challenges That said, businesses and employees alike recognise there are challenges in working more flexibly. The long hours working culture in the UK is taking its toll on our health. The greatest reason for workplace absence is stress. Employees often work longer because they continue to check emails, etc. in the evenings, on the weekends and when on holiday. For some this is voluntary; they want to stay in touch and minimise the work upon their return. Others feel there is an expectation that they will be available on the devices given. One consequence is the risk the employee will claim back pay for time worked when the employment relationship ends.

This blurring of the boundaries between work and home life also gives rise to social media challenges info - may / june - 49

focus

– employees collecting business information on their own devices, linking in with clients and contacts, inadvertently sharing information or broadcasting negative comments on their employer or colleagues.

Even strong policies cannot stop the negative media storm after the disgruntled employee has tweeted their views.

Creating a sense of community and cohesion is also more difficult when staff work disparately. Technology facilitates better communication than ever. However, it requires greater effort from managers to ensure consistency of delivery, employee perceptions of involvement, working together as a team, social connection and loyalty to brand values if they do not work side by side. A leading accountancy firm has even re-introduced bricks and mortar offices, rebranded as ‘business hubs’ to address these less quantifiable concerns. Lastly, employees working

c a s e s t u dy:

A

remotely raise additional legal issues including insurance coverage, ensuring their workplace is safe, monitoring performance, not invading their privacy as well as the ownership and security of the data used by them. Peripatetic staff working in different European countries, also pose another risk. And this can occur unintentionally if the employee works from home in France whilst their base is in the UK. Those employees benefit from protections in the countries in which they work, which the employer may unwittingly break.

Should the relationship break down, the employee may also ‘forum shop’ for the tribunal that awards higher compensation, typically those in France.

These challenges notwithstanding, the UK employment market is poised to become even more flexible, creating the potential to become the most competitive and innovative place for business in the world. I

CU LTU R E , VA LUES A N D E NGAG E M E NT at P W C

decade after the first Millennials (born between 1980 and 1995) entered the halls of PwC, the firm began to notice that they were leaving PwC in growing numbers after just a few years. Additionally, a significant majority of them appeared to lack interest in the traditional professional services career path, one that required an intense work commitment early in their career in exchange for a chance to make partner later on.

To clarify the impact of what appeared to be a shift in culture, PwC embarked on a massive generational study1.Together with the University of Southern Carolina and London Business School, it surveyed thousands of employees of PwC firms around the world, across 18 territories, in order to understand the various forces influencing the workplace experience for Millennials.

These include workplace culture; career development & opportunities and work-life balance. The study revealed that work-life balance is one of the most significant drivers of workplace retention and a primary reason this generation of employees may choose a non-traditional professional career track.

Just as notable, however, are the widespread similarities between this generation and their non-Millennial counterparts, all of whom aspire to a new workplace model that places a higher priority on work-life balance and workplace flexibility.

At PwC, Millennials represent a majority of employees; two out of three of PwC’s staff are in their 20s and early 30s.

Most are unmarried (75%) and without kids (92%). For three out of four, PwC is their first job out of college. By 2016, 80% of PwC’s workforce will comprise this generation.

The key learnings from the study were the following: • Many Millennials are not convinced that excessive work demands are worth the sacrifices to their personal life • Millennials are not the only ones wanting greater flexibility at work; this finding applied across the age profile at PwC • Millennials value a strong cohesive team-oriented culture at work, with opportunities for interesting work, and global mobility, even more than non Millennials • Millennial attitudes are not totally universal, although there is a significant commonality between North America and Western Europe. Elsewhere, strong differentiated cultural norms can ‘trump’ Millennial views.

• Millennials place greater emphasis on being supported and appreciated in the context of retention.

This insight has translated into a retention strategy at PwC built on emotional connection. Environment and behaviour, via elements such as work-life balance, engaging work with development opportunity, a team-based supportive work culture, as well as competitive pay are the pillars of emotional connection, which translate into commitment to the company, job satisfaction and thus retention. I Mark Thompson, Director Sustainability and Climate Change, PwC

1. PwC’s NextGen: A global generational study: www.pwc.com/us/en/people-management/publications/nextgen-global-generational-study.jhtml

50 - info - may / june

Mobility and its implications for the workplace

B

usinesses worldwide are looking to international mobility to help them reach fast growth markets.

Leading organisations are starting to think about their longer-term global workforce needs, instead of just reacting to the short term. They are tapping into talent pools in new geographies and new demographic segments to develop an agile global workforce that can thrive in an increasingly fluid global landscape.

The world of work is changing fast. Being able to access new talent pools, whilst also strategically managing existing talent into the right roles, into the right locations, at the right cost, can be a real competitive advantage when done well. So, a more innovative and sophisticated approach to mobility is needed.

Destinations are changing too, beyond the once dominant G7 and even the BRIC economies, to the fast growing F7 ‘frontier’ markets, from the Philippines to Peru. We see even relatively small companies extending their international reach. PwC’s survey1 indicates that 89% of organisations plan to increase the number of internationally mobile workers in the next two years, with the biggest rise coming in short-term assignments of up to one year. These moves are seen as a way to develop emerging, high potential talent, providing exposure to working in different cultures and countries. They’re often more attractive to women and can encourage mobility from locations where there is often a reluctance to move away from extended family members for longer periods (eg Asia).

As a result, organisations are planning to introduce new mobility types, with a predicted doubling in talent swaps, where an organisation swaps individuals between

two of its locations. Swaps help promote personal development, cultivate a group culture and strengthen a global mindset. Almost as large a rise is expected in developmental moves, which represent a shift away from the traditional use of mobility to address tactical needs and towards using it as a way to attract top talent.

And that talent will increasingly come from different places. With more than 50% of graduates aged 25 – 34 likely to be living in emerging markets (China 29%, India 12% and Indonesia 6%) it makes sense to tap into these talent pools now and to create a ‘global employer’ brand to compete in the battle for talent with local employers.

PwC’s research suggests that opportunities for mobility are especially important to the ‘millenial’ generation. In 2011, PwC spoke to more than 4,000 new graduates from around the world about what they wanted from their careers. More than 70% wanted to work abroad, making this one of the most important attributes for a graduate employer. But there may be a mismatch. Many of the markets your business is likely to be targeting for growth are low down on the list of millennials’ favoured destinations. While nearly 60% put the US in their top 20, only 11% are keen to work in India and just 2% in China.

With these factors in play there is clearly a need to adopt a strategic approach to mobility. Understanding your current situation, predicting your future needs to support the business strategy in your targeted growth markets and then implementing a recruitment and talent development programme with mobility at its core. I Mark Thompson, PwC 1. Moving People with Purpose – Modern mobility survey: www.pwc.co.uk/human-resource-services/modern-mobility-survey/index.jhtml

MINDFU LNESS AT WORK : FAD OR B LESS ING ?

T

he practice of ‘mindfulness’ has had much success in executive circles, and many companies have embraced mindfulness programmes for their employees because it has been shown to improve resilience, a key factor for dealing with a complex and challenging world. This is backed up by neuroscientists, who have found that it affects brain areas related to perception, emotion regulation, complex thinking and sense of self. Moreover, meditators have shown superior performance in resisting distractions, solving problems, or learning from past experience to optimise present decision-making.

However, implementing mindfulness in organisational contexts does carry risks according to executive coach David Brendel. The first one is an avoidance risk: people may use mindful meditation as an escape hatch instead of facing some of their responsibilities or tough decisions. ‘Mindful meditation should always be used in the service of enhancing, not displacing, people’s rational and analytical thought processes about their careers and personal lives,’ he says. The second risk would be the counterproductive effect of imposing mindfulness on entire organisations. Indeed, people could find it intrusive, stressful and awkward to feel obliged to practice mindful meditation during their lunch break, for example. Mindfulness practices at work need to be incorporated as one among many self-chosen strategies for people who want to cope with stress, make sound decisions and have fulfilling lives. I Veronique Tran, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, ESCP Europe info - may / june - 51

the workplace So how will the workplace be transformed within the next 10 to 15 years - within most of our working lives? We asked our contributors to make their predictions...

‘Change has become so accelerated that it’s hard to predict the future but I hope we’ll continue to see the rise of flexible working models, whether that’s phases of working part time, portfolio careers or remotely managed teams.’ Sarah Drinkwater, Head of Campus London

‘In light of new war for talent, the Human Resource function in traditional corporates will reinvent itself, transforming from primarily an administrative and compliance function to a strategic business advisor leading the strategy for the corporate culture and the employee experience.Traditional performance management processes with rigid technology processes and static development objectives are not aligned to the objectives of today’s forward looking businesses and talent.The future performance management framework will be anchored in flexibility and real time development and coaching.’

Carissa Kilgour, Deloitte Real Estate & Martin Laws, Partner, Deloitte LLP

‘The workplace in the future…. will

be a hybrid office catering for the working requirements of an internationally mobile, multicultural and environmentally sensitive workforce. Personal offices will give way to open collaborative spaces with technological innovations such as noise cancellation allowing employees to work collectively. Gamification will be used to engage a technology savvy but time poor workforce and there will be more environmentally supportive infrastructure such as employee bike racks and lockers. The physical work “place” will not become entirely virtual but will transform into a “space” which may be used by anyone, anywhere and at anytime.’ Eniga de Montfort, Corporate Solicitor, Bryan Cave Helen Webb, Employment Solicitor, Bryan Cave

‘In an increasingly digital world, workplaces will become even more of a differentiator for businesses. More thought, effort and money will be directed into helping facilitate human growth.’ James Layfield, Founder and CEO, Central Working 52 - info - may / june

connections and collaboration to fuel

of the future ‘The workplace of the future

will be a more equitable balance between employer and employee where going to work will nurture you and contribute to your wellbeing. ‘Workforces’ will be replaced by ‘work families’ through technology as well as the curation of warm cultural connections that make people feel part of the community.

Employers will think of themselves as leaders of the family, and collective nurturing will be woven into the fabric of the workplace.There will be a blurring of the lines between home and work to the extent that one day your employer may even contribute to the cost of your home as an extension of the office!’

Eric van der Kleij, CEO, Level 39

‘By 2020, working flexibly will be commonplace

for skilled staff. Client-facing, patient-facing and pupilfacing will continue to lag behind. There will have been a sea change in private sector employers’ attitudes in two main respects. Firstly, the universality of flexible working will be needed to cater for generations with ageing populations and the desire of talent to “work to live”, not “live to work”. European workplaces and employers will need to flex traditional models to adjust. Secondly and consequently, this will remove the presumption that female staff are less committed or less productive, improving womens’ promotion prospects and pay.’

Melanie Stancliffe, Partner, Thomas Eggar LLP

‘By 2030, workplaces

will need to support overall wellbeing which will impact building and workplace design.

An industry in wellness in buildings is emerging with a broad perspective.The seven well pillars are: air, water, light, fitness, nourishment, comfort and mind. Standards are emerging today that will institutionalise wellness into buildings and workplaces by 2030.’ Tim Allen, Head of Workplace Consulting EMEA, CBRE Ltd

®Hufton+Crow

Post Office HQ, designed by HLW

info - may / june - 53

ici

londres magazine

Plus de 400 points de distribution à Londres

Février 2015

n° 191 – 10-12 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2HF, 020 7581 1588 – © Maciek Pozoga

Magazine

Gratuit

p.10

Le magazine des Français à Londres www.ici-londres.com 10-12 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2HF

020 7581 1588

so I could not really afford the time to do that. For this reason, this show is a one-night only performance, and in French.

You mentioned being inspired by the Lyric Theatre. What other cultural discoveries have you made since you moved to London with your family?

I have only been in London for a few months but even when I was living in Paris, I used to come regularly to London to see musicals (such as Billy Eliott and Avenue Q) and exhibitions. I really like the Tate Gallery.

BOON Actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, author and film director*, Dany Boon tells INFO about his return to the stage and move to London Can you tell us a little bit more about your ‘Best of’ one-man show at the Lyric Theatre on 18 May and why you decided to do it?

It was really when I saw the Lyric Theatre, a beautiful, cosy and intimate ‘Italian style’ theatre, that I was inspired to go back to the stage and do this ‘Best Of’ show. There will be some new sketches mixed with ones that I have performed in the past, in my 62 years as a comedian… (he laughs). No, my career has only been 24 years, but that is still quite a long time!

For this show, I will also be adding a few piano pieces, which will be a taster of my return to the Olympia in Paris next year to celebrate my 25-year career as well as my 50th birthday.

Do you feel the cultural scene is more vibrant here than in Paris?

Not really, except maybe for the museums! For kids especially, London has some very interesting exhibitions. I like the fact that most of them are a mix of different influences; it is much more fun, freespirited and playful. I live quite close to the Saatchi Gallery and I enjoy going to temporary exhibitions of young and upcoming artists. In general, I find London to be a less stressful and more cosmopolitan city than Paris.

How long will you be staying in London?

I have no idea, but I just hired an agent here and I am preparing to shoot in an English film, the adaption of the British comedy novel ‘A Year in the Merde’ [Stephen Clarke’s best selling comedic novel about a British man’s experiences of working in Paris]. It is a great book, and I am very excited to be playing the role of a French politician; it is very rare for a French actor not to be given a ‘bad guy’ film role! I am also producing Jérôme Commandeur’s first film that will start shooting in May, with a really good cast including Thierry Lhermitte, Sabine Azéma and MarieAnne Chazel. Plus I have two projects as film director in English, and another one with Pathé.

This one-man show is in French but did you feel you had to adapt your sketches for a French audience living in the UK in any way?

When can we expect a sketch on the differences between the English and the French?

Yes, certainly in some ways! I have already performed a one-man show in English for an English audience in the US and it required a lot of work and research to adapt to such a completely new audience. I have a lot of side projects for the cinema on the go at the moment

For this, I would need more time – I haven’t been in London long enough. But I will definitely talk about this in my show! I Interview by Jeanne Mattei Lyric Theatre, London 18 May 2015/8pm/From £16.50

* Dany Boon’s most famous film was Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (2008), a French comedy that he not only cowrote and directed, but also starred in. He was also President of the Jury of the Cannes Film Festival 2014.

info - may / june - 55

what ’s on : a selection of exhibitions in london

Compiled by Jeanne Mattei

som e r s e t hou s e , london

PHOTO LONDON - a major international photography event in the heart of London ||| The inaugural edition of Photo London takes place in May. As London’s first international photography fair, it aims to harness the passionate, growing audience for photography in the city and nurture a new generation of collectors.

Of the participating galleries, almost 30 are from the UK, 10 from the US, and more than 20 from across mainland Europe, from Zurich to Istanbul.

The varied selection of galleries includes specialists in vintage works, internationally renowned photography galleries, contemporary art galleries that

&

a l b e rt m u s e u m , lo n d o n

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty ||| ‘London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration’ – Alexander McQueen, January 2000 This spring, the V&A presents the only major retrospective in Europe of the work of the visionary fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen. One of the most innovative designers of his generation, McQueen was celebrated for his extraordinary creative talent.

He combined a profound grasp of tailoring and eclectic range of influences with a relentless pursuit to challenge the boundaries of art and fashion, blending the latest technology with traditional craftsmanship.

Spanning his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, the exhibition includes more than 240 ensembles and accessories, the largest number of individual pieces designed by McQueen and collaborators ever seen together.

The thematic presentation of the exhibition reflects McQueen’s Romantic sensibility and interrogates ideas and concepts central to his work, including his subversive tailoring; his Gothic sensibility; primitivism and the animal world; heritage and ancestry; nature and the natural world; and technology and handcraft.

The original version of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2011 was organised by the Costume Institute and became one of the museum’s top 10 most visited exhibitions. I Until 2 August / Open daily 10am to Butterfly headdress of hand-painted turkey feathers, Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen (Summer 2008) 5:30pm, until 9:30pm Fridays/ Full price £16 56 - info - may / june

© Anthea Sims

v i c to r i a

Formento & Formento, Mai VI (from the series The Japan Diaries), 2014

show photographic works by artists, and new galleries possessed of strong creative vision. Between them, these galleries will exhibit photography in all its forms, ranging from nineteenth-century prints from the dawn of the medium, to contemporary responses to the proliferation of the image in the age of the Internet and social media.

Strong exhibition themes appear, including a focus on women behind the camera, museum-style monographic surveys and previously unseen works. I 21 – 24 May / Open daily 12pm to 7pm / Day tickets £20.00, concessions £17.00

des ign m u s eu m , london

Designs of the Year 2015 ||| Now in its eighth year, Designs of the Year celebrates design that promotes or delivers change, enables access, extends design practice or captures the spirit of the year. The international awards and exhibition showcases projects from the previous year in six categories, namely Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Kenzopedia by Toni Halonen Product, and Transport.

Nominees include the Foundation Louis Vuitton designed by Frank Gehry in the Architecture category and Kenzopedia by Toni Halonen for Kenzo Paris in the Graphics category.

This exhibition provides a snapshot of the contemporary concerns of the design world, with

76 nominees coming from over 30 countries across five continents.

A strong theme for 2015 is the desire to harness new technologies to solve long-standing problems, as seen in projects as diverse as the world’s first lab for 3D printing prosthetic limbs, and the Moocall sensor which is connected to a cow’s tail and texts the farmer when calving is Disfigured Eggplant by imminent.

Patrice de Villiers The overall winner of the Design of the Year will be revealed at an event at the Design Museum on 4 June. I Until 23 August / Open daily 10am to 5.45pm, last admission 5.15pm / Full price £13

the b riti s h m u s eu m , london

Defining beauty: the body in ancient Greek art ||| This major exhibition on the human body in ancient Greek art explores the Greek experience and its preoccupation with the human form. To the ancient Greeks, the body was a thing of beauty and a bearer of meaning. The remarkable works of art in the exhibition range from the abstract simplicity of prehistoric figurines to breathtaking realism in the age of Alexander the Great. Giving form to thought, these works continued to inspire artists for hundreds of years and, over time, shaped the way we think of ourselves.

The exhibition features around 150 objects, including some of the most beautiful Greek sculpture to have survived from antiquity. In addition to iconic white marble statues, the exhibition includes exquisite works in terracotta, beautiful bronzes and fascinating vases that demonstrate the quality and inventiveness of ancient Greek craftsmen.

Outstanding objects from the British Museum, one of the most important collections of Greek art in the world, are shown alongside extraordinary loans from other world-class collections. I

Until 5 July / Open Monday to Thursday 10am to 5.30pm, until 8:30pm on Friday, and Saturday & Sunday 9am to 5.30pm / Full price £16.50

Marble statue of a naked Aphrodite crouching at her bath, also known as Lely’s Venus. Roman copy of a Greek original, 2nd century AD. Royal Collection Trust/Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 info - may / june - 57

book reviews These books, recently translated into English, were selected by the French Institute

The Lights of Pointe-Noire

What Became of the White Savage

by Alain Mabanckou Published by Serpent’s Tail Translated by Helen Stevenson Original title: Lumières de Pointe-Noire

by François Garde Published by Dedalus Books Translated by Aneesa Abbas-Higgins Original title: Ce qu’il advint du sauvage blanc

||| Alain Mabanckou left Congo in 1989, at the age of 22, not to return until a quarter of a century later. When at last he returns home to Pointe-Noire, a bustling port town on Congo’s south-eastern coast, he finds a country that in some ways has changed beyond recognition: the cinema where, as a child, Mabanckou gorged on glamorous American culture has become a Pentecostal temple, and his secondary school has been renamed in honour of a previously despised colonial ruler. But many things remain unchanged, not least the swirling mythology of Congolese culture which still informs everyday life in Pointe-Noire.

Mabanckou though, now a decorated French-Congolese writer and esteemed professor at UCLA, finds he can only look on as an outsider at the place where he grew up.

As Mabanckou delves into his childhood, into the life of his departed mother and into the strange mix of belonging and absence that informs his return to Congo, he slowly builds a stirring exploration of the way home never leaves us, however long ago we left home.

Finalist for the Man Booker International Prize 2015. I

After The Crash

by Michel Bussi Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson Translated by Sam Taylor Original title: Un avion sans elle

||| On the night of 22 December 1980, a plane crashes on the Franco-Swiss border and is engulfed in flames. 168 out of 169 passengers are killed instantly. The miraculous sole survivor is a three-month-old baby girl. Two families, one rich, the other poor, step forward to claim her, sparking an investigation that will last for almost two decades. Is she Lyse-Rose or Emilie? Eighteen years later, having failed to discover the truth, private detective Credule Grand-Duc plans to take his own life, but not before placing an account of his investigation in the girl’s hands. But, as he is about to pull the trigger, he uncovers a secret that changes everything – then is killed before he can breathe a word of it to anyone... I 58 - info - may / june

||| In the 1840s, Narcisse, a young French sailor is abandoned on the coast of Australia and given up for dead by his shipmates. Seventeen years later he is found living among aboriginal peoples, having apparently forgotten everything of his original identity, including his native French language. Octave de Vallombrun, a well-meaning geographer, takes him under his wing and sets out to bring Narcisse, now known as the ‘white savage’ back to civilisation and to find out what happened during those 17 years.

Observing Narcisse’s struggle to adjust to the ways of the white man, Octave too begins to question his assumptions about what it means to be civilised, and to see in a new light the man known as the ‘white savage’. I

A Philosophy of Walking

by Frédéric Gros Published by Verso Books Translated by John Howe Original title: Marcher, une philosophie

||| In A Philosophy of Walking, leading thinker Frédéric Gros charts the many different ways we get from A to B – the pilgrimage, the promenade, the protest march, the nature ramble – and reveals what they say about us.

Frédéric Gros draws attention to other thinkers who also saw walking as something central to their practice.

On his travels he ponders Thoreau’s eager seclusion in Walden Woods; the reason Rimbaud walked in a fury, while Nerval rambled to cure his melancholy.

He shows us how Rousseau walked in order to think, while Nietzsche wandered the mountainside to write.

In contrast, Kant marched through his hometown every day, exactly at the same hour, to escape the compulsion of thought.

Brilliant and erudite, A Philosophy of Walking is an entertaining and insightful manifesto for putting one foot in front of the other. I

© Photos by Pierre Monetta

eat •

drink •

stay. © James Bedford

Scallops,

brocoletti and romanesco

Lemon shortbread, Limoncello sorbet

Rivea

salad

Alexandre Nicolas

RIVEA

Taking the stairs down to RIVEA, at the Bulgari Hotel & Residences, is like stepping into a luxury yacht, all white leather upholstery, high gloss wood panelling and silk fringe drapes that shimmer like the sun catching the sea, but the real journey to the Mediterranean is in the food served by Chef Alexandre Nicolas. A protégé of Alain Ducasse, he has brought a freshness and informality to his menu that is inspired by the vibrant food markets of the French and Italian rivieras.

At RIVEA you don’t order traditional courses, but rather small plates of food, each an exquisite work of art with a complexity that belies its size. Making a choice is the hard part, but there are some flavourful ‘Little Bites’ to stimulate the senses while contemplating the menu. The Crispy Socca, made from chickpea flour, is a new take on the Niçoise street food found in the Cour Saleya Market, while the Tigelle is a tiny burger-like bread stuffed with cured ham, or rocket and pesto. Looking like French fries, the Roasted Panisse, are a sublime combination of flavour and texture that could well be addictive. Add to this the breads such as foccacia with olive paste and a delicate lemon bread created by Pastry Chef Alexandre Talpaert.

Four or five dishes per person is recommended, and there are a variety of starters, pasta dishes and ‘RIVEA plates’ from which to take your pick. Fish and seafood feature prominently as do vegetables – these are all sourced from France, Italy, or as locally as possible, and the menu is ever changing, depending on the season or a particular

ingredient that the Chef has come across. Examples include the exquisite scallops from Brighton, paired with tiny broccoletti and romanesco florets and a verdant sauce, and the brill, green asparagus and morels. The pasta is freshly made on a daily basis, and ingeniously embedded with herbs or stuffed with vegetables. Gnocchi are little pillows of lightness, thanks to the particular potatoes and drying method used, and even the skin is dried, powdered and sprinkled on top for the full potato experience. Meat dishes include milk-fed lamb and seared beef fillet and a veal shank that has been slow-cooked for 36 hours.

Fresh ingredients are complemented by specialist products from the best suppliers – all charcuterie comes from the Spigaroli brothers, a family business with a 100year pedigree, while the fragrant olive oil and Taggiasca olives are sourced from Terre Bormane in Liguria.

Although small, the plates are deceptively filling, but it is worth leaving room for one of the desserts concocted by Pastry Chef Alexandre Talpaert. Refreshing citrus sorbets are a signature, and there is a British twist to many with ingredients such as shortbread and marmalade, but for sheer indulgence opt for the Chocolate tart or Gianduja palet, which use chocolate from Alain Ducasse’s own manufacture in Paris.

Sea views may be in short supply in Knightsbridge, but RIVEA’s fresh, light, flavourful food is so evocative of the south coast that you may find yourself momentarily transported – by yacht, of course – to sunnier climes. I KF www.rivealondon.com info - may / june - 59

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons celebrates 30 years with Dîners des Protégés

Belmond le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

||| To celebrate 30 years of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Raymond Blanc is hosting a series of Dîners des Protégés at his two-Michelin Star Oxfordshire restaurant. Throughout 2015, guests joining the Dîner des Protégés evenings are able to savour the acclaimed Chefs’ signature creations during an evening of gastronomic excellence.

The food of Belmond Le Manoir is reflected in each menu, which includes an introductory course from Raymond Blanc, as well as one from Executive Head Chef Gary Jones and Pastry Chef Benoit Blin. A champagne Laurent-Perrier reception with canapés and a signature

dinner with accompanying wines, coffee and petits fours is also included. The evenings are priced at £225 per person and the confirmed chefs taking part in Diners des Protégés are as follows: • Martin Burge: Wednesday 27 May • Paul Heathcote MBE: Wednesday 24 June • Adam Simmonds: Wednesday 15 July • Eric Chavot: Wednesday 16 September • Bruno Loubet: Wednesday 21 October • Alan Murchison: Wednesday 25 November Delighted to be reunited with his former colleagues, Raymond Blanc said, ‘For a teacher, there is no greater joy and pride than to see one’s students reach the peak of their chosen career. Teaching and training is one of the most important things to me. I love to pass on what I know and I am very excited to be welcoming back my protégés to Belmond Le Manoir for this fantastic series of events.’

Belmond Le Manoir has maintained two Michelin Stars for 30 years and the food remains the focus of every guest’s visit. The quality of the food stems from the freshness and purity of its ingredients, with the two-acre kitchen garden producing 90 types of vegetables and over 70 varieties of herbs which are used in the kitchens. I www.belmond.com/lemanoir

Flower lunch at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester ||| ‘Strawberry Field’ is a whimsical, evocative dessert created from a pistachio and strawberry cake by Pastry Chef Angelo Ercolano for the Lunch Flower Menu at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.

Celebrating the Chelsea Flower Show, the threecourse menu features other floral creations such as the ‘Blossoming vegetable tart, fresh herb condiment’ and ‘Fillet of brill, spring garden’, but like the flowers it emulates, only lasts for a short time from 19 to 22 May. I www.alainducasse-dorchester.co

60 - info - may / june

Strawberry Field

PAUL opens second bakery and café outside of London ||| PAUL recently introduced a taste of France to Newbury with the opening of its second bakery and café outside of London (the first being in Oxford), located in the bustling Parkway Shopping Centre.

The ribbon was cut by the Lady Mayor of Newbury Cllr Jo Day and PAUL UK CEO Jean-Michel Orieux who said ‘This is a very exciting time for PAUL. We hope that our arrival in Newbury will be a great addition to the busy shopping centre which welcomes thousands of visitors each year. We look forward to welcoming locals and tourists alike to enjoy our exclusive range of French classics, traditional, hand-crafted bakery and fine patisserie products.’

The opening was also marked by a stilt-walker dressed in typical French clothing, live music performances as well as a competition for a £50 loyalty card voucher for customers from the Parkway Shopping Centre. I www.paul-uk.com

CHEESE & WINE PRESS SA I N T N EC TA I R E

yo ur w ine w it h saint nectaire

||| ‘A beautiful rind, a delicate texture, rich and evocative aromas, and a lot of character’ is what most people would say when asked to define delicious cheese. Very few cheeses have all these qualities, but one masters them all. And it is one of the most genuinely rural and traditional cheeses. Saint Nectaire is such a generous, complex yet uncomplicated cheese. It has never been described as ‘noble’, despite being popular in Versailles under Louis XIV’s reign.

As a matter of fact, Saint Nectaire has been known as rye cheese – and you can’t get more rural that that!

This is because, during its slow maturing, it rests on dry rye straw in humid cellars. Brushed by hand, Saint Nectaire’s rind is washed for up to 12 weeks, allowing a soft grey ‘duvet’ to cover the cheese.

Always choose a Saint Nectaire ‘fermier’, which will guarantee its farm roots. Made in the old volcanic region of Auvergne in central France, within a small geographical district to protect its origins, this cheese first catches your attention with its earthy, musky smell, but don’t be put off by this, as underneath its velvety rind, is a smooth, supple and beautifully buttery flavour. Towards June or July, you will be able to detect subtle aromas of hazelnut. With two letters removed, its name, like its taste, could be ‘Nectar’. I

by Eric Charriaux E: eric@cheese.biz T: +44 (0)845 108 8222 W: www.la-cave.co.uk

||| To find a wine to accompany this historic cheese, I would like to take you back in time, following in the footsteps of the noble Sennecterre family. It was a member of this family, the Marshal of France and Lord of Auvergne, who introduced Saint Nectaire to the table of King Louis XIV. Having accumulated various lands and titles across several generations, this powerful family’s wine cellar perfectly exemplified the diversity of their possessions and their taste for the local cheese.

An unripe old Saint Nectaire would pair well with the freshness and red berries aromas of the Cabernet Franc grape, particularly the wine from Chinon near Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne, once the fiefdom of the Sennecterre family. You could also try it with a less well-known appellation from the Loire valley, such as the Cuvée Clef de Sol AOP Touraine-Amboise, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Côt (Malbec) from the biodynamic vineyard of the famous La Grange Tiphaine domaine.

For a stronger and more mature Saint Nectaire, look for a match further south, in Charente Maritime (old Saintonge), where the family owned the fiefdom of ‘Baron d’Arvert’. A wine from Medoc such as the Saint-Estephe would be fine, but my choice would be the Chateau Godeau, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2011.

It’s an explosion of red fruits with a well structured velvety palate made by the Florisoone family who are by coincidence the previous owners of the famous Calon-Segur in Saint-Estephe. I

by Thibault Lavergne E: thibault@winestory.co.uk T: +44 (0)7921 770 691 W: www.wine-story.co.uk

by la Cave à Fromage

by Wine Story

info - may / june - 61

This new section enhances the ‘Stay’ element of Eat, Drink, Stay, with inspiring travel and destination stories from our members in the industry. Exclusif Voyages makes a debut with an elephant safari in the heart of Botswana’s Okovanga Delta that will have you making plans to get away from it all...

River delta crossing

‘MOVE UP’ AT ABU’S CAMP IN BOTSWANA

O

ur Cessna lands on the private runway at Abu’s Camp, a luxury destination in Botswana, which 25 years ago pioneered the concept of elephant-back safaris. This adventure promises to be out of the ordinary!

At dawn, the team of mahouts, local Botswana bushmen who proudly guide their elephants through the waters of the Okavango, introduce themselves to us.

Once we have been hoisted on to a comfortable fixed basket on the elephant’s back, the parade begins with a cacophony of trumpeting and swaying. But slowly the massive hulks, who travel with a surprising delicacy, find their speed. The initial excitement subsides and all that we now hear are the orders of the mahouts, raised on the heads of these giants, as well as the muffled sounds of the elephants’ resounding grunts, and the jest of the baby elephants who accompany our parade. In a few years, it will be their turn to guide.

62 - info - may / june

We are moved by the intimate relationship between the mahouts and these mastodons. A sign of respect and complicity, their relationship guarantees us an authentic safari and utter immersion at the heart of Okavango. Under the leadership of Joe – or ‘Big Joe’ as he insists on being called – the elephants are tamed with unfailing devotion.

The phrases ‘Let’s go – move up!’ uttered by the mahouts and perfectly understood by the animals, punctuate our day. The sense of nostalgia is palpable. The landscapes pass before our eyes in an environment undisturbed by even the slightest sound of an engine. The other animals – gazelles, giraffes, lazy hippopotamuses – remain blissfully unaware of our passage, as they saunter languidly in communion with nature.

Upon our return to Abu’s, as dusk is illuminated by the generous campfire flame, we listen carefully…

Bush luxury in the camp

T he landscapes pass before ou r eyes i n an env i ronment u nd istu rbed by even the sl ig htest sou nd of an engi ne. T he other ani mals, gazel les, gi raf fes, laz y hippopotamuses, remai n bl issf u l ly u naware of ou r passage, as they sau nter langu id ly i n commu nion with natu re

Far away, in their night-time enclosure, our elephants are being pampered and fed. Their barely perceptible murmurs will accompany our African night at Abu’s Camp.

Abu’s Camp is located in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, in a pristine pocket of riverine forest which blends in seamlessly with the magnificent surrounding hardwood trees. Looking out over a large lagoon, an imaginative use of canvas has created a unique and luxurious style of tent. Each of the six en-suite units has its own distinctive furnishings and fittings, imparting an air of opulence in the bush.

These airy tents feature an indoor and outdoor shower, an outdoor copper bath and a generous elevated teak deck. Well-lit pathways link the guests’ tents with the main lounge and dining area and a well-stocked library and study, gym and swimming pool will keep you entertained while at the camp.

The best season to stay at Abu’s Camp is from April to mid-October. Exclusif Voyages can organise your bespoke holidays to Botswana and all over the world. I www.exclusifvoyages.co.uk T: +44 (0) 7931 099 269 E: info@exclusifvoyages.co.uk

info - may / june - 63

News at the Chamber A

decisive Conservative victory in the General Election has removed political uncertainty, returning Britain to the single party governance it prefers, but the political landscape has changed with the SNP ‘tsunami’ in Scotland and the hammering that Labour and the Liberal Democrats suffered.

For those who are more familiar with proportional representation, British politics can be perplexing, so we look forward to former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major explaining the results to Patron and Corporate members in June.

Back at the Chamber, we have welcomed 26 new members, including four new Corporates – Bulgari, Club Med, Square Global Markets and ST Dupont UK – as well as 22 new Actives. We have held a very diverse range of events, from a visit to Battersea Power Station to a Breakfast with Tom Meggle, Louis Vuitton’s Managing Director for UK, Ireland and South Africa, and of course our ever-popular Member to Member Cocktail and Exhibition, which was the best and buzziest ever.

Forums & Club sessions took place on a range of topics and the climate change opinion survey conducted by our Climate Change Forum was presented at the conference we co-organised with the French Embassy and the European Commission Representation in the UK, on the role of business in the fight against climate change, providing much food for thought and debate. You can read reports on all these events and sessions in the following pages.

May and June will be busy months at the Chamber with several major events, including another Ambassador’s Brief at the French Residence, the second edition of ‘From Scratch to Success: Business Stories’ with Bernard Liautaud, Founder of Business Objects and General Partner at Balderton Capital and Antoine Flamarion, Founder of Tikehau Capital and Chairman of Tikehau Capital Advisors; a Breakfast with Nicolas Petrovic, CEO of Eurostar; and culminating in a very important Annual General Meeting on 25 June, at which a new President and Deputy President will be elected. We hope to have an impressive turnout of members there. And although July seems a long way off, it is not too soon to mention our Annual Gala Dinner, which takes place on 2 July with Carolyn McCall, CEO of easyJet, as guest of honour.

Save the date! I KF 64 - info - may / june

Discover the French Chamber:

23

tenants in our business centre in 2014

new members 4 new corporate members

Bulgari UK Ltd | Luxury goods / jewellery Represented by Vincent Reynes, Managing Director | www.bulgari.com Founded in 1884 by Sotirio Bulgari as a single jewellery shop in Rome, Bulgari’s name is today emblematic of Italian excellence. With stylistic audacity and a penchant for colour, Bulgari’s jewellery is highly recognisable in its striking originality. The original pioneering spirit of the Bulgari family helped to evolve the company into a successful and global Maison, while its roots in jewellery and watches have grown into new expressions of accessories, perfumes and luxury resorts.

Club Med | Tour operator, resorts, all-inclusive holidays, groups & incentives Represented by Patrick Mitchell, Managing Director, Club Med UK, Ireland & Scandinavia | www.clubmed.co.uk In 1950, Gérard Blitz and Gilbert Trigano had a vision to redefine travel. Their aim was to create the ultimate utopia by combining stunning accommodation, located in the world’s most idyllic surroundings, within a chic and cosmopolitan atmosphere. This radical concept was the all-inclusive holiday, offering tailor-made holidays where the provision of happiness, relaxation and convenience was key. Today, the Club Med heritage is thriving and catering for a flourishing range of clients. Evolving with holidaymakers’ changing expectations, Club Med honours the pioneering spirit of its founders by offering luxury holidays across the whole world, from Brazil to Bali and throughout the Alps.

Square Global Markets LLP | Financial services/brokerage Represented by Elie Scemama, CEO and Managing Partner | www.squareglobalmarkets.com Square Global Markets LLP was established in London in 2012. Its partners have more than 50 years combined experience in top tier investment banks and interdealer brokerage firms. They aim to provide best in class solutions to their clients through innovative research and diligent market execution.

S.T. Dupont UK - Stone Marketing Ltd | Luxury brand Represented by Roberta Foreman, Area Sales Manager | www.stonemarketing.com S.T. Dupont is a brand name and manufacturer of lighters, pens, collectible pieces, handbags, leathers and more recently other gadgets using the trademark diamond-head pattern. The company has been producing luxury items since 1872 when founded by Simon Tissot Dupont. S.T. Dupont owes its initials to him.

22 new Active members

7th Degree Consulting

Ecole Jeannine Manuel UK

Finance and management in innovation (ICT) Represented by Pierre Michea, Chairman www.7thdegreeconsulting.eu

Co-ed primary and secondary international bilingual school Represented by Bernard Manuel, Chairman of the Board www.ecolejeanninemanuel.org.uk

Anatole

EMEA Consult

Telecom expense management solutions Represented by Paul McHugh, Sales Manager www.anatole.net

Bénéteau Group - Housing Division Holiday homes conception & manufacturing Represented by Camille Menard, Market Development www.mobil-home.com www.ohara.fr www.cocosweet.fr

Cabinet Wedier (SARL Henri Wedier) Assisting development & the establishment of foreign companies in France Represented by Henri Wedier, Director www.cabinetwedier.fr

Do You Dream Up Software editor - customer relationship Represented by Paulin Jouanin, Account Manager UK www.doyoudreamup.com

Consultancy in shipping industry Represented by Marlyse Mahoudeau, Director www.emeaconsult.com

Equance International wealth management Represented by Jérôme Giet, Consultant www.equance.com

Foster Denovo Ltd Financial advisers to individuals & companies Represented by Anne de Suiza, Partner www.fosterdenovo.com

Globescan Inc. Public opinion research consultancy Represented by Christophe Guibeleguiet, Co-CEO www.globescan.com

JR Legal Services Legal practice - General commercial law Represented by Jean Rossi, Principal www.jrlegalservices.com info - may / june - 65

Nazeing Glass Works Ltd

Tikehau Investment Ltd

Manufacturers of commercial, industrial & luxury glass goods Represented by Stephen Pollock-Hill, Chairman & MD www.nazeing-glass.com

European investment management company Represented by Jean-Pierre Mustier, Partner www.tikehauim.com

Paddle 8

Vabble

Online auction house Represented by Aino-Leena Grapin, MD, Europe & Middle East www.paddle8.com

Pierre Hermé Paris

Vulcanet Company

Luxury macarons and chocolates Represented by Romola Basu-Wilken, Area Manager www.pierreherme.com

High-end cleaning product for bikes and cars Represented by César Guers, Commercial Manager www.vulcanet.pro

Positive Moves Consulting (UK) Ltd

Waolab

Global executive search firm Represented by Vinay Menon, Principal Consultant www.positivemoves.com

3D digitising for art works Represented by Laurent Rossignol, CEO www.waolab.com

Spot On Minds Ltd Boutique executive search consultancy for the luxury sector Represented by Yvonne Pengue, Co-founder & Director www.spotonminds.com

St Pancras Recruitment Boutique recruitment agency specialised in the placement of French-speaking domestic staff Represented by Marine Lienard, Agency Director www.stpancrasrecruitment.com

hello

Innovative webplatform: learning, recruitment, talent management Represented by Kahina Belaid, CEO & Co-founder www.vabble.co

/

Wyndeham Print Group Printers, magazines, brochures, directories, catalogues Represented by Trevor Stevens, Business Development Manager www.wyndeham.co.uk

g o o d by e

Chantal Gaemperle has been appointed Group Executive Vice President Human Resources & Synergies of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a member of the Executive Committee of LVMH. Prior to joining LVMH in early 2007, she was Head of Human Resources, Development and Recruitment of Nestlé, and a member of the Management Committee. Previously (1995-2001), she headed Merrill Lynch International’s Human Resources in Switzerland. From 1991 to 1995, she was Recruitment & Human Resources Development Manager at Philip Morris International.

An Insead graduate, she also holds an MBA in Public Administration and a Master in Political & Social Sciences from the University of Lausanne. I Chantal Gaemperle

Michael Borrell was appointed Total’s Senior Vice President Europe & Central Asia, comprising the former Continental Europe and Central Asia Division and Northern Europe Division, in January. Having read Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University, Michael joined Total in 1985. He has worked with its affiliate companies, and has held senior managerial positions in the Total group since 1995. From 2003, he was Vice President Corporate Planning & Business Development for Total E&P Indonesia and was appointed President & CEO of Total E&P Canada in Calgary in July 2006. In July 2010, he became Senior Vice President, Continental Europe and Central Asia. I Michael Borrell

Professor Simon Mercado joined ESCP Europe Business School in April as UK Director, based at its campus in Hampstead, London. For the last 10 years Simon has worked in senior management roles at Nottingham Business School (NBS), part of Nottingham Trent University, most recently as Associate Dean and Professor of Global Management and Education. He is on the Steering Committees of Professional Sections for both the EFMD and AACSB international accreditation bodies and acts as Expert Resource to the Economics and Business Section of the European Association for International Education (EAIE). I Simon Mercado 66 - info - may / june

h at s o f f t o Congratulations to Hélène Darroze, Chef Patron of eponymous two-Michelin-starred restaurants in both Paris and London (Hélène Darroze at the Connaught), who has been named the 2015 Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef. This award celebrates the work of a woman whose cooking most impresses the world’s toughest critics and most venerated Chefs, more than 900 of whom voted in this category. She will be honoured at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in London on 1 June. I Congratulations to Marc Mourre, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Vice Chairman Commodities, who was presented with the award of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Ambassador to the UK, HE Ms Sylvie Bermann, in recognition of his distinguished career and work in helping to promote French culture abroad and Franco-British economic ties. Marc has been involved in the development of Morgan Stanley’s Commodities Division from a fledgling team of seven to a significant international business, which has seen him working outside of France for most of his career (in London, Hong Kong and Singapore). As Chairman of the Trustees of the Friends of the French Institute in London, he helped raise money for numerous projects, including the renovation of the cinema in 2009 and the library last year, the creation of Culturethèque, an online multimedia library that was the first of its kind amongst French Institutes worldwide, and Diaphonique, a Franco-British fund for contemporary music. Marc Mourre is also a member of the CCEF (Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France) since 2007. I Congratulations to Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice- President UK & Ireland at Veolia, who was awarded Chevalier de l’ordre national du Mérite by Veolia CEO Antoine Frérot in Paris. This award reflects Estelle’s dynamic approach to business transformation and her commitments to diversity and innovation throughout her career.

Estelle joined the Veolia group in 2005 as Special Advisor to the CEO of Waste Management.

Prior to her current position, she was in charge of Waste Management in the Greater Paris area and also the Facility Management and Cleaning Services branch. She started her career heading a team managing major infrastructure projects and constructing highways and tramways within the Val D’Oise region of Greater Paris, and was later appointed as Advisor to the regional government in Greater Paris responsible for transport and development. I

chamber shorties

Burgundy and Lorraine trade missions to the UK - 2-4 and 8-10 June 2015 The Chamber is organising two collective export missions in partnership with CCI International Bourgogne and CCI International Lorraine. The participating businesses will have the opportunity to meet with potential clients in the UK to showcase their products, solutions and expertise.

Five businesses from the Burgundy region will be in the UK from 2 to 4 June, including: • Boudin SAS: development, repair and maintenance of plastic injection and thermoforming moulds • Cadres Gault: manufacturer of high-end frames • Edmond Fallot: traditional mustard mill • Guillemin: manufacturer of radial and orbital riveting machines; automated or semi-automated

assembly machines • Moulins Decollogne: producer of organic and conventional flooring.

Four businesses from the Lorraine region will be in the UK from 8 to 10 June, including: • Cristal de Paris: French creator of luxury crystalware • FTZ: a global leader in electrical CAD software and P & ID for the industry and construction sectors • PTP: designer and manufacturer of power transmission products • VT2i: designer and manufacturer of complete functions, mechanical sub-assemblies, and linkage and suspension parts for the automotive sector. I

If you are interested in participating or meeting with any of these suppliers, please contact Sabrina Mimid smimid@ccfgb.co.uk info - may / june - 67

Chamber organises programme for third EDHEC London business trip For the third year running, EDHEC put on a business trip to London for its Global MBA students. Themed ‘London, the first global financial centre’, the objective of the trip was to give the 26 participants of 15 different nationalities an understanding of the London ‘ecosystem’ and provide them with contact opportunities in business finance.

EDHEC, which is one of only two French business schools to have a London campus, once again asked the Chamber’s Business Consultancy team to organise the week-long programme, which included presentations from prominent financial institutions, venture capitalists, private equity firms, consultancy groups and the visit of HSBC Trading floor and Europe’s largest incubator, Level39 (see page 42).

Michelle Sisto, MBA Visiting Professor of Statistics and research associate at EDHEC-Risk Institute, said: ‘Many thanks to the French Chamber of Commerce for their impeccable organisation of a week full of stimulating and inspiring speakers. The EDHEC Global MBA finance track students took full advantage of learning from representatives across the financial industry spectrum and of experiencing first hand the dynamic professional atmosphere of London.’

The Chamber would like to thank all the speakers who so graciously gave up their time for this, among them Philippe Allard (Senior Policy Expert on Regulation,

Michelle Sisto

European Banking Authority), James Coulson (Chief of Compliance and Regulation, Credit Suisse), Peter Alfandary (Head of French Desk, ReedSmith LLP), Kesha Amin (Global Markets Director, HSBC), Paul Jennings and his team (Privilege General Manager, SGPB Hambros), Kathryn Porter (Senior Originator Commodities Markets, Centrica Energy) as well as Patrick Reeve (Managing Partner, Albion and Board Member, the British Venture Capital Association). I

recent events

indulgence at le pain quotidien 16 MARCH

T

his first PA-only event of the year was held in the cosy Le Pain Quotidien restaurant shop in Covent Garden. Bringing together around 20 personal assistants of Chamber member representatives, this event was the perfect opportunity for them to network in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.

The event kicked off with a brief introduction of Le Pain Quotidien’s unique ‘savoir faire’ and ‘art de vivre’ by the two catering representatives of the company. All participants were delighted with delicious ‘tartines’, made of handmade bread and the myriad organic and seasonal ingredients. Organic wine, Prosecco and a wide variety of mini-tarts were also offered. The evening’s lucky draw winner received a voucher for a meal for two at Le Pain Quotidien, from their new brunch menu.

All guests left with tasty goody bags filled with their famous chocolate brownies, many of them planning to 68 - info - may / june

turn to Le Pain Quotidien’s catering and private events services for future business gatherings! I JM

visit to the new battersea power station development 25 FEBRUARY

L to R: Simon Murphy, Richard Brown, Jo Skilton and Lord Strathclyde

B

attersea Power Station’s distinctive silhouette has been a landmark on London’s skyline since the 1930s. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was also responsible for Britain’s iconic red telephone boxes, it was an art deco temple to energy – a symbol of industry and progress – that supplied a fifth of London’s electricity in its heyday. After being decommissioned in 1983, however, this Grade II listed building and its surrounding 42-acre (20 hectare) ‘brownfield’ site became the proverbial hot potato. Plans for its redevelopment came and went, thwarted by the challenges the site posed, but even as the building fell into dereliction, its celebrity grew as an urban cultural icon that appeared in films, music videos and most famously the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals, as well as a venue for art, sport and fashion events.

Help came from an unexpected quarter when a Malaysian consortium of property development and investment businesses – SP Setia Berhad, Sime Darby Property and the Employees Provident Fund – bought the site in 2012 and set in motion the largest regeneration project in Europe. On a specially organised site visit for Patron members, led by Richard Brown CBE, President of the French Chamber and former CEO and Chairman of Eurostar, an account of the plans and progress was given by key leaders of the Battersea Power Station Development Company, which is managing the development. Lord Strathclyde, Chairman of the Battersea Power Station Advisory Board, introduced the £10bn redevelopment project, which will encompass

Viewing a model of the new development

4,000 apartments, 1.6 million square feet (148,645m2) of office space, shops, hotels, restaurants, event spaces as well as landscaped recreation and park areas. With a masterplan by Rafael Viñoly and an array of leading architectural practices including Foster + Partners and Gehry Partners designing the three different phases, it will be, he said, ‘a beacon of good design’.

Filling in the details of the mixed-use scheme, Deputy CEO and CFO Simon Murphy described the lifestyle, community and cultural elements that will gel together to create this new hub.

Transport links are crucial to its success, so the developers have contributed £211 million for the 3km Northern Line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea, which will open in 2019.

Then Jo Skilton, Head of Leasing and Andrew Hilston, Development Director, gave a flavour of the commercial, retail, and office offers in the Circus West riverside village, The Power Station and the Electric Boulevard, which comprise the three phrases.

These will focus on the independent, the original, the creative and the innovative, all of which are seen to embody the spirit of the Battersea area. Anchoring the whole site, The Power Station will remain a London landmark, its decaying chimneys rebuilt, no longer for power generation but as the flagship of a new urban destination. The visit concluded with the opportunity to visit a temporary show flat perched on the shoulder of the power station, from where the massive scale and vision of the development could be viewed and a taste for the lifestyle on offer acquired! I KF info - may / june - 69

breakfast with tom meggle, louis vuitton 6 MARCH

W

hen did Louis Vuitton first set up shop in London?

Tom Meggle’s question had Chamber members wildly guessing within a 100-year range, before the correct answer of 1885 was given. 2015 thus marks 130 years of Louis Vuitton trading in London, and Tom told the story behind the establishment of the company’s first store outside Paris by Georges Vuitton, Louis’ son, who, having been sent to Jersey for a British education, was convinced that London was the place to be.

A culture of innovation had been initiated by Louis, who had come up with the design for a lightweight canvas, flat-lidded trunk. Georges was to continue this in London, where, with no budget for advertising, he made a creative and audacious entrance to the market with a window display of a ‘bed trunk’, complete with a dummy of a French soldier in it. It was the talk of the town and generated numerous newspaper articles, giving Georges free publicity and setting a precedent for retail theatre that Louis Vuitton continues to this day. A visionary marketer, Georges also came up with the first branded trademark for Louis Vuitton luggage to distinguish it from copycats. His original stripes and the Damier Canvas check with a ‘marque L. Vuitton déposée’ logo evolved and lead to the creation of a second trademark, the more sophisticated Monogram Canvas with its LV initials, quatrefoils and flowers that are so synonymous with the brand.

The Louis Vuitton store moved from Oxford Street to the Strand before eventually finding a home in New Bond Street in 1900, where it attracted a high profile clientele, including the Royal Family. But it was only in 1990 that Louis Vuitton opened a second London store in Harrods, and 2000 before it returned to Oxford Street, this time within Selfridges. The brand continued to open stores in London and further afield but it was the opening of its new New Bond Street store in 2010 that really marked a new era of retailing by initiating the local, tailormade concept. Designed by architect Peter Marino as a Maison the flagship store pays homage to its Mayfair setting and resident social class with an Apartment and butler, tailor and stylists to offer a pampering, attentive 70 - info - may / june

© Archives Louis Vuitton Malletier

Tom Meggle, MD of UK, Ireland & South Africa

service and magical experience for customers. With a façade full of windows, the store has launched a return to retail theatre. Another unique feature is its art book shop – a nod to the art galleries, antique dealers and auction houses in the vicinity – which offers a carefully curated selection of art books and cultural events in collaboration with artists such as Grayson Perry, David Bowie and Tracey Emin.

Teaming up with contemporary artists is no new thing for Louis Vuitton, but it was taken to a new level by Marc Jacobs, the brand’s first designer, who joined the company in 1997. He got artists such as Takashi Murakami to reinterpret the monogram and worked with the likes of Richard Prince, Stephen Sprouse and the Chapman Brothers on different collections. But London provided the setting for one of the most spectacular collaborations with Yayoi Kusama in 2012, when the brand staged an unprecedented ‘takeover’ of Selfridges, with Kusama-inspired displays in all 24 windows, polka dot flags rigged on all the flagpoles, a four-metre-high fibreglass statue of the artist above the entrance, and an iconic giant sea anemone pop-up store for the collection.

London is also the pilot for the brand’s digital innovations in seamless online and mobile shopping as well as a click & collect service. Most recently, Louis Vuitton has made a visionary move by relocating its HQ from Mayfair to Kings Cross which is in the midst of a massive redevelopment.

Occupying a floor in the David Chipperfield-designed One Pancras Square, Louis Vuitton has positioned itself at the centre of this new high tech / creative hub that will also become home to Google and the Central Saint Martins School of Arts and Design.

This year, menswear designer Kim Jones has paid tribute to London in his Fall/Winter Collection by referencing Christopher Nemeth, the cult 1980s fashion designer whose work ‘defined London’. And the Fall/Winter 2015/16 collection of Nicolas Ghesquiere will be celebrated with a SERIES 3 exhibition and event programme during London Fashion Week. ‘London,’ Tom Meggle concluded, ‘has always been and will continue to be a creative influence and inspiration for Louis Vuitton’. I KF

Louis, Georges and Gaston-Louis Vuitton (on bed trunk) pose with factory workers in front of a horse-drawn delivery van, circa 1888

m2m cocktail & exhibition 2015

25 MARCH

The annual Member to Member (M2M) event at The Pullman London St Pancras, brought together over 230 members for an evening of networking and discovery around 19 exhibition booths

T

he 16th edition of the M2M Cocktail & Exhibition, one of our members’ favourite and most anticipated events of the year, took place at The Pullman London St Pancras, with over 19 exhibitors and 230 participants. The aim of this event was first and foremost for businesses of all sizes and from different sectors – to showcase their expertise, products and services. It was also a great opportunity for Chamber members to connect with each other around delicious French food and wines.

DS PSA Peugeot Citroën was one of the large businesses participating at the event. Its UK Marketing Manager spoke to London French TV, saying: ‘Our interest is to develop links with other businesses. More particularly, we are seeking new partnerships with premium brands in order to get closer to this idea of French luxury. The French Chamber is precisely the place where we can find these types of partnerships.’

London French TV interviews Carine Munch of PAUL

Members try out one of the three Peugeot Citroën cars

More than 90 offers

from PIERRE HERMé to Club Med

It was also a great opportunity for small businesses to leverage the connections of the Chamber and create new partnerships. La Belle Assiette for instance, among other smaller exhibitors, attracted a lot of attention to its stand with its very innovative service offer of a ‘Chef at home’.

During the course of the evening, members were encouraged to post Twitter and Instagram messages live on a large screen, thanks to a solution provided by Pictawall, and were also invited to take part in a quiz, through the M2M app created by PowerVote. Six guests were winners of the evening’s lucky draw, receiving amazing prizes.

After a great evening of networking and enjoyment, all participants left with the new edition of the Member2Member Offers Booklet, containing more than 90 offers in various categories including hotels, restaurants, marketing & communication, legal and financial advice as well as in-store and online offers to help them reinforce the business connections they had made. I JM

1/3 offers are open to all staff

MEMBER 2 MEMBER Offers 2015 www.frenchchamber.co.uk REDUCED RATES AT TOP HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS

Special rates at top hotels in Paris and London 10-hour free financial advice

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AT MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION AGENCIES

IN STORE AND ONLINE DISCOUNTS

4-hour free legal advice Discount with translation & interpreting services

FREE LEGAL AND FINANCIAL ADVICE

The M2M Offers Booklet 2015 Features exclusive offers to member companies of the French Chamber Enjoy all exclusive Chamber members’ in-store and online offers now on www.frenchchamber.co.uk

info - may / june - 71

paris 2015 climate conference : the business view and the regulatory environment

30 MARCH

Ahead of COP21, the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year, the French Embassy in partnership with the European Commission Representation in the UK and the French Chamber organised a conference to debate and highlight the role business is playing in tackling the challenges of climate change

T

wo panels were assembled to put forward the view of business executives and policy makers on the role of business in the fight against climate change, how public policy can be shaped in favour of the green economy, as well as their hopes and expectations for COP21.

footprint and half of those are doing more than is legally required. The main drivers were revealed to be brand reputation, employee pressure, customer demand and personal motivation, while the main barriers to do more are lack of financial payback, competing strategic priorities and lack of government incentives. Tellingly, few indicated that boards or investors were driving The conference was opened by Jacqueline Minor, change. Over three quarters felt that business should head of the European Commission Representation, take the lead in providing solutions – but strongly who noted that 2015 will be a crucial year for the fight supported by government – and would welcome against climate change, clearer tax policies and wider and that Europe was in a regulation. A significant 71% Tel l i ngly, few [companies] position to take the lead wanted to see an agreement i nd icated that boards or in innovative solutions. reached at COP21. i nvestors were d riv i ng change HE Ms Sylvie Bermann, the French Ambassador to Moderated by Pilita the UK, affirmed this, saying that the conflict between Clark, Environment Correspondent at the Financial environment and economy was a new opportunity to Times, the first panel, entitled ‘Voicing the Business be seized by businesses. ‘Governments can shape the View’, kicked off with Jeremy Oppenheim, Programme regulatory environment but businesses have to take Director of the New Climate Economy at McKinsey action,’ she said. & Co, summarising his report ‘Better growth, better climate’ for the New York Climate Summit in 2014, Richard Brown, President of the French Chamber which found that governments do not need to choose and Chair of the Chamber’s Climate Change Forum between fighting climate change and economic then presented the results of a survey conducted across growth. He pointed out that getting infrastructure member companies, giving a snapshot of the business spend and the fundamentals of economic policy right view. It shows that climate change is of much greater over the next 15 years would stimulate a low carbon concern to businesses than is popularly assumed. Of economy and drive up to 90% of growth. He noted those surveyed, 96% indicated they were concerned or profound changes taking place in energy markets that very concerned, 55% are more concerned than they were were very disruptive to fossil fuels, and that the shift three years ago when the first survey was conducted, happening in the margins in technology, systems and 80% of businesses are working to reduce their carbon markets could only be magnified by what happens in

The first panel, L to R: Jeremy Oppenheim, Antoine de Saint-Affrique, Pilita Clark, Jon Williams, Mike Barry

72 - info - may / june

HE Ms Sylvie Bermann, French Ambassador to the UK

Richard Brown, President of the French Chamber and Chair of its Climate Change Forum

Paris. Antoine de Saint-Affrique, President of Unilever’s and technology synergies were all ingredients for a Foods category, described how climate change is new economic upswing but this would not happen as already affecting their business, underlining the need fast as it needs to without substantial policy support to fundamentally redefine the way business is done in – in carbon pricing, technology and innovation, order to futureproof growth. He emphasised that while incentives and innovation for consumers. ‘Carbon a lot can be done by business, strong political measures tax is the way to go,’ he proclaimed, noting that taxes were needed too. Jon Williams, Partner specialised in would raise revenues for a whole range of things Climate Change and Sustainability at PwC, supported including the transition to renewable energy. Speaking the view that the role of the private sector is huge, for government, Niall Mackenzie, Director of Energy, but only possible if underlying policies are in place.

Materials and Agri-tech in the Department of Business He foresaw a period of transition over the next five to Innovation and Skills (BIS), said that the purpose of 15 years as the finance system and the real economy regulation is to encourage businesses to invest and adjusts to climate change. Grasping opportunities set the direction of travel. He noted that regulation would only be possible through the capital markets, he is a traditional, prescriptive approach and that other said, noting the important ways of doing this included role the Green Bond Market investment and competition. ... whi le a lot can be done could play. As the global Jacob Werksman, Principal by busi ness, strong pol itical economy is made up of Advisor to Directorate measu res [are] needed too millions of different sized General for Climate Change companies, it is important at the European Commission to engage in scale change quickly, Mike Barry, Director rounded off the discussion by acknowledging the of Sustainable Business, Plan A, at Marks & Spencer, said. importance for business to hear strong market signals.

He emphasised the need for a collaborative economy He identified five clear requests, namely clarity in which companies support each other and share best (specificity on how much they need to do and when); practice in practical ways such as through the Consumer predictability (embedded in strong policy); stability (for Goods Forum, but also called for more help from the longer term); efficient and effective regulations; government in setting policy frameworks to achieve and a global level playing field. On expectations and long-term goals through short-term commitments and European leadership he noted that the EU was pushing realistic timeframes. hard for an international legal framework to be adopted as well as a system of transparency and accountability.

The second panel tackled the topic of ‘Shaping the Regulatory Environment’, starting with Professor Paul Overall the strong themes that came out from Ekins of University College London seeking to answer the conference were that far from being indifferent, the question of how expensive doing anything about business does care and is taking climate change climate change is going to be. He presented some seriously, but it is not monolithic and government striking figures showing that EU countries that have needs to hear more from business in order to develop achieved the most in emission reductions since 1990 policy that is efficient and effective. Moreover, business have also had significant GDP growth over that period. is looking for guidance and support from government Echoing Jeremy Oppenheim from the first panel, he said to help manage their climate change transition in a that opportunities for energy efficiency, innovation predictable and stable regulatory environment. I KF info - may / june - 73

hr forum 18 MARCH

Flexibility at PwC Sarah Churchman, Human Capital Director, Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Employee Wellbeing at PwC explains how it is responding to the challenge of the growing and rather broad concept of flexible working through the implementation of key policies and programmes

Flexibility: why is it important?

Flexibility is a strategic priority for us and central to or transformation agenda, positioning flexible working within the wider context of the need for greater agility, which impacts our resourcing, people and business strategies.

Being open-minded to different ways of working can help us operate more effectively across time zones and be more responsive to client needs. It will also help our people stay resilient, engaged and performing at their best.

What is our policy?

Formal flexible working • All our people, whatever their role or grade, can apply to work flexibly. Typical options include part time and jobshare, and we also have people working other arrangements such as term time only.

• People may apply to work flexibly for many different reasons such as childcare, caring, study, hobbies, sport, voluntary work, transition into retirement – all are valid and accepted under our policy.

• Applications may be made for short term, as well as permanent, flexible working arrangements.

• Each application is assessed on its own merit, based on current business and resourcing circumstances.

Informal flexible working We know that the nature of our work affords our people a good amount of informal flexibility in how, where and when they work. All our internal research tells us that informal flexibility in their everyday working is what the vast majority of our people want. So we have a key focus on increasing informal flexibility – a little more ‘give and take’ in everyday working practices.

For some, it’s being able to leave the office early to see their child participate in a school activity,

work from home on occasion, or have a reasonably predictable work schedule from week to week so that plans can be made with friends. For others, it’s about being able to come in later or finish earlier after working late the day before, or being able to take a long lunch break from time to time. For us, flexibility is not a one-size-fits-all concept, and we encourage teams and individuals work together to define it for themselves.

How do we promote/support flexibility?

• We are continually working to build business confidence in implementing flexibility, most recently by launching our ‘Agile Ways of Working’ toolkit, which features our business case for agility; flexibility top tips; and other practical tools and resources for teams; plus stories from people working flexibly around the firm to provide inspiration.

• Our technology supports ad hoc as well as more formal flexibility, including home working; and HR, IT and Facilities Management work in partnership to ensure our people are fully supported.

• Our staff survey asks if employees feel they can balance their work and personal lives effectively and whether colleagues are considerate of their lives outside work. From these responses we can identify areas for action.

• We encourage our people to focus on outputs not inputs. For instance, in the guidance and training provided for performance and reward review, there is a clear focus on making sure that the contribution of flexible workers is fairly and accurately assessed.

• We advertise roles on an external flexible working job board and all our job descriptions say we are open to agile ways of working. I

For us, flexibility is not a ‘one size fits all’ concept, and we encourage teams and individuals work together to define it for themselves 74 - info - may / june

legal forum 25 MARCH

Employment Law Michael Ryley, partner at Weightmans LLP, and François Vergne, partner at Gide Loyrette Nouel, gave a joint presentation highlighting the key differences between the UK and French employment laws through various examples, and revealing the UK has more flexible employment laws compared to France

D

espite recent legislative initiatives intended to foster flexibility in the French employment market, French employment law remains far less flexible than English law.

The protection afforded to an employee under English employment law is generally lower than the corresponding protection under French law. English employment law is regarded as one of the more flexible within Europe.

An illustration of such differences can be found in the following examples: • Whilst the use of fixed-term and atypical contracts is widespread in England, indefinite-term employment contracts in France are the rule and recourse to fixed term contracts is the exception. The use of fixed-term contracts is very restricted (temporary replacement, increase of activity, seasonal employment, etc.).

• Working time: France is subject to a 35-hour working week for all employees, except top-level executives.

It is possible to set up schemes to negotiate collective agreements within the companies in question for the purpose of implementing an average 35-hour working week over a certain period of time. French law provides for a maximum overtime limit and premium pay therefor. English law provides for a maximum 48-hour working week subject to the right to opt out. Overtime is governed by the employment contract.

• Termination of employment in France is subject to very protective rules (notice period, termination indemnities and additional damages awarded by the courts in cases of termination without real and serious cause) whilst in the UK, employee protection and remedies are limited.

• Redundancies are highly regulated in France where important lay-offs are subject to severe control/ clearance by the labour authorities and negotiations with the works councils and/or trade unions.

Implementing redundancies is much easier in England, with no requirement to seek prior clearance and straightforward collective consultation obligations.

• Notice period are regulated under French law, whereas in the UK they are agreed upon between the parties to the employment agreement subject to low-level legal minima.

• In France, pensioning-off is possible at the employer’s initiative, but only with the employee’s consent, when the employee is aged between 62 and 70, and at the employer’s discretion when the employee is over 70 years of age. By contrast, in England, retirement is subject to age discrimination laws and requires objective justification.

In France, employment reforms are under way. The French labour reform act of 14 June 2013, which mainly concerns redundancy procedures, includes a set of provisions to facilitate workforce adaptation in case of economic difficulties and to facilitate the internal and external mobility of employees. Draft legislation (mainly the so-called ‘Macron law’ and a draft law on ‘social dialogue’) is currently pending before the French Parliament and should be discussed and adopted in the summer. The intent of such texts is to simplify procedures and foster flexibility in the French employment market. In short, the current trend is to create a more ‘employer friendly’ environment.

However, it will remain the case that French employment law is the less flexible of the two systems, notwithstanding these changes. I

info - may / june - 75

f o rt h co m i n g f o ru m s & c lu b s

Legal Forum

Chair: Olivier Morel, Partner, Cripps Deputy Chair: Ken Morrison, Legal Director, Eurotunnel When: 27 May, 9.00–11.00am Theme: Data Protection: a practical Franco-British perspective Speakers: Krysia Sturgeon, Solicitor at PwC, and Laurie-Anne Evra-Ancenys, dual-qualified Avocat à la Cour/ Solicitor at Gide Loyrette Nouel LLP - By application only

Climate Change Forum

Chair: Richard Brown, CBE, President of the French Chamber and former CEO and Chairman of Eurostar When: 9 June, 10.00am–12.00pm Theme: COP21 Speaker: Jon Williams, Partner specialised in Sustainability & Climate Change, PwC - By application only

Human Resources Forum

Chair: Mark Pautz, HR Director for Europe, International SOS When: 24 June, 8.30–10.00am Theme: HR’s role in promoting Corporate Social Responsibility - By application only

SME & Entrepreneurs Club

Chair: Arnaud de Montille, Finance, Admin and Operations Director, Merci Maman When: 16 June, 8.30–10.00am Theme: Digital marketing & social media for SMEs: challenges and opportunities - By application only

Luxury Club Breakfast

Exceptionally chaired by: Tom Meggle, Managing Director UK, Ireland & South Africa, Louis Vuitton When: 18 June, 8.30–10.00am Where: Royal Albert Hall Theme: The Internet of Luxury Things Speaker confirmed so far: Jonathan Chippindale, CEO of Holition - By invitation only

All forums and clubs events take place at the French Chamber unless otherwise indicated.

For more information, please contact Isabelle Meyers at imeyers@ccfgb.co.uk or +44 207 092 6638

f o rt h co m i n g e v e n t s

3

June 18.00 - 21.00

From scratch to success: Business Stories Where: Ciné Lumière, French Institute, London SW7 2DT Cost: £35+VAT per person; £60+VAT for 2 people Guest speakers: Bernard Liautaud, Founder of Business Objects and General Partner at Balderton Capital and Antoine Flamarion, Founder of Tikehau Capital and Chairman of Tikehau Capital Advisors Moderator: Eric Albert, UK Correspondent, Le Monde Wine partner: Domaine de Nizas

Join us to hear two incredibly successful French entrepreneurs talk about their experiences, setbacks and routes to success. The debate (18.00-20.00) will be followed by a buffet dinner.

About Bernard Liautaud, Founder of Business Objects & General Partner at Balderton Capital Bernard Liautaud founded Business Objects in 1990 and 18 years later, sold it to SAP for $6.8bn, making it the third largest software acquisition at the time. Bernard is now a member of the Supervisory Board of SAP. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Stanford University.

About Antoine Flamarion, Founder of Tikehau Capital & Chairman of Tikehau Capital Advisors Antoine Flamarion founded Tikehau in 2004 with €4m of assets scraped together from personal savings, friends and family. 11 years on, Tikehau Capital now manages €5bn of assets and has been joined by prominent figures of the financial sector such as George Chodron de Courcel, Bruno de Pampelonne, Christian de Labriffe, Jean-Pierre Mustier and Lord Peter Levene.

Contact Anne-Claire Lo Bianco at alobianco@ccfgb.co.uk / 0207 092 6643

76 - info - may / june

11 June

18.00 - 20.00

19 June

08.00 - 10.00

Rendez-vous chez Porsche Design Where: Porsche Design, 59 Brompton Road, London SW3 1DP Cost: £20+VAT per person Meet up to 60 new business contacts from a wide range of industry sectors while finding out more about the product portfolio of Porsche Design: a luxury brand with a particular focus on functional, timeless and puristic design. On the night, there will be a 30% discount on the pre-sales collection and 10% additional off for French Chamber members.

Contact Anne-Claire Lo Bianco at alobianco@ccfgb.co.uk / 020 7092 6643

Breakfast with Nicolas Petrovic Where: The Four Seasons Hotel at Park Lane, Hamilton Place, London W1J 7RD Guest speaker: Nicolas Petrovic, CEO of Eurostar (and Director of the French Chamber’s Board) Theme: ‘The future vision for Eurostar and its customers including the growth/ expansion story to new destinations and the new trains’ Cost: £30 +VAT per person; £50+VAT – special price for two Nicolas Petrovic became CEO of Eurostar in 2010. He joined as Director of Customer Services, London, in 2003 before spending almost four years as Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to this, Nicolas worked for SNCF as the Secretary General for Direction Grandes Lignes and Operational General Manager for the Paris Saint-Lazare area. Nicolas gained an MBA from INSEAD in 2003. Contact Sonia Olsen solsen at @ccfgb.co.uk / 0207 092 6642

23 June

12.00 - 14.30

GENERAL ELECTION explained by the Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH Open to Patron & Corporate members, by invitation only Where: The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL The RT Hon Sir John Major KG CH was Prime Minister of the UK between 1990 and 1997, during which time he championed the expansion of the EU, focused his efforts on securing peace in Northern Ireland, and instituted public sector reforms that have become international models.

In 1999, The Queen appointed him a Companion of Honour in recognition of his initiation of the Northern Ireland Peace Process and he was appointed a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in 2005. Sir John holds various Advisory Board Chairmanships including those of the Emerson Electric Company; Global Infrastructure Partners; and AECOM. He also serves as Patron and President of a number of charitable organisations both in the UK and overseas. Since 2011 he has been Chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.

Sir John Major has been a Senior Advisor to Credit Suisse, based in London, since 2001.

Contact Cécilia Gonzalez at cgonzalez@ccfgb.co.uk / 020 7092 6642

24 June

ANNUAL LEGAL LUNCH Where: The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL Guest speaker: The Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP Cost: £100+ VAT per person, £1,100+ VAT for a table of 12

The RT Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1980, and appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2008. He was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland from May 2010 to July 2014. The MP for Beaconsfield since 1997, he also served as Shadow Justice Secretary (2009-2010), Shadow Home Secretary (2008-2009) and Shadow Attorney General (2003-2009). Bilingual in French, he is currently President of the Franco-British Society and Vice-Chairman of the FrancoBritish Council. Contact Isabelle Meyers at imeyers@ccfgb.co.uk / 020 7092 6638 12.00 - 14.30

info - may / june - 77

Annual General Meeting

25

Where: Reed Smith offices, London EC2A 2RS All members are welcome Free of charge

June

18.30 - 21.00

Attended by over 120 participants, this major event in the Chamber’s calendar is particularly important this year as members will be voting for the new President and Deputy President of the Chamber. The election will be preceded by a presentation on the Chamber’s achievements in 2014 as well as the 2015 outlook. The AGM will be followed by a networking reception.

Please confirm your attendance with Carla Coutinho at ccoutinho@ccfgb.co.uk / 0207 092 6603

Annual Gala Dinner

2

Where: The Landmark, London NW1 6JQ Guest of honour and speaker: Carolyn McCall OBE, Chief Executive Officer, easyJet Cost: £190+VAT per person; £1,800+VAT for a table of 10; £2,100+VAT for a table of 12

July

The Gala dinner is the Chamber’s premier black tie dinner, attended by 400 business leaders from a wide spectrum of industries. The gala evening will begin with a Champagne reception and will feature live entertainment and a silent auction in aid of Rose magazine.

19.00 - 23.00

Carolyn McCall OBE joined easyJet on 1 July 2010 as Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership easyJet has achieved record profits and in 2013 entered the FTSE 100.

Prior to joining easyJet, Carolyn was Chief Executive of Guardian Media Group plc. She has also been non-executive director of Lloyds TSB, Tesco Plc and New Look plc, Chair of Opportunity Now (2005-2009) and a former President of Women in Advertising and Communications London (WACL).

Carolyn was awarded the OBE for services to women in business in 2008. She is a member of the Royal Academy Corporate Board a non-executive director of Burberry Group plc. In January 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Carolyn as a UK Business Ambassador and she was recently ranked in the top 20 in the 2015 Debrett’s list of the 500 most influential people in the UK. Contact Sonia Olsen at solsen@ccfgb.co.uk / 0207 092 6642 for further information.

Contact Cécilia Gonzalez at cgonzalez@ccfgb.co.uk / 0208 092 6643 to book a table

Gold Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors:

Partners:

78 - info - may / june LOGO Nº dossier : 20110049E Date : 31/05/11 Validation DA/DC : Validation Client

100

83

0

22

10

25

25

40

Charity Partner:

Patron Members of the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain

LONDON BRANCH

info - may / june - 79

WITH THE INSTITUT FRANร AIS GET

THE JE NE SAIS QUOI THAT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE The Institut franรงais, the official French government centre for language and culture, is uniquely placed to provide French language training with real added value to your company

Our ONLINE COURSES, including weekly Skype sessions with a personal tutor, offer the opportunity to STUDY FRENCH AT ANY PACE...

... and it seems quite energising!

80 - info - may / june

www.institut-francais.org.uk

CRAFTSMANSHIP IN EVERY PAGE CPI Colour is one of the UK’s leading printing

impactful corporate reporting, marketing,

companies. At the heart of what we do,

promotion and publishing. Our continued

there’s a passion for print.

investment in the very latest technology takes our services beyond those of a

It’s a passion that’s borne of a proud heritage

traditional printer, delivering content

of excellence in lithographic printing. We’ve

in print and online.

been honing our craft since 1802, building a reputation for print quality that’s unsurpassed.

cpicolour.co.uk

Times have changed – but our success is still due to the skill and experience of

Today, we help numerous blue chip

our people. Plus ça change, plus c’est

companies and luxury brands – with

la même chose.

108-110 Beddington Lane, Croydon, Surrey CR0 4YY T: +44 (0)20 8688 7500 E: sales@cpicolour.co.uk

WORLD NEWS

MADE IN FRANCE

FRANCE24.COM

Available in English on Freesat / Sky / TV Player And in English and French on Virgin