In December 2023, Maison Moderne will celebrate its 30th anniversary. What were you doing in December 1993?

December 1993 is a month and a year that counts in my life. First it's the time when I met the woman who became my wife and a few years later the woman who gave me three wonderful children! Then I also remember this time because it is when the movie Philadelphia was released. I was shaken at that time given how difficult the topic was – and still is. Almost thirty years later, I still get chills when I hear the first notes of the song "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen: "I was bruised and battered, I couldn't tell what I felt, I was unrecognizable to myself, Saw my reflection in a window, And didn't know my own face, Oh brother are you gonna leave me wastin' away, On the streets of Philadelphia?".

Which article, magazine cover or Maison Moderne event stood out for you and why?

There have been so many good Paperjam and Delano articles, topics and events over the last few years. If I had to remember one event in particular, it would be the one that Degroof Petercam supported in November 2021. The club talk with Virginie Delalande, the first profoundly deaf lawyer in France who has turned her disability into a strength. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to her with our clients in a small group just before her speech in our offices. The emotion was so strong that one of our guests burst into tears when she discovered Virginie Delalande's personality and remarkable career. Being able to share such emotions with our guests was a magical moment that I will never forget. 

Are you more of a digital or a print media consumer?

Due to time constraints, especially during the week, I am mostly a consumer of digital media. I read the news in the morning while having breakfast on a few apps and listen to the radio in the car on the way to work. However, I prefer print in the evening at home or in the weekend because in the office I don't really have the opportunity to sit and read without being interrupted every five minutes.

What does your office look like and what does it say about you?

I'm lucky enough to share my office with my team, which means that ideas can be exchanged constantly. Communication flows smoothly and the number of e-mails exchanged is reduced. In a marketing department, communication and constant exchange are essential. Moreover, the Covid period was not ideal because we had to systematically schedule our discussions, and this affected spontaneity.

The "clean desk" policy is not really respected in our office because we accumulate a lot of magazines, newspapers, catalogues, and we have a wall with our "hall of fame" which includes our most beautiful creations. So, a very lively office! Being close to nature, I took the initiative to bring back some plants that have been with me for several years to brighten up the office!

It's all about morning routines. What are your habits and rituals at work?

I usually start my day by reading my emails and agenda to plan my priorities and the team's. I get a feel of how the team is doing and greet my colleagues from other departments who are in the same corridor.

Two years of the pandemic have cut us off from these informal moments of discussion. It is essential to reconnect as it makes things much easier when you work with colleagues you know by more than name or position in the company. 

And in the evening, which project currently keeps you awake?

I usually sleep badly the night before our client events because I rehearse in my head the route of our guests, my to-dos and the team's, even if the tasks are defined in advance.

At an event, we often have to improvise at the last minute and therefore be flexible. By anticipating as much as possible, we reduce the unexpected. With age and experience, I have also learnt to manage my stress not to pass it on to others. Even if it remains a complicated exercise...

Which best practice you have learned recently that you would like to share with our readers and your colleagues?

Communication and listening are two good practices that I try to do every day. In marketing, it is important to feel things, to exchange with others, to listen to internal and external clients, to have ideas, to have them challenged, to reinvent yourself but above all not to be afraid of trying new things.

For me, doing the same thing over and over again without innovating is demotivating. In our profession, innovation is essential, but it must be done within the means and resources available, which is not always possible... so we must be creative, resourceful and flexible.

A CEO sensitive to communication and marketing is crucial. How would you rate your CEO on his vision of the strategic role of your department?

In my opinion, it is not only at the CEO level that this sensitivity must exist, but at the management and managerial level and even ideally in every employee because they are our best ambassadors. If they don't understand the importance of a marketing department or what such a department does, it is probably because marketing does not do its own marketing well. At Degroof Petercam Luxembourg, the management has clearly understood the importance of my department in the execution of the strategy of the different business lines present in Luxembourg, whether it be Private Banking or Asset Servicing for example. By the way, thank you to Maison Moderne for giving a voice to the men and women who make this job which is often in the shadows! 

Share three of your favorite campaigns with us!

Having a slightly 'exotic' name myself, the first campaign is a  about inclusion in the workplace. It is a theme close to my heart, which I found on LinkedIn following a post by the CEO of RBC Bank from 2020. It points to attitudes in the workplace that are no longer acceptable today.

The second is a campaign I worked on in 2009 for the launch of the BNP Paribas Personal Investors brand with a black r piggy bank. The anecdote is that a few days after its launch, a series of articles appeared in the press about a panther that had escaped in Meurthe-et-Moselle... At the time, the communication agency (Vous) and I wanted to capitalise on this news by saying that the panther was the one from the photo shoot, which was obviously false!

The last one was the 2014 campaign "for Rosport with a beautiful black stallion that I saw for the first time in the cinema. For me, it was a turning point in the Luxembourg advertising landscape with a film that was inspiring, emotional and very well made.

If you become editor-in-chief, who would you chose for the next Paperjam or Delano cover?

As per my previous answer, I think that once in a while we should put people who deserve to be in the spotlight because of their personality, their inspiring and exceptional career on Paperjam or Delano's cover. Often the front pages of magazines are reserved for established personalities. To be consistent with what I said above, I would have liked to see Virginie Delalande on Paperjam's cover last year. I was happy for her when I saw that she had recently made Forbes' magazine cover in France.