Portrait of a Kedger: André Gamperts ISMQ 1999 - Drivers of continuous improvement

INTERVIEW 💬

1️⃣ To begin, tell us about your educational background. What did you study, both before and at KEDGE?

After doing higher studies in economics and management (Paris XIII) and a Chartered Accounting and Auditing degree, I began my professional career (1980/1999) by working first at Arthur & Young, KPMG, then for Galeries LAFAYETTE, an international distribution group. The work-study programme at ISMQ (1999/2000) corresponded to a turning point in my private life (settling in the Bordeaux region) as well as in my professional life (starting a consulting activity with the support of a "Formation Action" with more than 150 accounting firms within the framework of a program "to be an actor of a quality approach" co-financed by the Regional Council of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Paris Ile de France. The added-value of the project was to allow a regulated profession to bridge the gap between its professional standards of the organisation and the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001 by providing a method and the tools to pass the ISO certification milestone and maintain an internal dynamic of continuous improvement of its processes. I found the other members of the ISMQ graduating class (about thirty at the time) and the stakeholders to be continual sources of enrichment of my knowledge, my network of contacts, as well as many festive events that I will never forget. In this regard, I must pay tribute to the energy of Catherine Quenisset at the time.

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2️⃣ Were you a member of any student associations when you were at KEDGE?

I joined the Alumni association and took part in the annual ISMQ Congress for several years. As I worked 17 years as an auditor and senior manager at the Bureau Veritas Certification, I was able to get in touch with ISMQ alumni such as Catherine CANDELLA with the Cheque Dejeuner Group on several occasions. (ISO 9001/15 Certification - ISO 26000 Evaluation).

3️⃣ Tell us what you did after your studies were finished. What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions?

"Knowledge is the only thing that grows when you share it." This quote by Socrates is the basis of my book on the principles and best practices of continuous improvement in organisations. Indeed, in an ever-changing and increasingly demanding context, and with increased competition, it is vital for every company to implement actions that allow it to continuously improve, concurrence, at a minimum: at the very least to keep up with its environment, preferably to stand out and increase its efficiency. Based on my more than 40 years of experience in performance management in these different aspects, my book has an added-value in three ways:

1. To provide the reader with a guide to take ownership of the principles and requirements for the continuous improvement of companies documented in the ISO 9001 version 2015 standard, and in particular those arising from their strategies, customer expectations, relevant partners, and legal and regulatory obligations;
2. To highlight, in an academic way, more than 365 levers, methods, or tools used to reinforce the performance of progress approaches, or to minimise the risks of organisations as we have observed them during our career, such as: Key Success Factors (KSF), VSM method (Value Stream Mapping), Balanced Scorecard (TBF), ITIL / AGILE methods, Job and Competency Planning Management (GPEC), Motivation and Well-Being of Employees factor, LEAN-type approaches, the use of the Net Promoter Score (NPS), digital transition, and good practices resulting from the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (ISO 26000);
3. Enrich this feedback and present concrete examples, testimonials, and bibliographical references, as well as diversifying your current operational excellence practices.

Therefore, I invite my readers to strengthen their own perceptions of the possible ways to continually improve and to draw on ideas that can be applied to their business or their clients. FYI, my book is available online (Amazon, FNAC, etc.) and in the best bookshops.

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4️⃣ What are your development goals for the future?

After I retired from Bureau Veritas Certification, and for the last two years or so, I’ve:

1. been a member of "AD MISSIONS" the network of experts as a reference organisation for a consulting and training programmes, which is showcased in my book.
2. been an "active" volunteer in several public interest associations including: ADIE, which provides guidance through training, financing (micro-credit, mobility loans), insurance, social inclusion, and the creation of enterprises, and Les Petits Frères des Pauvres, which takes action to break the isolation of the elderly. 

5️⃣  If you had to give advice to any KEDGE Alumnus or Alumna who would like to do something similar, what would it be? 

Expand your areas of expertise in all facets of CSR business performance, including in Finance. Master professional English and, if possible, a second language.

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