Portrait: François Pierson (Class of 2003), was appointed to Deputy Director-General of Fayat Energie Services this past August.

Since becoming Deputy Director-General of Fayat Energie Services in August 2020, François Pierson, a graduate from KEDGE's Grande Ecole Programme, has been in charge of the transformation, auditing, and internal controls of the energy division of the FAYAT Group. In this position, he is also a member of the company’s Strategic Committee.

A graduate from ICN Business School (2001) and KEDGE Business School (2003), François Pierson began his career in 2003 with the Vinci Construction Group as a Regional Executive Manager.

He started working for Fayat Energie Services in 2006 and has occupied the following posts through the years:

• 2006 - 2016: Administrative and Financial Manager;
• 2015 - 2020: Administrative and Financial Director;
• 2017 - 2020: Transformation Director;
• 2018 - present: Member of the Strategic Committee;
• 2019 - 2020: Head of the Purchasing Department;
• August 2020 - present: Deputy Director-General

FRANÇOIS PIERSON - LINKEDIN

INTERVIEW - FRANÇOIS PIERSON :

As a former student of KEDGE, what memories do you have of your time at the school, and what do you miss?

The first memory I have is of the Finance professor, JF Regnard, who was able to hone in on my desire to learn.

My second is that of the village associations, where, as a member of the Junior Enterprises, I was able to spend a lot of time there and make many connections. I think that is this double approach that I was able to build the foundations of a dynamic career.

Finally, the last and most enjoyable memory is one from my last year, in the student residences on campus. It was a great time for meeting new people, discussions, and sharing with the students of the different classes and different degree programmes.

As to what do I miss, it’s simple. I miss everything!

Tell us about your career path? What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions?

I started as an executive position in management in the regional department of a large construction group when management wasn’t yet mature in those jobs. I then worked in positions with administrative and financial officer responsibilities for almost 10 years. I wasn’t mobile family reasons.

In 2015, after having already refused several promotions, I finally accepted an advancement and took on the role of CFO on the complex scope of major projects. As I had successfully worked on cross-functional projects, and held the CFO position, I became Director of Transformation in 2018, which added the Purchasing Department in 2019. In 2020, became in charge of managing and deploying future enterprise resource planning systems, and became Deputy Director-General, with responsibility for transformation, audit and internal controls.

Each position brings its own lessons. The CFO position shaped my strategic and financial vision. The Director of Transformation position developed my project approach, change management, and empathy skills. In that position, I was also able to develop my strategic skills by advising the President of my division.

Your career is already extremely successful. What are your goals for the future?

I'm now going to stabilise my responsibilities because nothing is built on a fragile foundation. Then I'm going to open myself up to tasks that have a more operational function to complete the scope of my skills and experience.

What advice would you give to KEDGE graduates who want to do something similar?

Commit fully to your responsibilities and look for mentors who can help you grow. Be unfailingly loyal and accept the inevitable fall. But most of all, and always, I believe that you must like others and believe in them.

Why do you think it’s important for a school to have a strong alumni network?

The paths other Alumni have always motivated me, and I see the Alumni network as a kind of lighthouse - the more powerful the network, the brighter the lighthouse.

As for my part, I have always done my best to bring KEDGE Alumni into my teams (mostly graduates from the MAI programme, but that’s only been due to opportunities and needs). 

Fayat Energie & Services, an expert in energy networks, offers innovative solutions to make cities smarter and more connected. It accomplishes this through the study and implementation of complex projects that are part of sustainable and eco-responsible development, in the electrical and digital engineering sectors. Fayat Energie Service is a division of the French group FAYAT, a major player in construction and industry.

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