Nycomed Medical System 1995

"Are you sure you want to take this position as International product manager? You don't speak English…"
I guess, you already read some pages of my website, and even if it's not a perfect English, you've probably understood that I took the right decision. I spend 3 months in Birmingham being on duty almost 24 on 7. Since then, I can tell you for sure that communication is first listen to people before speaking to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AstraZeneca 1997.
"Are you sure you want to take this position in a pharmaceutical company? You are not pharmacist nor physician and you will promote chemotherapies? This will never work …
Tomudex was the first chemotherapy launched by Zeneca Pharma, and even if the molecule wasn't exactly what oncologists were expected to have for colorectal cancer treatment, this was a good option which brang some therapeutical results as second line and then first line of tretment. On top of that, Zeneca Pharma had several new molecules in the R&D pipeline, making a successful launch of Tomudex mandatory.

Unfortunately, 6 months after the launch, the company had to do a relaunch with a new product positioning, with a new team, new sales force, news messages ... and a product manager who was not a pharmacist, nor doctor. 

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We definitively had a lot a fun, and 20 years after, everyone involved in this adventure still share the same pride ... we made it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AstraZeneca - First JEACD in 1999 with the FFCD.
"Are you sure you want to communicate this way, no-one did it before you ... it must be a good reason, no?"

The idea was to stop promoting the product and start promoting Zeneca Pharma as institutional partner of the French Federation of Digestive Cancer. This federation was freshly founded by a young  generation of Gastro-Oncologists, and my bet at this moment was that these doctors will be strong enough to break some dogma and take its own independance amongst other organ specialist or surgeons. We provided them an unlimited support to settle this organisation at least for the 2 first years of its existence.

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AstraZeneca - 10th JEAU in 2001 in Lisboa

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"Are you sure you want to invite every single urologist in France dealing with protstatic cancer to our meeting? On top of that, you want to organize this by driven simoulteanously 2 panels of experts during 2 days .... you are crazy !!!"

This was one of the most intense experience of my existence. Being accepted and recognized by the most influent leaders in Urology during this event brang me more satisfaction than any bonus or incentives that I ever received during my professionnal career. During this moment, I had the feeling that we were written the history ... and i some ways, it was true.

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Unfortunately, 10 days after the 9/11, France lived one of the first major trauma of this new higlhy mediatic century ... AZT explosion in Toulouse. The 21 september 2001 at 10h17am two huge explosions destroyed a chemical facility attempting to more than 200 lives. That was my first "Crisis Management" that I had to organize inside my JEAU event. I've set-up my first "war room" and put in place an emergency plan to organize transfers to Toulouse of Toulousian physicians back home to their families.

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For the records, that was my last week at AstraZeneca, I've sent my resignation letter 2 months before, but I took the strong comittement to manage this outstanding event on the most professionnal manner. Circumstancies were indeed incredible as well.

 

AstraZeneca - Toulouse AZT September 2001

 

 

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Arthesys - December 2001
"Are you sure you want to work for a company which generates less revenues than your current marketing

budget?" "On top of that, you will have no defined budget, no assistant, no sales force, one product to sell

and one customer to develop…"
Believe me or not, that was one a the most exciting challenge I've ever had to face.
When you do a company segmentation in term of image, you always have the leader (always one), then the

challenger(the company pushing the leader out the field), the outsider (no-one expect him, but took the

momentum and built-up an image on very specific features), the follower and sometime … the looser. 

This company was nothing of this … Arthesys had simply no image at all. Everything to create ….
In 2001, Arthesys had 30 employees and was generating 1.5 M€. Today, Arthesys is a part of Degania group,

with 2 manufacturing sites, counting 50 employees in France a 400 employees in India for 15 M€ T.O.

 

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Minvasys - Lybia 2011
"Are you sure you want to go to Benghazi?"

To make it short, we won the national tender in Lybia.  That was end of 2010, and our local contact managed everything to make it happen. My trip was planned just after the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia and the "revolution of the 25th January" in Egypt. In other hand, Gaddafi  was such a strong leader in this area compared him to Ben Ali or Mubarak. It was simply not possible to imagine that such kind of riots can happened in Lybia too. Gaddafi was a rock.
My wife was anxious about this trip and ask the day before I left … " but where are you going in Lybia?"  I answered "In the middle of nowhere, a town between Tripoli and Tobruk; Benghazi"
I arrived there the 14th of February, and the protests started the 15th. I was evacuated the 18th of February with the last fly from Tripoli. After this, the airport remained closed during 3 months and re-opened under the NATO resolution for a no-fly zone over Lybia.

 

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Stentys 2011
"Are you sure you want to work for a startup company ?"
Either you do jour job perfectly, you are successful, one of the big four companies buys you

and you are fired… Either you don't do your job properly, you burn all your cash, the company

goes to bankruptcy and you are fired. In both case there is a peremption date on your job.... 

That's the stupidest shortcut I've ever heard.
 

First of all, unless it's clearly defined the moment you join the company, there is no "peremption

date" on your job. Just opportunities you seize to make it exceptional … or not.

Working for a startup means that you need to have a different mindset, especially  when the

company is listed on the national stock exchange. That means that you have to rethink enterly 

your communication because at the end of the day you don't know if your talking to a customer or a shareholder. Any information or piece of information can have a completely different meaning out the context.


Natec 2013
"l'm gonna work in Mauritius... seriously ??? Are you sure your want to do that ? ...that's your choice in you wish to stamp a coconut tree on your résumé…"

Indeed, some destinations are bankable from professional point of view. You got the red carpet when you say "l'm gonna work in Singapore". This is definitively a booster for your career.
"l'm gonna work in Beijing". Words that will come immediately to your mind will be ambitious and visionner.
"l'm gonna work in New York"… Energy, feel the pulse, fashion…

But what I can tell you is that doing this job in Paris, New York, New Delhi or Mauritius makes not difference. We are treating patients, saving lives and we all comply to the same stringent rules and regulations. This business became global over the last decade, needs and requirements are the same where ever you are.

I probably spent there three of the most beautiful, amazing and estonishing years. It was more than just a professional choice… It was a personal challenge that I share with my wife and sons.

 

In fact, in my life, my moto is quite simple "until you don't try you don't know if you will succeed 

but I can tell you for sure that if you don't try ... you've already failed".

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