What are your short and long-term goals?
François : “They are somewhat contradictory at the moment, as we want to develop and stabilise our businesses at the same time. On the one hand, we want to continue to grow organically in our current areas of activity, while remaining open to development opportunities, particularly within recycling, where we are developing new projects. On the other hand, we are very much aware of the need to strengthen our processes. We also need to go further in integrating the companies that have joined the Group in recent years and encourage synergies between them.”
What challenges are you currently facing?
François : “We are facing many challenges. Firstly, some are related to our business: maintaining a balance in our order book between public and private markets, as well as carrying out the projects entrusted to us. These are becoming increasingly large in scale and require appropriate management. We also need to develop our working methods to meet the needs of an expanding group. There are also an increasing number of questions relating to the financing of our projects and to our governance. Finally, we need to keep our employees motivated, while continuing to attract new talent. And all this while preserving the family culture that is at the heart of our DNA.”
What project did you work on in collaboration with BDO?
François : “The employee share ownership project, which we named ‘Partenaires’ (Partners).”
What was the problem or need behind the project?
François : “On the one hand, we wanted to reward the loyalty of our workforce by offering them the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. On the other hand, we also wanted to encourage them to make a long-term commitment to our group. That’s why we decided to turn to employee share ownership.”
What was the objective?
François : “To develop the structure via which our employees would be able to join, to draw up the shareholders' agreement and to coordinate the various phases until the project became a reality, with the first wave of shareholders joining in January 2024.”
Why did you choose BDO?
François : “We had already worked with BDO on a number of projects, particularly on projects relating to the structuring of the group and to shareholders’ agreements. So this was an area that we’d already worked on together. We really like the team that we've been working with for a number of years now, and it just made sense for us to embark on this project with them.”
How did the collaboration go?
François : “The collaboration was very positive. It lasted a little over a year, from the initial idea and first meetings to the final signatures.”
What were the different project phases?
François : “We first thought about what type of structure to put in place. We then spent a lot of time drawing up the rules for the cohabitation of the new shareholders and the distribution of profits over the years. This involved revising several of the founding documents, both with regard to the structure that was to be created, and also at other levels within the group.”
What is the most important thing you took away from our collaboration?
François : “It’s important to be very clear on the philosophy behind the project. Knowing what we want and what we don’t want makes it easier for us to sort through the many different options that are available.”
What aspect did you like the most?
François: “I really enjoyed working with the BDO team for many reasons:
What were the results achieved? Can these results be seen throughout the organisation?
François : “We completed the employee share ownership project with a first wave of shareholders, and we are currently preparing the second. We didn't have any specific short-term objectives, other than to generate enthusiasm among our employees, which has clearly been the case.”
How would you describe our collaboration in three words?
François : “Advice, pragmatism, reactivity.”
