An interview published in the Monde des Grandes écoles et Universités (in french only)

 

© Greg Gonzalez/BPCE

Can you tell us about the impact of current changes on your business?

The financial sector has been undergoing in-depth transformative change and this trend has really stepped up with today’s new technologies, changing usage and shifting expectations from both our clients and staff. So this revolution constantly drives us forward to grow and adapt with one clear strategic goal in mind – be more agile!

How is this agility visible at Natixis?

Here at Natixis, we encourage a real entrepreneurial mindset in the way we develop our business and also within our teams. A good example of this is our multi-boutique model, which we have rolled out across our asset management business and M&A operations: this model also provides the basis for our payment business, with the various start-ups we have acquired. Our ability to house several smaller companies within a group of several thousand staff really sets us apart from the rest of the market. Agility is first and foremost a mindset and we have changed Natixis’ organizational set-up to further foster this approach. We have streamlined our structure, cut back the number of management levels, entirely rethought the role of our leaders in the company and changed our working methods for our teams. Our fundamental goal is to encourage both initiative and empowerment for all our staff.

So, does more agility mean more opportunities?

Our key focus is on our teams’ human intelligence – that’s what really provides value-added for our clients. We need entrepreneurs who can display relational intelligence, and our environment here at Natixis empowers them to achieve fulfilment and success. Today’s technological changes make the human dimension even more important than ever, and our staff truly are responsible for giving our bank its full meaning and legitimacy. The technological transformation of today’s world makes our human value-added increasingly vital for our clients as we support their growth. The services of tomorrow will not be that much different from today’s, but the real difference will be in the way they are provided.

How do you see the bank of tomorrow?

The bank of tomorrow must consistently consider what is useful and how it can stay relevant, so it is vital that we take on board the key challenges of our time – such as climate change. We believe that we have a real role to play in directing financial resources to certain sectors and certain uses such as energy transition, so we are very active in this arena.

Will the bank of tomorrow be male-dominated?

I have three daughters, and I truly hope that they will have the same opportunities as boys when they reach the workplace. We have developed some very strong initiatives to support gender equality right across the board at Natixis: our management fast-track program has an equal male/female split each year, and our senior management committee includes three women. We have adapted our leadership model to clearly outline just what we expect from our leaders and how we assess them. Our recruitment process resolutely includes as many women as men. So now it’s up to us to convince women that they can have a fulfilling career here at Natixis!

How can a young talent be involved in the bank’s development?

We need young talents to keep on bringing new life to our teams, as they are brimming with energy and potentially disruptive views, especially on digital initiatives. We are very interested in what they have to teach us about the transformation currently under way and the changes that lie ahead. We are seeing disruption right across today’s society, so the younger generations have a key role to play within companies. We need to encourage them to get involved as their contribution is invaluable!

Do you have a particular message for young graduates?

The most important point I’d like to make is that finance is useful. The sector has probably been the most active in creating the growth and innovation society that we have enjoyed since the industrial revolution and it will continue to play an extremely important role. You shouldn’t see finance as a world of power and wealth but rather a truly useful industry, where you can really continue building the world of tomorrow. The second key point is that we are living through an era of incredible technological transformation, which is overturning the established order and enabling staff to find new meaning in their work. So scope to change today’s society and build the world of tomorrow should be an important factor in the choices you make.

“Natixis is an international, innovative, agile and useful financial institution”.