KEDGE Alumni Wine Tasting
This KEDGE Alumni created BeeMyBees to support companies in their digital transformation
After 20 years of experience working in management and operational management, Franck Roger, chose to join the PGE programme at KEDGE as part of a VAE to validate and develop his skills. Today, he is at the head of BeeMyBees, a global ecosystem to promote
Hello, Franck! To begin with, can you tell us about your educational and professional background.
When I was still in law school, I created a company that built PCs in the early 1990s. I witnessed the evolution of the industry toward new actors, such as Dell, and realised that the IT business, as well as the PC systems integrator industry, were going to change completely. The company I created with three associates didn't seem able to make this essential shift. So, I decided to close the company and, following my experience as an entrepreneur, rejoin the salaried world at the age of 23. After a successful and multilayered experience in a startup in Bordeaux for nine years, where I learned to appreciated the BtoB industry, I joined the English company Autodata in 2007.
For 10 years, I was able to carry out a variety of missions and undertake challenges that became more and more international and strategic, in an Anglo-Saxon business environment, that is based on a very practical judgment of results. I started out at Manager for the distribution sector in France, then little by little took on broader missions as Manager of business in Southern Europe and then in charge of Pan European Major Accounts. Additionally, I was responsable for studying the Latin and Central American market (particularly Brazil, Argentina, and Chile), where our company was not yet present.
In 2015, after the successful sale of the group, I decided to leave the company, even though it brought me a lot. The group offered me a promotion and an extension of my roles. However, my personal situation brought me to make different choices. My initial training was in law (Masters in private law) and after 20 years working in management and operational management, I wanted to get a quality degree that would validate my skills in sales and management, and enable me to find a job as General Director or create my own company. It's at that time, in 2015, that Kedge came into my life. I was wondering if I should take on a job as GD and has received several interesting offers. Or, if it was time to once again call upon my entrepreneurial spirit and create a new company. After doing a benchmark of the diplomas that existed in France, including the most popular MBAs, I decided to join the PGE programme at KEDGE, as part of a VAE (validation des acquis de l'expérience).
Indeed, I analysed the overall ROI of my choice, and decided on Kedge, which was moving up in school rankings, and offered what I believed was a quality/price ratio that was well above the other options. And, I can say, looking back, that I am extremely satisfied with my choice. Not only did I have access to quality teachings, but I also received very professional and humanised support from the Kedge Executive team.
Tell us about BeeMyBees, your company.
I created BeeMyBees in March 2016. The goal was to create and animate a global ecosystem to promote digital transformation, business and strategy for companies of all sizes.
Our actions are centred around four axes today:
- Awareness Raising
- Training
- Advising
- Support
The ecosystem is built around three essential values: quality, independence, and putting the human at the center of the digital. This global platform (both as a tool and a way to federate skills) has conquered the market with companies that are bigger and bigger in size by taking advantage of two trends that we believe seem difficult on the market. The first is related to the fact that companies are experience significant changes in their needs (nearly 50% of positions that will exist in companies over the next few years don't exist yet today), companies will probably need to look for skills externally more an more. Especially since with the agility they gain from finding external resources, companies will be able to challenge internal organisations that often continue to work in silos.
The second structural reason is related to the evolution of the classic salaried workforce. We could even talk about the end of the salaried workforce, as more an more people will become their own employers (permanent training throughout their careers). BeeMyBees was created to bring these two trends together and act as an intermediary, based on both on the quality of services rendered and on the intrinsic independence of the ecosystem that we are actively participating in creating and animating.
BEEMYBEES INVITES KEDGE ALUMNI TO THE
#SOCIALSELLINGFORUM
May 4, 2018 at KEDGE Bordeaux
Confirm your présence before April 15th and take advantage of free entrance with the code "beemybees".
What are your objectives for the future?
We just finished our third fundraising operation in two years, which has enabled us to launch a huge project to replace the current version of the platform within 12 months. With the experience we have gained over the past two years, we want to give ourselves the means to become the national reference ecosystem when it comes to BtoB with our new platform in the next three years. In parallel, we will continue to pursue our growth abroad. First, we want to develop our business in Portugal; we opened a subsidiary in 2017. We are also developing some promising major accounts for 2018 / 2019. Additionally, we want to continue to develop our partnership with Kedge to create content for high-quality training programs and develop awareness raising courses.
How did your time at KEDGE Business School and its teachings help you in developing your project?
The crosscutting training I received at Kedge helped me consolidate my knowledge in different fields. It also helped me confirm my decision to take (back) control over my career and create BeeMyBees rather than stay in the position of a salaried director, which was comfortable, but in which I wasn't really happy anymore.
If you had one piece of advice for KEDGE Alumni and students, what would it be?
The Kedge experience really provides you an opportunity to step back and figure out your own "Why" to take control of your future and set your path according to your abilities and desires. I would tell them to not hesitate to be themselves and not try to stay in well-defined and traditional boxes that don't really fit them!
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Natacha HENRI (BEM Programme Grande Ecole / ESC, 2016) 09 April 2018 à 22h00
Une solution éprouvée et performante aussi bien côté consommateur que côté entreprise !