[PORTRAIT D'ADMINISTRATEUR ECAM ALUMNI] Pierre VASCHALDE - ECAM PROMO 1973 AML

SCHOOL

How did you get to ECAM?

To tell the truth, I didn't really know what I wanted to do at the time. What I did know was that I wanted to stay in Lyon because I was playing field field hockey at a high level and I didn't want to move away from my club and my friends. My mother told me about ECAM because a friend of hers had a son who had studied at this school, which seemed very serious and which I could walk to from the 3rd arrondissement where my family lived. As I had just passed my oral Bac C in 1968, I was given maths and physics tests and was admitted to Maths Sup at the Lazaristes.

What stood out for you during your training?

First of all, the fast pace of the two preparatory years. Then there was the discovery of the slide rule and the technical bible, the Mueller, which we used to buy at the local store, and the workshop with all its machines and teachers who were always ready to listen. There were some outstanding personalities, such as Messrs Bouisset and Kousoupios. I was a day student. I could continue to live with my family and practice my sport. I was well aware that the life of a boarder was very different from my own, but all went well. There was a great sense of camaraderie. I discovered computing with the Philips P880, which worked in batch mode. No console. We had to come with our big packs of IBM punched cards, and there was always one wrong or missing. It was very hot on project handover nights. Then one day came the HP9100, Hewlett-Packard's first desktop computer, with its pre-wired transcendental functions, its graphite cards and its little thermal printer. This highly innovative machine set me on the path of my early career.

What advice would you give to the graduating class?

To a young person graduating today, I would say that you have to believe in your dreams and follow your intuitions, trust others, work as part of a team, and know how to seize opportunities when they arise. As I say when I present the Association with Vanessa Ghisolfi to ECAM3 and ECAM5, I'm a bit of a determinist. I believe that there is no such thing as a pointless encounter, either personally or professionally, and that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

WORKING LIFE - PRO CHALLENGES

You're retired now. Can you tell us something about your career?

I didn't have the typical career of an ECAM engineer, as I went into IT and consulting. But I know that the technical and human training I received at ECAM has been indispensable in my professional life.

My career has been in two parts:

1973 - 1993: 20 years with Hewlett-Packard worldwide, including 4 in France, 1 in the USA and 14 in Geneva, Switzerland. First in product support functions for HP pocket calculators and early PCs. Then as European Marketing Director. And finally as Sales Director for the Suisse Romande branch for 4 years.

1993 - 2014: 20 years in organization and IT consulting in what was then a pioneering field: the dematerialization of processes and electronic content management. Basically, the aim was to eliminate the paper circulating within companies and organizations and replace it with processes based on 100% electronic flows and electronic documents, all well integrated into the information system. I started out on my own, learning a new trade. It took me 9 months to send out my first consulting invoice. One thing led to another, and at the end of 1999, just as the dotcom bubble was bursting, I co-founded SmartWave SA in Geneva, an IT consulting and integration company that still exists today and employs 70 IT consultants and engineers. In addition to my strategic activities at SmartWave, I was lucky enough to be involved in some very large projects, such as the dematerialization of international patents at WIPO in Geneva, a 7-year project initiated with my first company.

What's next?

Since March 2014, I've been a very active retiree.

I joined AI ECAM in 2016 and the Board in 2017.

As I'm passionate about digital, in 2018 I contributed to ECAM Lyon's steering committee for the implementation of virtual and augmented reality TPs. With Gautier Pidou (ECAM 1999 AML), we also put together a conference/debate entitled "La place de l'Homme dans la transition numérique". We organized it for ECAM Lyon in 2018, then for ICAM in Paris, for alumni from 3 regions and for associations.

I'm also a volunteer with several associations, including SNC, Solidarités Nouvelles face au Chômage, where I provide free personalized support to people looking for work. I've also been involved in politics since 2016.

What does Engineering mean to you?

He's someone who always looks for an efficient and ethical solution to a problem, taking all constraints into account.

As is often the case with our school, my son Maxime is also an ECAM AML engineer, class of 2016. He works in IT.

THE NETWORK / YOUR COMMITMENTS TO ECAM ALUMNI

What does the Network mean to you?

Networking has become essential for career development. We can see this clearly in the success of professional networks like LinkedIn. The ECAM network seems to me very important for students looking for internships, for young people leaving the school or wishing to work abroad. It's also very important for engineers facing difficulties in their careers. It's a web of solidarity with welcoming men and women who you shouldn't hesitate to call on.

Tell me about your role in the association!

I am currently Vice President of the Lyon Group, which has around 2800 alumni out of the 7800 trained by the two schools. In addition to the 10 teaching assignments already mentioned, I also take part in diploma juries and graduation ceremonies on behalf of our President Pierre Damnon. I take part in activities agreed with ECAM Lyon during steering committees. I also coordinate class visits, in particular visits to the ECAM Lyon site on the basis of a fixed schedule agreed with the school's management.

The final word?

I wish to continue to contribute to the AI ECAM to help the schools and the Association fulfill their missions with great benevolence and respect for the Lasallian spirit.

In June 2023, we'll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of my class of '73. I've issued the invitation and I'm putting together a crack team to make this reunion a great event.