[PORTRAIT D'ECAM] Michel MAIRE - 1982 AML

SCHOOL

How did you get to ECAM?

After doing a terminale E (for the younger ones, it was a technical and scientific training, exciting what) at the Ecole de la Salle in Lyon, I followed the preparatory cycle of the Cours SOGNO which by its intensity of work forged me a little.

What stood out for you during your training?

Of course, the teaching was general, but above all it was humanistic. The bonds with the teaching staff went beyond the simple relationship of learner to learner. And the extraordinary relationships forged with classmates that endure 40 years later with real sincerity.

What advice would you give to the graduating class?

Even courses that sometimes seem a little off the mark are in fact interesting sources later on. Professional life is made up of many different things, and above all of such radical changes that you have to be able to learn. One of the strengths of the ECAM curriculum is its diversity.

WORKING LIFE - PRO CHALLENGES

Today, can you talk about some of the milestones in your career?

On leaving school, I went to IRAQ to work for a French engineering company on the implementation of a huge irrigation network. It was a breathtaking experience, both in terms of the culture shock and the professional responsibilities I was entrusted with. Then, back in France, I decided to work in industry and joined an automotive supplier, where I learned a lot. At the age of 30, I was entrusted with the General Management of a 150-employee SME producing consumables for industry, which I left 4 years later for a small textile group in Lyon. There I carried out an LBO with an investment fund to buy the company from its shareholders and then float it on the stock market. But as I wasn't the majority shareholder, I was forced out "ad nutum" by other shareholders. It's the hard law of the genre that applies... .

Thanks to an outplacement consultant, I was put in touch with Dirigeants & Investisseurs, a pioneer in interim management, whose mission is to help companies in difficulty by guiding them through the process. I've been with the company for over 20 years now, and experience has made me its leader. It's a job that has taken me to all kinds of companies and activities, from hotels to foundries, from hydrogen production to connected objects, via retail and the food industry. And all this in the four corners of France, in start-ups or large ETIs. It's an extremely exciting job, and ECAM's generalist training has been a real asset.

What does Engineering mean to you?

There are many different kinds of engineer, but for me, it's above all a person with the ability to adapt to a changing world and find practical solutions to complex problems.

It's also a person who isn't obsessed with financial gain, but who constantly takes the human aspect into account in his decisions.

Do you have any other personal or professional challenges you'd like to talk about?

Work-life balance: that's a tough challenge to meet. I don't know if I've been able to achieve it for those close to me, but I have the feeling that I haven't strayed too far from it. I have a temperament that allows me to separate the two, and therefore not think about work when I'm not there. This allows me to be really present with my loved ones. I can see that today, with the omnipresence of smartphones, this must be more difficult.

You've set up your own business. What arethe keys to your success ?

In fact, I haven't created a business, I don't have that talent, and I admire those who do. I don't know how to support them.

Now, at the risk of disappointing followers of management methods, I tend to think that there is no miracle recipe. I see too many managers trying to find the grail in the latest fashionable methodology, and forgetting the fundamentals: benevolence and high standards, adapted customers and products, profit and investment, organization and creativity, and real listening, including to weak signals.

THE NETWORK / YOUR COMMITMENTS TO ECAM ALUMNI

What does the Network mean to you?

Something that is often overlooked by engineers. Yet it's an important professional tool, and not just for its business dimension. It allows us to exchange ideas with our peers and contributes to our training. What's more, it's a great opportunity for genuine human interaction.

Your past and present commitments: reasons and motivation for your commitment

CJD (Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants), EDC (Entrepreneurs et Dirigeants Chrétiens) - where the C stands for ECAM - are associations where I've found myself. First of all - with the CJD - for its spirit of experimentation, then with the EDC - to make my actions part of this rebending the social thinking of the Church and trying to take a Christian approach to my managerial decisions.

I've also had experience in a municipality, but it's really too demanding.

Finally, there could be political commitment, because criticism is easy, but here again you need to be available.

Do you have a role in the school, then and now?

For the moment, I don't have a role to play, but I imagine that with a lighter workload, I'll be able to make myself available to serve this school, which has given me so much.