The "Portrait Croisé" interview with Baptiste Montrocher
Find out more about the association's employees who support you on a daily basis!

Today, we invite you to discover the "Portrait Croisé" interview with Baptiste Montrocher.
A newcomer to the ECAM Alumni Association at the end of February 2023, we're delighted to welcome him as Juliette Tauvel's successor.
With this mini-series of portraits, between career paths and personalities, let's take a look at the association's employees who support you on a daily basis!

An interview conducted by Vanessa Ghisolfi, ECAM Alumni Operations Manager.

Vanessa : Hello Baptiste, could you introduce yourself to us?

Baptiste: My name is Baptiste, and I'm 23 years old. I was born and raised in Lyon, a city I'm particularly fond of.
In three words, I'd describe myself as creative, curious and passionate. I love exploring and discovering new things, both technically and creatively, as well as culturally and historically.

This appetite for knowledge allows me to diversify my creations and broaden my vision on many subjects parallel to my professional activities.
I love to learn, but also to share my knowledge with others.

V : Could you tell us more about your arrival at the ECAM Alumni Association?

B: Following my most recent experience with the SNCF Group, I was contacted by a recruitment agency in contact with the Association. We quickly agreed on a first interview, which enabled me to understand the missions and ambitions of the team in place for the future of the association.

I had the pleasure of being invited to a second interview with the ECAM Alumni management, and it was on this occasion that I was able to become fully aware of the extent of the history, not only of the association but also of the School itself. The many details surrounding the depth and richness of the network and the actions deployed, as well as the central omnipresence of the promotion and defense of the Lassalian spirit and values, finished by convincing me and orienting my final choice.
So it was with great joy that I later received the call confirming my selection for the position.

V : What is your role within the association?

B: My main mission, which will also be my daily guideline, is to lead, federate and promote the ECAM Alumni network. At the same time, I'm also committed to defending the ECAM LaSalle diplomas and the values held by the school, the students and the entire alumni community. This mission implies constant maintenance and renewal of the Alumni network.

In my area of expertise, communication, I will be required to promote and communicate on the various actions of the network, so that the whole ECAM family, the Alumni network and also the outgoing classes, can take full advantage of the rights and benefits of this network, and thus perpetuate this mutual aid and this link so particular to the ECAM community.

V : What will be your first challenge within the association?

B: My first challenge as a communicator will be to guarantee the continuity of our communication initiatives.
The association's previous communicators have already implemented and introduced many innovative communication tools and formats. The general idea is to strike a balance between the continuity of the good actions already undertaken and the novelties I can bring to the table. So now it's up to me to continue and build on this great momentum in favor of the intergenerational links of the network and the members of the association, by bringing my technical and creative background, my graphic flair and my desire to develop video formats.
The aim remains the same: to showcase the network's actions and members, so that celui-ci becomes ever more widely known.

We've got a whole host of new projects in the pipeline, so don't hesitate to connect to our networks to keep up to date with the latest releases.

V : Could you tell us a little about your background and what makes you a good fit for the job and the association?

B: After a scientific baccalaureate, I entered a creative and communications school to begin a 5-year course in art direction. Always driven by my desire to discover new things, I was lucky enough to gain a lot of professional experience during my 5 years of training. In parallel with my theoretical training, I was able to put my technical and strategic knowledge into practice during a start-up internship in my 2nd year.
A trimester abroad and a year later, here I am in 4th year, starting my first work-study placement, this time with an SME. Specializing in sales to professionals, this experience at the heart of entrepreneurship and the multiple relationships between all the players in the field taught me an enormous amount.

Developing my technical and human skills, but also my versatility, I was able to express myself fully creatively, but above all to witness the strength of a well-maintained network of contacts and partners.

It's a network that I continued to experience on the rail side, during my 5th year at school and my second work-study placement, when I joined the communications department of the SNCF Group's Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes TER division. In direct contact with a large number of contacts, partners and colleagues, I was able to immerse myself in, understand and participate in an XXL network.
My year with the SNCF was punctuated by a constant evolution in global communications, as well as in the creative responses to be provided, and enabled me to further strengthen my skills and knowledge in a number of areas. Corporate, group and institutional codes, the hierarchical chain of command and the creative process involving multiple players with all kinds of expertise and specialization, were all subjects I was able to integrate and experience during this highly enriching experience.

It is this combination of advanced theoretical knowledge and proven technical skills that I wish to bring to the service of the association, its partners and the network of its members.

V : What does the network mean to you?

B: A collection of intertwined individualities creating immense wealth.
For me, a network lives through its members and their actions. Everyone can find a different objective in their relationship with their network. And this is especially true of the Alumni network!

Some members use this great tool as a friendly link with their respective graduating classes, to keep in direct or indirect contact with each other's personal and professional news and events. Other members use the network as a large directory of professional opportunities and contacts, which they can call on when the time is right. In my view, these two ways of using and sustaining the Alumni network are extremely interrelated and even interdependent.

Every member, from the youngest graduate just starting out in his or her career to the most experienced who has much to pass on, will always be able to draw on and count on this great network and its support.

It is this wealth of individualities forming this immense collective force that I find fascinating, and to which I hope to continue to contribute through my skills and my role as communicator, so that its vitality and strength endure for a long time to come.

V : Could you tell us about the "real" Baptiste?

B: As you can imagine, I'm very curious. Culture, history, skills, I love discovering new subjects and trying out new themes and activities. I'm also quite sporty, I like to move around and let off steam alongside my daily activities. I've also tried my hand at a number of sports, both team and individual, competitive and recreational.
Competitive and recreational gaming, whether board or video, is also a passion in which I can explore and discover many different worlds and horizons.
I also enjoy drawing and graphic design, as well as reading fiction and more technical books on communication and design.
In general, I like and am attracted to all areas that allow me creative freedom.

Of course, I can't push all these themes as much as I'd like, and I have a tendency to become passionate about a subject in phases, lasting 1 or 2 weeks or even 1 month, before changing the subject completely, only to return to it later.

V: What's your flaw?

B : As mentioned earlier, I have a fairly high level of curiosity, which can sometimes turn into an invasive and totally counterproductive mania.
All I need is a little bit of information on a subject I don't know anything about, and I find myself immersed in the discovery of this new topic, totally losing sight of my initial task.
Fortunately, I know myself well enough to avoid this kind of problem at the office, and I have a high enough standard of respect for myself, my team-mates and deadlines in the tasks assigned to me that this fault doesn't manifest itself.
But when I do indulge in this tendency during personal projects, I often find that my excessive thirst for knowledge wastes many hours that could have been put to much better use.

V : Any current reading?

B: Despite my attraction to narrative and big fiction novels, I still have a great attraction to the visual. I tend to be easily seduced by very graphic books.
I'm currently reading, for example; apart from comics, manga and design books, which I can't get enough of because of the infinite diversity of these mediums; a modern collection of Gustave Doré's works, entitled " Fantastique ".
This is the book I keep carefully on my desk and pursue whenever I can, as much for its content as for its highly polished layout and appearance.

V : What would you say to conclude this exchange?

B : Like Juliette before me, I strongly invite you to come and meet us at the association. We're located at the top of the ECAM LaSalle Lyon campus, Bâtiment M, 22 Montée Nicolas de Lange 69005 Lyon.
Retired alumni, working alumni and ECAM LaSalle students, you are all an integral part of this same great and beautiful ECAM Alumni network, which has been in place for over a century to help you and defend your interests.

Please do not hesitate to make use of it and to bring it to life through and around you!

V : Many thanks to Baptiste Montrocher for his enthusiastic participation in this portrait.

His pragmatism, technical skills and creativity will be - I'm convinced - major assets in the service of the ECAM Alumni Association's missions.

Welcome to the General Secretariat!

Look out for this article in the paper edition of l'Echo Du Web very soon!