Yesterday at the Banque Populaire on the Promenade des Anglais, the Union Pour l’Entreprise 06 (UPE) organized a press conference followed by the annual General Assembly to introduce the new Board members, provide a recap, and present the future prospects of the association.
“You don’t change a winning team,” exclaimed Phillipe Renaudi, the elected president of UPE 06, upon announcing the new composition of his Board. His team is made up of both former and new members. It includes a total of 12 statutory members:
The new board is composed as follows:
Philippe Renaudi, UPE06 President; Honoré Ghetti, 1st Vice-President; Anis Nassif, Treasurer; Bernard Mouret, Deputy Treasurer; Anne Lechaczynski, General Secretary; Karine Brut, Deputy General Secretary; Thierry Teboul, Vice-President Trade Unions; Anny Courtade, Vice-President Trade Direct Members; Bruno Valentin, Vice-President Services Unions; Claire Peradotto, Vice-President Services Direct Members; Laure Cardalous, Vice-President Industry Unions; Stéphanie Calviera, Vice-President Industry Direct Members.
Five advisors will support the board: Fabienne Gastaud, Marielle Walicki, Daniel Sfecci, Max Estin, and Philippe Ippolito. Additionally, six regional delegates will be responsible for the management of the economic areas in the region.
For this new mandate, the President has opted for “total gender parity,” he claims. He is very pleased that such equality is achieved within the association and highlights the rarity of such parity: “Having the same number of men and women in an organization like ours is almost never seen in France.”
The Time for Review
After announcing his new team, it was time to reflect on the past three years, and the results are interesting as more UPE 06 services have been provided to businesses, such as: speed business dating or business meetings between multiple companies, a hundred workshops and events per year, access for companies to research and development through a competition, and the creation of a digital campus that allows the consultation of educational and other content. But that’s not all.
UPE 06 has also strengthened ties with local authorities and State services by organizing 9 regional economic meetings, as well as working with prefects and key elected officials. It has also increased its presence at the Regional and National levels thanks to Honoré Ghetti, regional president of CPME and board member, and Yvon Grosso, a member of Medef. Additionally, 90,000 hours of volunteer work by entrepreneurs are offered annually to local businesses. For Phillipe Renaudi, it is “a lot of time spent, costing little to the State and local authorities.”
In summary, these three years of action have allowed for:
– a 40% increase in direct members
– a 30% increase in revenue from membership fees
– strengthened ties with local authorities
– better penetration of the business network
Future Ambitions
For the next three years of the mandate, UPE 06 is already looking far ahead, and many actions will be continued, such as annual meetings with companies, regional economic meetings (9 in 3 years), the annual event “Les Entrepreneuriales,” and the continuation of UPE commissions in coordination with the CCI. For the president: “It is important to reestablish what worked well during these three years, and especially to continue to invest in new fields of action.”
This is the strategy that the new UPE team will adopt, with the creation of a new “commerce” axis within the association. “We must support merchants,” exclaimed Philippe Renaudi, suggesting a more political reflection on this issue with initiatives such as the “National Pact for the Revitalization of Town Centers” proposed by the Senate. Fortunately, this topic will be widely discussed at the next edition of “Les Entrepreneuriales,” where the theme of “commerce” has been chosen.
UPE also plans to strengthen its ties with professional branches, to develop more synergies between businesses. It also wishes to initiate a new dynamic by supporting female business leaders, and finally, to create a “Club of Companies Over 50 Years Old.” This initiative is expected to be implemented as early as September 2020, along with many other actions.
