BRINGING “HOME SOLAR” TO IKEA IN BELGIUM

Christelle Lafon-Paredes, Master in Management (2001)

Background:

Christelle Lafon-Paredes earned a Master in Management in Audencia Business School’s Grande Ecole programme in 2001. Since that time, she has worked in her home country of France as well as in the United States and Belgium, holding positions with organisations and companies such as the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the French Red Cross and IKEA. “Being in socially conscientious companies is very important to me,” she says.
 

Current occupation:

Christelle’s new position with IKEA as home solar country roll-out leader for Belgium is both exciting and challenging. “Since I’m bringing a new service to a company that has been a leader in its core business for a long time, I’m learning a million things every day!”

The job requires her to bring together a vast range of departments, synthesise the knowledge and needs of each, and make an overarching plan to ensure IKEA’s home solar service is rolled out effectively. “I meet with different functions that support the project, getting insight into how things work for IKEA at the country and national level. I work with marketing, HR, stores, finance, procurement and other departments to make sure everyone is aligned.”
 

Motivation:

While Christelle enjoyed her previous positions in non-profit organisations, she is very happy to be with IKEA, where she believes she can have a larger impact. “Private companies think bigger and are more ambitious, so they are capable of reaching out to millions of customers in many countries.”

She is also very motivated by living in new places. “It’s such a powerful source of inspiration and opportunity. It provides a chance to meet new people and grow professionally. For me, relocating for work has really been all positive.”
 

Personal interests and passions:

Christelle loves to travel and spend time with her family. She and her husband, whom she met while working in the US, are giving their three children a multicultural upbringing. “We speak English, French and Spanish in the home and take international trips to make sure our kids have exposure to the global environment.”
 

Staying in touch with Audencia:

Christelle maintains connections with her Audencia classmates and found her current job at IKEA through the Audencia Alumni Network. “I went through the list of alumni working in Brussels, contacted one who had an interesting job, had lunch with her and am now working for her company!”

She has also taken the time to speak with Audencia students in Nantes about working for non-profits. “Audencia provides a good network,” she says.
 

Advice to students and graduates:

Christelle urges her fellow Audencia alumni to travel abroad early in their careers. “Moving gives you more opportunities than you might have in your own county. Also, it’s a lot harder to move later on in life, when you have a family.”

She also has some advice for handling culture shock when abroad, and for the challenges that arise when returning to one’s home country. When Christelle came back to Paris after her husband got a job there, she had to readjust to the work culture in France.

She says working for companies that have an international workforce can help minimise culture shock, as can working in cities that are very globally engaged. “Belgium, where I now work, is a capital of Europe, so it is very international. Of course, IKEA is international, too, but also very Swedish. This is reflected in management, with a caring leadership programme that puts a lot of value on the worker: happy worker, happy customer, happy business!”
 

Most memorable experience at Audencia:

Christelle explains that her programme at Audencia gave her the opportunity to go abroad for the first time. She spent a term in the US and then decided to complete an internship in Canada. “This opportunity was a great experience that really shaped the rest of my career and life. It gave me a little taste of something and left me wanting more.”