Ingénieur Civil des Mines from Saint-Étienne, class of 1989, a graduate of the French Petroleum Institute, and currently Executive Chairman of ELSAN, the French leader in private hospitalization, Thierry Chiche honors us by sponsoring the upcoming graduation ceremony on February 16. Discover his career path and the messages he wishes to convey to future graduates, first and foremost among which are responsibility, the meaning they will give to their careers, and the values they will transmit.
Thierry Chiche began his career in a factory at Renault in Slovenia, then at Flins in logistics and production management roles. His industrial journey continued at Michelin as a manufacturing manager, plant director, then European industrial director. He then held general management and Executive Committee positions within the group.
After 20 years at Michelin, Thierry Chiche founded a digital startup in early 2017, LOTANA Tech, which developed My Anatol, a digital personal assistant. Since late 2017, he has been Executive Chairman of ELSAN, a leading group in private hospitalization in France that covers the entire range of care and employs 23,000 people.
Why did you agree to be a sponsor?
Above all, it is a great honor and recognition from this esteemed school that trained me. It is also a proposition that “obliges” in the sense that graduation is an unforgettable moment in an engineer’s journey, the culmination of a curriculum, the transition to professional life. I still have fond memories of my own graduation ceremony, sponsored by Raymond H. Lévy, the CEO of Renault at the time.
As a sponsor, I therefore feel responsible for conveying and sharing, in brief moments, useful experiences, avenues for reflection, and a few recommendations.
Precisely, what messages do you wish to convey to them?
“The world is yours, and nothing is impossible!”. This Ingénieur Civil des Mines degree offers multiple possibilities, but one must maintain the ambition to seize them. In this graduating class, some may become CEO of a major group, Entrepreneur, Mayor, Nobel Prize winner… I dream that this class will be full of exceptional personalities.
They will also soon need to understand what they wish to dedicate their will and energy to: what for? To ask themselves about the achievements they wish to punctuate their professional lives with, achievements consistent with their personal values.
This degree also represents a great responsibility, a duty. A duty of gratitude towards their families, their environment. A duty of gratitude to the Nation and society that gave them the privilege of pursuing such excellent studies. They will therefore need to be ready to give back, to serve, after having been served. My recommendation will always be to show humility, which, along with tenacity, are the most common characteristics among great leaders.
Could you tell us about your professional journey and how you view it today?
I spent the first ten years of my professional life in a factory. I insisted on starting as a worker on an assembly line, and then I learned management there, with humility. In a factory, diplomas are not as important as keeping one’s word, respecting others, empathy… Many values that are not taught in engineering school. These experiences greatly influenced my career and allowed me to reach responsibilities I never would have even dreamed of.
In a second phase, as a plant director and industrial director, I consolidated my experience and took risks to transform organizations. There is no leadership without risk-taking. I have also always sought to learn. Each of us is primarily responsible for our personal development, and this requires great discipline throughout one’s life.
For almost 10 years, I have held general management and chairman positions, first at Michelin and then at ELSAN, the French leader in private hospitalization.
To conclude, a word on entrepreneurship?
I come from a family of entrepreneurs; I always admired my grandfather, who did not have the chance to study but created several businesses throughout a difficult life.
Each time I wanted to start my own venture, I received promotions I couldn’t refuse, until the day I took the plunge by giving up my position as a member of Michelin’s executive committee to create my startup, My Anatol, now hosted at Station F in Paris.
I am also Chairman and shareholder of ELSAN, my second entrepreneurial adventure.
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Also read Thierry Chiche’s testimony on his journey at Mines Saint-Étienne (August 2018)
The graduation ceremony for Ingénieurs Civils des Mines, class of 2015, doctors and Specialized Masters 2018, will take place on Saturday, February 16, starting at 3 PM at the Saint-Étienne convention center.
