French-American Chamber of Commerce Texas - Magazine Spring2021

FRENCH-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IMPACTING BUSINESS & COMMUNITY LEADER

MARY ANNE BRELINSKY PRESIDENT AT EDF ENERGY NORTH AMERICA

Photo credit @Aric Hoek

Dear Members,

I'm very honored to share this big news for our association: The FrenchAmerican Chamber of Commerce of Houston has been recently designated as the new state reference for French- American business communities and will now continue to operate as the French- American Chamber of Texas

Our network has been growing throughout the years, welcoming large corporations, small businesses, and innovative entrepreneurs from the energy, tech, aerospace, retail, and food and beverage industries It now counts nearly 200 companies, among those all the major French energy companies, industrial groups, food and beverage, innovative SMEs, and service providers You will discover some of our new corporate members presented in this issue

The booming ecosystem of Texas invites many companies to start a business and encourages others to relocate in this business-friendly land of opportunities - Tesla, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard are the most recent examples Innovation is a cornerstone of this strong growth with tech hubs developing in Austin, Houston, and Dallas Many French companies and entrepreneurs already achieved great success in Texas French companies in Texas generated close to 65,000 jobs in 2020, and rank #3 of foreign-sourced employment in Texas This vibrant French- American relationship initiated the creation of the French Tech capitals in Austin and Houston to bolster the internationalization of French start-ups and to facilitate connection with local tech ecosystems.

More French companies and French start-ups can seize new opportunities to grow in Texas and to expand in the U.S. from a Texan beach head. Our team is dedicated to help businesses and to introduce French high potential start-ups to the local scene and key decisionmakers. The business award gala we are working on for September 2021 will give the opportunity to celebrate their success.

Sincerely,

Franck Avice President, FACC Texas

FRENCH FOOTPRINT IN TEXAS

Alexis AnDres, General Consul of France in Houston

The economic services of the French Embassy just released the annual report. We asked the General Consul of France, Alexis Andres to share his perspective, after 4 years on the field, meeting and supporting the FrenchAmericanbusinessexchanges.

The2020editionoftheFrance-USEconomicReportgivesus anopportunitytobeoptimisticanddeterminedaswemove forward. This report confirms the strength and depth of our economicfootprintintheUSandinTexasinparticular.

In Texas, second largest state in the US with the 9th GDP in the world, France ranks 3d for job creation by foreign companies(behindtheUK&Japan)with64,000jobscreated and$8billiontradedannually.Behindthesenumbers,you’ll find companies of varying sizes who have adapted to the Texan market. French companies have taken part in new economic opportunities, for example in the Energy or in the food industry, by bringing innovation, ahead of their competitors.

In the last four years, I have been able to measure and to promote our economic footprint in Texas. While visiting our companies, I realized they not only bring economic growth butalsoimpressivetechnicalinnovationandauniquehuman experience. France’s institutional presence in the UnitedStates,throughtheConsulate,theEconomicDepartmentand BusinessFrance,isheretoencourage/promoteyourprojects and to facilitate your relationship with local authorities. In this regard, let me remind you that our honorary consuls in Texas, based in Austin, Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio are also available to assist you; please do not hesitate to get in touchwiththem

K E Y F I G U R E S

DISCUSSION WITH A ROLE MODEL

Mary Anne holding a picture of her "Gram" with her PHD diploma.

Make a seat for yourself at the table. Raise your hand for opportunities. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion, it needs to be heard.

Mary-Anne Brelinsky President EDF Energy North America

About Mary-Anne

Mrs. Brelinsky is currently the president of EDF Energy North America, which includes EDF Trading and EDF Energy Services, where she is responsible for EDF’s Power and Natural Gas Retail businesses, the Generation Services business, as well as Gas and Power Trading Desks in North America. EDF is the world’s largest utility and producer of low carbon electricity.

After joining EDF Trading in 2008, Ms. Brelinsky served as a Vice President responsible for the Texas power business. While in that role, she grew EDF’s customer base to include energy management and optimization services for industrial loads and generation customers ranging from natural gas, wind, battery storage, and solid fuel power stations. Thereafter, she was promoted to President in 2014.

Prior to EDF, Mary Anne held positions with Reliant Energy where she managed the Structuring and Pricing Desk and developed power products for Reliant’s Large Commercial and Industrial clients. During her tenure at Reliant from 2003 to 2006, she also built and managed the Customer Transaction Desk, which was responsible for the execution of gas, power, heat rate, and ancillary service transactions for retail customers.

In 2000, Mary Anne accepted a position with Dynegy where she managed large cogeneration power plants and developed strategies for the company’s assets under the Texas deregulated market. She also traded long-term positions for Texas and California generation assets. Mrs. Brelinsky started her career with the Exxon Chemical Company where she held several engineering and plant operations positions.

Mrs. Brelinsky has been recognized as one of the industry’s Thought Leaders by the Energy Thought Summit, received the Houston Business Journal’s Women in Energy Leadership Award, and the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Breakthrough Woman Award.

Mrs. Brelinsky serves on the Board of Directors for First Reserve Sustainable Growth Corp., as well as Atlas Scholars, the Gulf Coast Power Association, the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the French American Chamber of Commerce Texas, University of Houston’s Energy Advisory Board, and the Renewable Energy Alliance of Houston. She has an engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Mary-Anne, we recently watched a video of you talking about inspiring women in your life, and particularly your grandmothers. Can you tell us the story behind this?

I have spent the last twenty years working with other energy and utility executives to ensure that energy producers, large businesses, industries and communities have reliable and affordable electricity from a resilient power grid. Traditionally, energy and utilities have been male-dominated, and I am passionate about bringing more diversity to our industry.

I have been lucky to have had a few strong women to learn from and to be mentored by, although we never actually called it that by name. In my current role at EDF, I work to “pay it forward” and provide that same guidance and mentorship to others.

Among those strong women were both of my grandmothers My paternal grandmother was tenacious, hardworking, and never afraid to roll up her sleeves and do what needed to be done One snowy afternoon when I was in college, I called Nan and asked what she was doing that afternoon Her reply was, “I just got off the roof Your grandfather can’t get up there.” Nan, at seventy years old, had climbed onto the roof of her upstate New York home to shovel off the snow.

Later that same snowy day, I called my maternal grandmother to ask for help with my calculus homework. Gram was a high school teacher.

When my grandfather, a young Marine serving in World War II, came back from serving in the South Pacific, he was placed in my grandmother’s class to finish his high school degree They fell in love, got married, and had nine children When their youngest was school age, my grandmother told her family that she was going back to school. So, in between raising children and grandchildren and teaching high school science classes by day, she took classes and finished her Masters in Chemistry, then her Masters in Physics, and at the age of 68 she finished her PhD in Nuclear Physics with a thesis on Nuclear Particle Acceleration Theory. She did normal things like other Grandmothers do-- she knit, and baked, and rebuilt laptops.She kept litmus paper in her jewelry box.

What would be your main message to young women starting a career in the energy sector?

The success and long term viability of a company is its people This is especially true at energy companies We don’t build houses or manufacture Legos Our profits are earned by providing services to our customers and maneuvering volatile commodity markets If you can surround yourselves with talented, energetic, driven co-workers your chances of success, both personal and professional, are exponential. I love my job. I am surrounded by people who love their jobs. If we can’t find a solution to a problem, it can’t be found.

As far as my personal experience being a female in the energy industry, I have found ways to leverage it and use it to my advantage. People remember my name; they remember my face.

Mary Anne with UH Clear Lake President Blake She received her MBA from University of Houston, Clear Lake in 2000. In 2018, she gave the commencement speech for the University.

I think as a woman, leading a customer-facing organization, I tend to be more approachable. Energy, more than almost any other industry, is a relationship-based market.I was lucky to have a mentor early in my career who made this very clear. He told me, “Everyone here is smart; everyone is talented. The key to a successful career is that people want to work with you. Early in your career this means that the leaders and managers want you on their team.Later in your career, it means you need the employees to want to be on your team.”

Early in my career at Exxon, I learned how to play golf. A few of the female engineers found that a group of the male engineers would go over to a golf course in Baytown after work. Over golf, they would talk about how they were going to run the unit and what the maintenance schedule is going to look like. You need to be a part of that conversation. For me, that meant learning how to play golf. I wanted to make sure that I was on that golf course and part of the discussion. Golf is something I still enjoy today.

You are leading a major French company in the U.S. which is an energy leader. Can you tell us more about your career path and what does the President's role at EDF entail?

EDF Energy has a unique business model in North America when compared to the broader EDF Group across Europe. Certainly, from a brand awareness standpoint we have had to do a bit of education on who we are and what we do. In North America, we have three main business units that allow us to collaborate with our suppliers, customers, and counter-parties.

Our Generation Services business works with energy producers to hedge, dispatch, and optimize their generation assets albeit wind, solar, and natural gas power stations We provide this service to over one hundred third party owned power plants and demand resources across North America Our Trading and Marketing business unit works with our Generation Services business to buy energy from the producers, provide liquidity via wholesale natural gas and power markets, and then supply our retail business unit with the natural gas and electricity they need to deliver to some of the largest and most sophisticated commercial and industrial consumers

This integrated strategy of buying energy directly from the source, hedging and optimizing that against the wholesale markets, and then delivering it to ultimate consumers has driven our integrated energy platform forward.

My career path has certainly been an adventure. I started my professional career as an engineer with Exxon. While working at the plant, I began taking classes at the University of Houston, Clear Lake at night and on the weekends. I finished my MBA four years later and accepted a job with Dynegy. My first role at Dynegy was managing a power plant. It was at Dynegy that I fell in love with the energy markets. Texas was in the process of deregulating their power market and I had front row seats. I was responsible for our ERCOT strategy around these rule changes and later traded our asset Texas and California positions. This was the same summer that my husband and I were expecting our twin boys; it was experience!

As President of EDF Energy, my primary responsibility is to my employees. It is my duty to ensure they have the tools and the resources to do their jobs and service our customer base.

Do you think that being a woman in a leader role is an asset?

Being a woman in the energy industry has its blessings and curses. I dislike using generalizations, but I have seen this happen over and over - as positions or deal opportunities pop up in our organization, it is men who consistently raise their hands and tell me why they are best suited for the endeavor. Often, women lack the self-assurance our male counterparts possess in spades. Women, even the highly qualified ones, are much less likely to raise their hands or they question their own abilities. Even in day to day situations like a client meeting with limited seats, the women will often fall back and sit in the chairs against the wall, while the men will pull up chairs, elbow folks aside, and make room for themselves. I think women need to be more aware of what this behavior conveys. Make a seat for yourself at the table. Raise your hand for opportunities. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion, it needs to be heard.

Texas was recently impacted by a huge winter storm; how did your company manage during the crisis? Was this the biggest challenge you've faced in your career?

The EDF team executed our business model and operational requirements exceptionally well given how dire the situation evolved. There were countless stories of employees who did heroic things to keep our platform humming. We had employees who biked and hiked to the office after losing power at the homes to ensure we could pay ERCOT invoices and make payroll. Our employees worked around the clock and during the early morning hours on Monday the week of the storm through the duration of the emergency They know better than most how dire the situation became on the Texas grid In crisis mode, they kept level heads, communicated to our teammates and customers, and helped keep the lights on in Texas

There is a need for more robust system planning across all markets for both winter and summer storms As renewable energy’s market share continues to increase and more thermal generation is retired, it is critical to ensure adequate firm generation remains available I believe this will be the biggest challenge of our generation

Our society has become more and more dependent on reliable energy supply. With aging infrastructure, a growing population in Texas, and more retirements on the horizon of aging power stations, the challenge will be significant, but one I believe our industry can solve.

Energy saving, clean energy, energy transition, are the keywords that we all hear. How does EDF NA disrupt the utility sector and address transformational energy challenges?

The biggest challenge to our industry has been, and continues to be, driving innovative solutions around a rapidly evolving energy market. The energy industry’s topography has been changing at an impressive rate. Renewable penetration, digital transformation, and changing customer expectations have provided a framework that is both challenging and exciting. We are working with our teams to deploy the systems, tools and training they need to flourish.

The biggest challenge I see ahead in this area is tackling Houston’s branding issue. Most of the world thinks of us as the oil and gas capital. While the city has so much going on in the renewable and clean tech space, few Houstonians realize what is happening here. There are more and more groups focused on changing this perception and expanding the professional network focused on clean energy

The biggest challenge I see ahead in this area is tackling Houston's branding issue Most of the world thinks of us as the oil and gas capital. While the city has so much going on in the renewable and clean tech space, few Houstonians realize what is happening here

As an innovative electricity provider for commercial and industrial consumers, you must play an educational role. How does EDF work to educate its customers regarding energy consumption optimization?

We hire the best and brightest people who love energy and embody an entrepreneurial spirit We have a diverse team whose members think outside the box I appreciate a diverse team and surround myself with people who think outside the box I am an engineer and a creative problem-solver at heart I believe it is important to foster a culture that encourages all employees to follow that lead I have found that the energy industry is a dynamic, energetic industry to work in No two days are the same Unlike natural gas markets, storage capacity is becoming much more important with electricity We are working with our customers to creatively manage their commodity exposure when the wind is not blowing or when the sun is not shining

Supporting the local community

Kids Meals is Houston charity group EDF Energy loves to support After the February winter storm, Kids Meals lost all of their inventory EDF Energy launched an employee campaign and raised $8,000 for the association

In November EDF Energy did an employee fundraising event

For every employee who baked a dish at home and sent in a selfie of themselves with the baked good, EDF donated $50 to the Houston Food Bank

We had 185 employees participate in the bake off!

Mary Anne holding a big check with Amy Ragan, Chief Development Officer at the Houston Food Bank

THE CHANGING DEMAND FOR

BY BRUCE RUTHERFORD,

INTERNATIONAL

DIRECTOR,

OFFICE TENANT REPRESENTATION AT JLL

TheCOVID-19pandemichasaffectedalmosteveryaspectofsociety.Oneofthemostdramaticcommercialchangeswroughtbythe pandemicistheongoingdemandforofficespace WorkfromHome(WFH)programs,socialdistancingintheoffice,andtheenhanced useoftechnologytoreplaceface-to-facemeetingshavecombinedtosubstantiallyreducethedemandforofficespace.

Officetransactionsaredown

JLLresearchshows,thenumberofofficeleasingtransactionsinHoustonhavedropped28%sincethebeginningofthepandemic The vastmajorityofofficetransactionsinHoustontodayarerenewaltransactionsfor25%lessspacethantheoriginallease.InNewYork City,officedemandis57%belowitsfive-yearaverage.Thenationaldemandforofficespaceisdown55%.

Somesmallerprofessionalfirmsaregivinguptheircommercialofficespaceentirelyinfavorofemployeesworkingfromhomeand employeescomingtogetherviaZoomorMicrosoftTeamsvideocalls.Whenface-to-facemeetingisrequired,coworkerscanmeetin venueslikeStarbucksCoffeeshopsorhotelconferencefacilities

Companiesareconsideringstrategies

CEOs and HR executives of larger corporations are also deciding what their company’s real estate strategies should be in the postpandemicworld.CorporateexecutiveshavelargelyacceptedWFHstrategiesandtechnologicalalternativestoface-to-facemeetings. Theyknowrealestatefootprintsandcostscanbereducedwiththesestrategiesandtechnologies.Butthesesameexecutivesworry thatemployeeproductivity,collaboration,innovation,morale,andcorporateculturewillbenegativelyaffected

OFFICE SPACE

Whatdoemployeeswant?

CEOs and HR executives also worry about what their employees want SurveysbyJLLandglobalarchitecturalfirmsfindthat80%ofallemployees want to work from home one to four days a week, with two to three days being ideal. Employees love the flexibility of working from home, citing dramaticreductionsinstressbecauseofthatoption.Mostfindtheycanbe veryproductiveintheirhomeoffices,andyetalmostallwanttoreturntothe officeforatleastpartofeveryweek.

Employees want to interact with their peers in an office environment becausecollaborationandcommunicationwithallemployeesareenhanced when we are in the office. Younger employees in particular thirst for face time with mentors and superiors, both to learn and be visible for future promotions. Employees and executives alike want to strengthen corporate culture with face-to-face interactions. Today, there is pent up demand to returntotheofficeforatleastapartoftheweekforallofthesereasons.

Changeisconstant

Clearly the demand for office space has fallen and the nature of the office spaceischangingaswell,butthischangeinthenatureofofficespaceand thedemandforspaceisnotnew Yearsago,thedemandforprivateoffices shifted to a demand for shared workstations and open floor plan office space Then hoteling or just-in-time office spaces began trending Right beforethepandemic,coworkingspaces(thinkWeWork)werealltherage

Now social distancing and private offices are the first things we think of in a new office space Technology continues its relentless advance to solve our problems while changing how and where we work As the saying goes, the onlyconstantischange

Winnersandlosers

For now, the change in demand has made all office markets more favorable to tenants. Landlords are sufferingmorevacancy,reducedrents and reduced cash flows. Employees certainly have more flexibility and executives have more choices and more to worry about in this changing environment.

RealestateadvisorslikeJLLwillthrive totheextentthattheycanadvisetheir clientshowbesttousetheirrealestate to meet the new variety of company andemployeeneeds,evenwhenthose needsseemtoconflict Remember,the only constant is change Good luck withyourchangesandenjoytheride!

Anauthorityontheenergyindustry, Bruce leads JLL’s Global Energy Practice Group. His expertise includes tenant representation, lease restructuring, real estate master planning, monetization of real estate and purchase to lease transactions He applies his knowledgein tenant representation, lease restructuring,andoffshoringacross insurance, banking, law, energy, energy services and telecom industries

Bruce is a Board Director at the FACC Texas, and an active member oftheEnergyCommittee.

Bruce Rutherford

B R A V O

Jérôme Pelletan is appointed Chief Financial Officer at Air Liquide Group.

This Spring, Jérôme Pelletan will go back to France to join the executive committee as Chief Financial Officer.

Jérôme is very involved in the local community, he serves on the Board of Directors of the FACC Texas' s Board as a Treasurer. His leadership had a strong impact on the organization, supporting a new strategy and growing the FACC. He will tremendously be missed !

Jerome continues his impressive career path; he joined Air Liquide in 2006 to lead a very international career, at the heart of the Group’s strategy and challenges. Following a first assignment in the Paris Head Office, he was appointed CFO in Taiwan in 2008, then CFO for the Latin America cluster in 2012. In 2014, he was appointed CFO for the Americas hub.

CONGRATS

Jérôme Pelletan

"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Jerome for his thoughtful and profound leadership as CFO for Air Liquide in the Americas over the past 7 years. His great many contributions were paramount in creating our long term sustainable growth trajectory across all of our businesses while underpinning superb financial performance. I know that as CFO of Air Liquide Jerome will use his knowledge and passion to help usher the Group into the future. Jerome is certainly a great leader but beyond that he is also a wonderful personcharismatic, kind, trustworthy and always ready to help and support those around him."

Michael Graff, Chairman & CEO, American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. and Executive Vice President & Executive Committee Member, Air Liquide Group

"Jerome creates an environment of trust and collaboration. His ability to direct individual accomplishments for the greater good of the organization empowers his direct reports to exceed expectations.With this leadership trait, he not only grows his teams competencies, but each individual grows and matures in their leadership roles."

Tony Kraft, Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer

Tony's favorite souvenir with Jerome: "Jerome and I attended several FACC events together and had a wonderful time. The FACC Beaujolais Nouveau and the D-Day Anniversary event was a highlight of the year and spending time with Jerome outside the work environment will always be a cherished moment."

"Jérôme is a great boss and a leader who is always willing to go the extra mile for the company and his employees. The team will miss him when he returns to France, but we are extremely happy for his promotion and wish him the best. "

Christopher Mackey, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions

Christopher's favorite souvenir: Attending FACC events with Jérôme and the rest of the team was a great way to experience French culture in Houston, particularly at the annual Beaujolais Festival.

"It has been such a pleasure, Jerome. Settingup together the Houston CFO club, spending some evenings drinking reasonably at some LOE friends party, discussing about triathlon that we targeted to run together, but Covid came... Best wishes for you and your family. I hope to see you soon in Europe."

Franck Trochet, Vice President Finance US, Total, and FACC Board Member.

" Dear Jerôme, I sincerely thank you for your strong and continuous support to the FACC and your always wise advices. With your new role, Air Liquide showcases how it is a great and insightful company! I wish you all the best."

Franck Avice, FACC Texas President.

"Jerome brought both the health discipline in the financial management and the confidence to make bold moves. He puts the bar high and put his money/time where his mouth is, by supporting through his expertise and influence to make things happen."

Marie-Helene Ben Samoun, Director&Partner BCG, FACC Texas Secretary

Jerome and Tony at the FACC Gala

i v r e d O r

"Jérôme is an exceptional leader. Business driven, yet very people oriented; charismatic, yet very humble. Jerome will be greatly missed!"

Camille Marcotte-Paty, Director Talent Management & International Mobility - Americas

"Always leading by example, Jérôme is one of the most engaging leaders I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Believing in his team before anybody else would do, he has been a true source of inspiration for me and many others."

LFacundo Aranguren, Vice President, Operations Control

"Jerome is a caring, intelligent and very effective leader. He clearly cares, not only for the company and results, but more importantly, for the people he leads. He ensures that he fully understands the issues and challenges at hand and effectively delegates responsibilities and actions to face those challenges. Jerome never takes personal credit for his accomplishments, preferring instead to praise those who helped him along the way. These qualities and behaviors have allowed Jerome to build highly effective teams and to transform Air Liquide in the Americas."

Matt Wigle, Vice President, Competitive Intelligence

"I would like to thanks Jerome for his outstanding contributions to the FACC success story. His personal commitment and ability to teamwork made the difference in the long run. Jerome we all learn from you and you will be missed for sure. Great to have you as a true FACC ambassador for the future"

Richard de Moucheron, HR Director Total Talent Management at Schlumberger, FACC Board Member

"Jerome is LOVED by our community. He helped countless people and businesses. Jerome impacts organizations and inspires people wherever he goes. An outstanding leader with strong values. Thank you Jerome for your leadership at the FACC, I already miss you!"

Constance Bost, Executive Director, FACC Texas

"Cher Jérôme, Among the many souvenirs I will keep for you, there is one to which I am particularly attached: your acute sense of what an « entreprise citoyenne » means. I would need more than those short lines to describe it but let me just thank you for what you have helped us and others achieve in this regard. Je te souhaite le meilleur ainsi qu’à ta famille.

Alexis Andres, Consul Général de France

Wishing you and your family all the best back in France!

Jerome and Camille at the Bastille Day

ROMAIN TRAPP TAKES US UP TO THE SKY

Interview with Romain

Trapp

President of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and Head of the North America region

ThefirsthelicopteroperationsforAirbusinthe US beganwithVoughtHelicoptersin1969in NorthTexas,whicheventuallybecameAirbus Helicopters,Inc,locatedtodayinGrandPrairie 2mainfacilitiesintheUS (Texasand Mississippi)

New$40millionHelisimSimulatorCenterin GrandPrairie,TexaswithnewH145full-flight simulatoropeningMay2021

1000+employeesintheregion 500employeesinTexas

3,100inservicehelicoptersflyingintheregion 1,500pilotsandtechnicianstrainedannuallyout ofTexas 800operatorsflyingAirbushelicoptersacross theregion

60%commercialmarketshareinNorthAmerica Airbussupportsover275,000jobsin40+states

We read about your impressive career and development from a very shy student from a small village in the North of France to CEO in Texas! Very inspiring. Please walk us through the most important moments of your personal and career development. What is the key to your success?

I grew up in a small village, and was actually the first in my family to go to college I went on to get a Master’s in Economics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and I also did a year of military service where I began to become familiar with the aerospace defense world With most of my studies and short experience working in finance, accounting, and business management, I imagined I’d begin my career in banking or perhaps business.

Then a lucky move changed the course for me. My wife got her first teaching job in Toulouse, Southwest France, which is where the headquarters of Airbus is located. Once we moved there, I applied for a job at Airbus in 1998 and the rest, I guess you’d say, is history. I’d always been interested in finance, but what I was really looking for was a job where I could use those skills with an actual product that I can see and touch, and that allows me to connect with people – I found all that at Airbus. I held various positions in Europe and then first moved to Texas in 2008 to be the CFO for Airbus Helicopters, Inc. In 2013, I moved with my family to Canada to take over as President of Airbus Helicopters Canada. Then, in 2016 we moved back to Texas when I became chief operating officer (COO) of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. while continuing my role in Canada. I am now the president of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and the head of the North America region, a position I’ve held now since 2019.

I don’t know if I’d call it my key to success, but I would say that one of my key strengths is my ability to grasp the big picture and develop strategy from that view I also think it’s important to develop a sense of belonging to a team from the very beginning I tend to use the word ‘we’ and never ‘them’ nor ‘I ’ Finally, I have developed an ability to adapt to changing circumstances because I’ve had different responsibilities in different countries

But luck definitely also plays into it In my case, if my wife hadn’t got that job in Toulouse , I may not have ever gotten to where I am today!

of belonging to a team from the very beginning. I tend to use the word ' we ' and never 'them' nor 'I.'

It's important to develop a sense

Airbus is the #1 civil and parapublic helicopter manufacturer in the USA and operates on different market segments? Which one is predominant in Texas?

Airbus Helicopters is the leading provider of helicopters in the U.S., with a presence dating back more than 52 years that started right here in North Texas.

Our team across the region is about 1,000, with approximately 500 in Texas alone, which is the main location for our customer support and services center of excellence. This includes the North America Regional Training center, where some 1,500 pilots and mechanics are trained annually in classroom training, ground school, and full flight simulators. It also includes the Helisim Simulation center, a $40 million investment and brand new building that is home to the first H145 Level D full flight simulator in North America, and which will welcome thousands of pilots each year as they come to Grand Prairie for type certification and recurrent training. Airbus also has an 84,000 squarefoot spares distribution facility located at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport - one of three Airbus logistics centers globally, providing spares parts to customers in North America and beyond.

Around 75% of the work done by Airbus Helicopters North America is in support of critical helicopter missions saving lives, protecting communities, ensuring critical infrastructure, and supporting key governmental and military customers such as the U.S. Army and National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and Customs & Border Protection. Our talented and dedicated employees who work hard every day to provide a diverse selection of versatile and highperformance aircraft and world-class customer support

If you see a helicopter in the sky, there is a fair chance it is an Airbus as we are the market leader in the most frequent missions requiring the use of helicopters: emergency medical services, Search and Rescue, airborne law enforcement, utility work, firefighting, tourism, electronic new gathering and filming, and much more

Airbus Helicopters supports many customers in Texas performing a variety of missions. Some customers include Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police Department, Cooks Children’s Hospital Fort Worth, Memorial Hermann TX Medical Center in Houston, Air Center Helicopters in Burleson, and even Mr Jerry Jones and the H145 with the iconic Dallas Cowboys star, often seen flying to and from the stadium in Arlington

Airbus is also a major partner for U S homeland security, having delivered helicopters to the U S Army, Navy and National Guard, U S Customs & Border Protection, the U S Coast Guard, and NASA

Economic impact of Airbus in Texas and the U.S.

Airbusisaproudcontributortothe heritageofaerospaceinTexas,which ranks#1foremploymentintheair transportationindustryand#2in aerospacemanufacturingoutput Airbus‘soverallinvestmentsinTexas helpsupportmorethan4,000jobs

Acrossallofitsdivisions(fixedwing planes,helicoptersanddefense&space) Airbushasspentmorethan$200billion intheU.S.since1990andsupportsmore than275,000jobsin40+U.Sstates

You recently delivered the 3rd and final H135 to NASA. Your helicopters will support NASA as they secure airspace while launching crews to the #ISS, the moon, and beyond. How long have you been working with them? What is special about this model? Any comment on Thomas Pesquet's nomination as Commandant?

NASA has now taken delivery of three H135 helicopters which are all based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and operated for a variety of missions, including aerial security at rocket launches, emergency medical services, biodiversity research at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and even escorting the astronauts as they head to the launch pad at Kennedy.

Working with NASA is something that many of us –including myself – have dreamed of since we were kids. Building a helicopter that helps NASA drive critical advances in science and aerospace technology is truly an honor and privilege for us here at Airbus. I’ve also had the honor of meeting Thomas Pesquet at our facility in Grand Prairie, and I congratulate him on his recent nomination as Commandant of the ISS It’s fantastic to see a fellow Frenchman as part of this mission and we will be following along closely here from Texas!

Today, carbon capture solutions towards green mobility are at the heart of R&D in many companies. Where does Airbus stand regarding carbon footprint emission?

How long would it take to transform your entire fleet with zero emission carbon models?

This is definitely a key topic in any industry, especially in the aerospace sector. Air transportation in its entirety represents between 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, and not everyone knows that the helicopter industry and operations represent only a small portion of that, contributing to barely 0.02% of the global CO2 emissions. Even though this number is small when compared to the global figures, it’s still incredibly important. Airbus Helicopters is committed to developing, building and testing alternative propulsion systems to enable its VTOL industry to disruptively reduce CO2 emissions.

Economic impact of Airbus in Texas and the U.S.

Airbusisaproudcontributortotheheritage ofaerospaceinTexas,whichranks#1for employmentintheairtransportation industryand#2inaerospacemanufacturing output.Airbus‘soverallinvestmentsin Texashelpsupportmorethan4,000jobs Acrossallofitsdivisions(fixedwingplanes, helicoptersanddefense&space)Airbushas spentmorethan$200billionintheU.S. since1990andsupportsmorethan275,000 jobsin40+USstates

There are many solutions to reducing the environmental impact of helicopters, including decreasing the emissions output of conventional thermal engines, to going on hybrid and even fully electric flight Other projects underway aim to reduce fuel consumption through a combination of improved aerodynamics, weight reduction, and increased turbine efficiency.

Airbus also integrates the environmental impact measurement into the very design of its products. The recently certified H160 is the cleaner and quieter helicopter in its class, paving the way for a reduced environmental footprint in helicopter operations. Integrating Airbus Helicopters’ latest technological innovations, the H160 benefits from a 15% reduction in fuel burn, thanks to its Arrano engine by Safran Helicopter Engines (another Texas based company).

Airbus Helicopters’ long-term innovation roadmap involves exploring all options, brick by brick, and making incremental improvements towards an emissions-lighter future.

As the CEO of Airbus Helicopters, what is your biggest achievement? your biggest challenge?

This is not an easy question! I’ve been in the aviation industry for more than 20 years, but I must say that what we’ve all lived over the past year is probably both my biggest achievement and biggest challenge to date. Over the last 12 months, we have succeeded in supporting our customers with no decline in the standard of service we offer – which has been incredibly important as a large majority of our customers have been flying missions critical for the country.

This was only possible thanks to a strong engagement from all out teams to mitigate the many challenges we faced on a daily basis, and I must extend a very special thank you to my entire team for achieving this.

Airbus Helicopters' long-term innovation roadmap involves exploring all options, brick by brick, and making incremental improvements towards an emissions-lighter future.

I’m also very proud that we’ve achieved and sustained a record market share above 50% on the civil and parapublic side over the last 2 years, and finding the right ways to adapt our business model to better support our customers and increase our competitiveness and our agility.

As I said, this also applies when I look at the challenges I’ve faced in my career. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many companies and industries, and nobody knows how this will continue to shape and change our society and our industry moving forward. Figuring out how we best prepare for it and anticipate these changes is what keeps me up at night, to be honest. I also think that one of the biggest challenges we face is the industry supply chain. What we have realized even more over the last few months is how important the link is with our suppliers. If one part is missing, we cannot deliver a helicopter. So it’s key that we continue to work closely with all of our suppliers, especially those who have been hit hard by the overall downturn in aviation.

Overall, the helicopter market is very cyclical, and strengthening the resilience of our company is key for us to be able to weather a downturn and capture new opportunities. The competition is tougher than ever, and I’m very aware how we must continue to reinvent ourselves in order to keep the fighting spirit which brought us where we are today and where we aim to stay - the market leader.

FRENCH DATA CONSULTING FIRM CHOOSES AUSTIN

INTERVIEW WITH BRUNO BILLY PRESIDENT APGAR CONSULTING NA

Bruno started his career in 2001 with HP Services. He joined Areva in 2004 for his first job in data management, working for EDF on the opening of the gas market then for Areva T&D as customer data manager. Then Bruno moved to IT and played the role of IT organization's advocate, marketer, and communicator in various data management positions at Alstom Grid, Air Liquide, and until last year at TechnipFMC in Paris and Houston. He joined Apgar Consulting in 2020 to bring his expertise in Data Management and experience aligning IT with business goals He is now developing Apgar Consulting activities in North America from the new office in Austin

AS ITS U.S. HEADQUARTERS LOCATION

You recently came back to Texas to open Apgar Consulting's new office in Austin. You also had an experience living in Houston, what are the main differences in terms of lifestyle and business ecosystem?

We lived two years in Houston, and we loved it. Houston is a very cosmopolitan city, attracting people from all over the world. Life in Houston feels like a blend of Texas traditions and a more modern city lifestyle. Energy, Aerospace, Medical, and Tech industries make Houston an excellent option for engineers and scientists

After a year in France, we came back to Texas, and we chose Austin We love the positive vibes when walking down the sidewalks in downtown Austin or SoCo for an inspiring gallery of murals and street art Access to nature is fast. Hiking or cycling to recharge your battery and better deal with stress is very simple. Do not get me wrong, Austin is a big city, but it offers an excellent work-life balance and great outdoor activities.

In terms of the business ecosystem, Austin is very dynamic and motivating. The city has all famous big tech companies and many promising start-ups across all industries. In Austin, it feels like it is not so much about transitioning, transforming, or reinventing the future; it is more about creating it.

You worked several years for TechnipFMC's data management department, how was this experience useful to undertake your new role as President Apgar Consulting North America?

I worked seven years with TechnipFMC and had the chance to learn a lot with data management technologies in the various roles I had. I also discovered some of the secrets of a company that masters project execution at a gigantic scale. Knowing about the technologies, how data can help organizations achieve their objectives, and the critical ingredients for successful project execution and delivery, I had all confidence to undertake this new role and develop Apgar’s business in North America.

Who are your clients in North America? What kind of challenges your clients face and what solutions do you propose?

Our clients - medium & large companies across all sectors - are accelerating their data and digital initiatives We partner with them to transform challenges into potential, deliver on the promise, and secure investment in technologies Because using data to its full potential is as much about the management of the technology as it is about the technology itself.

We provide full-lifecycle services - advisory, implementation, and production support. We are recognized for strategic practices such as data governance, data architecture, and data platforms' implementation to govern master data, metadata, or data catalogs.

The data industry is a fast-paced environment, how do you pursue innovation at Apgar Consulting?

Apgar Consulting is committed to bringing the best data platform solutions on the market to our customers in a tailor-made approach, which means that we pursue innovation in products AND services We develop accelerators to fast-track time to value and reduce data management projects' risks. Our enablers are designed to answer business, and IT stakes and we aim to provide sustainable services, with pragmatism and agility at the core.

Apgar Consulting counts 90 consultants already, do you plan to grow your team in the USA? What kind of profiles are you looking for? What qualities are necessary to join this entrepreneurial adventure?

I am actively hiring I am looking to recruit 10 Data Engineers this year The best candidates have a minimum of 5 years' experience in Enterprise Data Management, conducting client requirements analysis and delivering technology solutions through consulting project activities. To succeed in this role, candidates should have a natural analytical way of thinking and bridge communication gaps between technical and non-technical stakeholders. No doubt there will be opportunities for personal development and career growth.

Finally, if we come to Austin, where we can find you? What is your favorite spot?

During the week, you can find me at the Domain drinking an espresso between two meetings On the weekends, you can find me walking SoCo to discover street art or at Brushy Creek skateboarding with my daughter and son

Apgar Consulting is a leading data advisory company founded in 2013 in Paris with 90+ consultants in France, Lebanon, Portugal, and the US. From technology enablement to organizational changes, Apgar Consulting designs and delivers tailor-made data platform solutions that consistently, securely, and accurately provide data.

Jérôme Del Porto

Vice President, International Strategy

Walmart

MEET JEROME MEET JÉRÔME

Jérôme Del Porto is French and lives in Dallas, Texas. He is the Vice President of International Strategy at Walmart, the largest retail company in the world. Today, he shares with us Walmart's international strategy and his opinion on the future of retail.

Jérôme, today you're the Vice President International Strategy at Walmart, can you tell us more about your background?

After studying finance, economics and strategy at the University of Paris Dauphine, I started my career within LVMH, and - while I learned a lot and really enjoyed my experience there - I quickly had the strong desire to go explore the world; and got lucky enough to joined the French Economic Diplomacy to do become Trade Attaché for the French Embassy in the US, based in New York.

After three years learning the ins-and-outs of doing Business in the US, and helping French companies starting up their American adventure, I went back to school to get an MBA from UC Berkeley, thus discovering Silicon Valley and its vibrant innovation community.

Thanks to these experiences, I got the opportunity to enter the investment optimization team of American Express, running simulations and strategic analysis on their global portfolio After that, I pivoted toward the food and retail industry, joining Burger King at the time of their turnaround, and then 7-Eleven to run their Fresh foods merchandising department, and later transitioned to lead their global expansion effort and International operations.

I believe the variety of my experiences maybe is what intrigued Walmart to place to call, and to welcome me 2 years ago to lead the International Strategy Team.

You have an impressive career working with the largest American companies. How do you explain your success?

To me, everything starts and ends with the people I have been very fortunate to work with and be mentored by strong leaders thru my career. They showed me the rules of the corporate game, taught me how to become an ambidextrous leader - building for the long term while also closely managing short term results, and above all to always focus on the development and well being of your team.

And, to be perfectly transparent, I also learned a lot from the few uninspiring leaders I stumbled upon, and whose flaws I would observe and try very hard not to replicate when my turn came to lead.

I have always been very curious, and this resulted in a non-linear career path by accepting new challenges which forced me out of my comfort zone to go discover new companies and functions As I moved from finance to strategy, from marketing to operations, I forged a global perspective of the business that proved to be quite helpful to solve problems differently I also did my fair share of mistakes along the way, but believe this helps me build resilience (much needed in such a rapidly changing business environment)

Finally, I learned very early on that the old adage "work smart, not hard" is not longer working as you really need to strive on both attributes to be competitive in todays environment.

Could you tell us about Walmart international strategy, and your mission?

Walmart International is a fascinating business with 700,000 Associates fulfilling our mission to "make life easier" by bringing value and convenience to millions of customers in 23 countries We do so by delivering products and services from physical locations, our ecommerce platforms, or the intersection of both: Our Omnichannel solutions

To deliver on this mission, our strategy is pretty simple: We aspire to develop Strong Local Businesses Powered By Walmart.

Strong Local Businesses means centered around the specific needs of our customers in every country we operate, and positioned for long term sustainable & profitable growth. Powered By Walmart describes the advantage we are aiming to give our markets by leveraging Walmart global scale and capabilities in areas such as global sourcing, technology, talents, innovation, etc…

At Walmart International, we continue to shape our portfolio, focusing our resources on markets where we see the greatest opportunities for long term success, by building ecosystems of mutually reinforcing assets, always placing the needs of our customers at the center.

How do you envision the future of retail? How brick & mortar stores will evolve ?

This is the multi Billion dollar question you are asking here!

In my view, I believe we will see a bifurcation of shopping habits primarily driven either by the need for convenience, or by the need for experienceunderstanding that the ability to deliver great value would be table stake for both.

What I mean, is that customers will increasingly be seeking easy solutions (convenience) to shop for common goods that are exactly the same regardless where or how you buy them, and for which they may find little pleasure shopping for Think for instance about packaged goods such as your usual detergent or your favorite brand of cereals The definition of convenience will of course vary from customer to customer, but for these products, why spend time going to a physical location, if you could see these products "magically" appear at your door step, or even directly into your fridge (sometimes not even having to place an order for it if you are on some type of subscription)?

On the other hand, when looking for something special, highly differentiated where no two products of the same kind may be the same, the value of the shopping experience will continue to grow. Many customers want to see and touch some fresh fruits or vegetables before purchasing them, same for a piece of meat or fish for instance. And some experiences can also be replicated, or enhanced in a digital setting, where a customer may find a lot of information from a multitude of consumer review prior to purchasing a new type of product they may not already be familiar with.

To me, being able to differentiate which type of goods customers will mostly want to shop for "convenience" or for the "experience" will help shape the retail landscape of tomorrow.

As far as the evolution of brick and mortar stores, I see it thru the lens of the Omnichannel transformation that many retailers are currently going thru Simply put, pure-play ecommerce players are entering the physical store business, and the traditionally offline retailers are adding digital capabilities to their propositions The blurring of these business models is thus aiming at creating a seamless shopping experience for their customers across physical & digital assets (omnichannel strategy).

This is where I see a bright future for brick & mortar stores: To continue being a community hub where customers can find and discover great products, while leveraging digital capabilities to further enrich the experience with new options and services.

Future of Retail

Upcoming webinar in May with Walmart & Neiman Marcus

Stay tuned!

A FRENCH AI SCALE-UP SURFING ON

BY CHRISTOPHE GEISSIER, PHILIPPE CHARQUET, AND DAVID GRIMBERT

Within the life sciences realm, the role of Contract Research Organizations or CROs has expanded dramatically over the last decade Historically, a contract research organization (CRO) is a company that provides support to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries in the form of outsourced research services delivered on a contractual basis

In recent years the CRO model has started to expand into other verticals (e g aerospace, computer generated animations, ) where complex problem-solving systems are in high demand Advestis has decided to offer its AI expertise to large companies in the form of contract research services as a CRO. Today, outside the big pharma universe, R&D is generally treated as a cost center and the practice of contract research services is still a novelty. However, considering the complexity and the constant innovative nature of the AI technologies being used, companies are increasingly building their IP by relying on a combination of both internal skills and outsourced CRO players that act as specialized thirdparty IP producers. Collaborative research contracts thus facilitate more rapid and cost-effective IP and systems

co-developments.

Advestis finished products are custom models based on machine learning techniques. The team is specialized in interpretable and rule-based predictive algorithms. Under the CRO model, all our deployments are accompanied by a transfer of both expertise and intellectual property that guarantees our customers complete control and autonomous management of the tools and systems installed. By the way, this approach is not welcomed by venture capitalists who are rather very fond of Saas and platform business models.

OUTSOURCED RESEARCH SERVICES

So why did Advestis adopt the codevelopment model of CRO ?

Because it is in line with our R&D vision in Artificial Intelligence. Beyond their automated nature, our vision remains that AIs must retain their purpose to serve Human Intelligence. Their operational edge stems from their ability to combine diverse sources of performance:

The knowledge of business expert. Maintaining the quality extracted from ever larger pools of structured data. A capacity to integrate pre-existing mathematical models and expert systems

Learning from human input and collaboration, focusing on algorithms that exist among a larger, human-based system (Human-Centered AI)

To be a trusted and efficient CRO partner, Advestis relies on its team of enthusiastic young Phds in Physics. There are many ways to model a given physical situation. When facing the choice of the best candidate model to represent a given phenomenon, a mixture of experimental and theoretical considerations has to be used. In this model selection process, sticking as closely as possible to the real world behavior, the one we observe, is a top priority. But other factors, such as simplicity or mathematical elegance, may prevail. Physicists are both well trained for this “model practice” and very good scientific computing coders.

About Advestis:

Advestis is a contract research organization (CRO) with a deep understanding and practice of Interpretable AI and Machine Learning techniques

As research partners, we leverage our customers' R&D and innovation specialized resources

Since 2014, Advestis has developed an expertise in ESG features engineering and solving complex problems involving them.

Advestis is a member of France Hydrogène, with current active research on the field.

Its client sponsors increasingly rely on contract research services for cost effective and time effective co-developments.

The algorithms, have been in production since 2013 and are AI based only.

Historically dedicated to financial institutions

Advestis is regulated by the French banking and financial market authorities (ACPR and AMF).

The FACC Texas has a new office location in the Energy Corridor at The Cannon, a co-working ecosystem space dedicated to entrepreneurs. Let's discover more about this community in the few questions we asked to Jon Lambert, CEO at The Cannon.

BUILDING A GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM FOR ENTREPRENEURS

INTERVIEW WITH JON LAMBERT CEO AT THE CANNON

You built a global ecosystem for entrepreneurs at the Cannon. What are the main pillars of your concept?

Jon Lambert joined The Cannon as Chief Executive Officer on November 1, 2019. Jon brings over 30 years of professional experience and organizational and operational leadership across the public and private sector.

Prior to joining The Cannon, he served in a number of leadership roles with KPMG including four years as Executive Director of Investment Operations for KPMG Capital providing oversight to a diverse portfolio of global investment companies

Jon played key roles in the formation and growth of a number of start-up entities and M&A driven rapid growth companies including Houston based Equaterra, SourceNet Solutions, Superstand Entertainment Co and Universal Computer Systems Mr Lambert holds a BS in Mathematics from Palm Beach Atlantic University.

The Cannon's mission from its inception has been to create, grow and evolve the world's most effective and valued entrepreneurial communityone that strives to provide every resource required to support individuals, corporations and other communities in innovation, creation and delivery of their entrepreneurial vision. We are strong believers that there is entrepreneurial motivation, capability and desire all around us but that the opportunity and resources those entrepreneurs need to be successful is limited The Cannon is dedicated to democratizing access to the connections, collaboration, resources and tools that entrepreneurs, start-up founders and the rest of the ecosystem need to be successful The Cannon is really about Community and providing experiences - physical, virtual and social - that enhance the entrepreneurial journey

What is your opinion on the booming Houston and Texas ecosystems?

Houston is obviously a very special place to The Cannon and we are excited and proud to be playing a role in its entrepreneurial growth and transformation. Lawson Gow, a Houston native, was inspired by the potential, available resources and pent up entrepreneurial energy in Houston when he founded The Cannon in 2017. Initially focused on creating a space for the city's entrepreneurial community to come together, collaborate and connect, The Cannon journey and vision has continued to expand with the Houston metropolitan area We want to meet the entrepreneur where they are with whatever resource and support they need and that means finding ways to extend The Cannon value proposition outside of the walls of our three Houston locations and into all of the growing communities that surround the city and beyond

At the city and state level, there are a number of tremendous organizations working very hard to continue the evolution of the innovation ecosystem in Texas, and still have a long way to go to reach our collective potential Texas is benefiting from its progressive position on creating, growing and scaling businesses - it is clearly a competitive advantage for the state For the benefit of innovators and entrepreneurs everywhere, we are hopeful that business creation, business ownership and job creation remain fundamental priorities for Texas lawmakers

What are entrepreneurs looking for when they join your community?

Generally, entrepreneurs are looking for two thingsto connect with other individuals who are on a similar journey, and to make connections and access resources they need to move their ideas/businesses forward. It is amazing how valuable it can be as an entrepreneur to find other individuals who are traveling similar paths. We love that our community is full of these kinds of connections and support systems. Beyond the environment, entrepreneurs are looking for help and support of many different kinds - turning an idea into a business vision, finding an advisor/mentor, access to support for business areas outside of the founder's area of expertise, raising money through crowdfunding or finding and pitching to investors, marketing and scaling their business. We are continuously listening to our community to understand what it is they need so our value to them is optimized and continues to grow.

How do you connect entrepreneurs to investors? Any success story to share with us?

It is our goal to support all entrepreneurs in their quest to raise funds for their businesses. As an early-stage funding option, The Cannon has recently acquired an equity crowdfunding platform - Cannon Launch - that is now available to Cannon Community Members who want to use crowdfunding as an investment vehicle.

Additionally, we do extensive work with investors and investment groups of all kinds to meet the investment needs of our entrepreneurial community and to make investment opportunities visible and available to our growing global investor network. Simply being part of The Cannon Community provides start-up companies visibility to thousands of investors, exposure to which entrepreneurs don't have access on their own. Additionally, The Cannon has supported many of its member companies and has played a role in raising millions of dollars through our quarterly and vertical focus pitch events as well as individual fundraising campaigns and programs.

The Covid has transformed the way we work today. How do you envision the future of work? Do you plan to implement a hybrid offer?

Covid certainly threw a wrinkle into the physical/environmental experience of The Cannon Community While our ability to work together in close quarters was impacted, the endurance, spirit and energy of our community was inspiring and reiterated that while space was an important part of our value proposition, it was community connection and enablement that defined The Cannon We set out in the end of 2019 to create a digital/virtual platform that would allow us to not only mobilize our existing community but extend The Cannon value proposition to new entrepreneurs and ecosystem players anywhere and everywhere.

As things turned out, the arrival of the pandemic in early 2020 served to jumpstart our focus and investment in Cannon Connect - our digital community platform. We have just released our second iteration of Cannon Connect and are preparing a major platform go-to-market effort this summer. Adding our digital community building capability will enhance our in-process market expansion efforts and will open up access to The Cannon membership value proposition to anyone, anywhere.

What is your ambition for the 5 upcoming years?

So what is a goal if it's not big and ambitious? So here you go - it is our goal to make membership in The Cannon Community so valuable that every entrepreneur in the world is doing backflips to join and play a role Framing our vision in this way encourages us to think creatively and broadly about the value we can deliver at all levels of the ecosystem and will challenge us to continuously improve on that value. We imagine a world where there is a single entrepreneurial ecosystem network that is actively connecting and collaborating, creating and sharing in the energy and value of the community and bringing access to the entrepreneurial opportunity to anyone who has a dream and a desire. The Cannon's success will be dictated by the future success of the start-ups and innovating small businesses that make up our Community - we are here for them and their success is our success.

FACC TEXAS

FRENCH-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JOINOURVIBRANTBUSINESSCOMMUNITY

#NetworkingEvents #MarketTrends #BusinessOpportunities

The FACC Texas builds connections, fosters a large business community, informs you on the local market trends, and boosts your career opportunities

Become a member today and join a network of 200 companies and 12,000 professionals in Texas.

NETWORKING& KNOWLEDGESHARING

Connect with professionals

Access to experts and mentors

Exchange of best practices

+50 events per year

BUSINESSSERVICES

Business Development

Hiring services & VIE program

Start-up scouting

Entrepreneur program

Maketing & Communications support

CAREERDEVELOPMENT

Workshop Series

Job Search & Career Program

French Lessons for Business use

FRENCH/TEXANBUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

We support your international journey and company’s implementation and growth in both markets.

BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP

innovative startups to large companies

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

boost your professional connections

BENEFITS BENEFITS

Complimentary invitations to events (+50 events per year)

Personalized business introductions within our network

Speaking opportunities

Contribute to sector-specific Committees

Receive invitations to exclusive C-level networking clubs

Extended visibility through our communications channels (12k qualified contacts)

Access to our business services and VIE program

Preferential rates on media kit offer

Complimentary job posting sharing

Voting rights at FACC Annual Assembly Eligibility

2 OPTIONS TO BECOME AN ACTIVE MEMBER

Discover Memberships

Discover Bundle offers

Access to professional networking and knowledge-sharing events (+50 events per year)

Complimentary publication of your profile in our Newsletter (job seeker)

Eligible for the job search and career program with a certified coach.

Eligible to request a recommendation on specific job offers within our network. Eligible to become a mentor on specific-sector program.

Voting rights at FACC Annual Assembly Eligibility

Individual Memberships

BUSINESS FRENCH PROGRAM

Why a diploma in french for business?

To certify your ability to use french in your field of work

To distinguish you from other candidates in the job market

To be able to perform a variety of new tasks

To expand your opportunities for mobility

Communicate efficiently with francophone colleagues and clients

Develop cultural sensitivity, international awareness, and global mindset

Add an official certification to your resume "Diplôme du Français des affaires"

A certification recognized by worldwide prestigious schools and education ministries:

HEC Paris, Ecole Hotelliere de Lausane, Harvard Business School, Duke University, University of Virginia State, University of Southern California, King's College London, International Business School, and more

Tailor-made and result-oriented program

Small groups for a better learning experience

Our objective is to provide a great learning environment and experience to each student

A maximum of 6 students by class

Teacher will evaluate your level and monitor your progress

Very beginner to advanced levels (A1 to B2)

Unlimited access to our online training platform

Full program is 60 hours of class to pretend to the exam

Schedule is 2 times per week for 1 hour

Request a placement test + INFO

lea.catanzano@facctexas.com

THE

FRENCH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TEXAS IS LED BY AN OUTSTANDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BillCollins EVPEngieGroup & InterimCEONorthAmerica Engie

AlexisAndres ConsulGeneralofFrance inHouston ConsulateofFranceinHouston

RicharddeMoucheron HrDirectorTotalTalent Management Schlumberger

Marie-HeleneBenSamoun FACCSecretary Partner & ManagingDirector BostonConsultingGroup

Marie-NathalieCoutou-Carrere ResearchAdvisorforIndustry Partners RiceUniversity

DennisPetito FACCHonoraryChairman MontroseEnergyCapitalAdvisors

ElizabethHunter ManagingDirectorand SeniorBanker SociétéGénérale

JohnEldridge FACCChairman Partner Haynes&Boone

BruceRutherford InternationalManaging Director JLL

FranckTrochet VPFinanceUS Total JacquesFox Chef & Owner ArtisansRestaurant

MaryAnneBrelinsky President EDFEnergyServices

BertrandFrishmann SeniorVicePresident VallourecNorthAmerica

Jean-FrançoisBonneté CEO BCIBonneté

PatrickdeTalancé HeadofNAEnergy CréditAgricole EdHirs ManagingDirector HillhouseResources

MarieMaitre CommunicationAdvisor Total

StevenNewton Partner RussellReynolds

ArleciaWilliams RegionalSalesDirector UnitedAirlines

StephenVuongNguyen VPBusinessBanking BBVA

LaurentPagnon VPExternalTechnology TechnipFMC

FranckAvice FACCPresident FACCTexas

Merci Alexis! Merci Alexis!

Alexis will have to say a "goodbye y'all" this summer to pursue his career in France after 4 years spent in Houston as the General Consul of France. He has been a great representative of our country here in Texas, and will be very much missed! We were honored to get the opportunity to collaborate with him and his team on a number of memorable events such as the Bastille Day and the D-Day Gala. We truly thank him for what he has brought to the French business community!

"I sincerely thank Alexis for his sustained support to the FACC. The more cohesive the team of France in Texas is, the more valuable it is for the French business community" Franck

"Alexis has consistently worked to enhance the efforts of the FACC, by making key introductions, engaging with business and political leaders and promoting events organized to benefit the entrepreneurs, companies and artists connected to France. Alexis will always be welcome in Houston!" John Eldridge, FACC Texas Chairman

Avice, FACC Texas President

AWARDS EXCELLENCE BUSINESS

Sept 23rd, 2021