With EVASENS, Marie-Laure Fornas (EDHEC Master 1996) supports companies in their transformation processes

Tell us about yourself.

I’m originally from Lyon and I spent 3 years at EDHEC in Lille from 1993 to 1996. As well as the quality of the teaching there, I also discovered the world of associations as a member of  Talons Aiguilles. 

I then spent 25 years in finance, in auditing firms and in companies working as Administrative and Financial Director for subsidiaries, specific sectors or head office, always in international environments. My career has allowed me to work in highly varied business sectors including auditing, ready-to-wear fashion, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances, leisure vehicles and even agriculture. 

I’m curious by nature: I enjoy discovering new countries and cultures through travel, learning about subjects as varied as neuroscience or natural medicine, and experimenting with new approaches. 

I’m driven by the need to contribute to a better world, and for many years have been involved in organizations like the JCI (Junior Chamber International) and Rotary. 

 Can you explain how your project came about? 

Beyond the “technical” dimension of financial roles, I have always placed great importance on enabling colleagues to progress, allowing them to develop new skills and excel. Managing cross-departmental issues has also always been a part of my career, whether in restructuring operations, process reviews, project management or running co-construction workshops. 

I hold the conviction that it is essential to generate meaning, to share a vision and stimulate collective intelligence to steer colleagues and the organisation as a whole towards their full potential.

So when I left my last job, I faced the question of what meaning I sought myself: what do I want to do for the second half of my career? How do I want to spend the 15-20 years I have left to work?

I made the most of that moment to take the time to ask the questions that I hadn’t had the time to ask myself (or that I perhaps didn’t want to tackle, “afraid” of what the answers might be). For several years, I had been pursuing various courses in personal development, natural medicine, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), etc. I delved even further with support from a firm.

And that ultimately brought me back to 2 subjects, both linked to desires I have held since my childhood:

• -          To accompany people and teams (as a child I wanted to be a doctor, which is another form of support) 
• -          And to have a place to host professional events (as a little girl I wanted to run a B&B, another space to host people)

And so I envisaged a multifaceted activity as a consultant & coach, hosting corporate seminars.

Tell us about your start-up/company

Evasens was recently founded, back in February. 

I began by concentrating on the first pillar of my business: consultancy and coaching. It was important for me to develop it on fundamentals that reflected who I am: beginning with the company’s values: mutual reliance, performance, contribution and fulfilment.

I believe that humans and their collective strength are central to comprehensive and sustainable performance. By comprehensive performance, I mean performance in terms of technological, financial, social, societal and environmental innovations. By generating meaning, by sharing a vision, by creating favourable conditions for trust and communication, staff will be more committed and fulfilled and will work better together. These are factors of collective success.

And so I accompany management teams through project phases or transformations, whether it be strategic reflections, defining their raison d’être and vision, organizational changes, process or project reviews, etc.

What is your initial assessment of this entrepreneurial adventure?

As I said, this is all very recent.

If I were to retain a few key points in this new adventure, it would be these:

• -          Always make the most of opportunities for sharing and discussion with other professionals. The advice of other consultants is invaluable to me
• -          The network is of the utmost importance. It has already brought me some early work.
• -          This truly is an adventure – everything is new: the position to adopt, the activities, defining my offer, my commercial approach, communication, etc. And because I am curious and love diversity, it’s everything I could hope for.

 What’s next for your project?

 My priority is focused on developing the business by gaining a reputation in this new position as consultant & coach, with a financial background and as an executive committee member who understands the challenges facing managing directors and companies in terms of performance and staff development. 

At the same time, I have begun to look for premises to host corporate seminars, courses, etc.

What advice would you like to give to students or graduates interested in becoming entrepreneurs?

 It is true that you will have many different phases throughout your career and the possibility to change position/company/role.

But the recent period has shown us and continues to show us that unknowns and constraints can crop up at any time. So make the most of life and do what you want to do, that which reflects what is important to you. Don’t allow your beliefs to limit you, be daring and take the plunge, test the waters, and readjust …

That said, it is essential to be clear about your offer and target clientele. That will allow you to establish links with your ideal clients and adapt your communication accordingly.

Maintain and tweak your network in relation to your target clients, suppliers, partners, etc.

Make sure you have support in areas where you lack the necessary skills. EDHEC’s mentoring scheme is a superb opportunity for this.

 What are your expectations from the community of alumni? 

To give and receive through the Mentoring and Meet & Share schemes of which I am a member: these offer meaningful interaction between the different EDHEC generations and the sharing of skills, advice, best practices and experiences more broadly.

And as I said earlier, the network is essential and the community of alumni seems an ideal way to network and gain a reputation in companies going through a process of reflection or projects that impact their staff teams in their work or organisation.

 More info:

 My website: www.evasens.fr

My LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlfornas/

Email: mlfornas@evasens.fr

Tel: 06 63 05 28 49