Interview with Florence Roux-Christmann, Class of 1995 - Banking-Insurance major

Present position
I’m head of Operations at PwC’s Accelerator Sarl, a new 100%-owned subsidiary of PwC Luxembourg. Our enterprise is unique in Europe, designed to provide entrepreneurs with assistance. I also take care of strategic partnerships.

Why did you decide to take part in the Edhec Resource scheme?
We all know how important a network is for building, consolidating or growing a business venture. At PwC’s Accelerator, my meetings with entrepreneurs made me realise just what we could offer them, and this help was not previously available on the market.

When you launch a new business venture, there’s pressure from all sides because an entrepreneur has to be everywhere at once and needs to find the right partners to ensure the greatest chances of success.

My first thought was that in the Edhec Alumni network, there are entrepreneurs. And at PwC’s Accelerator, the 12 members of staff include 3 Edhec alumni! It seemed obvious to get in touch with the network so they can take advantage of our services.

Can you explain what your involvement in EDHEC Alumni means for the Edhec community today?
Christelle Caucheteux and I have talked long and hard about the strategic priorities for the association and PwC’s Accelerator, and what we can offer one another. We were both really enthusiastic right from the word go, and we decided to build our collaboration through concrete initiatives. In March 2012, Christelle came to the inauguration of PwC’s Accelerator in Luxembourg. This gave us an opportunity to present the profile of the businesses we support and the services we offer them. It was also clear that as soon as the company was launched, a dynamic community of investors and leading international groups with a strong focus on innovation immediately formed around our PwC team.

We then suggested that the Luxembourg ambassadors host the live broadcast of the annual Edhec Rendez-vous event on 14 June on our premises so as to share the moment with alumni living in Luxembourg. It was a great success! Over 30 people from this tiny country took part and discovered PwC’s Accelerator. The evening was really fun, and it resulted in us hiring an Edhec PwC at the Accelerator, and developing excellent relations with Edhec people hoping to involve their firm in the Accelerator adventure.

We then suggested organising a partnership with EDHEC Alumni Entrepreneurship Club which would allow an Edhec entrepreneur to come and ‘pitch’ during our next ‘Local to Global’ Exhibition in September and become a member of the Accelerator. More information about this project.

The next project on the agenda is to organise Edhec Cafés on the theme of innovation and entrepreneurship.

What exactly does Pwc’s Accelerator do?
PwC’s Accelerator is an initiative that is unique in Europe. The aim is to provide support for high potential businesses in the new technologies sector that wish to expand rapidly to become world leaders.
We offer a one-stop-shop that gives entrepreneurs easier access to capital, strategic support for the management team and assistance with their international expansion. We use all the skills in the global PwC network to this end (160,000 jobs in over 150 countries).
For more information: www.pwcaccelerator.com

What should Edhec entrepreneurs who’d like to take part in the selection process keep in mind?
PwC’s Accelerator positioning is very specific in that it’s designed for entrepreneurs with a cutting-edge technology, a product that has proved its worth in terms of technology and marketing. That means we come in at the post-incubation stage at a point when many entrepreneurs find themselves facing the challenges of development alone.
These firms generate significant income and have a full order book that they can’t realise in their present configuration. The management is ambitious and wants to become a global leader in its market.
At present we have 3 Edhec Alumni at PwC’s Accelerator:
-    Nicolas Stamets (Class of 2007)
-    Chloé Ghnassia (Class of 2010)
-    Myself (Class of 1995)
If you’re interested in PwC’s Accelerator’s activities or would like to know more, then do get in touch.

Florence Roux-Christmann
florence.roux@lu.pwc.com