“In my career I have experienced a range of business cultures. When I started with Axians, I looked very specifically at the company values of Axians and VINCI Energies. I knew from experience that there is a difference between having values and acting accordingly. The first discussions with Axians were immediately in an atmosphere of transparency and openness. I noticed that VINCI Energies really had the core values front and centre and acted accordingly. I love pioneering, moving boundaries, and trying out new things. The core values of VINCI Energies looked exactly like what I was looking for, they really suited me, appeared to give me the room to excel. They allow me to flourish and I see the same in my colleagues around me. In Axians you see the core values reflected in every echelon of the organisation. 

I detected empowerment and entrepreneurship in Axians from the start: I said that I would really like to focus on one sector – the State – and not on several. A market segment I did not know inside out but I really wanted to focus on it in full in order to achieve success. That plan and the wish were respected. I was told: shows us what you’ve got. I was given time and space to learn, without having any immediate targets to cope with. And it did become a success, a success that was due to the expertise of my colleagues in our business unit and to the values we share. I don’t show our clients a printed card with our values but I do believe I exemplify them. They are demonstrated by my actions. Take ‘transparency’, that is a basis for building strong and personal relationships with your clients, even in public tenders. They want to be a good client and we want to be good contractor. Our values are essential to that.” 

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