“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”
Peter Drucker
Contents
1. Introduction: #AlwaysLearning
My main expertise consists in managing international marketing, media and/or digital projects across different functions, ICTs, creative sectors, countries, languages and cultures by coordinating, recruiting and/or training transnational, cross-cultural and cross-functional teams in large/medium/small agile matrix organizations often involving multiple internal and external stakeholders to drive exponential growth.
My job is to adapt to any situation, any technology, any team, any organization, any industry, any culture and any country – like a chameleon, to never stop learning, to solve complicated problems and unexpected crises in a collaborative way, to be a digital evangelist by making sure that the proven best practices are known, understood, appreciated, valued, shared, implemented and assessed throughout the organization and to conduct change smoothly so that things flow seamlessly in a demanding, challenging, ever-changing, uncertain and globalized competitive environment.
2. Global Manager
“Hic et ubique terrarum”
“Ici et partout sur la Terre”
“Here and anywhere on Earth”
Motto of the University of Paris (1045).
2.1 A Triple Culture
I am Eurasian. I was very lucky to have been imbued with a double culture since birth, with one foot in Western Europe (my father was born in France) and one foot in Southeast Asia (my mother was born in Vietnam). Moreover, I have always had a strong affinity for American pop culture since childhood – I grew up with US superhero comic books, toys, video games, music, movies, television series, television shows and cuisine – therefore becoming one of the most “americanized” French citizens. My high school friends even called me “L’Américain” (“The American”)! Although I am equally fluent in British English (taught in France) and American English, you may have noticed that this website is deliberately in American English.
I believe that my triple European-Asian-American culture is an advantage for large cultural and creative organizations, fast-growing digital and tech startups, artistic talents or influencers willing to go global.
2.2 Foreign Languages
I am familiar with some of the most spoken languages in the world, 5 out of the 6 official languages of the United Nations:
– French (native),
– English (fluent),
– Spanish (advanced),
– Russian (false beginner right now)
– and Chinese (false beginner right now).
I learned Mandarin Chinese for 3 years in Madrid (2005-2006), London (2007-2008) and Shanghai (2008-2009). And I studied Russian in 2013-2014 at INALCO, the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, where more than 120 nationalities are represented among its faculty and students.
2.3 International Studies
2002-2005: I was trained at the Sorbonne by Max Peyrard (1932-2023), ad personam Jean Monnet Chair of the European Union awarded by the European Commission, Professor Emeritus at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972-1973 and eminent French scholar of management, international business, international marketing, international strategy, finance, international finance, international taxation, economics, international economics, geoeconomics, EU geoeconomics, international affairs and European integration since the 1960’s and his doctoral dissertation: “Proportion des facteurs et spécialisation internationale” (Paris, 1962). A leading figure in the academic fields of international management and finance, he is one of the great professors who changed my life.
2005-2006: I studied business and internationalization at the Complutense University of Madrid (where all classes were taught in Castilian Spanish) thanks to the Erasmus student exchange program of the European Union.
2006-2007: I received the international business certificate of the French Foreign Trade Advisors (Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France/CCE) and I hold a Master’s degree in International Strategic Management from the Sorbonne School of Management (Université Paris 1).
2007-2008: I studied media and globalization at LSE – The London School of Economics and Political Science, the school of Lord Anthony Giddens. With more than 190 countries represented among its community, the LSE is more international than the United Nations and was ranked 2nd in the world for the highest percentage of international students (over 70%) for many years.
2008-2009: I studied international economics and foreign trade at the School of Economics of Fudan University in Shanghai (where all classes were taught in English).
2012: I was trained in global consulting and international project management by Accenture (Core Analyst School) in Chicago in the United States.
2.4 International Experience
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”
Confucius
I worked in nine countries on four continents: North America (United States), South America (Chile), Western Europe (France and United Kingdom), Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Bulgaria) and Asia (China).
Based on the 2024 rankings of the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC), it seems that I spent most of my life so far in some of the most important global cities in the world: London (Alpha++), New York (Alpha++), Paris (Alpha+), Beijing (Alpha+), Shanghai (Alpha+), Chicago (Alpha) and Madrid (Alpha).
According to Kearney’s 2025 Global Cities Index, New York, London and Paris, where I lived/studied/worked, are respectively ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd on this planet. And I lived in more than half of the Top 10 Global Cities (New York #1, London #2, Paris #3, Beijing #6, Shanghai #8 and Chicago #10).
According to the 2024 Global Power City Index (GPCI) published by the Institute for Urban Strategies at The Mori Memorial Foundation (Japan), London, New York, Tokyo and Paris, are the most powerful and magnetic global cities on earth. Madrid, Shanghai and Beijing are also in the Top 20.
I had the unique chance to study or work with people from over 50 countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Oman, Congo, Senegal, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, etc.
3. Functional Expertise
“To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.”
Confucius
3.1 Strategy and Marketing Skills
- Strategy, International Strategy, Corporate Strategy, Business Strategy and Strategic Management*,
- Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Competitor Analysis, Benchmarking,…), Business Model, Strategic Objectives,
- Marketing Strategy, Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning, Branding, Brand Strategy,
- Market Research, Marketing Studies and Surveys (quantitative and qualitative), Marketing Analytics, Consumer Behavior,
- International Marketing, Marketing Mix, Marketing Plan, Customer Experience (CX), Customer Loyalty,
- Marketing Management, Product Development, Innovation, Portfolio Management, Offer Pruning,
- IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications), Multi-Channel Marketing, Omni-Channel Marketing,
- Marketing Communications, Marketing Campaign Management, Media Management, Paid/Owned/Earned Media (POEM), Radio and TV Ratings, Return On Investment (ROI) Monitoring, Ad Spend Audit, Radio and TV Programming,
- Branded Entertainment (or Branded Content), Brand Content, Product Placement, Sponsorship and Celebrity Marketing**.
*I hold the Master’s degree in International Strategic Management from the Sorbonne School of Management (ranked 2nd among the best Masters in Strategy and Consulting in France for many years). I was trained in strategy by Alain Ducray, former Director of Strategy and International Business Development of Lagardère Group (media conglomerate), President of Afplane/the French Strategy Association, Consultant and Professor at HEC Paris.
**I was trained in marketing and communication at the Sorbonne by Jean-Marc Lehu, the French authority on branded entertainment and celebrity marketing and author of: “Origins, foundations and modes of use of celebrities by advertising” (his thesis at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University in 1993) and “Branded Entertainment: Product Placement & Brand Strategy in the Entertainment Business” (his 2007 book in English published by Kogan Page).
WARNING: as a global marketing executive, I do not master Photosphop, Illustrator, InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. I usually manage graphic designers, visual designers, UI designers, motion designers, video editors and content producers in my marketing team.
3.2 Digital Marketing Skills*
Source: Gartner Digital Marketing Transit Map
My main expertise in Digital Marketing / Online Marketing / Web Marketing / Internet Marketing is called Inbound Marketing.
- Content Marketing, Video Marketing, YouTube Marketing, Live Streaming, Twitch Marketing, Podcasting, Audio Marketing, Blogging, Copywriting, CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal,…) and Canva,
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Voice Search Optimization (VSO),
- Social Media Marketing (SMM), Social Media Optimization (SMO), Community Management, Online Reputation Management (ORM), Conversational Marketing or Conversation Marketing, Influencer Marketing or Influence Marketing and Affiliate Marketing,
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Emailing or Email Marketing and A/B Testing,
- Marketing Automation, Customer Acquisition, Lead Generation, Lead Development, Lead Nurturing, Lead Scoring and Lead Management,
- User Experience (UX), Customer Journey Mapping, Customer Journey Optimization, Landing Page Optimization (LPO),
- Data Analytics, Digital Analytics, Web Analytics, Google Analytics, Mobile Analytics and Social Media Analytics,
- E-commerce, Conversion Funnel, Purchase Funnel, Perfomance Metrics, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and Churn Management,
- M-commerce, Mobile Marketing and App Store Optimization (ASO).
*I am a Google Certified Professional in Digital Marketing. I hold a Specialized MBA in Digital Marketing (ranked 2nd among the best Masters in Digital Marketing and e-Business in France for many years). And I was an Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, SEO and KPIs.
WARNING: I am familiar with Performance Marketing, Performance-based Advertising, PPC (Pay Per Click), Paid Search / Search Engine Advertising (SEA) / Google Ads, Display Advertising, Banner Ads, Social Ads, Retargeting, AdTech, Programmatic Advertising and RTB (Real-Time Bidding) indeed but this is NOT my core expertise. I rather hire and manage digital advertising agencies, consultants or freelance experts for paid media campaigns because I am not sufficiently competent and experienced in this area.
3.3 Digital Transformation and Management Skills
- B2C, B2B, Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), Business Proposals and Service Level Agreements (SLAs),
- Negotiation and Conflict Management*,
- Business Requirements, Functional Specifications, Gap Analysis, Problem Solving, Decision Making and Crisis Management,
- Technological Transformation – selection and implementation of a new MarTech / marketing technology (CRM, e-CRM, Social CRM, e-commerce website, mobile app, marketing automation tool, campaign management tool, social media management tool, social listening tool, online reputation management SaaS, conversational marketing SaaS, big data software, predictive analytics software…),
- Recruitment, Team Building, Team Management**, Delegation Management, Performance Management and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs),
- Project Management**, Priority Management, Time Management, Planning, Budgeting, Organizing, Leading and Reporting.
- Change Management**, Transition Management, Recruiting, Training Design, Knowledge Management and Corporate Training.
*I was trained in negotiation and conflict management at the Sorbonne by Alice Le Flanchec, a leading scholar in this academic field and disciple and intellectual heir of the great Jacques Rojot (1941-2020), the French authority and reference in negotiation and conflict management, author of the seminal work “La Négociation” (1994) and former Director of the Sorbonne School of Management for many years.
**I was trained in team management, project management and change management by Accenture.
3.4 International Management Skills*
- Cultural Awareness and Cultural Differences,
- International Coordination and Virtual Team Management,
- Cross-Cultural Communication and Cross-Cultural Management,
- Globalization, Glocalization, Internationalization and Localization.
*I received the international business certificate of the French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCE), I hold a Master’s degree in International Strategic Management from the Sorbonne School of Management, I studied internationalization at the Complutense University of Madrid, I studied globalization at the London School of Economics and Political Science and I studied international trade at the Fudan University School of Economics in Shanghai.
4. Soft Skills
In the age of AI (artificial intelligence), I believe that nothing is more important for human beings than soft skills. My technical skills listed above in international management, marketing, and digital marketing should not be considered more important than these soft skills, which are/will be so important in the 21st century.
- Strong work ethic and integrity,
- Leadership and strategic thinking,
- Creativity and creative thinking,
- Emotional intelligence and resilience,
- Adaptability and flexibility,
- Diplomacy and psychology,
- Client focus and customer-centric approach,
- Results-oriented and critical thinking,
- Analytical mind and data-driven,
- Detail-oriented and rigorous.
5. Industry Expertise
The cultural and creative industries (described in detail on the next page).