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NEWS & FEATURES |
Interview of the Month - January 2005: Stanislas Debreu (ESSEC 88) Q: Tell us about your background and current job. What are yourresponsibilities? I graduated from ESSEC in 1988... After a cooperation at Paribas CapitalMarkets in Tokyo, I joined the Options Department of Societe Generale at the end of 1989. From the end of 1990 till the end of 1993, I started the marketing effort of SG equity derivatives in New York, and then I returned to Paris and was in charge of marketing in Europe. In 1999, I became global head of sales and marketing for the SG Equity Derivatives Group. I enjoyed these years tremendously, small ideas became huge businesses and we soon became world leader in the industry and certainly the most acclaimed group in the bank. Finally, SG gave me another entrepreneurial challenge and offered me to open an office and develop its structured alternative investment business on the West Coast. It is a small outpost of 2 professionals and one intern. Our business has grown tremendously; weare now very well rooted in the hedge fund community. My wife is American. We got married in 1993 just before returning to Paris.While we enjoyed France tremendously, we felt that it was important to return to the US and give our children the "American dip". So we decided to go and live in Los Angeles where my wife's family is from. It is very hard tohave truly bi-cultural children. It takes a lot of energy and sacrifice to have them totally at ease in both cultures. I think we are giving them a fabulous experience having grown both in Paris and Los Angeles; we try hard to show them the best and the worst side of each culture. Q: What advice would you give to ESSEC graduates who would like tocome to work here? Work on your English (language is extremely important), be sure to have astrong competitive edge in your field, be nice, open and active in yourcommunity. Q: How do you think your ESSEC background helped you to bewhere you are? ESSEC prepares you very well for this type of experience. It teaches you tobe independent, innovative, competitive and entrepreneurial while stressingthe importance of interpersonal qualities. Q: What do you consider as your role in the ESSEC family? First it is essential to pay one's alumni dues and to donate to the ESSECdevelopment campaign. That's the basic effort every alumni ought to make.Secondly, it is important to get to know which ESSECs live in the area andto attend one to two meetings a year or at least know everyone wellenough that one can send them an email or call them. ESSEC alumni can be a network of interesting, nice, educated people who share a common curriculum and great values. Q: Why do you think people should participate to the fundraising? I think it is the minimum that one should do. I wish that the alumni association was better organized. I never know when it is time to pay for the dues and I do not remember receiving a friendly email notice to remind me it is time to pay. Payment via Internet with a credit card should be encouraged as well. Thank you Stanislas…
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