Hey you!
If we say French Tech, you say? Ecosystem of French companies. Yes, but not only. French Tech is also a network of Frenchies who hold high responsibility positions in foreign companies (Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc…). And there are many of them. Passion Media presents you 4 profiles that cannot be ignored.
French Tech is exporting
No, French Tech is not limited to 100% French start-ups. It also includes those French people who hold important positions in the tech giants abroad, social networks but also big brands. And this is the opportunity to talk to you about some of these personalities. Facebook, Google Instacart, they are present at the giants we all know.
4 key personalities to follow in the FrenchTech universe
Fiji Simo, CEO of Instacart
Originally from Sète, she first worked at Ebay before staying more than 10 years at Facebook. There she led the development of Facebook’s mobile application, no less. She was also VP President for the Video, Games, Monetization division, and worked closely with Mark Zuckerberg. Since last July, she has become General Manager of Instacart, the American startup specialized in food delivery.
Inès Le Bihan, Lead Industrial Designer at Facebook Reality Labs
After studying in Quimper, she joined the Nantes Atlantique Design School. She then accumulated several experiences in companies of the Tech universe (HTC, Nendo, etc…) at the international level (China, Japan, Italy, etc…) before moving to the United States. There, as an expert in virtual reality, she becomes in 2019 Lead Industrial Designer at Facebook Reality Labs.
Julien Codorniou, VP Workplace at Facebook
After 5 years as Business Development and Partnership Manager at Microsoft, he joined Facebook to become Vice President of the Workplace by Facebook, based in London. He also multiplies investments in various companies (Cali Sisters, Le Monde, Le Grand Soleil, The Business of Fashion, etc…). He is also very active on Twitter with a community of over 15,000 people.
Julie Ceccaldi, Global Head of Brand, Platform & Ecosystems at Google
After more than 6 years in the world of luxury and cosmetics at L’Oreal, she joined Google in 2015. She was first Industry Manager in the Beauty and Cosmetics division, and then became Global Head of Brand and Creative strategy at Google a few years later. There she manages Google’s partnerships with the company’s various services such as Android, Chrome, Google Play, Chromebook, Google Fi, Comms
Among the few personalities mentioned, most of them are closely or remotely linked to Google and Facebook. This is not surprising since they are part of the GAFA, and the biggest tech companies to follow. There are also a few French people who distinguish themselves in companies from other sectors (Tesla, SpaceX, Amazon, etc…). So no, the French have nothing to envy their American counterparts. And we can’t wait to see the nuggets of tomorrow emerge.