[Interview with] Ségolène Dugue

Ségolène Dugué graduated from the PGE 9 cohort at Rennes School of Business in 2001, and in 2006 joined the Cohen Amir-Aslani law firm, which she now heads. Since last June, she has succeeded Jack Paul Davidson (PGE 1) as President of the Rennes School of Business Alumni Association. Here we meet an executive with a passion for people, who talks about the love and joy she gets from the network.

WHO ARE YOU?

Tell us about your background.

I still remember the feeling of freedom when I arrived at Rennes School of Business. The school offered me a world to explore after my preparatory years. But above all, right from the start, it was a group of friends and the people I met had a huge influence on my future life.

The international outlook was already a major asset. I spent my third year at Laval University in Quebec, where I went on to do an MBA. Eager to meet new people, I worked on a dam in the far north of Quebec, an experience I had planned for one week, which turned into three years as quality manager and then human resources manager.

This has become my leitmotiv: I go where there are building sites and people.

How did you come to join Cohen Amir-Aslani?

First of all it was a meeting, a new field to explore and always a lot of human contact. Back in Paris, I met the founding partners of Cohen Amir-Aslani. Like most law firms, it had talented lawyers but lacked key ingredients such as communication and cohesion. Thanks to my training and experience, I had developed interpersonal skills and a dynamic vision of business. Ignorant of the law and its customs, I worked to instil values within the firm, build a project and develop client loyalty, but above all, to work TOGETHER, my favourite word. Against all the codes of this environment, I was allowed to work directly with clients. Even today, clients appreciate the fact that they can talk and ask their questions freely to a non-lawyer manager.

You are now the firm's Managing Director. What is your current role?

Cohen Amir-Aslani is a law firm specialising in business law and international litigation. For 30 years, we have been advising businesses and decision-makers, as well as major families and governments, in France and abroad. We handle sensitive cases in a complex market. As CEO, my mission is to ensure smooth management in the short and long term, in particular by overseeing human resources and development tools, and by representing the firm in international partner networks.

 But behind these technical aspects, there are always men and women. And my priority is to ensure the quality of human relations, to ensure the well-being of our teams and a relationship of trust with our customers. It's a constant challenge.

What is your proudest achievement?

"The Big Family. You might find the name a bit kitsch, but today it's a reality. Every year since 2013, our firm has selected five students from the Saint-Denis and Villetaneuse IUTs and supported them for two years with grants, work placements and a mentor who introduces them to the codes of the professional world. We now have around sixty winners, who form a real big family and see each other as brothers and sisters.

Alongside the whole team, I'm proud to pass on to these young people the advice that has helped me to develop personally and professionally. Their energy and questions are a real boost. Our firm has won two awards for this initiative, which helps to reduce barriers and prejudices.

It's this kind of experience that I want to bring to the Alumni of Rennes School of Business, while respecting the three values that accompany me in all my projects: trust, joy and curiosity. What's more, every meeting with our students and graduates at events is a source of joy and inspiration for me.

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF THE RENNES SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ALUMNI NETWORK?

What motivated you to become President of the association?

After moving away from school for a while at the start of my career, I returned about fifteen years ago to mentor students. The network is essential for your career, but on a personal level too. It offers essential support when you need it, but above all I believe that our lives are enormously enriched by the people we meet.

I've been in charge of the Women's Club for 6 years and a member of the Alumni Committee for 4 years, and I'm more determined than ever to continue to contribute to this school, which has been an asset to me and still makes me very proud.

What will your mission be?

I want to make Rennes School of Business Alumni a living body, a home open to all our Alumni, even those who have been away for a long time, and a solid anchor for all those who want to bounce back, train and recruit. I'm surrounded by a Board of 11 people whom I call "Les enfants terribles" because they exude an incredible joy and energy that they put at the service of the association. We are all here on a voluntary basis, because this school and this community mean something to us. We'll have won our bet if, in two years' time, every alumnus knows that he or she has a place in this beautiful house that is our network.

Part of the Rennes SB Alumni Committee team in Paris: the "enfants terribles"!

What will be the main challenges for the association and the Alumni network over the next 2 years?

Our action will focus on three main areas:

Commitment. Encourage each Alumni to take their level of commitment up a notch. Let an Alumni who has never taken part in an event sign up once, let a regular choose to lead a club, and let a club leader want to join the Committee.

Excellence. Improving the quality and diversity of the services we offer, with an emphasis on continuing education, an essential part of our graduates' careers.

International. To ensure that the international diversity of our students also becomes that of our network of graduates, by strengthening the attachment of international students and supporting those who wish to work in France.

What would you say to Alumni who are thinking about joining this network?

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you sow". This phrase has always guided me and applies perfectly to the network. To graduates who ask me what they are going to get out of the Rennes School of Business Alumni network, I often reply: "You will get what you give. One day, it will be your turn to reap, but for now, sow and sow again!

So I invite you to join the great family of Rennes School of Business Alumni and discover what it has in store for you, with curiosity, confidence and joy! See you soon, I hope!