Gilles Droit (BSB'87), a fragrance of adventure and meaning
Portrait of the General Manager Fragrances & Cosmetics of Puig
Entrepreneurship is the thread running through the career of Gilles Droit, who heads Puig's Fragrances & Cosmetics business for France and Benelux. “While the school had not yet put in place everything it does today to support creators, there was already a spirit of audacity and a real learning of Autonomy. For my part, I remember that everything is possible and a great network of friends for almost 40 years.”
Is everything possible? But still... Why are some businesses more welcoming to limit pushers than others? Are there “incubator” employer brands? For Gilles, the answer is obvious: yes! Puig (pronounced “pouch”) is a Catalan family company created 109 years ago.
“Marc Puig, Chairman & CEO of the company, represents the 3rd generation. We are present in 150 countries and have a turnover of 3.6 billion in fashion and beauty. With strong brands, such as Paco Rabanne, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Nina Ricci or L'Artisan Parfumeur.”
The key figures are for financial analysts. And a bit also to have the means to achieve your ambitions. But, as Gilles explains, the main thing is elsewhere. “The main thing is trust and freedom. This is our reason for being, with this strong family dimension, with a long-term vision. In a way, family transmission means that we pay particular attention to transmission in general.”
Risk taking and agility
“We are very mobilized around the idea of what we will leave to the next generations in every way. In particular, of course, from the point of view of resource consumption and the sustainability of our activity. Our employer brand is our banner of a free, diverse and responsible community. It is to defend and develop this at my level that I wake up every morning! ”.
What Gilles likes about Puig is the risk taking and agility. “Our contribution to all of us is to build for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. We know who we are working for but also why we are working. The strength of our employer brand is Incarnation and projection, in addition to the responsibility ”. In fact, it is this philosophy that he in turn would like to transmit to today's students, in particular in the BSB amphitheater.
“Since the beginning of my career, spent with Yves-Saint-Laurent Parfums, Hermès and even through an entrepreneurial detour in the early 2000s, I have carried this idea that the spice of corporate life is risk-taking. But because I know the value of BSB teaching and its international openness, I would add that for today's students, daring to create is not even a risk. Successful or not, the challenge of daring is always a success for the rest of the journey! ”.
