What are your main takeaways from your presidency?
During my time as President of the Association, two key and closely linked achievements stand out: securing official recognition as an Institute for the Energy Transition and setting up a simplified joint-stock company to carry out the Institute’s activities. My role was to convince all the public stakeholders to grant this accreditation. We had to argue that we were on a growth trajectory and that we would soon become an institute of reasonable scale. Today, with over 65 staff and offices in Marseille and Nantes, this proves that we were on the right track. It was by no means a foregone conclusion, as we were in a period of decline for tidal power and a shift towards offshore wind. The concept of energy sovereignty and an industrial supply chain that was as local as possible was not yet the priority it has since become.
How did the agreement work in practice?
Once the agreement had been secured, we had to implement it within the implified joint-stock company, dealing with all the legal issues involved and the gradual transfer of staff and assets from one entity to the other. All this work was fascinating but also challenging. I would like to thank the Executive Committee of France Energies Marines for carrying it out with such rigour.
What was the situation like at the time?
The circumstances of that period led the Institute to adapt its approach to recruiting members and to make significant changes to its R&D strategy. This is simply the normal course of business and innovation, even if it is not the natural way of things in France: adapting to the market, making rational decisions to focus on growth sectors, and divesting from those that are less promising. It was a difficult period, but a saving one for France Energies Marines.