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PPB
• OCTOBER 2015
CONNECT
pleasure. As we say at BIC, “Honor the past, invent the
future.” There are a lot of things to be done to make this
industry even better.
What was your first job, and what lessons did you learn?
I started as a customer service and financial manager for a
branch of a technology company. But the job that really started
my career was as a financial planning and analysis manager for a
food company. That is where I learned to be analytical and fac-
tual. The CEO of the company once told me that his mantra
was, “To know, to understand, to act.” It sounded very basic and
simple but this is what I have lived ever since. If you don’t know
the facts then you can’t understand the reality; if you don’t
understand what is happening then you can’t take the right
actions. Too often people decide without understanding the con-
sequences of their decision because they don’t know the facts.
Then they claim that a bad decision is better than no decision.
The problem is not the bad decision but the stupid decision,
because you didn’t analyze the potential consequences. There is a
difference between making a choice, which is rational, and bet-
ting, which is thoughtless because you ask chance to choose for
you. If you do bet, at least be aware of the odds you have to win.
What motivates you in business and in life?
The people around me; I’m not very good at networking as
I need to know the people I’m with in order to be myself. But
they are the ones I work and live for. Family is obviously the
most important thing and at BIC Graphic, even if we are a
large company, we live like a family. We have arguments some-
times, but at the end the good is what matters. I also need
challenges but I find that you overcome them only if you have
the right team and the support of your family. I’m lucky to
have both of them.
What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
I hope it will be the next one. But what I know is that you
never do it alone. I’ve never accomplished anything without
being part of a great team.
What advice would you give to an industry newcomer?
If you’re not coming from this industry, take advantage of
your previous experiences but forget everything you think you
know. Every business and industry is specific but with the pro-
motional products business it seems deceptively similar to
other industries (like consumer products or distribution), while
it is actually very different. You need to know the industry first,
get to understand it, and only then can you make the right
decisions and take the right actions.
Julie Richie is an associate editor for
PPB.