50,000 km per year

When I finish my thesis, I wasn't particularly looking to go into business, but I didn't picture myself in the academic world either. I was hoping to go into an R&D department and move towards regulatory issues. I had to broaden my target and grabbed the opportunity to work with Memolex. It's a small company with 10 people that sells technical polymers and additives used in compounding plastics, paints, inks and adhesives.

When I started in March 2005, I took over my predecessor’s client portfolio. I created longer-term rapports with existing clients and found new ones. My main clients were in the field of PVC: They manufactured garden furniture, windows, floor coverings, etc.

By the end of 2005, I was promoted head of new developments for the company in the additive sector. I looked for new suppliers, mainly abroad (in China, Korea, and India) and I developed a client portfolio specialized in compounding paints, inks and adhesives. My knowledge in organic chemistry and compound chemistry was essential. It was also very useful in seeking to comply with the norms imposed by REACH, an activity that I will follow up on for our clients and our suppliers.
I travel a lot in France and even abroad (last year I went to Asia to visit our suppliers’ factories), and I enjoy that, as well as the variety of the work between reports on visits, technical support for customers, supplier sourcing, market studies on new products, and sales negotiations. I may have lacked contacts when I was at the university, but in business, it's essential.