Based in our Paris office, office manager Marie Michèle already has been with Simon-Kucher for a long time. But how did everything start? What changed within the years? We met with her and asked away:
Marie Michèle, thanks for meeting us! Could you please explain to our readers what your job is at Simon-Kucher and when you started working here?
Marie Michèle: I'm the office manager in Paris. I started on February 1, 2003… time really flies. I'm in charge of the running of the office on a day-to-day basis and I'm also the personal assistant of two board members. And I am involved in HR tasks.
How has your work at Simon-Kucher changed over the years?
Marie Michèle: When I started, there were only eight people all in all in the Paris office. I was hired in a supporting role to the consultants and partners, working on a variety of tasks which spanned from receptionist and personal assistant to accountant, and recruiter. Today, there are 14 people alone in Central Function roles in the Simon-Kucher Paris office, which includes IT professionals, graphic designers, event coordinators, personal assistants, the HR team, and accountants. What a change!
Another change is our internal company magazine. Back in 2003, our employee newsletter, named the Haydn Street Journal after our former headquarters, was printed on recycled paper and distributed by hand. Now, we not only have a professional magazine, but also a myriad of ways to communicate with our colleagues worldwide, such as our intranet system, our employee blog, and our social media channels like LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Our World Meeting and Holiday Party has always been something to look forward to. When I first joined Simon-Kucher, this exciting event used to take place at the Petersberg Hotel in Bonn, Germany, and since we were like a "small family", even our spouses were invited. However, in recent years we’ve had to look for the biggest locations in the area to accommodate the more than 1,200 people who work at Simon-Kucher today. Those of us who have been here a while like to reminisce on the "good old days". Still, rather than being filled with nostalgia, we are always looking forward! We have entered the digital age, and this has only been accelerated by COVID-19. I’m already enthusiastic to see what solutions our events team comes up with for this year’s meeting. What a difference less than 20 years make!
In your opinion, what is so special about working for Simon-Kucher?
Marie Michèle: The people. I’ve not only had the opportunity to visit offices all over the world (Brussels, Istanbul, NYC, Boston, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan), I've also met so many fantastic people, and with some of them become very close friends.