Joint Interview: La Poste PACA / Banque Des Territoires

Meeting in the PACA region with Christine Bord le Tallec, Regional Representative for La Poste Group, and Charles du Dresnay, Deputy Regional Director of Banque des Territoires.

• Could you please introduce yourself?

Christine: Hello, Alter Egales. I am currently a representative for La Poste Group in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region; previously, I served as Operations Director for the Mail and Parcel Services division in Picardy and on the Côte d’Azur. In addition, I held sales positions in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and PACA regions for several years. These roles allowed me to play an active part in the Group’s transformation, serving our customers while tackling significant and exciting management challenges.

Charles: Hello, everyone! I joined the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) Group in 2005. I held various positions within the network: Loan Development Manager, then Investment Manager in the Centre-Val de Loire region; Investment Director in Champagne-Ardenne; Regional Affairs Manager; and finally Secretary General of the new Grand Est Regional Division, established in 2016. Since last July, I have been Deputy Regional Director for the South Region at the Banque des Territoires (BDT). This has given me—as a native of Brittany—the opportunity, just like Christine, to discover different cultures and truly captivating regions!

• What business relationships do La Poste Group and Banque des Territoires maintain at the local level?

Christine and Charles: There are numerous relationships—both institutional and business—particularly for the BDT, which interacts with La Poste and its various subsidiaries, including La Banque Postale. A few examples suffice to illustrate this: the creation of URBY, a joint venture between La Poste and La Banque des Territoires, with a presence in Marseille, Nice, and Toulon, is a key player in last-mile logistics that contributes to our joint efforts toward more sustainable regions. We would also like to mention the Maisons France Services, which help simplify users’ interactions with public services. In addition, there is a pilot program in Marseille of which we are particularly proud, VIAGEVIE: an intergenerational solidarity-based life annuity program that is also featured in the CDC Group’s 2020 annual report.

• In terms of gender equality, what are the key issues in your area of responsibility, and more specifically in the PACA region?

Christine: The La Poste Group is a committed advocate for gender parity; for the past three years, our gender parity rating has been 94 out of 100. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done, particularly regarding access to certain roles, promotions, and the pipeline of talent for the most strategic positions. The national goal is to raise awareness and foster engagement on this issue, and to work toward developing an inclusive culture at all levels. At the regional level, we aim to raise awareness of UN.E, La Poste Group’s Parity Network. We also want to continue building relationships with other companies and are therefore closely following the BDT’s initiatives.

Charles: There are many, but I’d like to highlight two operational challenges!

The first is increasing the representation of women in leadership roles at the companies in which we hold shares—approximately 80 companies in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region. Our goal is to increase the proportion of regional management positions held by women from 15% to 35% by the first half of 2021. We’re making good progress on this! Soon, more female employees will be involved in the governance of the companies in our portfolio, particularly on the boards of directors of semi-public companies.

The second challenge is to support each employee in the Regional Division in their career development (there are 65 of us in Marseille and Nice). We have many talented individuals—particularly women—whose potential we need to help bring to the forefront, especially when they lack a professional network or self-confidence. I really like the mentoring approach offered by the FIDES program organized by Alter Egales. It fosters a culture of mutual support, active listening, and sharing experiences, while providing a multifaceted perspective on the interpersonal skills required for leadership. In 2021, two people from the region participated in this initiative: Richard Curnier, Regional Director for PACA, as a mentor, and Morgane Jacinto as a mentee.

• What commitments have you personally made regarding gender equality and gender diversity?

Christine: Gender equality is, for me, an obvious and everyday issue. I’m always perplexed—even shocked—when I come across single-sex assemblies or meetings, which are still all too common in the professional and political worlds! On a personal level, as a mother of three daughters and one son, I realize that the fight is not over. We must be active on all fronts: education, inclusion, open-mindedness, and so on.
I’m also involved with Premières Sud, an organization that promotes women’s and mixed-gender entrepreneurship. It also serves as a powerful watchdog highlighting the challenges women face when starting a business—especially during a crisis like the one we’re currently experiencing.

Charles: I think it’s first and foremost a matter of mindset. I’m lucky to come from a mixed-gender family, with two sisters and two brothers. Our parents always made sure to treat us all equally. That taught me that both genders are equally capable of taking on any task or job. I make sure (and if I ever forget, my wife is there to remind me!) that the same applies to my daughter and son. I try to pitch in with daily chores, but I have to admit I still have some work to do…

I joined Alter Egales in 2017, the Caisse des Dépôts Group’s “gender diversity” network, 12% of whose members are men. In addition, I’ve become more aware of the role that leaders and managers play in advancing equality and gender diversity in the professional world—and, consequently, in the private sphere, since the two are interconnected. I believe that Caisse des Dépôts has made tremendous progress in the area of gender equality. The recently published Professional Equality Index scored 92 out of 100. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly regarding the pay gap.

On a more personal note, I would say that I still need to improve at delegating and always putting my trust in others.

• Are there any upcoming joint projects to promote these two concepts?

Christine and Charles: An initial online meeting took place on February 4 at the national level between the ambassadors of the two networks, featuring presentations for the PACA region by Christine on behalf of the UN.E network and by Catherine Delasorne, the regional ambassador, on behalf of the Alter Egales network. Many ideas emerged, which will serve as our guiding principles at the regional level in 2021. In practical terms, we have already identified a joint action plan.

First, let’s get to know each other; that’s why we’re organizing an online event on June 22, which will bring together members of our two networks in the South Region and will also be open to all employees interested in our topics.

Second, we are jointly organizing a conference on September 9 on the topic “Leveraging Networks to Boost Your Career.” This joint initiative is based on feedback from local stakeholders actively involved in professional networks and on connecting participants with local professional networks dedicated to the advancement of women.

Finally, we plan to come together in a spirit of solidarity for the “La Marseillaise des femmes” race scheduled for Sunday, October 17, for which Banque des Territoires will be an official partner with the support of Alter Egales.

• What is the benefit of carrying out a joint initiative with the UN.E and Alter Egales networks?

Christine: Being open to other practices and to established networks is an asset, one that is further strengthened by our membership in the same organization. It also helps foster a better mutual understanding between employees of La Poste and the BDT.

Charles: The UN.E and Alter Egales networks share the same core mission: to advance gender parity and diversity within both companies. With the formation in 2020 of this major public financial hub bringing together the CDC and La Poste Group, it was only natural for these networks to join forces and develop projects together. Each network brings its own unique energy and helps raise the profile of the initiatives carried out in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region!

• What are your hopes for these networks and diversity?

Christine: I imagine we’ll form close bonds based on camaraderie and shared goals!

Charles: My hope is that our two networks will work together to advance the values that drive them: trust, optimism, diversity, kindness, setting a good example, and team spirit!