5 years of French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Presidency, time to say "Au revoir" #Bittersweet

5 years ago, I have had the privilege to be elected President French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNZCCI) , become the 2nd youngest president of CCI France International network globally, thanks to the trust of the membership. The task in front of me was quite overwhelming as I had big shoes to fill after past President Nadine Plet , and was humbled the legacy of past leaders of the 33 years of history of the association. At that time, our organization was 100% ran by volunteers, with the support of interns helping us on 3 to 6 months periods. My ambition has always been to find a way to increase our footprint, increase our revenues, and professionalize the organization, meaning building a team to run the daily operations of the association.

I’m very humbled and proud, in the right way, to say that thanks to the incredible talent of the board members & our interns, with our vision, and a lot of hard work, we’ve been able to achieve a big part of our ambition.

During my five mandates, a "quinquenat" as we say in France, we've:

• Organized the very first annual gala dinner of the chamber in 2019 in presence of our founder Christian Jean-Louis
• Created the "French New Zealand Business awards" that yearly recognize the best French Businesses in New Zealand.
• Supported the community of French businesses to navigate and pivot during the Covid period, being the only non-for-profit organization to partner with #SOSCafe launched by David Downs .
• Generated the revenues for us to be able to hire, in July 2020, the very first employee of the association Vincent Labrador as Business Dev. Manager, and a second employee a year later Gina Deerness-Plesner as Events & Communication Manager.
• Supported French Citizens to find jobs they had lost during covid thanks to the launch of French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNZCCI) Employment Program co-financed by French government.
• Co-organized the very first "French Pacific Forum" in New Zealand in March 23 and celebrated FNZCCI 38th Anniversary in presence of French Minister Olivier BECHT and 240+ guests.
• Just managed to successfully secure funding for us to create a position Business Dev. Manager French Pacific to help unlock trade potential between New Zealand and French Pacific Islands, New Caledonia & French Polynesia.

Well... What an incredible 5 years of learnings and energizing projects it has been, for our organization and for me personally. Has you might have guessed by now; I have decided that after 5 years it was time for me to step back from my position and let other members of the board take the leadership of this beautiful non-for-profit association.

I would like to thank all members, board members, and partners from the bottom of my heart for the privilege you offered me to lead this organization and live experiences that I would have never dreamed about.

A special "Merci" to three persons that are very close to my heart, Madeleine Colombie & Helene Toury-Dehan that have been my Vice-President(es) and supported me day in day out during my mandate. The third person is my partner Amandine Falco , who doesn't like to be in the spotlight, but I know it has not been easy at times to share me with something else I felt in love with: my passion to contribute to France and New Zealand Outreach.

I wish FNZCCI team Jeanne NICOLAS Alan Xeron Christine Connon Gina Deerness-Plesner , the newly elected board Helene Toury-Dehan Frederik CORNU ????尚夫瑞 Audrey Snowden Troy Gilchrist Clint Tawharu Kaison Chang David Maucor , and especially the new Co-Presidents Agnes Baekelandt & Madeleine Colombie a lot of fun and great memories ahead, and I’m sure they will be able to bring our organization to new heights!

"Merci" to all partners and public servants for facilitating FNZCCI activities such as the French Embassy in New Zealand team Laurence Beau Eric Soulier , Business France , New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade , New Zealand Trade and Enterprise , Invest Auckland New Caledonia trade and invest , CCISM de Polynésie fran?aise and many more...

Thank you very much, tēnā rawa atu koe, "Merci beaucoup pour votre confiance", and long life to French New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNZCCI) and the friendship between New Zealand, France and the French Pacific Islands.

"Au revoir et à bient?t!"