Claire Cavallucci: The eternal quest for talent - emlyon executive

Welcoming everyone on board the same boat for the longest and most satisfying cruise possible: that’s what Claire Cavallucci’s job is like. As a specialist in human resources, she focuses on international talent management.

Starting from zero, putting together a team: just some of the challenges which Claire Cavallucci faces on a daily basis. She’s a human resources specialist, having acquired a taste for adventure after spending years living and working in Australia, China and the United States. “I began working in HR at the Franco-Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Beijing. I loved the role immediately, making sure that the right people are in the right jobs, with the right skills. And ensuring that everyone benefits from a fulfilling work environment too,” she says. This vision, focused on talent management, has been a constant in the course of her career.

The blank page

Upon her return to France, she found herself working for a new industry when she joined FCI, an automotive connector supplier and a subsidiary of Areva. She moved to the Lyon area, working in the services sector for the company dunnhumby. The company had recently been created as a joint venture with the Casino group. An entire team needed to be recruited. A blank page; there’s nothing that Claire Cavallucci loves more. “It was a success and Casino asked us to develop our business model in Brazil and Colombia,” she explains.

She then joined the Regus group as European Head of Human Resources. Her role didn’t involve putting a team together; instead, it was her job to mobilise the company’s talent, bearing in mind the rather unusual situation: the European Head of Human Resources position had previously been vacant for two and a half years. Everything needed to be reorganised. “Major projects were launched, including a new HR information system and a coaching programme,” Claire Cavallucci explains.

Business partner

After two intense years, she wanted to take a step back to regain a new vision of her career. Claire Cavallucci left the Regus group to begin studying the Executive MBA in fast-track format at emlyon business school, full time for 10 months. As a mother of three, this enabled Claire Cavallucci to find the all-important balance between her family life and her studies. “I needed to take a career break and to focus on different aspects of a company, including strategy, sales and financial matters, to help me to be more effective in my role as Head of HR,” she adds. The theoretical knowledge of emlyon’s professors, the practical case studies and her discussions with other students helped her to see her role differently. “Today I have new skills, in addition to my HR knowledge, which enable me to position myself as a managerial business partner, helping to develop the company and its teams. I feel validated and that I’m a credible voice, particularly when interacting with boards of directors,” Claire Cavallucci explains.

Once she had finished the course, she joined the ABÉO group where she came up with the group’s entire HR policy. “The role was created with a very strong strategic dimension, enabling me to put what I had learned during the EMBA into practice,” says Claire Cavallucci. Indeed, this international group was experiencing significant growth with a number of external growth operations; Claire Cavallucci was able to provide relevant and insightful advice. “I was able to ask the board of directors about the target, the financial analysis, the prerequisites for integration into the group's strategy: an essential step to be able to support managers and employees properly,” she adds. She stayed in the role for two years. Today, Claire Cavallucci is looking for another blank page for her next adventure; she has recently joined the EMBA’s executive board. She has also joined the emlyon business school female mentoring programme for emlyon graduates. This pool of talent is sure to enjoy the long-term benefits of her expertise.