- Argos Wityu member since 1998
- Speaks French, English and Spanish
- Master in Finance EM Lyon business school
- Argos Wityu member since 1998
- Speaks French, English and Spanish
- Master in Finance EM Lyon business school
Can you introduce yourself in a few words? Your age, your family situation and the country you live in?
Gilles
49, married with 2 children, located in France.
Tell us about your career and how you joined Argos.
Gilles
After business school and two years in Spain as a financial controller, I started at Argos as a trainee in 1998. I became a partner in 2007. I have had the pleasure of accompanying the firm’s robust development for the last 24 years, from a small, independent entity to a well-established and structured European organisation.
Is this the path you thought you would take when you started your studies?
Gilles
I wanted to be an entrepreneur and became one in the private equity industry, facing all the challenges and opportunities of growth and development.
The world of private equity has changed a lot in recent years. What is your definition of PE? How do you see it?
Gilles
I see private equity as an accelerator of growth and sustainability based on experience, know-how, industry expertise and the ability to understand and accompany people and their management. I also see it as an excellent and modern way to share the risks and returns of the creation of business value with company managers and employees.
What is the feeling that guides you most in your daily life?
Gilles
Always ask, “What’s next?” Always be in a position to anticipate (markets, trends, innovation, negotiations, regulation, etc.). Management and development of business means anticipation – what I call the first mover advantage. People and management? Make sure the whole team understands the strategy and moves in the same direction. You can take the best decision, but it is useless without proper communication and team management.
What encounter - or moment - stands out in your time at Argos?
Gilles
An almost unanimous thank you from the management team, the works council and the trade unions of Cisbio Biossays, after we completed this successful management buy-out. These thanks were based on Argos’s ability to make the business independent and autonomous and drive its growth.
Some say we are the average of the people we meet. What do you think? What do you think?
Gilles
I have been influenced by entrepreneurs because of their permanent resilience and capacity to address all kinds of issues with optimism, even though they are alone in their business development.
How do you see yourself in 10 years?
Gilles
Disappointed by the things I didn’t do rather than the ones I did.
How do you find balance in your life as a whole?
Gilles
FFS: friends-family-sports (principally tennis, cycling and skiing) and cooking.
An investment fund, and in particular a fund like Argos, is also and above all about people. How would you help your employees connect to that vision?
Gilles
By making sure they have the right life balance and helping the team get a better understanding of who they are professionally, how they interact and their impact on people. Private equity is a lot about building a strong relationship with people and adapting to different environments. Relationships are the least technical area. Rather, they are based on soft skills, which are essential for creating loyalty, transparency and, in the end, performance.
“I see private equity as an accelerator of growth and sustainability based on experience, know-how, industry expertise and the ability to understand and accompany people and their management.”
What is your definition of PE?
Gilles
In the 1990s, private equity was a bit the Wild West, and we were more in a start-up mode. This is no longer the case, and our business is now much more sophisticated and structured. Due diligence, standards and deal structuring are now all more thorough. We have adapted and tailored our organisation to those changes in terms of processing and structuring, as well as the capitalisation and sharing of knowledge. Moreover, we have delevoped tools, processes and the means to create sustainable value in the business in which we invest. Our methodology is based on the more than 80 deals and tons of experience with different management teams and industries. This is not a change but rather a constant capitalisation of learning with the challenging objective of collectively sharing that knowledge at the Group level, with more than 50 people, 17 nationalities and six offices across Europe. On the contrary, what has not changed is the pleasure of meeting and accompanying talented entrepreneurs and managers as they develop their businesses. Lots of fantastic equity stories have started with MBOs; it is and remains a real satisfaction to see those developments.
On the contrary, what has not change dis the pleasure to meet and accompany talented entrepreneurs and management in the developement of their businesses. Lots of fantastic equity stories have started with MBOs, it is and remains a real satisfaction to see those develpement.
If you would like to have a direct discussion with me, feel free to
Companies I Support
FOOD
Revenues €67 M
FRANCE
Services
Revenues €70 M
FRANCE
GOODS
Revenues €70 M
FRANCE
INDUSTRY
Revenues €35 M
FRANCE
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