!css
 

6 questions to Xavier Houlbert

08/06/2020

Customer Company Savings Plan Manager.

1.    Could you tell us a little about your career?

"After obtaining an economic and social high school diploma, I had two jobs in the public service, one of them brought me to Paris. Quickly I wanted switching careers and, in 1991, I joined the Société Générale Group, as a cashier at the Fontenay-aux-Roses agency. Then I moved on to Client Advisor functions at Sceaux and Bourg la Reine. During this period, I was able to complete my training with the Professional Banking Certificate (1994) and obtain the Executive Cursus in May 2000. I was thus able to become Marketing Manager for the Manche department based in Saint-Lô. Then I moved on to an Agency Director position in Nantes. Three years later, I created an agency in the Sud Loire and took up a Professional Advisor position in support of Agency Directors and Professional Advisors for the Nantes Center sector. In 2015 I joined my current position in Employee Savings within S2E (Service Epargne Entreprise), as Client Manager of a large companies segment client portfolio, within a team of 10 people. "

 

2.   Can you describe your role in three words?

" CUSTOMER SATISFACTION : throughout my career I have been in contact with customers, my main concern is their satisfaction. Establishing and ensuring a quality relationship with customers is a priority and an important motivating factor on a daily basis.

ENGINEER : Sometimes I think of myself as a conductor: write a score and set it to music to meet the needs of clients. But the best score is useless if there are no good musicians. Today, I am fortunate to have a team which attached as much importance as I do to maintaining a good understanding and being involved on a daily basis in each of its missions. 

ANTICIPATION - ACTION : these are the key words in order to avoid obstacles and allow optimal customer operations traitment, all of this in a calm atmosphere. It’s not easy because there are always unforeseen circumstances which lead you from a calm sea to the middle of a storm. This is where you have to know how to react in order to find solutions, meet customer needs and requirements and arrive safely."

3.   What makes the job worthwhile?

" My alarm! I'm not a natural early bird, but once I wake up, let's go! the day can begin. I am fortunate to have a job full of surprises, which makes my days motivating and stimulating! I take great pleasure in interacting with my colleagues and clients: the need for contact is, for me, essential."

4.    Xavier, what’s your motto, your philosophy?

" They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it " - Mark Twain.

In everyday life, you always have to aim high and not limit yourself, you have to dream big and far: it doesn't hurt to try. Thus "Its is better to feel remorse than to regret". This is what I try to teach to my daughter, so that she does not limit herself in her choices, that she dares and that is what she has done and continues to do in her studies. It’s a great source of pride. Finally in general, I prefer to approach things with humor, it is essential to face the various situations of everyday life, whether they are personal or professional."

5.    What are your interests in life?

"In addition of my family, humor and travel. I deride a bit everything, I really find myself in the English humor: announcing an unlikely cataclysm with the utmost seriousness, whether it is a joke, or not. Traveling is a great passion, discovering countries, different lifestyles and impressive landscapes. I especially like the American West or the Pacific Islands. I fell in love with Polynesia during a trip in 2014, it was a childhood dream which come true and I intend to return there. Beyond the apparent paradisiacal beauty of the country, it is the kindness of the people and their philosophy of life that are a real source of inspiration for me."

6.    How can you say that you are the future?

"The future may seem turned upside down by the pandemic the world is currently experiencing. Despite everything, we must always seek to move forward and try to make a contribution to the edifice for the benefit of the collective. I am fortunate to work in a large Group which has given me the opportunity to grow and experiment different functions. My adaptability and my thirst to always learn make me ready to take on new challenges in this constantly changing world "