INTERNATIONAL FINANCING - Key Persons
Chawki Djouini, Export Manager, Algeria: A real choice, even if my case is special because I am an expatriate in my country of origin, Algeria! I am one of the longest-standing collaborators of Matière®, with 31 years of collaboration. After 10 years in France, I wanted to return to my native country. I was first assigned as a consultant for Matière® in Algiers, then the management offered me a position as a business manager.
Job Titles:
- Export Engineer in the Philippines
Claude Valdenaire, export engineer in the Philippines: This is also a personal choice. My motivation? To change my professional and personal environment to gain in fulfilment. I started my career in Papeete as part of a VIE, then I was expatriated to Thailand, Tunisia, Portugal, Hong Kong, Israel and since 2014 to the Philippines for Matière®.
Claude Valdenaire: When I arrived in the Philippines in 2014, Matière® had already set up a structure, as the Philippine market had been identified as the most attractive in South East Asia. Today, we are two expatriates and 14 Filipino employees. Our mission is to develop Matière® in the Philippines by exporting our know-how, ideas, engineering and our prefabricated mixed product Unibridge®.
Sandrine Taillefer, HR Director at Matière®: Out of 500 employees, Matière® has 25 expatriates, most of whom work in Africa, particularly in Senegal and the Ivory Coast. Indonesia is also a major expatriation country, as well as the Philippines, which was our first expatriation country in 2008. We distinguish between two types of expatriates: business managers and site staff. The business managers canvass new markets and study their potential, in order to decide whether or not to establish a local structure. This is the case in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, where our long-term contracts require the presence of Matière® expatriates (business managers, engineers, administrative and financial staff) and the creation of a local structure that works closely with local players.