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[Joint interview] Virginie Alonzi and Bruno Hervet

The Vice-Presidency for the association’s “Business” body is now represented by a duo consisting of Bruno Hervet (Director of Suez Consulting and Vice-President of Smart and Resourceful Cities for Suez) and Virginie Alonzi (Director of Prospective for Bouygues Construction). 

[A joint interview on their commitment to SCbF and the reasons behind this alliance in service of businesses.] 

SCbF – Can you explain the origins of your commitment within Sustainable City by France? 

BH: Suez has been involved in the association since its early days, back when it was called the Institute for Sustainable Cities in 2016. At that time, we had half the number of members we have now, and the action was just starting to take shape with the available resources and personnel. 

As Suez, I made the decision to invest in this association because we needed a platform for dialogue and the sharing of expertise between public and private professionals to make progress in the field of sustainable cities. Even back then, we believed that the key to transforming territories lay in an integrated approach to the challenges, and that can only be achieved by involving all stakeholders. I then worked at the head of the “Business” body to promote the association among private actors, to strengthen our workforce and expand the range of available expertise. 

VA: The Bouygues group was also involved during the time of the Institute for Sustainable Cities, but it is in recent years that the group has increased its participation, in addition to COLAS, which was already involved in the association. Bouygues Construction joined Sustainable City by France in 2020, and I quickly became involved in co-piloting working groups – Digital and Resilience, Health and Urban Planning – which perfectly aligned with our prospective approaches. It provided an opportunity to share our visions, exchange perspectives, and test our courses of action with the public and private actors gathered within SCbF. We immediately recognized the added value of the association and strengthened our commitment in 2021 with the arrival of the Bouygues group and its subsidiaries, allowing us to play a role in the Board of Directors. 

SCbF – The Vice-Presidency of the “Business” body was previously held by Bruno Hervet alone. What were the factors that motivated your joint candidacy for this new mandate? 

BH: This duo for the Vice-Presidency of the “Business” body demonstrates the good health and growth of the association! When the Institute for Sustainable Cities had only about sixty members, the “Business” body of Sustainable City by France now has around fifty private actors. It is the largest body in terms of the number of members, and new actors of all sizes continue to join us. Another important factor is the multiplication and decentralization of our actions, both in regions with the territorial workshops of Sustainable City by France, which have been very successful, and internationally. We decided to combine our efforts with Virginie, supporting the mobilization of expertise and business prospecting since we always strive to strengthen our workforce. 

VA: Our synergies are aligned, our expertise complements each other, and we want to work together toward the same goals: accelerating the sustainable transformation of cities and territories. It makes sense to join forces to pool our efforts in this regard and contribute to further enhancing the reputation and visibility of this association that works for the public interest, moving away from the usual competitive logic. 

SCbF – What is your shared ambition for Sustainable City by France and its member businesses in the next 3 years? 

VA: To continue this dynamic cooperation around common issues and contribute to accelerating the transformation of our models with the support and expertise of our member businesses and all stakeholders of the association. In this context, as Bruno mentioned, we want to continue attracting new expertise, particularly in sectors that are currently underrepresented (such as mobility actors) to strengthen SCbF’s unique position as an integrator of expertise for sustainable cities. The association’s work is freely accessible, so in line with the public interest, we will work to promote the methodologies and operational solutions we identify through working groups and territorial workshops. I would like to conclude by emphasizing the importance of promoting and increasing the participation of private actors in these territorial or “decentralized” workshops, which are privileged spaces for interaction with participating local authorities, to develop potential solutions and contribute significantly to territorial projects and resilience strategies. 

BH: In addition to this, we will also strengthen our ties with the association’s other bodies, particularly the “Experts” body, including the scientific committee of Sustainable City by France, to encourage cross-pollination between our businesses and the academic world and incorporate research action perspectives. Finally, the international roadmap also looks very promising, with the success of the first delegation to Poland in November 2022, where about ten companies, alongside elected officials and representatives from the State and public operators, made the trip to promote French vision and expertise and strengthen cooperation between French and Polish professionals. Therefore, we will continue and strengthen our international actions in support of French economic diplomacy in the sustainable cities sector. 

About Nina

A student at Sciences Po Paris, enrolled in the Master’s program in Territorial and Urban Strategies, Nina is interested in public policies at the territorial level as well as the challenges of ecological transition.

As part of a student project during her first year of the Master’s program, she worked with the National Housing Agency (Anah) on eco-design in urban renovation. She then took a gap year to gain more professional experience, completing two internships: the first with the City of Paris, where she contributed to the implementation of the first plan to combat energy poverty, and the second with the Paris Urban Planning Agency (Apur), where she worked on the territorialization of public health.

Currently in her second year of the Master’s program, she is beginning an apprenticeship with the association France Villes et Territoires Durables.

 

About Solène

Mission Officer, Working Group, and Projects. Student at the Urban School of Sciences Po Paris, focusing on the ecological transition of cities.

About Quentin

Motivated by climate issues and planetary boundaries, Quentin decided to study land use planning at the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. His experience in associative field at the Fresque du Climat, helped him to better understand the stakes of the ecological bifurcation. Between his native Haute-Savoie and his home town Rennes, where he gained expertise in mobility and sustainable agriculture, he is now based in Paris to deploy the Sustainable City by France’s territorial workshops throughout the country.

About Alice

After five years’ study at Sciences Po Lyon, with a specialization in territorial transitions, Alice joined Sustainable City by France (France Villes et territoires Durables). She actively contributes to the deployment of the association’s territorial workshops and working groups.
See her LinkedIn profile 
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Currently studying as a second-year Master’s student in International Relations at University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Tara holds a Bachelor’s degree from INALCO, with a double-major in Hindi language, and International relations / Environmental studies. Her work with us is in line with her former experiences at UNESCO and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, thus deepening her professional expertise in the field of environmental diplomacy and international cooperation for sustainable development.

See her LinkedIn profile

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She holds a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in International Relations and Action Abroad at the same university. She approaches the problems of sustainable cities and territories through these different perspectives and her international experiences.

About Isabelana

Isabelana is a Mexican journalist who holds a Master’s degree in Digital Communication and Data Analysis from the Sorbonne University. She previously worked in communication and press relations in the cultural sector in France and Mexico. Today, she is interested in ecological actions and solutions to preserve the environment and the biodiversity.

About Camille

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With a background in social sciences, art history and architecture, Camille has worked in communication within the VINCI group: from major international projects to La Fabrique de la Cité, a think tank dedicated to urban foresight.

About Alexandra

A geographer by training (Saint Petersburg State University), she started as a geographer and economist at the Academy of Agricultural Economics (Russia), before pursuing her career in France as an administrative and accounting assistant (Air Liquide, Association TGV Provence Côte d’Azur, COFHUAT, Groupe Hervé)

About Marion

Trained in international and European affairs between England and France as part of a double degree at Sciences-Po Lille / University of Kent, Marion started her career in advocacy and institutional relations of non-governmental organisations, in the fair trade sector (Max Havelaar France label). Her experiences are also linked to territories, with a passage in decentralised cooperation at the level of a departmental council.

About Sébastien

Before joining the SCbF team, he held several positions in local government management. From elected official and deputy mayor of his native city Besançon, in charge of university relations and international cooperation, to Director of Economic Development of the City of Pantin, to Chief of staff in Montreuil – where he notably piloted the in-depth redesign of the urban project towards more ecology and sustainable development – he continued his career as Senior Resilience Officer of the City of Paris.
He promotes a holistic and systemic vision of sustainable development and brings his expertise in territorial resilience, ecological and social transition.