Jérôme Foucaud started as a Director in the Advisory Team with a special focus on Digital Infrastructure and Energy Transition on October 1.
Here he tells the story of his first month at Operis.
I hear the phrase new normal being thrown into conversations quite a lot recently and I didn’t think my first month at Operis would qualify for this now mainstream designation. I haven’t met any of my colleagues in real life.
I haven’t been to the office yet and I don’t even remember where my suit is but this physical distance did not hinder the integration in my new working environment one bit.
My induction was very well organised. First, because the HR and Operations teams prepared for me a comprehensive schedule of online meetings with my colleagues. Remote working means you can’t just waltz into the open space to introduce yourself and having this list of planned introductions greatly facilitated my arrival in the company and I am very thankful for it.
Second, because the people I’ve been working with so far are genuinely nice and approachable and our management has found the right balance of online gatherings that keep us connected in an enjoyable and effective way.
I’m impressed by the effectiveness of a company that has clearly adapted so fast to the current constraints and its ability to embrace technological solutions so naturally. I’m also inspired by the fact that these exceptional circumstances have not affected what seems to be the core values recognised by our clients – our professionalism and our friendliness.
Homeworking has allowed me to do a lot of useful research and I’m excited to contribute to the building of our digital infrastructure expertise while supporting our Advisory capacity in the energy transition sector. Both are very active at the moment and our current obvious reliance on internet connectivity is clearly putting all the fibre network topics in the spotlight.
On the digital front, we are reaching out to private equity companies to ensure they know we have the expertise to help them with fund-raising for digital assets. It’s a case of communicating our understanding of the market.
In all, it’s been a great first month.
