Can you describe your role at Amazon and your journey in the company?
I’m currently the Regional Learning Manager, and I’ve been in this role for four years, but I started as an intern placing book orders for France. I then spent seven years in Amazon’s retail business for various product lines. I even moved over to the UK for two years. Another move took me to the operations side of Amazon, where I led the Supply Chain team for France, Italy and Spain for three years. I continued my journey for another six years in Operations Integration and Customer Excellence as a Project Manager, leading various cross-business and cross-country programmes before moving to the Regional Learning team.
It's been a long and varied journey and, for me, it’s been defined by ‘faith’. When I started out looking for an internship after my studies in Supply Management, there was only one company I targeted: Amazon. And when I couldn’t join directly at the end of the internship, I didn’t interview for any other company (to the despair of my family) because I just knew I would be back. Here we are, 20 years later!
What was your very first day at Amazon in France like?
I’ve had so many first days here, one with every new role I took and every new project I led. But my very first day was in the Saturne building in Guyancourt Parc Ariane. At the time, I would create the catalogue for France’s new book releases by scanning barcodes on paper with a ‘douchette’, then place orders product by product, vendor by vendor…for 50,000 units a week…another world!
What’s the biggest change you’ve observed?
When I started, Amazon was selling books and other media products and I was placing orders directly to the vendors, deciding quantities product by product. I have witnessed so many changes since then – extending product lines, marketplaces and businesses – but we’ve kept the same culture across the globe and over the years.
What’s a project you are particularly proud of?
It’s quite difficult to pick just one. Some of the biggest projects I participated in or led on were: the launch of the European Fulfillment Network, when we opened inventory to other marketplaces; the launch of new country stores like Spain and Italy; and the digitisation of customer invoices. Best of all, there’s still many more to come!
What makes you proud to celebrate this 20th Amaversary?
I hardly realised it’s already been 20 years. I can still see myself on my first day as an intern. The years have flown by! I’ve never missed an occasion to celebrate the fun with everyone I’ve crossed paths with over the years, so I’ll definitely celebrate now, and then move on to the next challenge!
