Since Gilles started as CIO, the company has grown into a European group with businesses in six countries. We have talked to him about his role and the digital development of Valtus.
Can you share some insights into your background and role at Valtus?
“Before joining Valtus, I worked at an international company in fire security for a decade, improving my skills as a hardware and software developer and project manager. Later, I transitioned to the IT department, overseeing support maintenance for the French teams. After a brief period in consulting, I worked at Fujitsu as COO and at CXP as CTO.
I joined Valtus to take over the global modernisation of the IT system. I remember one of my first actions was moving the CRM system to a new IaaS hosting environment and it was a sensitive operation! More generally, I’ve also undertaken work to rationalize and professionalize our IT environment and mainly worked to secure both all our data and access to our systems. I’m supported by a solid team both in France and globally in the group”.
Could you give us an overview of your daily responsibilities?
“My daily tasks are quite diverse. I ensure that our systems and solutions run smoothly 24/7. Continuous development and digitalization of IT systems are always ongoing. Cybersecurity is a significant concern for many companies, as well as for Valtus. With the cyber threats escalating due to events like the conflict in Ukraine, we’ve witnessed a rise in “cyber warfare,” including phishing attacks. For these reasons, we’ve increased our safety with recurring awareness raising for all employees.
In addition, my responsibility also consists of thinking about our IT of tomorrow and everything that could help improve the speed of processes and the quality of data.
This is an opportunity to proudly announce that we will publish, by the end of November on the iOS and Android App Stores, a mobile application which will allow our French Interim Managers to manage their profile and their activities on missions as they do already on the Manager Portal.”
Valtus has a CRM system with a manager portal for Interim Managers that uses AI for CV scanning. Can you tell us more about your experience with AI in the business and its potential?
“AI is a sensitive topic, and we often get questions about its use in our business. We have a distorted view of reality when it comes to AI because there are as many AI experts as there were COVID experts during the pandemic. And this is just because, according to the media and manufacturers, there is AI everywhere: in TVs, in telephones, in the coffee machine, in electric toothbrushes… Every time there is digital calculation, we stamp the AI logo. AI is transforming into a religion with its gurus and devotees. We must be careful and beware of gadgets.
However, Valtus already use indirect AI in its information system and has been doing so for several years, if only through the CV parsing solution – as mentioned – for example. And in a few months, our CRM will have new AI functionalities which should help to further improve the speed of execution and the quality of its services. But I want to point out that AI and new technologies are only aids for the women and men who make VALTUS successful.”
Maintaining a work/life balance is essential. How do you recharge outside of your CIO role?
“I’m an active member of a cultural association and I love to read. Currently, I’m reading a crime novel set in the 15th century about the French King Charles VIII. Karate is another of my passions, and I train twice a week. With two colleagues we conducted a self-defence course at the last Valtus seminar, which was a lot of fun! I’m also involved as a military reservist at DGA.”