Roland Paul, president of GSE, is the new president of Medef Vaucluse. Elected for a 3-year term, he succeeds Jean-Louis Maurizi, president of Medef Sud, who has been acting since last June. If the election of the Avignon boss of one of the finest companies in the department during the general assembly of the movement which has just been held at the Lambert Collection is not a surprise, it should however put an end to the recovery in hand by the national local governance bodies of the Mouvement desentreprises de France en Vaucluse.
Just before the summer, the employers' union had dispatched several of its national and regional leaders to come and put order within Medef 84. On this occasion, it was Bruno Arcadipane, first vice-president of the national Medef in charge of members, who had taken on the role of 'cleaner'. “It went well. We have turned the page in a clean way,” he then clarified.
The one who is also president of Action Logement also explained to us that when Patrick Martin, the new national president of Medef elected in July 2023 “had taken an overview of the territories where there were problems to be resolved, Vaucluse was appeared at the top of the priority pile. It was therefore essential to recreate a dynamic. This territory, with the quality of the businesses and its economic fabric that make it up, deserves it. It is therefore important that Medef finds its place. »
A new start which took the form of the creation of a new association, the establishment of 12 administrators, a board of directors enriched over the weeks as well as the recovery of various employer mandates such as Urssaf, the CPAM, the Caf, the industrial tribunal…
“From now on, we will ensure that Medef Vaucluse respects the statutes and ethics of the national,” Bruno Arcadipane then firmly announced.
A sign already? It was in the 'model' premises of the GSE head office in the business area of the city of the Popes airport that this first AGM was held, leading to the appointment of Jean-Louis Maurizi.
Nearly 6 months later, it was the president of GSE who took charge of the destiny of Medef 84. For the occasion, the new boss of the Vaucluse bosses was even dubbed by Patrick Martin. The president of the national Medef thus came in person to visit the headquarters of GSE, then the company Naturex, world leader in natural ingredients from plants based in the Agroparc area in Avignon, before attending the AGM of Medef 84 and the election of its new local president.
“I am very happy that we are witnessing a rebirth of Medef Vaucluse. »
Patrick Martin, president of Medef
“I am very happy that we are witnessing a rebirth of Medef Vaucluse,” rejoices Patrick Martin. We are convinced that Vaucluse and its businesses need a powerful and dynamic departmental Medef. I am absolutely delighted that Roland Paul ran, that he was elected, because he is one of the most emblematic business leaders in this department, and also at the national level. This bodes very well for the future of Medef. »
“What we could criticize about the old structure was that it had forgotten what the role of Medef was,” confides Jean-Louis Maurizi. She mainly managed the mandates, but she had forgotten that the main role of a territorial Medef is to be there for the members. That is to say, to first meet the companies, tell them why it was important for them to join in order to benefit from the Medef networks in terms of developing professional training or apprenticeship through example. »
And the president of Medef Sud insisted: “we had to rebuild this relationship with the members. This is why we made the decision to rebuild from scratch.”
“I wasn't in that world,” Roland Paul admits frankly, “but developing a business is something I know a little bit about. GSE has been put in the spotlight a lot thanks to the territory, and it is also a principle of reciprocity to come and give your time to help the territory develop. »
The one who has always devoted himself fully to his company and who admits to having hesitated to accept this presidency for fear of not having enough time to fully take care of his new functions recalls that we are living in “a period which is not currently the simplest. Where it's easier to promise sweat and tears than success. »
“Take care of nature, take care of humans, take care of the territory. »
However, the one whose motto could be 'Take care of nature, take care of humans, take care of the territory' notes that for a long time GSE worked on the territories but not with the territories. “Today, the better things go, the more we work with the territories. And if we don't work with the territories, it doesn't work. »
This son of a farmer from Ventoux therefore understood that when we carry out a project, all the actors in this territory must be aligned for this project to develop.
“The ambition that I have for our dear Vaucluse is to ensure that we all come together around the regional project. Let us all work together, both the Region, the chambers of commerce, Medef of course, but also all economic players and local authorities. »
Finally, referring to the 'dissensions' that can arise in the Vaucluse business world, Roland Paul cuts it short: “These little wars that I don't know about, they must no longer exist. That we work together to develop, to develop together. Overall, when we work to create common value, everyone gets involved. I have no doubt about that. »
“To build, you need stability. »
Patrick Martin, president of Medef
During this Vaucluse general assembly, Patrick Martin also took the opportunity to discuss the national situation of businesses in France. “We see a rather worrying political panorama because we do not see a very clear trajectory. We, entrepreneurs, what matters to us is to build. And to build, you have to have perspectives, you have to have stability. »
“As a social partner and the first representative movement of employers, we want to contribute to ensuring that the country calms down first,” continues the president of Medef, who nevertheless recalls that “it is still we who create the wealth . We are the ones who create jobs. It is we who are at the origin of purchasing power and therefore, nothing should be done to hinder the entrepreneurial dynamic. »
For Patrick Martin, who represents 200,000 companies and 10 million employees in France, the election of Donald Trump in the United States should create a world that is a little more competitive every day. In this situation, he deplores “a decline in terms of economic performance, social performance, environmental performance of Europe and France compared to the rest of the world”.
“We are calling for collective awareness to avoid taking measures that would go against economic dynamics and could result in job destruction. There are already job losses in the private sector. We have lots of projects, we have lots of ambitions. We must trust businesses, we must give them the means to develop. »
“The company has never been so popular in France. »
Aware of the deterioration of public finances, the boss of French bosses does not want this to be to the detriment of businesses. “French companies, large, medium, small, are already the most taxed in the world,” he insists. But if the money is no longer in the pockets of companies, it will not be devoted to investment, employment, wage increases…”
“The company has never been so popular in France. And whatever some commentators say, in good or bad faith, the company is considered by our fellow citizens to be living up to its responsibilities in economic matters, in social matters, in environmental matters increasingly, in societal matters. Therefore, it is important that the voice of business, which is at the origin of wealth creation and job creation, is better heard in public debate and public decision-making. But frankly, if entrepreneurs, including all their diversity, were better considered in this country, I affirm that the country would work better. »
Discovering Roland Paul and GSE
President of GSE since 2019, Roland Paul was previously general director of the Vaucluse company founded in 1976 by Jean-Pierre and Michel Hugues, two architect brothers. In 2019, the German construction company Goldbeck took over GSE. Today, the Avignon-based company specializing in corporate real estate has just achieved an annual turnover of €875.5 million, after crossing the billion-euro turnover mark the previous year. It employs 619 people, including 387 engineers. GSE has 12 agencies in France, including its headquarters in the City of the Popes with nearly 200 employees. It is also established in 5 European countries.
A mission-driven company since July 2023, ranked among the best performing companies in terms of CSR and sustainable development, GSE is also particularly involved in the well-being of its employees: 87% strongly recommend their company. Since its creation, the Vaucluse company has built 21 million m2 of corporate real estate, including the Juste bio factories in Carpentras and Charles & Alice in Monteux, the Claranor headquarters in Avignon and the Westfalia exotic fruit ripening factory in Graveson.
“We are building factories almost everywhere in France and not just in Paris,” says the new president of Medef 84.
