Capucine Larue, 28, has just set up a new business line within the information systems department at VINCI Energies. It aims to improve the adoption of VINCI Energies’ Codex ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system through innovative communication and user support campaigns.
A team leader in VINCI Energies’ IS department, Capucine Larue firmly believes that solidarity, care for others and boldness are core values in a working environment, and is keen to cultivate these on a daily basis as part of her job.
Although nothing in her background suggested she was destined for a career in IT, 28-year-old Capucine, in January 2023 set up a new business line based on communication and user support.
A farmer’s daughter, she grew up far from the world of big business. “I spent my childhood in the countryside; I was very creative and already had that entrepreneurial spirit, building my own games,” she says. After attending a preparatory course to sit entrance exams for a business school, then completing her degree at the school (specialising in organisational talent management), she first gained experience in HR project management at an international bank in Luxembourg before turning her attention to a new challenge: the world of information systems.
“I joined VINCI Energies’ Information Systems department without any previous experience in IT but determined to expand my knowledge. The department gives young people the opportunity to be trained and to enjoy a high degree of trust and autonomy,” she points out.
Over the course of three years, as systems analyst, Capucine took part in five projects involving the deployment of the VINCI Energies ERP system in newly acquired business units. The role of systems analyst consists of connecting user needs and development teams, then of training user groups and delivering IT solutions. “My job was to introduce the Codex solution for the HR module. This included aspects such as employee data management, the interfacing with local HRIS tools, and time recording through the suite of mobile applications ‘Mes Pointages’ and Mobitime for example.” This was a rich learning experience both from a personal and technical point of view. “It required a lot of work and resilience, but it enabled me to boost my IT skills while maintaining the link with my HR background,” she states.
“VINCI Energies allows its young employees to turn their ideas into reality.”
Following these experiences, Capucine went to her manager with a proposal to improve support and communication as part of the promotion of the new features delivered by the ERP system. “I was tasked with setting up an ad-hoc team. The huge advantage of an IS department like that of VINCI Energies is that it allows its employees to be enterprising and to turn their ideas into reality.”
Participation and autonomy
This led to the creation of the user empowerment team now managed by Capucine. “I created the team from start to finish. It took some time as I wanted to recruit people with backgrounds that may be unusual for an IS department. The team comprises three communications specialists who develop communications campaigns and two techno-functional experts who act as the link between business requirements and the support services that we are expanding.”
She runs the team using a participative management style. “I want each team member to give their opinion,” she highlights. A brainstorming session is held “every two months”, and the team tends to operate on the basis of an agile “test and learn” approach. “Empowerment is very important for me. It’s by capitalising on the strengths and talents of each person that you make most progress and that staff achieve their full potential in their jobs.”
The role and operating method are a perfect fit for this young manager who has “always wanted to build things in a meaningful way and come up with new approaches.” Her goal is to demystify the world of IT by making it more accessible and attractive. “We have great development and functional teams in the IS department, but if users don’t know about their work then it doesn’t serve any purpose.” What motivates the team is helping each other, implementing a service-minded attitude and promoting individual work in pursuit of a common goal.
Support and agility
In order to meet this goal, Capucine relies on the skills she gained in projects carried out in her previous role as systems analyst. During the installation of Vinci Energies’ SAP HR module in Romania, Finland, Norway, Ireland and the UK, projects that lasted nine months on average, she was able to assess business problems in the field. “I firmly believe in building our offerings in collaboration with business areas. For example, we are working with VINCI Energies divisional managers to gather feedback from the field as often as possible.”
In 2022 she held the role of in-house transformation project manager as part of the rollout of agility (the Scrum method) in change and support management. This gave her her first taste of team leadership and the opportunity to earn two certifications in agile project management. All of these experiences are now being put to good use as she heads up her new team.
“I also get to take part in several training courses, three per year on average,” she says. “On top of that, I attend management training programmes, for instance on the various communication methods. VINCI Energies provides excellent support for its young employees. I joined the company not only because it’s a French organisation that offers a lot of possibilities, but also because I wanted to receive good support in my career and to create opportunities for myself by being proactive.”
Capucine intends to stay at VINCI Energies and continue building her career. It’s the chance to keep developing new ideas and turning them into projects for the common good that motivates her every day. “After all, a few years ago I couldn’t have imagined doing the job I do today, and I’m excited to find out what the future holds!”
19/10/2023
