Maxence: ‘It feels like an incredible playground’

A big leap

‘There was no website, we didn't even have our own offices. I signed my contract in a shared office building, not far from where our CEO was living, in Neuilly-sur-Seine,’ Maxence explains when he looks back at his first days at TMC.

About the time that Maxence’s professional career took off, TMC Paris was also just starting up. Very early on in that process, CEO Loïc Le Mené approached Maxence to support him in developing TMC in the French capital. Maxence quickly knew that he wanted to take the leap and join TMC Paris.

Entrepreneurial spirit

A leap it was, but that did not bother Maxence much. In fact, it was precisely the challenge he was looking for. ‘What motivates me is looking for opportunities and bringing value, whether it is to customers or to my colleagues. I am passionate about entrepreneurship. And even though I was young, not even 25 years old, it felt like the right time for me to build up a business from scratch, instead of working for a large organization that already had a strong presence in France.’

“It felt like the right time to get involved in building a business from scratch”

Maxence was hired as a Business Manager, and quickly became a director. The result of a perfect fit between his combined degree in business and engineering and the pioneering environment at TMC. ‘I set about developing business in several very different sectors, like medical devices, the pharmaceutical and automotive industries and a little bit of defense equipment. Looking back, I can say that this diversification has become one of TMC Paris’ strengths, for example during the covid pandemic. We have never been too reliant on one industry.’

Something special

But the main strength is TMC’s employeneurship model, says Maxence. ‘To make a name for ourselves in France we had to bring something special. Especially in the Île-de-France region, where there’s a lot of competition from other consultancy companies. I believe we have that something special. Most other companies are more traditional, with little transparency and no individual profit sharing or coaching. At TMC these things are key.’

‘We flip the challenge around: we don’t look for the right candidate for a specific project only focusing on what the person brings us. Instead, we take a step back, look for entrepreneurial engineers, and ask ourselves what we can bring them. We are in the people business. Between TMC and the employeneurs there is a partnership, rather than an employer-employee relationship. This is much healthier and more sustainable. We discuss where our people are today, where they want to go in the future, and how we can support them to get there.’

Changing perspective

In his early years as a business manager, Maxence was in direct contact with employeneurs, closely following their wishes and needs. And with customers, existing and potentially new ones. Today, he finds himself more in the background, taking on a coaching role and a broader perspective on TMC Paris’ future development.

“I was in their shoes, even though the situation was different”

‘The business managers in my team are closer to the “market” than I am. I assist them based on my experience. I was in their shoes once, even though their challenges are very different from the ones I faced in my early days at TMC: we’re not asking everyone that joins TMC to create their own company from scratch. But the skills that were important for me then are still important for my colleagues today. And my young colleagues can sometimes use some guidance, which I can provide. I support them in their search for the right match with new candidates and in managing projects and customer relations.’

Empty playground

It fills Maxence with pride to look at what TMC has achieved in Paris – and worldwide –over the last decade. Because he believes in the project. ‘I feel we have a group of great people, here in Paris and in other TMC-offices. And especially in France, we bring a breath of fresh air. That feels good. When I arrived at TMC, I had an empty boulevard in front of me. It felt like an incredible playground. Today, I get to continue building the company together with these great people.’