Emmanuelle Guillerot, founder of DEVEXTER Business Development

With a master’s degree in applied foreign languages and international trade and an MBA from the Sorbonne university in Paris, I have spent my career working in the sales divisions of international groups or their subsidiaries, in a number of sectors: original automotive and rail equipment and consumables for the luxury goods industry.

After initially focusing exclusively on developing export markets, winning business with key customers including GM and Volkswagen in Germany, Nissan in the United Kingdom and Volvo in Sweden, I later also took on the key account management of vehicle manufacturers Renault and Peugeot Citröen.

Toyota’s arrival in France gave me an opportunity to stretch and develop myself by managing the end-to-end process for securing accreditation as an approved supplier, making technical adjustments and conducting commercial negotiations. I went on to grow sales with Toyota to €11 million a year.

After spending 15 years in the fabricated metal and mechanical industries, I decided to take on greater responsibility in a new field by joining an American group specialising in textiles for vehicle seats. I managed the France business unit, increased sales with Renault by a factor of 16 and secured accreditation as an approved supplier to PSA, with an initial contract for annual sales of €5 million.

Keen to put my experience to best use, I turned to new products and markets and moved into targeted projects: developing the French market for a German supplier of electrical cabling equipment, approaching the international rail sector to identify growth drivers for a French industrial company, and structuring a consumables sales and distribution network for the German luxury industry.

My expertise is rooted in my detailed understanding of the industrial value creation cycle from design through to manufacturing, not forgetting validation and prototyping. I regularly undertake training in industrial skills: metal fabrication, mechanics, electrical cabling, textiles, engineering, prototyping and industrial design.

My decision to set up DEVEXTER Business Development was a logical next step following my work with companies seeking to expand.