Alumni Spirit | At the heart of things

Project-led pedagogy

After a French scientific baccalaureate with a major in engineering science, Benjamin Levy joined l’ECE. He was drawn by the practical implementation of the programs taught, with a scientific and technical project and a group-based multidisciplinary project. These led to innovations including an electronic alert bracelet, a toolkit for rehabilitation and a toolkit for recipes , which can be seen at the school’s fab lab He graduated in 2019 and realized straight away that he did not want to be “just” an engineer.

This insatiable student then launched into a Master’s specialized in international business development and strategy, based on the competencies of two complementary schools: emlyon Business School for the business part and CentraleSupélec for the strategies applied to industry sectors with high technological added value. Just like at ECE, the programs taught combined theory and practice, thanks to immersion in a Beijing company, and input from many professionals.

At the heart of things

Gradually, over the course of his varied experience with different companies, (embedded engineer at Kuantom, systems acquisition and data transport engineer at Airbus, and product manager at Netatmo), Benjamin started to understand that he loved being at the heart of things, that is, at the heart of strategic decisions. Having followed a startup creation program in San Francisco, he became an associate with his father to set up his company.

Later, Benjamin looked for career progression routes in large companies that would enable him to be hired into senior positions quickly. He then changed course and joined theOrange Graduate Program , one of the most selective in France.

“This is a real career booster and it means that you can explore several positions in record time. I was the manager of an Orange outlet so I was on the ground and close to domestic clients. Nowadays, I’m in charge of managing strategic projects with the Orange Cloud for Business CEO,” he explains.

Benjamin feels his values match those of the company: a focus on CSR, evidenced by Fondation Orange, which aims to give everyone the same opportunities for all things digital and a commitment to protecting the environment.

As Chief of Staff, he whips on his senior management facilitator cape for coworkers in Cloud OBS activities, while managing strategic projects with high financial impact.

REST.

If you ask him about his favorite student memories, Benjamin is likely to talk about the various projects he set up at ECE, where he was able to make his ideas come to life.

For REST (Rééducation en Sourire avec le Thérémine – Rehabilitation with Smiles and a Theremin), twice rewarded at the 2015 ECE Innov Awards, Benjamin and his long-standing friend Pierre Moreau were inspired by the theremin. This instrument’s two antennas produce sounds and notes without being touched at all.

“Back then, we were aware that rehabilitation was neither fun nor pleasant for children. It’s important for them to understand the purpose of rehabilitation and its long-term impact. It felt obvious to us to set up a health-related project. Together withPhilippe andPaulinewe created a fun and easy-to-use rehabilitation tool kit. It’s a quick object to install and is played with hands and arms so that the children work on their motor skills without noticing it! », he says.

The team splitting up because of a semester abroad means that the rehabilitation toolkit is now in sleep mode but Benjamin isn’t ruling out the idea of reviving it one day.

Empathy

The environment is important to Benjamin, who is interested in impact projects For several years, his engagement with causes such as Movember has included fundraising to support research on certain cancers and theEtablissement français du sang (French Blood Establishment) where he regularly gives blood. He is also a facilitator with non-profit Climate Fresk and intends to promote new environmental ideas in his work.

“I’m passionate about all the solutions that can make positive contributions for the climate. We have to change things, and habits. I’m convinced that it can be done largely without giving up on comfort. I’ve been a flexitarian for several years and I don’t feel I’m making a sacrifice. In the same way, in the corporate world, we need to rethink our operations and think about the impact of emissions and eCo2 before launching projects,” he explains.

His commitment to others has also encouraged him to engage with the ECE fab lab and with the tutoring association. Benjamin is empathetic, he feels the need to help others and share his experience. “It’s a bit like I need other people’s pleasure to be completely happy,” he adds.

His advice: “Listen to yourself!”

According to Benjamin, you should never hesitate to question yourself. Your professional life can be fulfilling, if you only ask yourself the right questions.

“When I wore my ambassador costume at the ECE open days above all, I told students to do what they wanted to do. As long as you’re passionate about something, it can only work out. But you do have to step out of your comfort zone, otherwise you can’t progress.”

Despite being an engineer, Benjamin has checked in the technical baggage he acquired at ECE, and has never hesitated to change course or field of study to satisfy his curiosity.

“I’m not what you call a ‘technical’ engineer these days. I use these skills to progress further but they’re not the core of my work and I remain passionate about technology and innovation. When I’m asked what I’ll be doing in 15 to 20 years, I don’t know, but I’d like to take over the management of an organization or company one day. This might sound pretentious but you need ambition to stay on course! But I’m sure that I’ll turn to a manual job one day or the other. Cabinet maker sounds good…” he smiles.

Updated 24 April 2023