Meet Jean Louis, CEO
Sociabble
Ecole Centrale de Paris graduate, Jean-Louis Bénard is an entrepreneur at heart. While still a student, he founded the digital agency FRA, which he sold to Digitas in 2001 to embark on his new project: Brainsonic. The company quickly became one of the leading independent digital agencies in Paris, where he remains Chairman. In 2014, he co-founded Sociabble with his longtime partner, Laurent Gauthier. Passionate about sports, Jean-Louis practices skateboarding, windsurfing, trail running, and tennis whenever he can.
Longtime resident of the west coast of the United States, Brendan studied history and French at the University of Oregon. It was during his time as a recruiter that his interest in the tech and SaaS world grew. He then joined Sociabble as a Regional Sales Director, leading a team focused on the EMEA and North America regions. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, ultimate frisbee, reading, cooking (especially spicy dishes), listening to various podcasts (sales, sports, news, etc.), and spending time with his two cats.
After earning his engineering degree, Elliot worked for 10 years in customer relationship management. His career began in project management and business development in the industry and energy sectors. This was then that he developed a passion for the Customer Success professions. Elliot joined Sociabble in 2018 as a Customer Success Manager, gradually taking on the responsibility of the consulting team. He is a sports fan, particularly of CrossFit. To satisfy his artistic side, he also practices drawing and music.
After obtaining her Marketing degree from a prestigious school in Rouen, Mathilde moved to England to gain her first experiences in event management. Mathilde joined the Sociabble team in 2019 as Marketing Project Manager. Thanks to her achievements and dedication to the client platform, she joined the CSM team in 2021. Just a year later, she took on the position of Digital Customer Success Director. Like many Sociabblers, Mathilde shares a devouring passion for cookies.
Stéphane has always been passionate about tech. INSA Lyon graduate in Computer Science, he starts his career as a developer and participates in numerous web projects. Within Brainsonic, he got promoted to the position of Project Manager. Later on, he joined the Sociabble team, where he can get his hands dirty again, and quickly became Solution Architect. With the company and the team's growth, Stéphane now endorses the role of CTO.
Originally from Delhi, India, Swati studied German and Literature, and earned a Master’s degree in Marketing in Toulouse. She chose to stay in France for its culture and growing startup ecosystem, and began her career in marketing and business development. Recognized for her talent, Swati won the LVMH Innovation Award, and her profile was featured in Vogue Business. Swati joined Sociabble in 2021 as an ABM Manager. After six years in France, she returns to India, joining the Mumbai team to continue the Sociabble adventure.
Originally from Bath, England, Laura left the UK to study International Management in Toulouse, where she earned her Master’s degree. She later worked in Paris for several years before returning to southwestern France. With 8 years of experience in marketing and communication, she joined Sociabble in 2019 as a Customer Success Director. She loves long-distance cycling, micro-adventures, and traveling whenever she gets the chance.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Krusha holds a Master’s degree in International Business from Grenoble Ecole de Management. She joined Sociabble in 2016 as a Sales Representative for the European market (excluding France). A positive experience that granted her the opportunity to open the Sociabble Asia-Pacific subsidiary when returning to India in 2017. Thanks to the numerous talents, she became the APAC Director and, to this day, continues to grow the subsidiary. Krusha is also a writer and life coach, two activities she cultivates in her free time, among others.
Presentation
And what if companies had truly well-informed, engaged, and influential employees? That's the challenge Sociabble decided to tackle in 2014 by launching a SaaS platform for Internal Communication, Employee Advocacy, and Employee Engagement. We wanted to reconnect and reengage employees so that they can share a common vision with their company. 10 years later, Sociabble is used in over 180 countries by companies such as Coca-Cola CCEP, L'Occitane en Provence, Allianz, Publicis Groupe, Criteo, and Vinci Energies. As an international company, Sociabble and its teams are based in Paris, Lyon, Boston, and Mumbai. Sociabble was founded by Jean-Louis Bénard and Laurent Gauthier, entrepreneurs, investors, and pioneers of the internet. Together, they built the organization according to the best practices of SaaS companies, all while fostering a bootstrapping culture. Sociabble is now recognized by American analysts as one of the top solutions in its market. Simplicity, kindness, respect, exemplarity, fairness, and trust are the values around which the company has developed. The teams consist of a mix of experienced and junior profiles to facilitate daily learning through mentorship.
What they are looking for
Sociabble is looking for employees who see great things ahead, both for themselves and for the company, and who realize this ambition by seeking excellence in their daily work.
They are humble, and they do not hesitate to help others. Specifically, employees who like to learn and share their experience, who are pro-active, and who can work well autonomously but also as part of a team.
The state of mind we seek:
- The use of benchmarking methods to identify best practices
- The capacity to innovate and think “outside the box”
- The ability to structure your job to build long-term projects
- Integrate the values that drive our company
Good to know
- The Paris office is located in a former mansion built before the French Revolution with two terraces for working outside
- An annual internal seminar, lasting 3 days is organized with all employees involved to share best practices and help build for the future
- Favorite tools: Trello, Microsoft Teams, Zoho, Whiteboard, 6sense, Clientsuccess, Confluence, Gong and, of course, Sociabble.
- Sports practiced by the teams: Running, Triathlon, Trail, Dance, Fitness, Crossfit, Skateboarding, Windsurfing, Tennis, Diving, Basketball, Football, Climbing.
- Reference books: Conscious Business, Velocity, Search inside Yourself, Blue Ocean, Predictable Revenue.