From Syntec Informatique to Syntec Numérique

How to have a greater impact on its ecosystem: the example of Syntec Informatique’s transformation into Syntec Numérique?

Why the name change?

If digital transformation seems obvious in 2018, it was far less perceptible in 2009. The I-Phone had just been launched and its impact was still in its infancy.

Yet the term “IT” was beginning to sound a little old-fashioned, even old-fashioned, as the wave of start-ups, fledgling applications and the first collaborative websites gathered momentum.

Guy Mamou-Mani’s arrival at the helm of the Syntec Informatique union precipitated the move. One of his very first decisions was to confirm the name change discussed under the presidency of Jean Mounet. His goal is to complete the union’s transformation and begin to have a real impact on the digital ecosystem, as well as influencing public authorities.

Syntec Numérique came into being in the 3rd quarter of 2010, somewhat spontaneously, without any real communications campaign, using existing enthusiasm and resources. And it was a real success, because the energy and agility brought to bear to orchestrate this change were terribly effective. A commando or startup approach!

Communication and services for members?

The name change accentuated the union’s new image: more dynamic, closer to members, more innovative, more reactive and proactive.

The already noticeable growth in membership has accelerated even further. A plan aimed at startups has been launched, with new services to make life easier for entrepreneurs embarking on the adventure of creating a company in the digital sector: research tax credit insurance, tailored legal advice, technology and business development workshops……

Regional development has also been stepped up, with the creation of regional delegations and numerous agreements with local associations covering the whole of France.

Syntec Numériquehas become a member of DigitalEurope, witha seat on the board for me.

External and corporate communications?

External communications have also been strengthened, with an increased presence on social networks, and management of the Talents du Numérique and Syntec Numériquebrands appropriate to their respective targets: young people for Talentsdu Numérique andprofessionals (financial analysts, journalists, politicians…..) for Syntec Numérique.

Institutional relations have been professionalized and organized not to obtain an appointment with a minister, but to obtain measurable results: decrees, legislation, circulars both from the French government and the European Commission. Tracking appointments in the CRM, which is also used to trace members’ requests or solicitations, enabled us to meet regulatory requirements when the Haute Autorité de la Transparence de la Vie Publique was set up.

Syntec Numérique has now become the point of contact for public authorities on all issues relating to digital technology and its foundations, such as ongoing work on data and artificial intelligence.

What about me?

For me, directing this campaign externally was the crowning achievement of the selfless efforts made to organize Syntec Numérique internally. It enabled me to validate and gain recognition for the professionalization of the organization and its team.

Receiving new members every month at our welcome meetings, introducing them to our team, services and ongoing battles… presenting the work of our bodies to members of parliament, the government or the administration, organizing and carrying out a tour of France to meet with companies throughout the country, have reinforced my confidence and given me new ideas to put into practice.

I therefore benefited from a virtuous loop, essential to maintaining the dynamics of the whole, which enabled me to find a rare professional fulfillment.

Perceiving and anticipating the relentless waves of change and upheaval in this unprecedented period created by the birth and subsequent rise of digital transformation, and then constantly organizing and adaptingSyntec Numériqueto keep us at the top of our game, has been my challenge, and I’m proud to have succeeded.

Taking responsibility for Syntec Informatique in the midst of turmoil in 2008, sharing the diagnosis, defining a strategy with elements of operational methods, bringing together and growing a team, carrying out the transformation while creating, imagining, inventing and concretizing new ideas, will ultimately have transformed me too!

Laurent Baudart,

General Delegate Syntec Numérique