Meet Stéphane Vermeire, Vice-Chairman of our new CFO Network

Stéphane Vermeire (Class of 1994), Head of Corporate Banking and Member of the Executive Board at BNP Paribas Fortis, is one of the founding members and Vice-Chairman of the CFO Bubble, a new initiative from our alumni association that we're very proud of (head to this page to find out more!).  

We sat down with Stéphane to talk about his Solvay years, the idea behind CFO Bubble, and what he hopes this new community will become. 

Hi Stéphane! Can you start by telling us what are your best memories from your time at Solvay Schools? 

Stéphane: The first thing that comes to mind is the group work. Whether it was accounting, or the projects where we had to build a business plan for a company, I always loved it. 

My very first classes left a real mark on me too. I'm thinking especially of the political economics course, held by an impressive professor. It was held at Janson, on Saturday mornings. 

So it was as much the professor as the fact that it was your very first economics class? 

Exactly. A bit of both. 

And what did you enjoy about the group projects? Was it the teamwork itself? 

Yes. We'd get together in small groups, and it was genuinely fun. Exciting, even exhilarating. It was also about learning to interact, to make decisions together, and to divide up the work.

Those things were engaging at the time, and they turned out to be instructive too, useful well beyond our studies.

Sounds like a proper school of life. What do you think of the Solvay alumni community today? 

It's a very strong community. I think other business schools are quite envious of the strength of our network. It's a huge asset.

And I believe it's a responsibility we all share, to take part in it. I'm not always as involved as I'd like to be, but I'm hoping that will change thanks to CFO Bubble. 

On that note, what made you want to get involved in this project? 

It all started with discussions around the school's anniversary. I joined one or two working groups and realised I wanted to contribute. I also realised just how much of an asset the alumni network is for Solvay Schools, and how important it is for the school's image.

If we want to keep building that reputation, we need to keep investing in the network. 

The idea came up properly during a conversation with the president and the SSA manager. We landed on creating something specifically for CFOs.

That tied in neatly with my own role as a banker.

Networks are great, but the conversations there can stay fairly general. At alumni gatherings, you meet people from every sector. That has real value, but you don't always click with them professionally. A group dedicated specifically to CFOs is a different proposition. It might tempt alumni who aren't very active today to get involved, and help them in their careers, in a setting that actually matches their field.

And let's not forget: finance has always been one of Solvay's great strengths. This is a chance to build on that. 

That specificity is exactly what makes it so compelling, it speaks directly to the people it's meant for. What's going to make the October event one of a kind? 

I think it's precisely the sector focus. But above all, we're going to try to make it a big success. We've brought together a core team of around twenty seasoned CFOs who are steering the project. Through their commitment, we're hoping to inspire everyone else to get involved,  to think, "they're going, they're behind this, they believe in it, so we'll be there too." 

Three words to describe this first CFO Bubble gathering? 

Innovation, for a start. The event is built around Odoo, which reflects the kind of innovation happening in finance today through platforms like it.

Then there's the traditional networking side, but with the ambition of properly building this CFO network.

And the third word: lounge. The idea of creating something new, an approach that, if it works well, could later be rolled out to other sectors, other areas of expertise beyond finance.

Anything else you'd like to highlight about CFO Bubble? 

Just that it's a real source of pride. An honour, genuinely, to be part of it. I hope it's a success, and that it brings real value to everyone who takes part. 

Thank you, Stéphane, and see you soon for more adventures!