Alain Faure is one of our French Key Account Managers and is responsible for setting up a detailed and customer-specific business strategy, as well as anticipating the evolution of supply and demand, and feeding back innovation and insight to the business.
We invite you to discover through his interview his career and his business vision.
How long have you worked for Advance?
I have been working for Advance Tapes for more than 20 years, but I have never been bored! During these years I gained a solid knowledge of adhesive tapes and the industries in which we operate.
How have your responsibilities or day-to-day work changed from when you first started?
The responsibilities of a Key Account Manager are much more important today, which is in line with the company’s desire to build closer and more sustainable relationships with key accounts. Our customers are at the heart of our strategy.
We are in charge of a complete customer project, from the creation of the account to the after-sale, through the marketing activities. I work in close collaboration with the Marketing Manager, the Product Manager and the Technical Team; It’s always interesting.
If you could switch to any career you wanted, what would it be?
I would have liked to be an archaeologist! I do not know where we are going but I would like to know where we come from.
I think it’s an exciting job. I do watch a lot of documentaries and am always amazed to see that from a small piece of ceramic, archaeologists are able to understand the way of life of our ancestors.
Who’s the funniest person you work with?
I would say without hesitation Genevieve Sterchi, our Finance Manager at Advance Tapes France. She is always smiling and bubbly. She is great to work with.
If you won £10 million, what would you do with it?
Nothing crazy. I would put that money aside and the next year I would spend the interest. But my wife would probably do the opposite!
What are you best known for at work?
I would love my colleagues to say about me that I am a kind person. Building and maintaining good relationships with my colleagues as well as my customers is very important to me. I hope they can see how much I enjoy being part of a team.
What’s one of your interests that we might not know about?
I am going to disappoint you on this one, but I do not have any secrets!
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
I would love to go back in time and to contemplate the past. Even small things, like to see how my street looked 200 years ago would be fantastic.
What’s your idea of success in your job?
I do feel successful when I manage to satisfy my customers to the benefit of my company. I want the customer to view every interaction with Advance as a positive experience. Our customers see value in strong partnerships and I take pleasure in delivering that.
What do you like the most about working for Advance?
What I like about Advance Tapes is its small structure with a small team. It’s a bit like a family, on a larger scale. We are not a number, but a person in our own right. We all have our faults and qualities, but we work hand in hand.
