Cécilia: music is in her blood
What did you study?
Cécilia Desessard: I obtained my high school diploma in economics and social studies in 2007. At the same time, I was studying music at a conservatory in Paris. I decided to continue my studies with a three-year program at the Faculty of Musicology at Sorbonne University – Paris IV.
At the same time, I was preparing for the entrance exam to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSM). I completed my fourth cycle at the CNR (Conservatoire National de Région) but did not enter the CNSM and complete the course for personal reasons.
Having always had jobs alongside my studies, I entered the workforce full-time when I was hired as a cashier at Musikia, a musical instrument megastore located in the heart of Paris. I was able to climb the ladder to become department manager and then product manager. I was happy to be working in this musical ecosystem and to be able to interact with musician customers. I remember that the duo Daft Punk used to visit us regularly, very discreetly! Unfortunately, the store closed down.
I continued my career in administration and sales. After ten years working for various companies, I finally joined Bostik in August 2024.
How did you come to join Bostik?
C. D.: I was contacted by a headhunter and then by Arkema's Human Resources department to take on responsibility for the complaints and back office department for Bostik's Construction and Consumer (C&C) division in France.
What does your job involve?
C. D.: It revolves around two main tasks. On the one hand, receiving customer complaints about products or service quality, analyzing these requests and responding to them to ensure that they do not happen again. The back-office part involves working on customer databases, etc., in particular updating them.
It is important to keep this data up to date so that we can respond more quickly to our customers' changing needs, communicate with them more effectively, and have a solid, well-targeted basis for adjusting our marketing campaigns and sales prospecting.
How do you handle disputes?
C. D.: First of all, complaints from large and small accounts are part of the job. The trick is to respond quickly and smoothly manage the tensions they generate. The longer you take to respond to a customer who contacts you about a problem, the more the relationship of trust deteriorates. Conversely, the quicker you respond, the more satisfied the customer will be, even if the dispute is not entirely resolved at that moment.
A complaint is usually a way for customers to get our attention, to see if the company is there for them. We need to be as proactive and straightforward as possible, put the right processes in place, and stick to them. There is always room for improvement in our line of work. That's what makes it particularly challenging and interesting.
I live with music all the time
Who do you work with on a daily basis?
C.D.: My team—Sophie Robin, Erika Le Moigne, Farah Saidi, Philippe Nkounkou—and I work closely with the ADV (Sales Administration) managers responsible for the various markets. Beyond that, one of the great things about my job is its highly cross-functional nature. I have a direct relationship with the entire sales environment, the sales force, customer credit, accounting, factories, the supply chain, and more.
This job allows me to connect with a lot of people. Another great satisfaction in this position is being able to showcase my skills and initiative.
For example, I was able to develop small applications in Excel by doing the coding myself. This enabled me to lead a project to redesign the account opening form, which also gave me the opportunity to train the C&C sales force. I enjoy learning, identifying, and leading improvement projects. I need to get involved. That's why I gladly accepted the role of Arkema LinkedIn ambassador.
Integration and cohesion can also be fostered through creative activities. Personally, I chose to join the Arkema choir.
A perfect transition to talk about your passion for music. Where does it come from?
C. D.: Although they aren't musicians themselves, my parents are huge music lovers, and even as a baby, they practically fed me opera! But in reality, it was through dance that I took the plunge. When my parents enrolled me in the dance school at the Salle Pleyel in Paris at the age of four, I was so fascinated by the playing of our accompanist that I wanted to learn the piano. I was trained by a highly skilled teacher, herself a concert pianist, who entered me in the Léopold Bellan national competition.
My passion for playing instruments led me to discover other instruments. At the age of nine, I started playing the flute, before also taking up the violin. At fourteen, I had completed my second cycle at the conservatory in Paris in music theory and piano. Unlike most of my classmates, I loved music theory. It was also discovered that I could hear the notes. For me, it didn't necessarily make sense, but I had what is known as perfect pitch.
My thing was composition! First in the style of others, then by trying to create my own themes. I entered the third cycle at the conservatory where I studied harmony (the science of chords), counterpoint (the science of melody), learned to read the seven keys, etc.
I should add that I am passionate about cinema and film music. I have been very fortunate to meet great composers such as Vladimir Cosma and Alexandre Desplat, who have taught me a lot. All this to say that I live with music all the time (laughs)!
Who are your favorite composers?
C. D.: Most of the Romantics, probably because that's a bit like my nature (laughs). I adore the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. I started playing his piano preludes when I was ten. I also really like Chopin, Schumann, Schubert, and Liszt. Among French composers, I like modernists such as Debussy and Ravel. Of course, I love Bach and Mozart—their music is sublime and essential. I also have a preference for orchestral film music and composers such as Ennio Morricone, John Williams, James Horner, Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, and others.
Would you have liked to make it your profession?
C. D.: I thought about it. I have to say that in my fourth year at the conservatory, after composition, I wanted to study conducting. Having a symphony orchestra in front of you, raising your baton and seeing them follow your movements was like driving a Ferrari (laughs)!
I loved all the preparatory work, immersing myself in the works, learning about the different instruments, how they were made, how they were played...
Despite everything, I hesitated. I was 26 years old. I had just become a mother. Joining the conducting class meant another eight years of study. And in the music world, at that level, the competition is fierce. Especially since, at the time, being a conductor was still largely the preserve of men. Out of the fifty or so candidates for the conducting class, I found myself being the only woman!
As for my previous training in classical piano, I was light years away from the standards required of a concert pianist.
There is a huge difference between playing well, impressing those around you, and considering making a living from your passion at the highest level as a musician on the path to becoming a professional.
No regrets?
C. D.: No, none at all. That doesn't stop me from sitting down at the piano when I feel like it, without any pressure, just for the pleasure of playing. And I try to attend as many major concerts as possible. Even though it's not my place at all, I'm so itchy to conduct that I sometimes find myself making movements to the surprise of my neighbors! In fact, I'm constantly beating time, even when I'm driving my car (laughs)!
Was it thanks to your car that you took up singing?
C. D.: Who told you that (laughs)? In a way, it's true because it's the best place to sing at the top of your lungs! Actually, I've been singing since I was very young, but I kept it to myself. It was my little secret. It must be said that singing, projecting your voice, is quite an intimate form of expression at first.
I waited until I was a teenager to share my modest talents as a lyric soprano with my parents. And that's where the car comes in, when I had to make regular trips by car between the suburbs and Paris to get to work.
Taking advantage of this private time, I started singing again morning and night (laughs)! To the point where I became more and more confident. I was part of an amateur theater company at the time, and during an end-of-year show, the director asked me to perform musical interludes by singing.
I found myself on stage performing “Hometown Glory,” a hit song by the great British singer Adele, accompanying myself on the piano. And then, thunderous applause. It opened something up. A real liberation! Until a friend suggested I sign up for the auditions for The Voice France. I replied, why not, but I'll take care of it myself.
So I sent in my video, convinced that I wouldn't be accepted. I would even say that I didn't want to be accepted (laughs)! Unfortunately for me, I passed the first audition! I had performed an acoustic version of Lady Gaga's song “Abracadabra.”
The Voice production team then contacted me to come in for the auditions. I'm now at the final stage. I have to sing again and, depending on the result, I'll find out if I'll be going through to the blind auditions, which are filmed in real conditions. We'll see.
I'm going there first and foremost to have fun. The most important thing is to be able to sing. I recommend it to everyone. Singing is good for your morale, and it's scientifically proven!
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