|
|
Stéphane Guilbaud
|
| Born on 12/08/1962 |
 Team Manager Groupama since 1997
|
(and alongside Franck since 1996) : My primary mission is for the boat to be ready when need be and to tweak, in one
direction or another, the financial means invested by Groupama to the sporting objectives Franck has set himself.
Though
Groupama Team employs 45 people today, compared with three in 1997, it's still the same principles that have governed the
life of the Team over the past twelve years or so.
Contrary to the Anglo-Saxon teams which operate in `commando' mode,
having the loyal support of Groupama has enabled us to enter the race with a long-term view, coloured by the mutual trust
and ambition of a creative, lasting owner and a determined, high performing skipper, who is putting absolutely everything
into his design and sailing programme.
|
|
Our work
|
Since 1997 there has been an evolution in the number and length of the boats, the financial means placed at our disposal
by Groupama and the size of the team. However, we retain our common sense and our ambitious sports objectives. The main difference
is that the people who have joined us don't necessarily have the same working methods as our own. As such we're taking our
time to explain what the benefits are. This is invaluable as we want the people working in the Groupama Team to be happy.
When
you commit to something over the long term, you cannot demand 150% from people throughout the day. You have to be patient,
listen to each other, seek to push their qualities to the forefront rather than try to remove any faults they may have.
|
|
The Anglo-Saxon method
|
| It's synonymous with a team put together late in the day and comprising highly competent people with ambitious objectives.
However the `sink or swim' atmosphere isn't the way we like to do things. The people we work with have been here a long time.
Some have gone off to other teams, like Oracle for example, and then come back. That's another strength of the Groupama Team:
we have time on our side.
|
|
Our method
|
| We are always seeking to keep it real. Sometimes that's disturbing but it lends itself well to our activity. Every morning
we review the situation to find out where we are and where we have to go, always seeking to remain objective throughout. This
approach also enables us not to make things overly formal and to leave way for innovation. Nothing is set in stone but this
means that you have to know how to question yourself, recognise a mistake, which isn't always easy when you're a top constructor
or a top sailor. This rule is valid for all the Team members, Franck being the first. Sometimes you have to be patient, accept
that something doesn't work immediately as planned.
|
|
The French Touch
|
| What thrills us is striving to beat the top team in a discipline where we're not yet recognised, whilst retaining our
French Touch. You see a lot of French sailors at the sharp end in the big overseas teams, and this is true right across the
board from the sports domain to the technical or logistical aspects. So we do have the skills; all that's left is to bring
them together to get the quintessence from our performance whilst integrating the fact that with Groupama we're committed
to the next two runnings.
|
|
|
|
|
