Deputy CEO, SYNTONY

December 2017

After almost 15 years with Airbus, initially in marketing, then in strategy, communication, and as chief of-staff for the CEO, Béatrice Korsakissok decided to take up a new entrepreneurial adventure with her husband, Joël Korsakissok. Joël had lead the south-west region for Silicom, a telecoms consultancy, for 25 years when he decided to acquire one of their subsidiaries, Silicom Labs. He renamed it Syntony in 2015.

In just a couple of years, Syntony has succeeded in selling its radio software solutions worldwide. The company develops global navigation satellite systems including positioning systems for transport systems where satellite navigation cannot be used: tunnels, underground car parks, bus depots. Its flagship product, Subwave, is already used by Stockholm’s subway network. In 2018, it will be installed in Helsinki and in New York.

To keep up with this dazzling growth, Syntony has expanded from 5 to 25 people, and Béatrice has changed hats throughout the adventure, from CFO, to CHRO, to Deputy CEO. And now that she’s reading for a Masters in Company Management, she realizes that she needs to work with more experienced people. 

Indeed, managing a rapidly growing company, setting up a subsidiary in the US, and moving your head office – all at the same time – is not for novices!
So Béatrice Korsakissok met Martine Liautaud at an event organized by BNP Paribas and discovered the Foundation; she found she shared a lot of values with WIF and of course she’s well aware of the need for dual French and American business skills.

Béatrice joined WIF in May 2017 with two mentors: Martine Liautaud and Roy Camblin, an American mentor and well-known business authority, notably for transforming companies (vision and leadership). Thanks to regular discussions with her mentors, Béatrice has moved forward in her decision-making process, in particular when acquiring a new building for the company.

“Discussions with Martine helped me to better position myself to succeed in negotiating with bankers.” Béatrice also got valuable tips for her recruitment process: “An hour’s conversation saved me a month of mulling over choices.”
 
To learn more about Syntony, click here