Thierry Suzanne, the co-founder of SEVⓔ

Discover the spirit of SEVⓔ, its missions, its vision and values, through a few questions we asked its co-founder, Thierry Suzanne.

The creation of SEVⓔ

I have been working in the lighting sector for over 10 years, and I have witnessed the market changing at an incredible pace. Customer expectations have changed, and the available offerings no longer aligned with the environmental issues.

These changes and the resulting disorientation led me to the idea of creating SEVⓔ. An entreprise à mission (company with a social purpose) dedicated to supplying connected and sustainable solutions to minimise the energy consumption of cities and companies.

This is also the story about meeting people and a company with the same vision, strong human values, and a belief in SEVⓔ’s story right from the beginning. Without the support and backing of the RAGNI Group, SEVⓔ would probably never have existed.

Personal motivation

I strive to give meaning to my daily actions. This starts with a personal commitment and rational, more responsible consumption. You can’t hope to engage other people in this approach unless you have strong personal convictions yourself.

As a father of three kids, my greatest reward is that my children say they are proud of me. The support of my family is what keeps me going day after day. Moreover, it is extremely rewarding when a local authority we have worked with thanks us for what we have done and the results we have achieved; it provides confirmation that our approach and our convictions are meaningful.

Who is SEVⓔ for ?

It is important to understand that our civilisation has reached a crossroads, and that if we want to leave a more sustainable world for future generations, we must act now, and on a large scale.

We all have our part to play in the complex solution that is needed to fight against global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Political decision-makers and influential people must demonstrate their commitment to, and involvement in, this struggle. That is why one of my hopes in creating SEVⓔ is that I will be able to highlight and accelerate the involvement of public authorities, particularly in the journey towards energy sobriety.

The solution can only be achieved by finding a new way of organising the offering of technological solutions that is put before the decision-makers. In each sector there are solutions that try to promote the best alternative to each problem encountered. Instead of imposing a vision, I believe that cooperation and collaboration are key if we want to have real impact and influence.

If I can facilitate and accelerate that transition; if I can embark on that journey with innovative companies that want to have a positive impact on our future, then I will have achieved my goals.

A five-year vision

A company that listens to its partners and customers, offering long-term collaboration to build responsible, sustainable, and human living spaces.

A team of employees aware of their added value and their importance to the SEVⓔ project as well as their part in solving a major problem.

Satisfied customers who have successfully deployed a regional project with no impact or a positive impact on the region’s environment, offering a better quality of services and life to their citizens.

CSR Commitments

SEVⓔ does not only offer a lasting, sustainable technological solution to suit the various smart cities projects we encounter every day. We also want to have a major impact on society by supporting various conservation organisations that protect biodiversity. A fixed percentage of our turnover is donated to those charities, and our status as an entreprise à mission makes us look at our whole organisation in the light of our commitments. We even involve our customers in this vision, as they participate in deciding how to allocate these donations.

What is different about SEVⓔ ?

We empower our customers. To do this, we have constructed SEVⓔ’s technical offering in modular form, so customers can pick the solutions that interest them, without any obligation.

The first step, therefore, is to listen to customer needs and adapt our technical response according to the project and its specific characteristics. The customer will no longer have to choose a package by default at the risk of finding that it does not fully satisfy their requirements, as sometimes happens actually.

Next, with our continued customer focus, we adjust our level of follow-up and support according to customer expectations. These days, many projects fail due to a lack of customer support or because of insufficient training. It is crucial to enable users to operate autonomously, which will ensure that facilities remain operational in the long term. The aim is to optimise the operation of cities, and this must involve either training municipal officials or providing an appropriate service offering for each project.

This flexibility is SEVⓔ’s hallmark.

The company’s values

Human values are very important to me; they matter more than qualifications or theoretical skills. Good manners and interpersonal skills are the qualities I look for in members of my team, or even in our partners’ employees.

We are working in a complex sector that requires multiple skills and continual interaction between people who sometimes have very different visions, scope of thought, and convictions.

Mutual listening, understanding, and help, not to mention kindness, are essential if rapid progress is to be achieved.

We work with more than 10 different partners to solve such wide-ranging problems as managing public lighting or electric vehicle charging terminals, the reporting of electricity, water, or gas consumption, waste management, traffic management, etc.

We encounter new and different problems on a regular basis. Our customers constantly challenge us to improve the solutions we offer or to find new solutions to new problems.

Without a team that listens and prioritises collective intelligence and the common good over personal gain, SEVⓔ’s model could not work. I am grateful to our team for believing in this project and this model.