ESCP Europe Alumni Magazine - n°143 - Juillet/Août 2012 - 36

interview
By Luc MAROT (83)

Catherine BARBA (96), Alumni of the Year 2012
Catherine BARBA, CEO of Digital Commerce Factory was the third woman in a row to win the international Alumni of the Year trophy and personalized Montblanc Meisterstück pen. As well as running her own business, her third as a digital entrepreneur, she is active in sponsoring young, lessprivileged students set themselves up in life, building up their skills and entrepreneurship through two associations. She is also a leading light in the ESCP Europe Women’s Network. 2011 was a stellar year for her. Read on to find out why.

Hi Catherine, tell us about your current business

Digital Commerce Factory is a consultancy dedicated to e-commerce and multichannel commerce. It’s a service business where we take over the e-commerce experience from luxury brands, from the website to product delivery. I own it with Jacques-antoine Granjon, the founder of vente-privee.com to whom I sold my previous business Malinea, a consulting agency, in 2011.
Did you begin your career as an online entrepreneur?

titor Ebuyclub.com, before moving on to create Malinea and eventually Digital Commerce Factory.
How did your experiences at ESCP Europe help get you to where you are?

I can say ESCP Europe has changed my life: I had meant to become a Professor of Philosophy! I would never have experienced such a great career in digital without studying at ESCP Europe. To be an ESCP Europe alumni opens a lot of doors and gives you immediate credibility.
What other activities are you engaged in?

I entered the industry by chance, as often happens. When I did my final-year thesis, I won a competition organized by Telerama «Internet and its influence on the Press». The President of the jury was Viviane Prat, CEO of OMD France, she gave me the opportunity to create and develop OMD interactive, the digital department of OMD, Omnicom Group, a global media-planning / media buying agency. I then spent three years as Managing Director of ifrance.com, a website founded by Marc Simoncini, who I worked with and motivated me to set up my own company. So I set up Cashstore.fr, a cash-back website, which I sold in 2010 to my major compe-

as well as working in the internet industry since 1996, I have always taken an active role in building and developing it for France. I was a founder of the Internet advertising Bureau (1998), and member and Director of the Electronic Business Group (1998 -2007) and renaissance Numérique (2005-2011). To encourage online shopping, I published «Shopping en ligne, même pas peur» (2010) and founded the French Cybermonday (2008, 2009). I have been a commentator on BFM radio since 2009. I also sponsor «Nos quartiers ont des Talents» and «100 000 Entrepreneurs», two great

- ESCP Europe Magazine N° 143 - Juillet/Août 2012

http://www.Ebuyclub.com http://www.vente-privee.com http://www.ifrance.com http://www.Cashstore.fr

Table des matières de la publication ESCP Europe Alumni Magazine - n°143 - Juillet/Août 2012

Couverture
Zapping
Sommaire
BUSINESS
Personnalités du mois Stanislas POTTIER (89) : La green attitude
Focus
- Une démarche vertueuse
- Un label de qualité
- Une nouvelle ère
- Des investissements responsables
- En quête de sens
- Dans le respect de nos valeurs
- Un personnel pluriel
- L’humain au coeur du projet
- De la valeur ajoutée à la valeur étendue
Itinéraires
- Agriculture de proximité
- Toutes en course
- La fabrique à cocktails
- Rendre le monde meilleur
Entretiens
- La convivialité à l’épreuve de la crise
- Chine : le succès du foie gras
NEWS
Vie du réseau
- Alumni Forum 2012 : pari réussi
- Catherine BARBA (96), Alumni of the Year 2012
- Nominations
- Vision Chine
- Les 11 commandements de la création
- Boom immobilier en Pologne
Agenda/Carnet
Carrière Créer de la valeur autrement !
Voyages Un tour de France à pied
À lire
CAMPUS
École
- Made in ESCP Europe 2012
- Make some NOISE : le bruit d’un monde qui change !
Fondation Soutenir l’ouverture sociale
Vie étudiante
- Tous en scène !
- TrottMyWorld

ESCP Europe Alumni Magazine - n°143 - Juillet/Août 2012