Vendée Connexions: Audencia launches a new series of conferences in the heart of the Vendée Region

On May 12, Audencia launched Vendée Connexions, a new series of conferences designed by and for the Vendée region. Held at the Vendée Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), this inaugural event brought together nearly 120 participants, including Audencia and EGC alumni, partners, local institutions, companies hosting Audencia apprentices, local professionals, parents of students, and students.

Through this new initiative, Audencia is reaffirming its commitment to positioning itself as a dedicated partner in local development by fostering dialogue between the academic, business, and institutional sectors, and by leveraging its expertise to address regional challenges.

A topic at the heart of today’s management challenges

Titled “Managing Generations, Combining Talents,” this first Vendée Connexions conference addressed an issue that is now common to all organizations: intergenerational management.

To explore this topic, Audencia organized an intergenerational roundtable discussion, bringing together the perspectives of experts, executives, and a student:

• Céline Charneau and Jean-Christophe Meignant, founders of Rise & Care and experts in augmented and transformational sustainable leadership,
• Gilles Wagner, CEO of UpToSea and a long-time mentor committed to managing younger generations,
• Clémence Traineau, a third-year student at the Audencia Vendée Campus and an apprentice at Havea.

The roundtable discussion was moderated by Angèle Mitard and Antoine Nguyen, first-year students, highlighting Audencia’s commitment to fully involving its students in campus life and projects.
 

Energy, meaning, and complementarity: key takeaways from the evening

As the discussion unfolded, several key insights emerged. 

In a context marked by profound changes in the world of work, energy has become a strategic resource: the search for meaning, work-life balance, and consistency between stated values and actual practices are now shared by all generations.

The speakers also highlighted the evolving role of the manager, who must adapt to teams with diverse expectations and habits — “from the Fax team to the TikTok team.” Expertise alone is no longer enough: it must be part of a collective vision, grounded in listening, trust, and mutual recognition of skills.

Far from highlighting a generational divide, the discussions highlighted the complementary nature of talents: mastery of new tools and practices among the younger generation, and experience, strategic vision, and knowledge transfer among the more experienced. Successful intergenerational management relies above all on dialogue, the recognition of each person’s strengths and limitations, and the ability to build together.

Audencia, a committed partner serving the region

Through Vendée Connexions, Audencia reaffirms its regional roots and its commitment to building lasting bridges between students, businesses, and local institutions. This inaugural edition also served as an opportunity to highlight the importance of apprenticeships, internships, and work-study programs, and to invite local professionals to place their trust in the talent trained by the School.

Transcending generations, this evening above all confirmed a shared conviction: dialogue is at the heart of managerial transformations today and tomorrow. A collective dynamic that Vendée Connexions intends to continue during future meetings in the Vendée region.