A graduate of Audencia and Sciences Po, Anne-Cécile Suzanne has always had a passion for the world of agriculture, her father having owned his own farm. After having evolved for several years in the world of the Big Four, within Deloitte, she left everything to devote herself to her passion: the agricultural world! Focus on his atypical journey.
Can you go back to your academic career?
I did a bac S in Orne, in Mortagne-au-Perche, a small country town. In my high school, we were not necessarily supported in our orientation. I had never heard of prep. I was lucky enough to meet a student from Sciences Po Rennes who advised me to do a B/L prep course. My whole journey stems from this conversation. I was not accepted into this sector that I really wanted to do. So I went door to door after my baccalaureate and I benefited from a last minute withdrawal, four days after the start of the school year, at the Guist’hau high school in Nantes.
How did your post-prep course go?
At the end of this prep class, I tried the competitive exams to join a business school. The writing went well, I was well ranked. My father fell ill and the complicated context meant that I was not invested when I took the Parisiennes oral exams. Fortunately, I passed the Audencia oral exams. I joined the Nantes business school and found a real family. I learned a lot and had a blast!
During my training, I was supposed to go on exchange to Boston, but my father’s health deteriorated. The school allowed me to return to France and I had to manage the farm at short notice.
After his death, I had to hire an employee who still supports me today. He helped me juggle the farm and my internship at EY, at the end of which I was offered a position. I refused, because I didn’t feel like entering into working life while managing the farm on the side. So I integrated Sciences Po and it was an excellent choice. It allowed me to gain confidence in myself. My master’s degree in public affairs opened my mind to a whole host of subjects and motivated my political involvement. I then tried the ENA competitions. I didn’t succeed, but this intensive preparation strengthened me a lot.
Is that when you entered working life?
I joined Deloitte after my studies, while continuing to be a farmer. I advised public organizations like Pôle Emploi or the Ministry of the Armed Forces. I participated in major reorganizations. My experience on the farm having taught me how to manage, I skipped two grades instead of one after my first year. Deloitte gave me much more flexibility and allowed me to work remotely.
However, it was very hard to be between Paris and Normandy. Between my internships, my studies and my job, I went back and forth for eight years. So I stopped to take charge of an agricultural cooperative which manages 45 employees and generates 30 million turnover. This is a pretty rare experience for a 30 year old.
How did you juggle Deloitte and the world of agriculture?
It was an organization without a predefined pattern. I was alone in 2013 for a few months, then I recruited an employee at the beginning of 2014. He is still there today. He’s someone I can rely on. It allowed me to have a reliable contact when I was in Paris.
It was also a grueling organization. I didn’t have a weekend, because I worked on the farm on Saturday and Sunday. I sometimes came home in the evening and left early the next morning. I manage a mixed crop-livestock farm which produces cereals while welcoming animals. There is an administrative part, but also physical, like feeding the animals.
Why did you decide to leave your position at Deloitte?
I was unhappy in Paris. I am happier in the countryside. I wake up in the morning thinking about agriculture, I go to bed thinking about agriculture. Despite all the advantages, I wanted to work in the agricultural world. At 29, I expressed my desire to evolve in the world of agriculture and rural life and I wanted to devote my life to this subject.
Does your training at Audencia and Sciences Po help you on a daily basis in the management of your operation?
Yes, I took over operations in 2013-2014. Financially, it was a bit complicated. My studies at Audencia equipped me to know how to approach banks correctly, and to also know how to lucidly analyze my interim management reports. When you are a farmer, it is more difficult to convince financial partners than when you are a high graduate at the head of a promising start-up.
You are also politically engaged.
My political commitment has the same meaning as my professional career. I want everything I do to have meaning. This quest for meaning involves media and political engagement. I want to fight for agriculture. This is my reason for being. The media and politics are an essential lever to make things happen.
What’s next for you?
Personally, I would like to deepen my knowledge on the agricultural subject. Professionally, I will learn how to run a business. It’s different to manage people, especially when you’re a 30-year-old woman. Today, I am at the head of a cooperative which brings together nearly 800 farmers, in an area particularly affected by the difficulties encountered by the agricultural world. I just have to get out there and change things.
