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Altavia azur digital dubai

Altavia communications group announces the creation of a joint venture with Azur Digital, a consulting firm based in Dubai.
Altavia communications group announces the creation of a joint venture with Azur Digital, a consulting firm based in Dubai. 977 650 Altavia

Paris, June 24, 2021 – Altavia, the leading Retail Marketing Service group, has created a joint venture with Azur Digital, a consulting firm specializing in omnichannel transformation for retailers and brands, thereby strengthening its presence in the Africa & Middle East region.

Founded in 2013 by Stéphane Paraiso, Azur Digital is a pioneering e-commerce and digital marketing consultancy and omnichannel customer experience specialist. Based in the Africa & Middle East region, Azur Digital designs and implements tailor-made strategies, linking physical and digital channels to boost sales and optimise customer lifetime value. Azur Digital’s teams provide end-to-end support for all aspects of their clients’ digital transformation: e-commerce, digital marketing, loyalty, CRM and data-driven marketing.
The firm advises and supports leading retailers, shopping centre operators and conglomerates such as Carrefour, Sephora, Virgin Megastore, LVMH, Emaar, Fawaz Alhokair Group, ABC and IBL.
By joining forces with the Altavia Group, the leading Retail Marketing Service group present in 45 countries and established in Dubai since 2015, Azur Digital will be able to draw on the skills of the group’s network of agencies (including design, web & app development, content production, digital marketing and campaign management…), access new markets and accelerate its growth.
For its part, the Altavia group, which holds a majority stake in this joint venture, is expanding its digital and omnichannel consulting expertise in the Africa & Middle East region.
Altavia and Azur Digital share the same values of trust, humanity and commitment, serving the quality of customer relations of leading brands and retailers and their performance. Through this joint venture, Altavia and Azur Digital aim to create the reference one-stop-shop for the entire Africa & Middle East region.
According to Raphaël Palti, President and Founder of Altavia, “With Azur Digital, we are strengthening our strategic consulting capabilities and offering end-to-end support for the omnichannel transformation of retailers and brands. Together we will accelerate the digital transformation of our retail clients in order to help them develop ever more fruitful relationships with their customers and thus improve their performance.”
Stéphane Paraiso, Managing Director of Azur Digital said: “Joining the Altavia group at this pivotal time when digital transformation has never been more crucial is a great and exciting development for Azur Digital. Altavia’s wide range of offerings, its vast client portfolio and its presence in 45 markets, offer us a fantastic opportunity to grow and serve our clients in a more holistic way. Together, we can create a truly global omnichannel consultancy, capable of addressing all the digital needs of retailers and brands across a wide geographical and service spectrum.”
Martin Mirmand, Managing Director of Altavia Middle East adds: “By joining forces with Azur Digital, the Altavia Group in the Middle East is gaining a strategic range of digital consulting and services that are more relevant than ever to our clients. By adding Azur Digital’s talent, methodology and clients, we can now offer a truly unique and holistic range of consulting, design and project management services dedicated to brands and retailers across all touch points of the customer journey, both on and off line.”



About Azur Digital

Azur Digital is the pioneer consultancy specialising in consumer business digital transformation and omnichannel customer experience in the Middle East and Africa. Azur Digital helps brands introduce new customer propositions seamlessly blending digital and physical channels to increase sales and customer engagement.
The Consultancy provides expertise in e-commerce, digital marketing, loyalty, CRM and data-driven marketing. From strategy development to solution design, delivery management and advisory across technology, operations and organisation, Azur Digital’s consultants guide and accompany clients’ transformation projects end-to-end.
With more than 100 projects executed since 2013, Azur Digital has a unique track record of successfully digitising renowned market leaders in record time. The firm advises some of the largest retail groups in the Gulf, Levant and Indian Ocean.

Altavia japan ecovadis gold

Altavia Japan receives EcoVadis Gold 2020 rating for sustainability
Altavia Japan receives EcoVadis Gold 2020 rating for sustainability 977 675 Altavia

Altavia Japan recently received “Gold” rating in the 2020 Sustainability Assessments issued by the French company EcoVadis. Why did you choose to be evaluated by EcoVadis ?

EcoVadis is a world-renowned corporate sustainability rating agency. Although not yet as well known in Japan as it is in Europe, more and more companies in Japan are getting certified, especially those with overseas operations.
The Altavia Group joined the Global Compact and has been an advanced level member since 2018 and is a leader in the advertising agency industry in terms of CSR. The Altavia headquarters have obtained EcoVadis Gold certification. CSR is at the core of our growth strategy. The Altavia Group is therefore very active when it comes to establishing and implementing action plans, as it encourages branches and affiliates in all countries to obtain EcoVadis certification, regardless of the size of the branch, which is why we have to undergo the assessment in Japan as well.


It seems that the company received particularly high marks for “environment”.

Yes. The company’s serious commitment to CSR was one of the main reasons I joined the Altavia Group, so when I took over at its head back in 2016, I completely overhauled the marketing services Altavia offers.
Of course, expertise, price, and quality of service are important, but should we be using methods with a high environmental impact, no matter how good the service? That’s the question.
If we can reduce our environmental impact while maintaining service quality, it will add value to Altavia Japan and contribute to the CSR targets of our customers’ corporate activities.
More specifically, by incorporating the latest technology into the production process, Altavia Japan has achieved a production process that significantly reduces environmental impact and waste while providing high-quality services. We challenge the existing values and practices of the production floor and offer sustainable solutions.


Do you think the EcoVadis certification will have a positive impact ?

First of all, I think it is very positive that we can share the values of focusing on CSR with our employees. It is important for each employee to have an awareness of the issues on a global level and to always take action for improvement and to act based on the high ethical standards as a member of the Altavia Group.
It is also important for business, as more and more global companies look to EcoVadis for ratings when selecting suppliers. I hope that more and more companies in Japan will be able to learn more about the value of global sustainability assessments.


What are your ambitions for the future ?

We will continue to focus on our CSR initiatives and do our utmost to be a company that contributes to the sustainable development of society and is trusted by our customers.

An interview with Alex Tréma
An interview with Alex Tréma 1200 1138 Altavia

Whilst Alexandre Guénon may be well known at Altavia Paris as DM Purchasing Manager, he is perhaps a little less well known by his artist name, Alex Tréma – an urban stencil artist who has made quite a name for himself on the street art scene over the past 7 years. We had a chat with this generous globe-trotter who gives his art away on the streets to anyone who cares to look past the ends of their noses.

How did you get into urban stencil art?

“Art Is Me / Dali”, big size artwork by Alex Tréma

I’ve always done some kind of art, alongside my work, from designing and even, in some cases, producing furniture right through to painting. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for urban art, and I discovered the pochoir technique seven years ago.

 

Every other year I take my son abroad for his birthday to explore a new city. For his14th birthday we went to Berlin. I had booked a street art tour and the first stop was at a pochoir workshop, which I really enjoyed.

 

Around the same time, I had also treated myself to a piece by Lille-based artist Mimi The Clown for my 40th. We got to know one another and kept in touch, so when I told him about my encounter with urban stencil art he asked “why don’t you give it a go?”.  I immediately brushed the idea off, convinced that I wouldn’t get anywhere with it. “What’s the worst that can happen?”, he asked. “If it goes wrong, you cover it over and you start again”. His words really struck a chord with me and gave me the freedom I needed.

 

 

What do you like so much about this art?

It’s quite an accessible technique: you can choose to create a text or face using just one colour and even that will have an interesting effect. Then, of course, there is the fact that you only get to see the end result when it’s too late, once all the stencils have been cut out and painted, and I really like that element too.

 

 

So on your return from Berlin, and on the advice of Mimi The Clown, you decided to focus your efforts on urban pochoir, or stencil art…

When my son was at secondary school I used to drop him off on a Saturday morning and go off and apply my stencils around the local area. That was it – I had the bug, and I was starting to get recognised a bit in the area. Eight months later, in May 2013, I launched the Take Me project in New York, which added a new dimension to the idea of simply painting and sticking things around the streets.

 

 

Tell us about the concept behind the Take Me project

Picture of Alex Tréma’s New-York “Take Me” project

I start by creating an original 24x32cm painting using a stencil. I make 24 versions of it using the same stencil but with a different background colour. I put each one in a tracing paper envelope with ‘Take Me’ written on it, and I tape each one to a wall, public bench, lamppost etc. out in the street so that anyone passing by can find them and keep one as a memento. All I ask in return, if they want, is that they send me a photo of the piece they’ve found in the setting of their choice.

 

I launched Take Me in New York, thinking it would be a unique experiment. Over the course of 9 days, I would leave pieces here and there as I travelled around the city. On the first day I got an email from a young woman who was a fan of urban art and was thrilled to have found one of my pieces. By the time I left, I had received feedback on 8 of the 24 pieces I had dotted around. Once I got back to Paris I was really keen to repeat the experiment.

 

 

And you have continued to travel with your art ever since

I’ve given away some 800 pieces out on the streets since May 2013 and have received 180 emails in return. I’ve visited 25 cities in 13 countries on 3 continents. I actually got news about one piece 4 years after the Barcelona edition, not to mention one piece that was found in Paris and taken back and photographed in Melbourne, Australia. Some of the pieces get destroyed by the weather, whilst people might just take a dislike to others and throw them away, but that’s all part of the project.

 

The last place the Take Me project took me to was La Rochelle, where I travelled 36km in two and a half days!

 

 

And there have even been two collective versions – Take Us

I actually decided to invite a number of renowned artists who I really admire, such as Speedy Graphito, who produced a piece valued at €1,500, to get on board with me to mark the project’s 1st and 5th anniversaries. I also got in touch with the great, now-92-year-old artist Jacques Villeglé, the man behind the Affichiste poster movement, and he donated 22 pieces to the 5-year anniversary project. CharlElie Couture also got involved, joining the other big-name artists who appreciated the very simple nature of the project and its ability to reach out to people.

 

 

Which is the next city you’ll be targeting with your creations?

I’m heading to Madrid in the autumn! As well as the Take Me project, I am also president of the PARTcours urban art association, which I founded with Raf Urban and hRLck in June 2018. Together with 25 other artists we took over a gym last December and our work was seen by some 3,700 art-lovers during the 22 hours it was open. Our next project, in October 2019, will see us working at a primary school in Joinville-le-Pont. Maybe we’ll see you there?

 

 

Altavia Acquired the Oyez Agency
Altavia Acquired the Oyez Agency 1600 850 Altavia

 

 

In line with the dynamic retail transformation, Altavia acquired Oyez, a pioneer in Omni channel retailing.

Oyez was founded in Paris by Olivier Nachba, Henri Danzin and Marie-Agnès Danzin in 2006. To offer a personalised customer experience, Oyez links consumer journey expertise with technologies to accelerate the digital transformation process for brands and distributors.

 

 

70 employees located in Paris and Tunisia implement innovative and creative solutions, hinged on human intelligence, innovation and data, for leading automotive, luxury, and servicing retailers, such as; BNP Paribas, Carrefour, Clarins, E.Leclerc, Feu Vert, Franprix, Galeries Lafayette, LCL, LVMH, Maison du Monde, Monoprix, Saint Laurent, etc.

 

 

Due to Oyez’s technological expertise, innovation is at the heart of the distribution strategy, combining consulting, engineering and customer marketing to accompany retailers in accelerating their commercial, marketing and IT transformation.

Integrating Oyez completes Altavia’s range of services and strengthens the groups historical know-how as a trade advocate for its clients’ brands. This is in line with Altavia’s strategic plan; MOVE2023*(MOVE = Make Our Vision Effective) and contributes to the development of its unique hybrid model. Offering strategic vision and operational excellence for effective business communication Altavia enforces sustainable efficiency and strong relations.

 

 

By mobilizing their common expertise in marketing, processes, design, data and technologies, Altavia and Oyez are creating a high value-added digital transformation dedicated to brands and distributors. Together they will be able to further support their retail clients in the development and implementation of their digital strategy.

“Like Altavia, Oyez is a specialist in its trade, who supports retailers on a daily basis. We are committed to helping them facilitate communicate and meet the needs of their customers. We are pleased to join a group that shares our culture of creativity and pragmatism focused on innovation to serve the consumer.” says Henri Danzin, co-founder of Oyez.

 

 

Altavia’s Founding President, Raphaël Palti commented; “This acquisition is based on the common belief that the customer takes control of his consumption through technology and the resulting need to place innovation at the heart of retailers’ strategies. With Oyez, we are further expanding our offer to be as close as possible to our clients’ needs.”

 

 

Altavia ODG dubai

Altavia announces the acquisition of Dubai based design agency ODG
Altavia announces the acquisition of Dubai based design agency ODG 1366 620 Altavia

Paris, November 18 2019 – Altavia acquires the ODG agency and strengthens its presence in the Middle East and in the Travel Retail sector.

Co-founded in 2006 by Martin Mirmand and headed by Managing Partner Hugo Vanderschaegh, ODG is a retail consultancy and design agency based in Dubai.
ODG offers a complete range of services for the retail industry, from design to implementation and brand strategy. It provides consultancy across the entire shopper journey, including retail strategy, commercial master planning, concept creation, store branding, digital solutions, interior architecture, category management, merchandising and activations.
Specialising in the Travel Retail sector, the agency manages projects in 25 countries and works with global brands, retailers and food service companies, hub operators, malls, and real estate developers.
ODG references include retail concept creations in more than 20 airports, train stations and cruise liners globally, the design and engineering for Muscat, Bahrain and Cyprus airports’ Duty Free, the commercial strategy and planning at Barcelona Airport and a marketing and technical framework at Marseille Provence International Airport. It also provided Food & Beverage concessions consultancy for the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi.

By joining Altavia, ODG is leveraging the group’s presence in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia as well as its expertise and services to accelerate its growth and establishment in major international hubs and reach a wider customer base around the world.

Thanks to this acquisition, Altavia is creating an international vertical offer on Travel Retail, adding high value-added services for airport authorities and concessions, concession caterers, real estate developers and malls. Altavia is also strengthening its presence in the Middle East and in Dubai in particular, a global strategic Travel Retail and shopping hub.
Co-Founder, Martin Mirmand commented: “We are delighted to join Altavia, a leading global company with a strong entrepreneurial culture in its DNA and look forward to capitalizing on the group international network and wealth of services and expertise to fast track our development and service our global clients in all the regions they are present in.”
Managing Partner, Hugo Vanderschaegh adds: “We are at a turning point in our development and Altavia will be a booster to our ambitions. Joining a global leader in retail consultancy and services will allow ODG to keep delivering innovative, engaging and pro table customer centric experiences in the world leading hubs. Our teams look forward to exploring promising synergies.”
According to Altavia’s Founder & CEO, Raphaël Palti: “With ODG we share the same desire to enrich the customer journey and to increase marketing performance on behalf of our clients. This acquisition allows Altavia to tap further into the fast-growing Travel Retail channel and to strengthen our presence in Dubai.”


About ODG

ODG is an award-winning global consultancy and design rm specialised in creating retail and hospitality experiences and concepts for leading landlords, operators, concessionaires and brands, with a strong focus on the Travel Retail channel.

#SDN2019: the Agence du Don en Nature unveils its new ambitions
#SDN2019: the Agence du Don en Nature unveils its new ambitions 1508 1058 Altavia

 

The Agence du Don en Nature (ADN) association hosted its annual evening reception at Paris’s Cirque Bormann-Moreno on 28th March to mark Don en Nature (‘Donation in Kind’) Week, with the focus this year on childhood vulnerability, using the hashtag #DessineMoiUnDon. The association took the opportunity to look back at what it has achieved over the past 10 years and outline its goals for the future, as well as to present its activity report for 2018, written and produced by Altavia Paris, which has supported ADN since it was founded in 2009.

The Agence du Don en Nature association aims to help those in need by collecting new non-food products to donate. “Driven by a strong desire to fight waste, the founder of ADN came up with the idea, 10 years ago, to create an original model based on reclaiming goods that had not been sold and donating them to those most in need”, the association’s President, Christian Ringuet, explained in his opening address.

 

 

“There are currently 3 million children in France living below the poverty line”, he noted with regret, going on to outline their original approach to fighting childhood exclusion among young people from poor backgrounds – a phenomenon that stems largely from the materialistic attitudes of other children. This is something that David Besse, Director of the La Bièvre branch of the Fondation La vie Au Grand Air / Priorité Enfance, a foundation that works with ADN, was also keen to point out: “The goods that we receive and the socio-aesthetic workshops that we hold help these children to cut through the stigmatisation, something that can be detrimental when it comes to forging themselves a trouble-free future. Of course, branded or high-quality products boost a child’s self-esteem. This in turn enables them to become an ordinary child, even if they come from a far from ordinary background”.

 

 

Likewise, ADN’s 2018 impact study conducted by A.T.Kearney showed that 80% of those with access to high-quality products had greater self-confidence. An encouraging set of figures pertaining to the work that the association does was also presented, revealing that 30 million products had been redistributed, 1,000 tonnes of waste avoided, 156 new charity partnerships formed and 41 new donors enlisted.

 

New ADN’s Managing Director Eléa Canipelle presenting ADN’s new ambitions

 

These promising results are fuelled largely by a strong appetite for development, as demonstrated by the association’s new Managing Director, Eléa Canipelle. She believes that being part of the team means being both an employee and volunteer: “Joining the ADN team is really all about being part of a strong social mission, taking practical steps to help the environment and helping to cement the relationship between the business world and our scope of intervention”. Highlighting the key role that ADN’s ambassadors play in bridging the gap between associations and their partners in the business world, she encouraged them now to “Keep going!”

 

 

This strength of commitment is a characteristic shared by writer Patrick Bourdet: “I don’t think these associations realise just how valuable they are. Their day-to-day activities really do change people’s lives and the paths they take. The companies that donate also play a key social and societal role. So come on, all you companies out there, get involved!”. Indeed, as lawyer and President of the APATE children’s association Emmanuel Régis demonstrated with his testimonial, anything is possible! “The arrival of a child with a disability brings with it big changes for the whole family. There is a great risk of isolation and exclusion, as was the case with my family. The 5 years I spent at the APATE helped to boost my self-confidence and allowed me to develop alongside other children”. This is the overwhelming sense that filled the air at this amazing event – that there’s nothing you can’t overcome with passion and conviction and that anything is possible!

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The Snoezelen approach – helping children to manage their emotions

During the annual evening reception on the theme of childhood vulnerability, Laëtitia Woudenberg, Deputy director of one of the OSE  association‘s offices, introduced the Snoezelen approach that they use to reach out to and support vulnerable children.

 

 

Laëtitia Woudenberg during her presentation at the #SDN2019

The Snoezelen project, which originated in the Netherlands, was developed in the 1970s. It takes its name from the contraction of the words snuffelen (to snuggle or to sniff) and doezelen (to doze), which can be expressed in terms of sensory exploration, relaxation and enjoyment. The aim here is to help children who find it difficult to manage their emotions by encouraging them to relax so that they can better understand them.

 

With this in mind, the OSE plans to create a number of rooms offering different types of settings, including a white room featuring warm, soothing lighting, a touch-sensitive room designed to stimulate the children’s sense of touch and a dark room with a starry sky created using ultraviolet lights. Everything inside these rooms will be designed to allow the children to discover their feelings and emotions in a new light. Whilst the approach is aimed specifically at children aged 5 to 11, the OSE is currently helping 55 individuals between the ages of 5 and 21. Over the age of 11, many of the children have never learnt to control their emotions and need help in performing day-to-day tasks.

 

“The children that we help come from very complex family backgrounds. We aim to use the Snoezelen approach to teach them not only to let go a little but also to put words to their emotions”, Laëtitia Woudenberg explained. The Snoezelen method draws on all five senses to create a unique emotional experience for unstable children and children with disabilities.

 

 

Altavia acquires ASK Marketing and strengthens its presence in Canada
Altavia acquires ASK Marketing and strengthens its presence in Canada 1150 546 Altavia

 

 

After the launch of Altavia Canada in 2015 and the acquisition of digital agency CloudRaker in 2017, the Altavia group continues to expand in Canada and acquires ASK Marketing, a marketing agency specializing in retail.

ASK Marketing was founded in 2014 by Louis Lamarche and positions itself as a neighbourhood agency with limitless boundaries. Whether working with an ambitious local startup or a major national company, ASK’s approach remains the same: a proximity and an understanding of their challenges, while ensuring the best possible performance.

 

By joining CloudRaker and the Altavia group, ASK Marketing aims to enhance its offer and increase its efficiency by offering retailers ever more innovative and high-performing marketing solutions.

 

Altavia Canada began a shift last year by paving the way for new partnerships, strategic hires and the launch of a strong and extensive marketing offering through the acquisition of CloudRaker. Now, with ASK Marketing, Altavia is strengthening its range of services dedicated to retail.

 

ASK Marketing’s expertise in the field of marketing activation combined with Altavia’s expertise in retail sales activation will enable the new team to create a more effective offering and to boost its growth in Canada.

 

“Joining Altavia within CloudRaker will enable us to continue growing by positioning ourselves as a leading player in the field of marketing activation and to join a team that is driven by common values of work and humanity,” says Louis Lamarche, Founder and President of ASK Marketing.

 

“Altavia Canada began a shift last year by opening the way for new partnerships, strategic hires and the launch of a strong and extensive marketing offering with the acquisition of CloudRaker. Today, with ASK Marketing, Altavia is strengthening its retail-related services in terms of sales and marketing activation to respond more precisely to the changing needs of customers. “concludes Raphaël Palti, Founder and CEO of Altavia.

 

 

Altavia Japan becomes a partner of Fogra
Altavia Japan becomes a partner of Fogra 1622 1157 Altavia

Since January, Altavia Japan has been a PSO certification partner of Fogra, a Germany-based media technology research institute.

ProcessStandard Offset (PSO)

PSO is a guide to creating optimal, stable and reliable print products in accordance with the international ISO 12647 standard series.

 

PSO was developed and brought to international standardization by Fogra in cooperation with the German Printing and Media Industries Federation (bvdm). It describes an industrially-oriented and standardized approach to manufacturing print products, from data collection to final print product.

 

The complex production process is streamlined to be as efficient as possible and simultaneously guarantees high and predictable colour quality. This is achieved through clearly defined interfaces with feasible aim values and tolerances.

 

Goals of working with PSO

  • High quality standard
  • Economical and ecological production
  • Production safety
  • Fewer complaints and happy customers

 

 

Certification according to PSO (ISO 12647)

Externally, a certification according to PSO (ISO 12647) provides proof of the quality of which a print shop is capable. Internally, it guarantees that everything has been done right.

 

The certification of print shops according to PSO (ISO 12647) was established by the originators of PSO, Fogra and bvdm, almost 15 years ago. Since then, contents and certification procedures are regularly verified, optimized and adjusted to current international rules.

 

Fogra and bvdm support each other as co-certifier during the evaluation phase. This four-eyes principle guarantees reliable results and recognition of the PSO certificate worldwide. Today, there are approximately 250 certified printing companies in more than 20 countries.

 

Benefits of PSO certification

  • Demonstration of quality to the outside world
  • Digital seal of approval
  • Listed as a certified company at www.pso-insider.de
  • Ability to meet the demands of quality conscious clients

 

Benefits of certification by Fogra/bvdm

  • Fogra and bvdm are the creators of PSO
  • Neutral certification by independent organizations
  • Four-eyes principle for reliable results
  • Broad international acceptance

 

 

PSO certification partners

PSO certification partners provide onsite support for certification outside of Germany.

 

In order to cope with the strong international demand for certification according to PSO (ISO 12647), Fogra runs a partner programme in non-German-speaking countries, allowing qualified specialists to help print shops obtain this valuable certificate and to carry out the necessary assessments on site.

 

Print shops interested in PSO certification can contact our partners directly. The partners carry out the certification procedure on site, while Fogra and bvdm conduct the subsequent evaluation and issue the certificate.

 

 

Altavia is expanding its offer in Africa through the acquisition of communication agency Blue Lions
Altavia is expanding its offer in Africa through the acquisition of communication agency Blue Lions 1600 850 Altavia

 

 

Altavia strengthens its presence on the African continent through the acquisition of pan-African digital communication agency Blue Lions. This acquisition is in line with the Altavia group’s growth strategy, one of the objectives of which is to deploy its service offerings in one of the major markets of tomorrow.

Created in November 2013, Blue Lions is based in Paris, Abidjan, Casablanca, Joburg and Dubai and is managed by co-founders Adrien Cusinberche and Guillaume Aoust. Specialized in supporting international brands on African markets, the agency carries out digital communication campaigns and has among its references many national and international clients such as the L’Oréal Group, MoneyGram, Unilever, Bel, Bic, Orange, Renault, Disney, Accor Hotels, Radisson.

 

 

International ambitions

In recent years, Blue Lions has developed its services at a steady pace in Africa where the agency conducts digital campaigns for international brands. Thanks to Altavia’s business expertise, particularly in the areas of marketing services, consulting and deployment support, the agency will enrich its offer and thus capitalize on African economic growth.
By expanding into this market, the Altavia group is responding to the changing needs of both its historical clients and potential new clients on the African continent.

This strategic alliance offers a complete range of offline and online communication services to retailers and brand owners in Africa. By combining their respective expertise, Altavia and Blue Lions will bring the same quality of service and innovation to the African continent as in the countries where they are already operating. In addition, by supporting the structuring of distribution networks in Africa, they will provide local clients with the benefit of their respective know-how and the experience they have acquired in more mature markets.

 

 

Common values

Driven by a pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit since their creation, Altavia and Blue Lions have come together around shared values and in their will to federate their teams around strong operational synergies to serve their clients on the African continent.

“We are proud of the work accomplished over the past 5 years on the African market. By joining Altavia, a group structured as a federation of companies, established in 35 countries and specialized in sales communication, we benefit from the support of a unique know-how in communication. By combining our expertise and our mastery of local realities with the know-how and striking power of the Altavia group, we aim to create the first leading independent communication group in Africa.“, says Adrien Cusinberche, President of Blue Lions

For Lorenzo Bertagnolo, Deputy Managing Director of Altavia: “This acquisition is based above all on shared values and a common vision of our activities. It is on the basis of this common vision and these obvious complementarities that we have sought this rapprochement. It strengthens our position in a complex international perimeter serving key account clients.”

 

 

Global Compact

Corporate Social Responsibility: Altavia attains Advanced level in the Global Compact
Corporate Social Responsibility: Altavia attains Advanced level in the Global Compact 1806 1039 Altavia

Altavia signed the United Nations Global Compact in 2008 and this year the group has attained the Advanced level, which represents the highest standard of performance in terms of the social responsibility of organisations.

Catherine Rehbinder, Group CSR Director, tells us more about this strong, responsible commitment and the concrete actions which will be led to take it even further.

 

What is the Global Compact and what are its missions?

The Global Compact was initiated in 2000 by Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the aim of encouraging companies to voluntarily adopt a responsible progress approach by inviting them to integrate ten key principles, relative to Human Rights, Labour Rights, the Environment, and Anti-Corruption, into their strategies and activities. They also commit to promoting these principles throughout their networks. Today the Global Compact counts no less than 9,700 companies in 170 countries, 1,200 of which are in France.

 

When did Altavia join this movement?

Altavia joined the Global Compact in 2008 under the impetus of its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Raphaël Palti. Every year for the past decade, we have communicated about our social and environmental commitments and progress by publishing our Communication On Progress (COP) text on the UN Global Compact website.

 

This year, we have achieved the highest stratum of the Global Compact, namely the Advanced level. At present only 8% of companies worldwide have attained the Advanced level for their COP, and at the end of 2017, 84 French companies belonged to this select club. We are very proud to be amongst the most advanced companies in the Global Compact!

 

What does reaching the Advanced level really mean for Altavia in terms of commitments?

As well as the annual publication of the actions that we are leading in favour of the four main themes of the Global Compact, we must communicate about how we are implementing 21 advanced criteria linked to the strategy, governance, and commitment of our stakeholders (i.e. all those with an interest in the activities of the company: staff, clients, suppliers, shareholders, associations), implementation of the principles in our value chain, and transparency. This year, our COP also includes details of how we are contributing to the UN sustainable development goals, (SDGs), adopted in 2015 by the United Nations. They are the basis of an action plan aiming, by 2030, to radically change our societies by ensuring a transition towards fair and sustainable development.

 

We are also now obliged to be assessed by an external third party. Consequently we underwent a peer review session in front of the Global Compact Advanced peers’ club, which evaluated our approach and validated our level. This level will be consolidated providing that we implement the action plan that we put forward.

 

What actions will be led as part of this action plan?

The two bases of the Altavia Group’s action plan are transparency and responsible procurement.

 

Firstly, we are going to set up CSR reporting, via which we will measure the impact of our actions on the environment, the human capital and society, and this on an international scale given that the Altavia Group is currently active in 30 countries.

 

Secondly, our actions will be focused on responsible procurement, which represents a key issue for the Group. It is crucial for us to ensure that our supply chain applies the principles of the Global Compact in terms of Human Rights, Labour Rights, respect for the environment, and ethical business.

 

More generally, over the coming months, Altavia must strengthen its CSR strategy by getting its stakeholders more involved. One way that we will go about this is by giving everyone to chance to comment on our COP, which will soon be made available on the group’s website.

 

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