Focus on People: Interview with the New HR Director of Clermont SB

By placing quality of life at work at the heart of its strategy – through a stimulating professional environment, initiatives that promote work-life balance, and the encouragement of sustainable mobility, for example – Clermont SB is boosting its appeal in perfect alignment with its values and ambitions.

To better understand how this strategy unfolds on a daily basis and what projects support it, Agnès Petchot-Bacqué, Human Resources Director of the School since January 2025, answers five questions about her role, the major HR challenges identified, and the actions she intends to implement to support the development of Clermont SB.

What motivated you to join Clermont School of Business and what is your role today as HR Director?

By joining Clermont School of Business, I became part of a team that fosters reflection and innovation. My role today as HR Director is to ensure optimal working conditions so that our employees can thrive professionally and contribute to the effectiveness of our organization.

In your view, what are the main HR challenges for the School, and how do you plan to address them?

I have identified four major HR challenges for the coming years.

1. Standardizing and modernizing our internal regulations through company agreements negotiated with social partners is undoubtedly my first challenge.
2.  Recognizing employee contributions through a clear and fair compensation policy and motivating career paths is the second challenge I intend to tackle.
3. Promoting employee well-being is also one of our priorities for the coming years, with projects focused on improving common areas and combating sedentary lifestyles.
4. Finally, developing sustainable mobility while respecting employees’ constraints seems to me to be an important issue in the context of ecological transition and the challenges of accessing the city center. To this end, Human Resources works hand in hand with the TSE (Socio-Ecological Transition) Department to ensure that our actions fit within a global and coherent framework, in line with the School’s commitments to social and environmental responsibility.

Meeting these challenges within a reasonable timeframe will not necessarily be easy, but I trust in our team’s collective strength to see these projects through.

How does your work help strengthen quality of life at work and enhance Clermont SB’s attractiveness as an employer?

Improving quality of life and working conditions (QLWC) is central to our HR policy. Surveys are regularly conducted among employees, and their results allow us to develop action plans overseen by a committee that brings together different stakeholders in the organization. Most of the HR challenges I identified when joining Clermont School of Business were revealed by the results of a 2024 employee survey on QLWC.

For example, the opening of a fitness room on campus demonstrates our determination to improve employee well-being and motivation. The more optimal our quality of life and working conditions are, the more attractive our School will become.

How does the training plan enable employees to continue developing their skills and support the School’s growth?

Our training plan incorporates both the individual needs expressed by employees to their managers and collective training priorities identified by the leadership team. For instance, in 2024 and 2025, training sessions were organized on artificial intelligence, as well as “2-tonnes” workshops.

Internal mobility is usually supported by a specific training program, which is also included in the School’s annual training plan.

The HR site launched this summer marks a new step in strengthening our attractiveness as an employer: what role will it play in communication, recruitment, and employee support?

Since July 2025, we have had a dedicated career site for Clermont School of Business. It allows us to publish job offers internally and externally, communicate about the recruitment and onboarding process, and highlight the employment conditions we provide.

Gaining efficiency and effectiveness in recruitment is essential to support the School’s growth dynamic. The career site fully contributes to this: it saves time for everyone involved (managers, HR, candidates), streamlines and increases transparency in the process. By centralizing procedures, it also gives employees visibility on career opportunities and professional development paths.