We couldn’t miss the opportunity of opening our profiles feature with Marie Menu. An obvious choice since Claude Henri Menu, COTE’s founder and chairman, is her father and Kan Sperber, its editor-in-chief, her mother. And to cap it all Marie was born exactly 30 years ago! Did we need anything more to justify our choice? One last thing, last but by no means least: this year it was officially agreed she will take over the business when the time comes. Because it had been planned from the start? “No, there was never any pressure put on me, even if the subject was talked about since I’m an only child.” Marie was always allowed to live her life and chase her dreams, specifically the dream of being a stage performer. ”When I was eight I joined a musical-comedy troupe and worked with them for 10 years before attending theatre school in Paris.“ Dancing, singing and tap dancing were her thing, Beyoncé her model. “She’s an artist who puts on a real show, a genuine performer. I like public figures who excel at what they do.” Performance and excellence, not light years from her family culture! But Marie didn’t continue down a path that in France is somewhat restricted in career terms, preferring to pass her baccalauréat, a degree in economics then a master’s in business studies. After which she spent 18 months globe-trotting with her rucksack around Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and New Caledonia. Returning to Paris she worked in the media. Then began feeling edgy; she missed her friends back in Nice, her parents, the Riviera; but mostly she felt edgy inside, a need to stabilise in order to connect with and develop herself. Because it was the right time and she was the right age, now she is set to take up the challenge of ensuring the continuity of a history while – obviously – injecting her own brand of personal dynamics, notably by managing the company’s digital strategy. For the next 30 years to come!
Par Alexandre Benoist
Photo Jean-Michel Sordello
Côteweb 2021, création de site Internet sur Nice