Corporate Strategy

The key to making a business thrive in an increasingly competitive world can be summed up in one word: strategy.
With the support of Pierre Pupier, Xavier Fontanet has written a book that makes strategic thinking accessible, concrete, and captivating, allowing every reader to grasp and apply the methods used by top business leaders.
Pierre Pupier — entrepreneur and private equity investor specializing in SMEs — engages in a series of in-depth conversations with Xavier Fontanet, former CEO of Essilor. Under his leadership, Essilor’s revenues grew from €500 million to €5 billion, and its market value increased a hundredfold.
Through these exchanges, the book unfolds like a story. Step by step, the reader follows Xavier’s journey — from his early days at BCG, to leading Chantiers Bénéteau, Eurest, and finally Essilor — and discovers how strategic decisions are made at the highest level, in the real world, facing real challenges.
The concepts explored are universal: they apply equally to SMEs, mid-sized companies, and large corporations. By the end, the reader has not only understood strategy — they have learned to think like a strategist.
Xavier explains where profitability truly comes from, how to find and sustain growth, and how to mobilize teams to achieve ambitious goals.
This book is a practical guide and an initiation: it gives entrepreneurs, executives, and managers the real strategic tools used by leading CEOs, so they can apply them directly in their own companies.

Biographies Contributeurs

Xavier Fontanet

PDG d’entreprise, Xavier a connu des PME et des grands groupes internationaux ; il a été le PDG du groupe Essilor durant dix-neuf ans et en a fait le leader mondial de la fabrication du verre. Il a également siégé durant de nombreuses années dans les conseils d’administration de L’Oréal, de Schneider Electric, du FSI et du Crédit Agricole. Il a été membre des commissions Pébereau et Attali.

Pierre Pupier

Entrepreneur et investisseur, Pierre a fait quinze ans de private equity dans son propre Family Office. Il a racheté de nombreuses PME françaises en LBO avec des partenaires  financiers. Il a également créé ou co-créé des PME et finance des projets entrepreneuriaux.

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