Based in Paris with over 25 years of industry experience, Christophe leads TOPPAN Digital Language, which he founded in 2021. As President, Christophe played a key role in assembling the company’s pioneer team, an international and diverse mix of localization and industry experts. He has led the company to expand through strategic acquisitions to become one of the fastest growing language solutions provider. Christophe attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and holds a BBA from Florida International University.
Meet
Christophe
What led you to create TOPPAN Digital Language within the TOPPAN NEXT group?
Coming from US and UK companies, joining Singapore-based TOPPAN NEXT was a breath of fresh air. Its entrepreneurial agility and commitment to leadership development has enabled everyone to focus on the main thing that matters – customer centricity. Truly inspiring, as technology is simple, but culture is hard.
We also chose not to partner with a traditional PE firm, as these tend to focus on short-term value rather than innovating to add value for customers. In the end, the consideration of building something fresh and from the ground up, unencumbered by legacy challenges, made the most sense for me.
What was the startup journey like for TOPPAN Digital Language?
When we first started out in 2021, we focused on building a strong pioneer team with different profiles that will bring expertise and diversity (50% of our executive leadership are women). Like any ‘startup’, we started with humble beginnings – everyone had to buy their own laptops online or in-store; in fact because we started during the pandemic, we only had Zoom calls for the first six months without meeting in person! We have grown quite a lot since then and completed two acquisitions and added more than 100+ clients. Onwards and upwards!