Julie Mélisse, CFO of Pairi Daiza, shares her vision of the finance director role and of management.
Julie Mélisse, a guest on the Once Upon a Business podcast, shares the secrets of the finance director role and how she manages her team at Pairi Daiza.
After earning a degree in business engineering, Julie Mélisse took her first steps in finance at PwC, in the insurance sector. Ten years later, she joined Dow Corning, a large American company with more than 11,000 employees, as European finance director.
When Dow Corning relocated to the Netherlands, Julie's role in Belgium was eliminated. While looking for a new professional opportunity, and thanks to her network, she crossed paths with Eric Domb, CEO of Pairi Daiza, and landed the CFO position at the park.
"For me, two things were very important and gave me experience and perspective. First, starting out in audit. Second, working in a large company," Julie tells us.
Julie explains that working in a large company teaches you a great deal about structures, procedures and controls that make you effective operationally. When you move to a smaller company, which inevitably has fewer resources, all the skills you learned before become real added value.
"I was lucky to experience the finance director role in a large organization first before moving to a smaller one. It was a great experience that taught me a lot."
"I didn't expect this when I was hired. The company culture is very positive, the employees are passionate, they love the park and, at their own level, they all want visitors to have a great day," the CFO says.
The finance director role gives her the opportunity to visit every area of the park and meet the staff as part of financial control and her role as finance director. Julie calls it a true privilege.
Julie Mélisse compares Pairi Daiza to a small town in its own right, where many facilities are put in place year after year to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. From producing the electricity the park needs to a treatment plant for wastewater, environmental considerations matter a great deal, and Pairi Daiza will not hesitate to make more costly investments to achieve carbon neutrality.
"It may sound surprising, but... as finance director at Pairi Daiza, I can tell you that I check the weather forecast almost every day."
As surprising as it may seem, the weather is a key indicator at Pairi Daiza. "Whether it rains or it's very hot, it will affect attendance at the park and have an impact on other key indicators, such as spending per visitor in the shops and food outlets," explains Julie Mélisse.
So what does a typical day look like for the CFO of Pairi Daiza?
"Above all, it's meetings with members of my team or other colleagues across the company. A marathon day," she says.
Julie describes her very personal vision of management: "You have to try to understand what a person enjoys in order to help them grow. And if that person wants to change departments or leave the company to develop their skills further, a good manager knows how to let them go so they can do the job of their dreams," she concludes.