Discover the experience and journey of Olivier Solas, Managing Director and Technical Director at Isalys Augmented Management in this exclusive interview.

Education : Master’s degree in business law and taxation, DESS in European law, HEC Executive MBA (2004).Experience : Legal Director, Secretary General  Contribution to the founding of the group Isalys and creation of Isalys Augmented Management in 2019. Co-leader and partner with Baptiste Siauve-Huard, Operations Director. Recent project : Contract manager for a long-standing client specializing in industrial water treatment, supporting project teams in a nuclear environment. Questioning  : Entrepreneur, leader, in-house lawyer and Transition Manager: why do this? 

Can you tell us more about your academic background?

Olivier Solas : I studied law at Paris II and Paris I in the 80s ! Master’s degree in business law and taxation, followed by DESS in European law (law of the common market at the time). Then in mid-career, I supplemented my initial training with the Executive MBA delivered by HEC. 

How did your professional journey evolve after your studies?

Olivier Solas : I held positions as a lawyer and then as a legal manager, before becoming the legal director and Secretary General in a company. My roles typically involved supporting the companies I worked for, managing and optimizing the regulatory framework applicable to their activities and in this context, managing, among other things, contractual practices, overseeing the management of disputes and producing support solutions to implement the strategic intent of the General Management.

 How did the idea of creating Isalys Augmented Management come about?

Olivier Solas : Isalys AM is a subsidiary of the Isalys Group whose purpose is to produce solutions for enhancing the efficiency of organizations and processes. Alongside business offerings for industrial and pharmaceutical sectors, it made sense to complete our portfolio with solutions dedicated to central services, addressing the transversal part of the value chain, support functions, and General Management. We, like others, observed that companies (particularly ETIs and SMEs) clearly needed managerial support and technical and operational support on these issues. We thus created Isalys Augmented Management, to offer solutions for transitional management, consultancy, and technical expertise to optimize our clients' transformation efforts and support them through phases of managerial transition. 

Why choose transitional management?

Olivier Solas : It is an effective and very operational mode of operation. It involves rapidly deploying qualified skills of the highest level capable of accelerating our clients' experience curve and creating value by producing operational managerial solutions in various situations, whether day to day or in contexts of disruption.

Could you present the context of your recent project for your client specializing in industrial water treatment?

Olivier Solas : This is a long-standing client of Isalys Consulting Belgium. One of their French entities, specializing in industrial water treatment, offers technological solutions for treating cooling water from nuclear power plants or innovative infrastructures in the renewable energy sectors (among others). In a complex context, the client wanted to bolster its project teams by integrating a contract manager responsible for managing the contractual relationship with the client and contributing to decision-making by providing an accurate view of the scope of the respective contractual commitments.

What were your main responsibilities as a contract manager?

Olivier Solas : My role involved integrating into project teams, understanding as much as possible (because it's not easy) the technological challenges involved and providing support to various project leaders in managing complex contractual commitments with significant financial stakes. 

What were the main challenges of this assignment?

Olivier Solas : Transitioning from a management position to an operational role requires a strong capacity for adaptation. It is necessary to not only master the technique but also to remain flexible and responsive to unforeseen events. Without losing the ability to maintain perspective on situations, one must be close to operations and be able to produce quickly and effectively  Another key point: always be client-oriented, the transitional manager is a service provider who must not only meet the commitments made but also continuously structure their action with a view to client satisfaction.

What lessons do you draw from this experience?

Olivier Solas : many virtues to my approach that I recommend. Firstly, do not lose touch with my core profession. I needed to challenge myself regarding my professional expertise and validate that I had not completely lost touch, and indeed my writing skills. And as a co-leader of a transitional management company, this has allowed me to develop my empathy towards the managers who kindly agree to work for us; I know from experience how difficult positions can be to occupy and how much the transitional manager can be exposed to critical situations where they are often expected to respond urgently. This allows me to discuss it with a certain credibility, especially as a technical director in the context of my project follow-ups. 

How would you summarize your approach to transitional management?

Olivier Solas : At Isalys AM, we have chosen to offer augmented transition services characterized by our ability to understand the business issues of our clients and to operationally support our managers throughout the duration of projects with a focus on client satisfaction. Our purpose remains to be a preferred partner to the General Management and heads of support functions by contributing at our level to the realization of our clients' business projects.