Post by Alexandra Bugnon-Murys

Walking through history… and building what comes next 🇫🇷🤝🇬🇧 Yesterday felt a bit surreal. From the Hôtel de Matignon to the British Ambassador’s residence, with a stop at Kering’s headquarters in the former Hôpital Laennec… it wasn’t just a series of beautiful venues. It was a journey across time, perspectives, and worlds. At Matignon, I genuinely paused.
You don’t just visit a place like that, you feel it.
Before becoming the residence of the French Prime Minister, it lived many lives. And somehow, that layered history is still there, in the rooms, in the tapestries… almost like quiet witnesses of moments that shaped the country, like the Accords de Matignon. Later at Kering, the energy was very different but just as meaningful. What stayed with me wasn’t only the strategy itself, but the honesty about the challenges.
Bringing together luxury and industry, creativity and operational excellence, is not obvious. It creates tension. But it’s also where things get interesting. It made me reflect on something simple but powerful:
👉 if we want to deal with complexity, we need to bring different worlds into the same room
👉 and accept that it won’t always be comfortable One line from Armelle Poulou really stayed with me: 
Luxury is the marriage of quality and art. 
Simple. And yet, it says so much about balancing excellence and emotion. We ended the day at the British Ambassador’s residence, in a setting that felt both elegant and warm, celebrating collaboration between the UK and France. What I’m taking away from the day isn’t just the places or the people. 
It’s this: bridges don’t build themselves.
They require intention, curiosity, and the willingness to listen across differences. And days like this remind me why it’s worth it. Thanks to the Franco-British Council for this amazing opportunity. #Innovation #FrancoBritish #YoungLeaders #Collaboration #Diversity