Operator first. Adviser second.
Started in radio at fifteen, in a French newsroom in 1985. 30+ years in media, 30+ markets, 200+ engagements since — an operator at ARN iHeartMedia in Australia, Chrysalis in the UK, Lagardère and RTL Group in France before I became the person leaders call when the next move is expensive. Today the practice is decision intelligence for audio and media leaders: emotional audience insight, pre-launch simulation via MusicDatak and MediaDatak, and operator judgment. Regular speaker at Radiodays Europe and Radiodays Asia. Working in English and French.
Boards don’t need another deck.
They need evidence of how audiences, users, and clients will actually respond — stress-tested by someone who has already run the problem.
Emotion, not clicks.
Dashboards tell you what people did. They rarely tell you what people felt — and feeling is what predicts whether the next move will hold. The practice is built on reading emotional response across audiences, users, and clients, not on averaging survey scores.
Simulate before you commit.
My own platforms — MusicDatak for audio and MediaDatak for multi-format media — test how real listeners, users, and clients would respond to the move, before a cent is spent. AI sits under the hood. It never leads the memo.
Operators hear an operator.
I’ve run programming, acquisitions, turnarounds, and launches — in English and French. The language on the call matches the language in your P&L. Evidence is only useful when the person reading it has carried it before.
Scarcity is how I keep the work good.
A small number of Sprints and a small number of retainers each year — no more. If I can’t be useful, I say so on the fit call and point you to someone who can.
The track record, compressed.
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1985
On-air at NRJ Group, then production, then leadership
Walked into a French radio newsroom at fifteen — NRJ Group, France. Moved through production and on-air work into programming leadership. Learned the job on the microphone side before I ever wrote a strategy memo.
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1994
Programming & content leadership
Music, format, and talent decisions across European and Atlantic markets. Regular speaker since at Radiodays Europe and Radiodays Asia.
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2004
Group operator roles
Senior operator at Lagardère and RTL Group in France, Chrysalis in the UK, and ARN iHeartMedia in Australia. Format rollouts, M&A integration, turnarounds, and multi-market launches — done from the inside, with a P&L on my name.
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2014
Advisory practice
Decision Sprints, 90-Day Programs, and board retainers for CEOs, chairs, and owner-operators of media businesses — France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Finland, Brazil, the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa. References shared after a fit call.
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2020
Founder, MusicDatak & MediaDatak
Simulation platforms built so a Sprint decision can be tested against how real listeners and readers would respond, before the first euro of rollout is spent. Research collaboration with François Pachet (former Spotify Creator Tech Research Lab).
How I actually work.
Outcome before output.
Every engagement is framed around a signed board decision, a measurable revenue lift, or a specific risk avoided. No 200-slide strategy decks.
Numbers before adjectives.
Every claim on this site is paired with a number or a number-backed example. If it isn’t, it doesn’t belong in a Decision Memo either.
Discreet by practice.
Clients are named with permission; numbers are anonymized when shared.
Small practice on purpose.
No junior team, no pyramid, no subcontracting. You get me, the instruments, and an output your team can run without me.
Off-ramp at day 7.
If the Sprint’s framing doesn’t hold at the end of week one, the engagement ends and you walk away whole — no obligation past the first week. That has never happened; it stays on offer.
Enough about me. Your decision?
20 minutes. No pitch. Bring the question; I’ll bring the three things I’d test first.