<strong>Dexia</strong>Women, men, a group<strong>Dexia</strong> Corporate UniversityIn order to ensure the sustainability ofthe <strong>com</strong>pany in the long term, it is vitalalso to ensure the development of skillswhich will be necessary in the future andto have all managers adhere to the <strong>com</strong>monmanagement model.Created at the end of 2004 and fullyoperational in <strong>2005</strong>, the <strong>Dexia</strong> CorporateUniversity (DCU) offers high-level trainingprograms and opportunities for personaldevelopment to <strong>Dexia</strong> executives. TheDCU’s Marco Polo program, which placesthe emphasis on the international mobilityof the Group, was chosen as best Europeantraining program by the magazine FundsEurope.The Marco Polo programNamed after the great 13th century Venetianexplorer, the Marco Polo program of the <strong>Dexia</strong>Corporate University places the emphasis inter aliaon international mobility within the Group. It also aimsto develop the skills of young members of staff whohave already proved themselves and their promisingprofessional future.Marco Polo is based on an individual developmentcourse for each participant, offering training sessionswithin entities and at the <strong>Dexia</strong> Corporate University,fostering meetings with other entities of the Group.Training relates to project management, inter-culturalmanagement and team work.The program is followed over a full year with its keybeing a 6-month expatriation falling within a Groupperimeter, all <strong>Dexia</strong> entities <strong>Dexia</strong> <strong>com</strong>bined.The 30 trainees have between 2 and 5 years service inthe Group, are aged between 30 and 35 years, speakfluent English and have been chosen by their superiorsfor their particular skills and performances. They arealso prepared to obtain experience in another entity ofthe Group for a period of at least six months.One of them, Vincent Meister, Business RiskManagement at <strong>Dexia</strong> Private Banking in Luxembourg,says, “Participating in Marco Polo is enriching bothfrom a personal and from a professional point of view.It is also recognition by our superiors, who give usthe occasion to acquire skills which will be useful to usin our future challenges. Afterwards? It is difficult toknow now what will happen, all the more since we area part of the first promotion. I would simply like to beable to take advantage advisedly of all the skills I haveacquired.”Only just launched, the Marco Polo program was chosenbest European training program of the year by themagazine Funds Europe. Finishing in the lead amongEuropean banks as prestigious as HSBC and BNP Paribas,Marco Polo beat <strong>com</strong>petitors’ programs by virtue of itssystem of individualized development targeted to thespecific needs of each participant, and its promotionof international mobility at Group level; two aspects towhich the members of the jury paid particular attention.Frédéric Olivier, Program Director, <strong>Dexia</strong> CorporateUniversity states: “The program was originally developedat <strong>Dexia</strong> BIL, and we we soon realized that the Groupdimension should ensure the sustainability of the projectby increasing the number of trainees and by multiplyingthe possibilities of placements around the world. MarcoPolo is be<strong>com</strong>ing one of the leading programs of theSales & Business Development faculty, since it promotesthe horizontal exchange of experiences and encouragesinternational mobility.”100
<strong>Annual</strong> Report <strong>2005</strong>AGE PYRAMID> 5955-5950-5445-4940-4435-3930-3425-2920-24< 20lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllSENIORITY PYRAMID>40lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll20% 10% 0% 10% 20%WomenMen36-4031-3526-3021-2516-2011-156-100-5lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll> 5955-5950-5445-4940-4435-3930-3425-2920-24< 20> 4036-4031-3526-3021-2516-2011-1540% 20% 0% 20% 40%WomenMen6-100-5Creating a <strong>com</strong>munityWithin an international group, internal<strong>com</strong>munication plays a vital role inthe creation of a unique work <strong>com</strong>munity.Through good articulation between Groupand local teams, internal <strong>com</strong>munication, viavarious media (<strong>com</strong>pany journal, intranet andelectronic newsletters), is the perfect way inwhich to promote the feeling of belonging andof sharing information at the same level forall teams, wherever they are, and at the sametime to remain close to the personal concernsof members of staff.A new form of the magazine team+spirit,published in three languages for all24,000 members of staff, appeared inJanuary 2006. The result of work carriedout in <strong>2005</strong> by the multinational editorialteam, it aims at making information evenmore accessible, at sharing with everyonethe <strong>com</strong>pany’s strategic issues and at givinga voice and a face to those who contribute ona daily basis to its success. Its new thematicapproach and its journalistic style make itextremely popular among members of staff.By virtue of the development of informationon the intranet, members of staff can followthe evolution of the <strong>com</strong>pany in real time,particularly when the new organization isput in place. More news, new headings suchas “faces”, making Group members of staffknown, and also video and audio <strong>report</strong>sillustrating the everyday life of the Groupand its diversity, have meant that the numberof intranet consultations has evolvedsignificantly.Finally, particular emphasis has been placedon direct exchanges at various internalseminars and events, the aim of which isto promote dialogue between teams and toenable everyone to relay information better tohis or her work colleagues.101