Giving Enterprise a voice in policy

Aurélia Debru is Head of Government & Public Affairs at Enterprise France. We caught up with her to find out more about her job and her career at Enterprise to date.

Tell us about your background – how did you get into public affairs?

I studied business and law at a top French business school and then worked for the European Commission in Brussels as a legal support officer. I felt very passionate about how businesses connect to public life.

I learnt about public affairs by meeting lobbyists and seeing how they worked. Lobbyists are in the middle of both business and public strategy. They’re facilitators. It’s exciting work and I decided that was what I wanted to do.

What does a typical day look like?

There is no typical day! I’m based in Paris, and I travel a lot to meet representatives in the national government and also cover regional areas.

We want to be seen as a partner and a solution provider, an accelerator for a wider mobility strategy. How do shared rental cars deliver a benefit to cities that want to see fewer privately owned cars? How do we work with municipal authorities on car sharing programmes?

There is a lot of networking, creating a conversation around how Enterprise does so much more than rent cars. This also involves working closely with other partners, from other transport companies, such as public transport operators, carpooling players, bike share companies, charging operators etc.

"There is a lot of networking, creating a conversation around how Enterprise does so much more than rent cars"

What attracted you to work at Enterprise?

I was very impressed by the values of the company and the long-term vision of Enterprise as a family-owned business. As a lobbyist, I felt it was the right place for me and that there was a lot to do in France based on these strong values and governance.

I felt motivated by how Enterprise is framing rental as part of a better future mobility network, and I wanted to take that conversation to stakeholders and policymakers, and work with the team on raising our profile and helping our business expand and grow.

What do you love most about your job?

My job is perhaps surprisingly about being creative, by which I mean I elaborate strategies to deliver a programme and to do this I must also understand the people factor. You need to find synergies outside the company and you have to be ready to explain how working together could make it stronger.

What has been your Enterprise work highlight to date?

I’ve worked for Enterprise for almost three years and there are several big milestones. Chrissy Taylor recently came to visit with the whole senior leadership team, and we used this as the opportunity to set up our first bilateral ministerial meeting with the minister for foreign development.

There will be other exciting meeting opportunities in France soon… stay tuned!

"it’s not possible to do everything yourself - it is important to get help at home and at work"

Congratulations on your new baby! How are you finding the return to work?

I had a little girl in May, and she is my first child. I was back full time in September. This has been an amazing journey since then, a whole new world! I think this 4-month break gave me fresh eyes on my job and on how we could ramp up our efforts in some areas, and handle priorities as well.

Day to day I rely on organisation and anticipation, especially ahead of travel and major engagements. I’ve also learnt it’s not possible to do everything yourself and that it is important to get the help I need at home and at work.

I accept that nothing is perfect! I focus on my priorities and don’t try to do it all.

What advice would you give to someone just starting at Enterprise?

Ask lots of questions. Learn from the people who have been in the business for a long time and know the business inside out.

Network with people in different parts of the business. Try to do as much shadowing as you can and get to know how everything works.

Try to be involved in projects beyond your role. I’m leading on our gender balance initiatives in France through our Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) committee. It’s helped me to become involved with the business at a much deeper level and exchange more with some teams with whom I have less interactions on the lobbying side

If you are interested in a career with Enterprise, please visit our recruitment website at careers.enterprise.co.uk