Séverine Valerius: “In the face of a changing world, it’s better to prepare for change..."
Séverine Valerius agreed to be interviewed for this profile. Successful support for change!
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background?
My name is Séverine Valerius, I’m 46 years old, and I live in Pessac near Bordeaux with my two sons, ages 12 and 9. I’ve been working for over twenty years in the fields of strategy, communication, change management, and project leadership. My career has developed at the intersection of several worlds. I began my career in the private sector, at the Publicis Group, where for several years I supported executives and both public and private organizations on issues related to image, communication, and transformation. This early part of my career taught me the demands of consulting, a results-oriented culture, the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders, as well as a passion for teamwork and practical results.
In 2010, I joined the research center then known as “Inria Bordeaux – Sud-Ouest” as head of the communications and outreach department, driven by a desire to put my skills to work for a project of public interest within an intellectually stimulating environment: that of digital research and innovation. I spent eight formative years there, in a center that was under construction (both literally and figuratively), supporting its leadership and teams while engaging with the local ecosystem and its partners. Then, starting in 2019, I joined the national communications department as deputy director. There, I worked on brand strategy, institutional communication, public engagement, influencer relations, and internal communication, as well as on more specific challenges related to transformation, organizational culture, and change management across the entire institute. This gave me a perspective on Inria that was both highly operational and deeply strategic.
I joined a regional office of the ministries responsible for regional planning and the ecological transition—the DREAL Nouvelle-Aquitaine—over a year ago. I serve as head of the executive support unit (acting as both chief of staff and communications director), overseeing cross-functional oversight, coordination, communications, management, and strategic support for the executive leadership. This marks a new phase in my career, reinforcing a consistent guiding principle: serving public policy, supporting transformation, and using purpose as a driver of engagement.
When you moved from the private sector to the public sector in 2010, you entered a whole new work environment. Some people describe it as a “complete change of scenery.” How did you experience it?
Yes. Moving from a private international communications firm in Paris to a public research institute in the regions was clearly a huge leap. However, I didn’t experience it as an abrupt break. I’d say it was more of a shift in perspective.
In the private sector, and particularly at an agency, I had learned to move quickly, to make decisions, to structure initiatives, to persuade, and to deliver results. Upon entering the public sector, I discovered a different relationship with time, decision-making, consultation, and the complexity of internal and external balances. I had to gain a deeper understanding of institutional logic, decision-making chains, issues of legitimacy, and also the fact that in the public sphere, communication is never just a matter of image: it is deeply linked to the public service mission, to accountability, to transparency, and to education.
What I found fascinating was precisely that depth. I felt I was joining an environment where communication could be a tool for understanding, mobilization, coherence, and even transformation—and not just a tool for visibility or profitability.
The transition from the private to the public sector also reinforced something very valuable for me: humility. At an institute like Inria, you work alongside top-tier scientists, demanding leadership, and diverse ecosystems. This requires you to listen, learn quickly, rephrase ideas accurately and effectively, and find your place without ever overstepping your bounds.
Looking back, I think this “change of scenery” has above all allowed me to better bridge the two worlds: maintaining the culture of efficiency I acquired in the private sector, while embracing the demands and spirit of public service.
Can you tell us more about Inria? For example, among the many projects you’ve worked on at Inria, which one did you enjoy the most and why: internal/external communications at a center, science outreach, or change management?
That’s a difficult question, because I was fortunate enough at Inria to take on a wide variety of assignments and carry out very different projects, each of which taught me a great deal.
My years at Inria Bordeaux – Sud-Ouest were truly memorable. There was something very tangible and vibrant about helping to bring a center to life, establishing its presence in the local community, building relationships with academic, institutional, and business partners, and fostering its internal identity. It was a form of “hands-on” communication—very grounded, deeply rooted in reality—with a real focus on local presence, recognition, and strategic visibility. This pioneering spirit was something rare and precious to me, culminating in the organization of the Center’s 10th-anniversary year.
It was also in this context that I gained a very concrete understanding of technology transfer. This is a highly stimulating aspect of the work that channels research toward innovation, practical applications, the economy, public policy, and, ultimately, society.
I found this fascinating, because technology transfer ultimately reveals something fundamental: how cutting-edge research can translate into concrete action, how a scientific idea can give rise to solutions, partnerships, startups, industrial collaborations, or regional initiatives. And in communication, this raises a very interesting question: how can we make these transformation trajectories visible and understandable, how can we demonstrate the impact without compromising scientific expertise?
This realization had a profound impact on me, as it helped me better understand what makes Inria uniquely strong: being at once a top-tier research institute, a driver of innovation, and a strategic link in the nation’s digital transformation efforts.
I’d also like to say a few words about science communication, which has been a real professional joy, because it requires me to do something I particularly enjoy: making complex ideas accessible by simplifying them judiciously. Inria is an institute of incredible scientific richness. Working alongside my scientific colleagues, I felt as though I were opening the door to worlds I’d never even suspected existed. Of course, this requires finding the right formats, the right narratives, and the right level of language to speak to very different audiences, especially younger ones. It’s demanding work, but deeply worthwhile.
If I had to choose the mission that has most “defined” me in recent years, I would undoubtedly say change management.
Because, at the end of the day, that’s where many of the things I love about my job come together: strategy, active listening, analysis, teaching, teamwork, and driving change. At Inria, I’ve had the opportunity to work on foundational projects related to the institute’s strategic plan, the performance agreement, organizational and managerial changes, and the transformation of tools and practices.
What I found particularly stimulating there is that communication plays a much deeper role than one might sometimes imagine: it’s not just about “explaining after the fact,” but about making things clear, restoring meaning, creating reference points, opening spaces for dialogue, supporting transitions that can sometimes be sensitive, and helping everyone find their place within a broader movement.
In short, what I liked best about Inria was perhaps not a single assignment, but the opportunity to make communication a strategic lever in the service of an ambitious collective project.
Can you share a memorable moment or an anecdote from your 15 years at Inria?
There are so many… but if I had to choose one, I’d talk less about a single “highlight” and more about a very strong feeling I’ve experienced several times at Inria: seeing an idea that was a bit ambitious at first become a shared project thanks to collective intelligence.
That’s something that really left a mark on me at the institute. Inria has a rather rare ability to bring together people with very different backgrounds, professions, and perspectives, and to transform that into useful, robust, and sometimes even inspiring solutions.
And then, quite simply, there are the people I’ve met. If I have such vivid memories of those years, it’s because, beyond the projects themselves, Inria was a place where I formed deep personal connections, had stimulating conversations, and built professional and personal bonds. That’s probably what leaves the deepest mark on a career.
I think my colleagues would also say that they sometimes went along with a few of my “crazy ideas”! And maybe that, deep down, is my favorite story: having had the chance to work in a place where you can propose challenging, sometimes slightly daring ideas, and find people who are smart, committed, and generous enough to bring them to life together.
As the current Head of the Executive Support Mission at the DREAL Nouvelle-Aquitaine, what new challenges do you face?
This new role takes me into a field that is very different from my time at Inria… yet at the same time surprisingly consistent with what I learned there.
The first challenge is the highly cross-functional nature of the position. I am now in a position where I must advise and support senior management, maintain the link with the management team, coordinate strategic issues, prepare certain public statements and external engagements with ministers, as well as bilateral meetings with the regional prefect and the twelve departmental prefects, and circulate relevant information—all while keeping an eye on the organization’s overall operations. It is a position that requires a keen understanding of the issues at hand, responsiveness, a systematic approach, and a great deal of discernment.
The second challenge is working within a vast and very concrete realm of public policy about which I actually knew very little before arriving here: ecological transition, urban planning, housing, mobility, risk prevention, regional development… These are complex, sensitive, and sometimes technical issues, but they are deeply fundamental to the lives of communities and citizens. This requires learning quickly, understanding multiple balances, and helping to make this public action more transparent, more coherent, and more tangible.
Then there is the key issue —one that particularly resonates with me—of communication in the service of cohesion and leadership. At DREAL, as elsewhere, communication cannot be viewed in isolation: it must help foster a sense of community, highlight the work of various roles, recognize the contributions of staff, explain decisions, and better connect internal and external stakeholders. This is an area where I see a strong continuity with what I enjoyed doing at Inria.
This new role requires me to combine what I love most professionally: understanding, structuring, supporting, mediating, connecting, and driving progress.
What advice would you give to a colleague who wants to move into other areas of the civil service, as you have done? In your opinion, what are the key considerations or tricky steps, if any?
The first piece of advice I’d give is not to define yourself too narrowly by your current job.
When you’ve spent several years in a highly specialized organization like Inria, you can tend to limit your own perspective. In reality, you’ve often developed much more: sometimes strategy, project management, leadership, cross-functional coordination, or even handling complex situations, teaching, or even steering. And it is precisely these generic skills that are transferable.
The second piece of advice is to take the time to rephrase your career path. Changing fields or environments isn’t just about changing employers: it’s also about learning to rephrase your experience so that it’s understood and recognized elsewhere. You need to be able to explain not only what you’ve done, but above all what value you can bring in a different context.
The main thing to keep in mind, in my view, is not to underestimate the time it takes to adapt to a new environment. Every organization has its own codes, tools, rhythms, decision-making processes, and relationships with politics, the local community, hierarchy, and day-to-day operations. This can be frustrating and a bit stressful at first. You have to be willing to relearn, to reposition yourself, and to accept that you won’t master everything right away.
Finally, I’d say you need to be clear about your “why.” Change, yes—but to what end? What are you looking for? Greater impact? More cross-functional collaboration? A different relationship with the local community? A different form of value? When this direction is clear, it helps a lot in getting through moments of doubt or disorientation.
In summary: dare to make a move, yes, but with clarity, a method, and by reflecting on your own journey.
What can the Inria+alumni community offer you today?
First and foremost, quite simply, it helps you stay connected.
When you’ve spent so many years in an organization, you never truly “leave” it. There are still attachments, affinities, habits, ways of thinking, and above all, people with whom you’ve built something. For me, the Inria Alumni community can be a valuable space for keeping these connections alive over time, beyond job titles and organizational charts.
Second, it can be a hub for collective intelligence. Inria alumni go on to work in very different fields—research, innovation, higher education, government, business, local government, consulting, entrepreneurship… It’s an incredibly rich tapestry. There, you can find diverse perspectives, feedback, inspiration, and even opportunities for collaboration.
On a more personal note, what I also see in this is a way to keep building bridges between worlds that sometimes stand to benefit from better communication: research, public policy, local communities, innovation, and institutions.
And then, at its core, a successful alumni community is also something very simple: a place where we can say to one another, “We shared a home, a culture, a set of high standards—and that still matters.”
A keyword or quote to serve as the title for this profile?
I often began my recommendations with a humorous quote from Francis Blanche, who said: “in the face of a changing world, it’s better to prepare for change than to slap on a band-aid.”
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