We are currently in the middle of a digital transformation, a moment in which the financial industry is facing great challenges, not only technological aspects that are threatening its hegemony, but also a cultural transformation in business. Without this transformation, the digital revolution could not take place. During this edition of FINNOSUMMIT in Bogota, which will take place the following March 22nd at Hall 74, Arnaud Collery, one of the leading experts in this field and who defines himself as Chief Happiness Officer, Emotional DJ, and Storyteller will give a keynote. In this exclusive interview, Arnaud highlights that a digital transformation cannot take place without a human transformation. “It simply doesn’t work. In order to achieve the success, you need to address both of them. Currently, Fintech finds itself at a crossroad to this sense.” Do you want to know more about this? Don’t miss his point of view on the following interview:
– Why is Happiness important in the workplace?
Happiness is the priority. Employee engagement is at its lower ever, about 12-15 % worldwide. The only thing that makes people stay an atmosphere of well-being and joy and a very specific reason why we are together. Only 20% of the global workforce will stay because they love the product or make enough money as opposed to 50% years ago.
– How do you motivate people over the long haul to keep them focused on innovation? Is happiness the key?
You keep them by creating a sense of tribe, family, therefore trust. “Everyone forgets what you say, what you do, no one forgets how you make them feel,” said Maya Angelou.
– Why don’t more companies follow this model?
People are slow at change. It’s still run mostly by 50+ years old and they were used, educated, brought up in “If I provide money and prestige to my guys, they will stay; this is the way I went to the top, I worked hard, listened and was rewarded for this”. People can’t actually believe the model started to change after 2008. That model was in place for 100 years or more. Some people are on the avant-garde like Zappos, Careem in Dubai (whom I work for on a regular basis).
I understand it’s scary, to focus on the well-being of people when you spent 20years making spreadsheet. I spent my whole life working on with and through people – hire people like me around you, call them Chief Happiness Officer, Chief Heart Officer, the title has no importance. What matters is you hire someone that takes care of bringing humanity back to work or people will leave you.
– How do you connect Fintech, technology, and happiness?
I had experiences in tech winning, organizing hackathons and being part of 88mph.ac, a tech accelerator as an EIR. I have also hosted many tech events in NY and in Paris was a keynote speaker at France Digitale, Hub Forum, the major tech conferences. What I see in Paris, NY, SF, Tokyo is that more and more tech conferences bring someone like me that talk about “human transformation”. You can’t have digital transformation without human transformation. It simply doesn’t work. You need to address both. Fintech is at the crossroad now…I have worked with Olivier Nguyen in Fintech in London, with Quartet in NY and they understood the need to convey more human emotions when trying to bridge the gap with non-tech people. Most people who are not in tech just don’t get Fintech, it’s a whole another level. I say bring a bit of humanity, emotions, human-centered process and the general public might get it more. It’s a fascinating field.
– What are your expectations for FINNOSUMMIT Bogota?
I want to take a pulse where South America is at in terms of technology, well-being. I worked in 30 countries, not much this part of the world. My only experience with your region is that I spent some time in tribes in Ecuador, worked a lot in Aruba where I created the first Chief Happiness Officer Certificate and facilitated many workshops on happiness and did some workshops for the YPO in Caracas, Venezuela. I am very excited to come back to Colombia that I visited as a tourist a few years ago and get the pulse. I would love to come back to teach my courses, do my “purpose and resilience” team-building. Colombia has such much energy – I can’t wait to see the result first hand.
Can’t we be happier? Check out the TEDx video to discover more about Arnaud’s amazing outlook on life. And if you really want to get amped up for the big FINNOSUMMIT event, register now to meet Arnaud in person and get your Happiness KPI.
About Arnaud Collery | Chief Happiness Officer | Emotional DJ | Storyteller
Arnaud is a Specialist of Happiness, Passion, and Purpose based in NYC. He is a French native. He studied finance in school and started his career in finance, Mergers and Acquisitions stint, brokerage in the arbitrage department, financial advising and international taxation in the mid- 90s. He is a graduate of IESE business school in NY, ESGF in France and Thnk.org in Amsterdam (creative leadership). Early on he decided to follow his bliss Joseph Campbell “Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived”. He would go and have 15 different careers in 20 countries. He worked with politicians, NGOs, became an award-winning filmmaker and comedian in Los Angeles…He constantly reinvented himself. In 2014 after working in the tech field for a couple of years, winning a few hackathons, working as an Entrepreneur in Residence for 88mph.ac, an international tech accelerator in South Africa and spending time in tribes in Ecuador he decides that he will become a coach. He has since helped 1000 individuals in 30 countries through his event standupforpassion.com or through team building events for companies such as Cartier, Chanel, Dior, United Nations, Axa Insurance. He led CEOs of YPO -Caracas to a better understanding of what impact means. He started founded happy hacking days in both France and Aruba, a hackathon that aimed at creating a startup in the field of happiness. He has been named Mr. Happiness by the French Media, is a regular contributor to BFM TV in France and has appeared at all major Happiness conferences around the world: Happiness 360 Aruba, Happiness and innovation Dubai, Happiness at work Copenhagen, World Happiness Report- United Nations NYC. He has done 2 TedX on happiness and purpose in Aruba and Maastricht. His first book is due to be published in France on April 10 on 36 ways to reinvent yourself. He will do his third TEDx on April 14 and is a founding member of Happy Tech in France, an organization geared to gather tech startup around happiness.