CEO of the Week - Cédric de Spéville: 'Let More Young People Dream Big 'With and For' Mauritius'

Cédric de Spéville, CEO of Eclosia, represents a new generation of Mauritian leaders who combine strategic vision, a sense of humanity, and quiet boldness. With impactful decisions and a passion for innovation, he stands out for his modern approach to leadership, which is based on listening, sharing knowledge, and inspiring those who, like him, dream of building their own paths. He resonates with young people through simplicity, honesty, and an energy that encourages taking risks.

If you had to summarize your journey in three words, which would you choose?
Balance. It’s a concept that inherently suggests a degree of subjectivity, but it's essential for me. Personal balance. Balance between speed and rigor. Balance between centralization and decentralization. Balance between demands and kindness... Every day, I have to make decisions about where to place the cursor. It’s never black or white, and I find that fascinating. Finding the 'sweet spot' depending on the circumstances.

Usefulness. A very down-to-earth word, but I ask myself daily about the projects I undertake: is it useful? For whom?

Pleasure. I believe it's impossible to sustain oneself if the journey isn’t enjoyable. It’s vital to take pleasure in our work, in what we do, and in our interactions. Creating conditions for everyone in our organization to access the satisfaction of accomplishment is crucial.

What motivated you to join Eclosia and contribute to the group's story?
I was born into it and have lived and witnessed the importance of the teams' actions and their contribution to the development of Mauritius. We are a group deeply rooted in every location and community where we operate; in Mauritius, of course, but also in Madagascar, Kenya, and Rwanda...

I've always been struck by the fact that what matters to us is not just what we do but how we do things. To positively and daily impact Mauritian families (and beyond!) – working 'with and for' them, being useful is what truly motivates me!

What was the turning point in your career that prepared you for this CEO role?
It’s hard to answer. I think we’re never fully ready... In fact, I continue to question myself every day. But it’s clear that to take the reins, you need to feel supported... And not just by decision-makers, but also, and especially, by the organization. That was my experience quite quickly. We have exceptional teams and leaders – and that’s not just rhetoric.

How would you describe your mission at the helm of Eclosia: a duty, a commitment, or a passion?
I would say it’s a great pride to feel useful and to contribute to the advancement of important projects in my eyes. Responsibility. Transmission, positive impact... I don’t have a 'passionate' character, but when I undertake something or am convinced by something, I see it through without giving up. We often remind ourselves at Eclosia, 'We don’t let go of what we believe in!' When we do things well, we always end up where we want to be – and if not, it's without regrets!

Eclosia is a group deeply embedded in the daily lives of Mauritians. How do you reconcile this heritage with a resolutely modern vision?
For me, there’s no opposition between these two words. Continuous innovation. Innovation is often seen as technical or technological – and those are often the most disruptive and noisy. But there’s also innovation in how things are done, in market approaches, in how to address social needs. Doing things differently, believing in it.

What recent group project are you particularly proud of, and why?
It’s honestly hard to choose because often the smallest things – like successfully redirecting a colleague's career or a successful annual Eclosia Next convention – bring the best feelings. But if I take a step back and look at the impact, I would say it’s the structuring and acceleration of our international development. We now have significant operations in Madagascar, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and the Seychelles. There’s still much to do and consolidate, but we’ve clearly crossed an important milestone, which redefines the contours of our group and impacts our teams and strategies.

What essentials are needed to lead such a vast and diverse organization like Eclosia?
First, keep a cool head. What you describe as vast locally is not that large on a global scale. I often think of Brassens with his song 'Trompette de la renommée…!', I’ll let you guess the rest. Then, never forget the fundamentals: the man and woman are at the core of everything! Acting with genuine honesty, personal and relational – not the kind that’s displayed in nice reports.

Having time – not easy! – but essential for listening, understanding, and developing relationships. Being curious and eager to understand. And finally, if there's one quality that I believe is essential: seek solutions, not excuses or pretexts.

In a constantly evolving sector, how do you stay inspired and agile?
By having colleagues at all levels who have ideas and challenge the status quo. By being curious, reading, listening. That's for the inspiration part. I must say ideas are not lacking...

It’s often more complicated to be agile... I mentioned balance earlier. Balance between essential procedures and agility, especially across different sectors, in different countries... Ultimately, for me, it works when we have teams that fully understand what we’re fighting for, what we want to build together, and who wish to participate in it.

What role does innovation play in your overall strategy for the coming years?
It’s a somewhat catch-all term, but innovation is at the center of all our concerns with simple questions and sometimes complicated answers: what can we do differently, more simply? For whom?

What major challenges must be addressed to ensure sustainable and responsible development in Mauritius?
More local production. More local creation. To stand on our two feet. To close the trade deficit. To provide meaningful jobs for our youth and less young! A more structured dialogue between the public and private sectors to chart a lasting trajectory. We need a national project: what do we want to become? Do we want to copy Singapore? Why? We need to put the long-term perspective back on the table to mobilize the whole country... especially its youth. Without the desire to contribute to something we believe in, we easily become selfish and act short-term...

We need to take the time to talk to each other, to understand each other. The violence in our society is palpable... and it’s a shame because we have so much in common, all of us... and so many projects to build together. We cannot forget that on our small island, we are all in the same boat. We must be responsible... and some more than others, as I recognize that with success comes responsibility!

Lastly, governance: yes, it’s probably an overused term, but for me, everything starts there. Again, I’m not talking about governance found in nice reports – but about what guides us: sincerity, truth. Good governance, in the broadest sense, is the most important foundation.

How do you envision the future of Eclosia in the next 10 years?
I want to envision... A group that has retained its fundamentals, its beating heart. A group that continues to modernize while remaining true to its identity and that has developed even more significantly internationally – creating added value 'with and for' local populations.

What motivates you the most when you start your day?
The idea of meeting people who bring solutions! And those little things like the quality of the welcome I receive when I pass by the office reception, the smile, or the nice little phrase from my colleagues... it relaxes me and reconnects me to what’s essential, the connection between people.

What is the best leadership advice someone has given you?
'Truth is lived, it is not just spoken.' This is one of my father Michel de Spéville’s favorite phrases, which makes so much sense: to be genuine in relationships, intentions, actions – and to 'do' rather than delivering long speeches. To be rather than to appear.

The second piece of advice I’ve built over the course of encounters is that it’s often easy to be right... but 'so what?'. What’s the point of being right if it doesn’t work? So what? The real objective is to know how to convince, to achieve, to engage the team, the public... Again, the difference between discourse and action.

And what advice would you like to pass on to the young Mauritian generation today?
Don't give up! It’s so worth it to build things that have meaning. I see that we are in Mauritius in a cycle where the national narrative is somewhat stalled, creating a lot of individualism, materialism, where the gauge of 'success' is often misplaced, which is a shame. But never forget that we are all actors, and the 'pa mwa sa li sa' mentality leads nowhere. Yes, we have reasons every day to be indignant, to be critical – and we must remain indignant, certainly not asleep! But again, 'so what?' What am I doing, at my level, to make things change?

What prevents some young Mauritians from dreaming bigger?
I don’t believe that young Mauritians dream small... I feel that many young Mauritians, when they dream big, they dream big elsewhere; it concerns projects outside Mauritius... Which isn’t unhealthy in itself – on the contrary, it expands our reach and our 'economic diplomacy', but we would like more young people to dream big 'with and for' Mauritius. And that’s our responsibility collectively – and mine particularly as a leader of a group: to offer perspectives, open possibilities, connect, and support entrepreneurs....

How does Eclosia support youth in terms of employment, training, and skills development?
We have implemented several initiatives to ensure we attract talent, allow them to grow, and ensure knowledge transfer. Today, it's not enough to wait for young people to come to us because they know our reputation. We need to approach them, meet them, listen to them, present who we are, our professions, our know-how, and the possible careers within the group in Mauritius and the region.

At our companies, we multiply ‘talks,’ ‘career fairs’ in universities and training organizations, but also directly on the ground, in the regions. The activities of Charles Telfair Education and Vatel allow us to be in direct contact with students, inspiring them through conferences and research conducted by the Charles Telfair Center.

Once they join Eclosia, how do we retain them? By allowing them to grow, learn, and collaborate with other talents. Our Group Talent Manager has built programs with various teams that literally help to unlock the potential of our young and less young! To name a few: the industrial school to refine technicians, management and leadership programs like LEAD or Pinnacle, enabling around forty managers from all Eclosia companies each year to get to know each other and develop their skills. But also tailored training, mentoring, or coaching support.

Last year, we wanted to pay particular attention to GenZ by creating the Youth Management Lab to have direct exchanges between this young generation and me. For a year, a dozen young people from Eclosia companies meet with me at regular intervals to discuss transversal topics across the group. This allows them to ask all the questions they want about different management aspects or the group’s culture and make suggestions. And I learn to better understand their needs, grasp their worldview, and identify bridges we can build together.

What personal challenges have you had to overcome to become the leader you are today?
I must reiterate that I absolutely do not feel like I’ve arrived; I haven’t become... I evolve every day! The important thing is to stay active and not to seek perfection or present an image that isn’t who we are. It’s true that with leadership training or the flashy communication of the successes of certain leaders, we might tend to compare ourselves, to want to imitate, even unconsciously... while ultimately, our greatest strength is who we truly are!

'Being oneself while taking maximum feedback to have a positive impact on others' is probably one of the most important pieces of advice.

How do you stay connected to the ground and the teams that bring each entity of the group to life?
It’s one of my biggest challenges. Over time, we’ve set up various recurring forums at different levels. These are forums for communication, meeting, and presentation... We also have within the group an Art, Culture, and Sports cell that allows us to meet many colleagues in different environments: musical shows, sports competitions, reflection workshops... But it's not enough. I wish to be closer, but with over 200 sites in Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and the Seychelles, it’s logistically impossible for me. I try to plan as best as I can because I know that nothing replaces human contact, face-to-face interaction.

We believe a lot in the concept of participative management and the importance of active listening at all levels. This is not only to know how our collaborators are doing, what the atmosphere is like, etc., but also to bring up ideas for improving processes, equipment choices, etc.

Of course, we have also set up significant communication architectures, with committees, recurrent meetings, and tools at different levels of our companies. The goal is to continue talking directly without barriers.

As a CEO, how do you manage the pressure, pace, and scope of daily responsibilities?
By telling myself that whatever happens, I can never do everything, and that’s okay. Not easy... But the concept of 'letting go' is very important. By maintaining a strict balance with sports, family, etc. And let's be clear, I don’t feel exceptional when I see some of my colleagues (and many Mauritians) juggling their various family, social, and professional responsibilities.

If you could leave a message to young people who hope to one day lead a major Mauritian company, what would it be?
Ask yourself whether you want this for the right reasons. Status? Money? Influence? Impact? Be clear about your motivators. Then, listen to yourself and go for it.