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Antoine Ducos (SKEMA 1987) : CEO & founder APO France ; "serial entrepreneur"
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"My studies at SKEMA were the perfect fit for me: an atypical curriculum, far off the beaten path. Since I came from a law school rather than a preparatory class, I went straight into the second year of the Master's programme, a decision in perfect harmony with my background. I've always favoured freedom in the way I approach things, following my intuition and living each experience according to my own vision."
The call to experience life abroad
SKEMA immediately drew me in with its highly international character, and I chose a specialisation called "International Business", which offered the possibility of an assignment abroad. As part of this, I spent four months in Japan, where I conducted market research on baby nappies (diapers to Americans). At the time, Japan was ahead of France when it came to raw material technology, with “super-absorbent” systems and innovations that were already very advanced.
The start of my entrepreneurial adventure
In August 1992, at the height of the Gulf War, I launched my import/export company. The timing wasn't ideal, but we survived and this year we are celebrating 32 years of existence for Ellipse! We started out as a commercial agency, then gradually moved into the wholesale trade as our capital grew. Today, Ellipse is a company entirely dedicated to the wholesale trade of personal care and hygiene products.
Initially, we worked with English and Spanish partners. Later, we extended our reach by exploring markets like India, China, Korea, Egypt, the USA and many others. This expansion significantly boosted our international presence. Over more than 30 years, the company has enjoyed exceptional growth, with more than 25 years on an upward trajectory. We are very grateful for this. Today, we are committed to responsible cosmetics through APO, our business founded in 2018.
SKEMA's contribution
When coming out of business school, whatever our specialisation, we are all generalists. I’ve always said that I’m a generalist aware of my own incompetence. This means that, although I'm aware of my competence, I’m also aware of my limitations. School enables us to develop an ability to familiarise ourselves with various fields of knowledge, which is essential. The key then lies in how we manage to combine these different areas of knowledge, especially when we take on roles that require a very holistic approach, like in entrepreneurship for example
Read the full interview here
