Share Ownership & Directors
Our directors
Alain FALC
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Alain Falc founded Bigben Interactive in 1981 when he finished his studies and rapidly acquired industrial and commercial know-how in watches and other promotional electronic products. In 1993, he moved into the budding video games sector.
By 1999, when it was floated on the stock exchange, Bigben Interactive was one of the leading designers and manufacturers of accessories for third-party video games consoles (i.e. not made by the console manufacturers) in France. After its IPO, Bigben Interactive continued to expand internationally, with operations in the Benelux, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Spain and Italy.
Having gradually built up the video games publishing business over the following decade, in 2011 Alain Falc acquired the smartphone accessories design and distribution business of ModeLabs, the French leader in smartphone accessories, which became Bigben Connected in May 2013.
He then took the Bigben Group in another strategic direction in 2018-2019 through the acquisition of interests in five development studios: Cyanide, Eko Software, Kylotonn KT Racing, Spiders and RaceWard. In 2019, he successfully engineered the creation of NACON, the Bigben Group’s integrated Gaming division and its successful IPO in March 2020.
Sébastien Bolloré
Director
Managerial expertise and experience
After studying at Gerson and Saint-Jean-de-Passy, Sébastien Bolloré obtained his baccalauréat and studied management at ISEG and then UCLA (California). Sébastien Bolloré spends most of his time in Australia, and advises the Bolloré group based on his knowledge of new media and technological developments.
He is a director of Bigben Interactive SA since his appointment by the AGM of 28 July 2010.
Jacqueline De Vrieze
Director
After working in the personal care industry (in a hair salon and beauty parlour) between 1976 and 1987, Jacqueline De Vrieze set up a fitness and beauty treatment company within a gym.
In 1989, she joined the retail chain that is now known as Games.fr, as head of the store network before becoming the company’s CEO in 1995. She led the transformation of the store network into a retail website in the early 2010s.
She is a director of Bigben Interactive.
Florence Lagrange
Director
Holder of a DEA postgraduate diploma in economics.
Florence Lagrange started her career as a financial journalist, before joining asset management company Fontenay Gestion as a buy-side analyst. After 10 years as an asset manager at independent asset management company Trusteam Finance, which applies extra-financial analysis based on customer satisfaction when assessing companies, she is now head of research.
She was a director of Bigben Interactive since she was appointed in the AGM of 21 July 2017 until 21 January 2020.
Richard Mamez
Director
After starting his career in marketing in the food industry at Ferrero in Italy, Richard Mamez moved to the leisure industry. He worked in the ski equipment sector (Look, Lange) as international marketing manager, before becoming CEO of various companies in the industry (Browning, Look, Jeanneau). In 1996, he moved into the toys sector, becoming CEO of Majorette until it was acquired by Smoby in 2005, before returning as Chairman in 2008 to oversee its sale to the Simba group in 2010.
In 2011, Richard became Chairman of Groupe Berger (interior fragrances) and grew its digital sales with the creation of a network of more than 100 stores in Asia, before arranging the group’s sale to the Argos Wityu fund in 2018.
He was a director of Bigben Interactive between 2010 and 2016. Then, he was appointed each year as a non-voting director as from 22 July 2016 until 21 January 2020.
Sylvie Pannetier
Director
After completing her studies, Sylvie Pannetier joined Bigben Interactive in February 1995 in the finance department and has held roles in supplier accounting, treasury and credit management in her 20 years at the company.
She now manages a team of nine people and is in charge of the Group’s Treasury department as well as credit management at Bigben Interactive, Bigben Connected and Nacon.
She is a director of Bigben Interactive since her appointment by the AGM of 31 August 2015.
Jean Christophe Thiery
Director
After starting his career in local government, Jean Christophe Thiéry joined the Bolloré group in 2002 and became CEO of the Direct 8 TV channel in 2005.
He was appointed Chairman of Bolloré Média (media division of the Bolloré group) in November 2008, taking over from Vincent Bolloré, with the brief of continuing its consolidation and growth in the media and telecoms industry. Jean Christophe Thiery is also CEO of the Bolloré group’s communications and media division and Chairman of Canal+’s Supervisory Board.
He is a director of Bigben Interactive SA since his appointment by the AGM of 26 July 2012.
Nicolas Parpex
Director
As an equity investor for 15 years, Nicolas Parpex has headed up Bpifrance’s creative and cultural industries unit (> €400 million in assets under management), which makes equity investments, ranging from seed money through to LBOs, and oversees all Bpifrance’s French Touch-related activities.
He has completed around twenty deals, primarily in the creative and cultural sectors and sits on the governance bodies of numerous industry companies, investment companies and the IFCIC. He teaches at HEC, EDHEC, Sciences Po and the Sorbonne, and is also a member of the Centre National du Cinéma commission and of Pictanovo’s panel of experts.
He has been Bpifrance Investissements’ representative since the latter was appointed in the Shareholders’ General Meeting of 30 July 2020.