30 years, 4 voices, one memory

Episode #4: Recollections of a historic turning point.

From left to right: Christophe Van Cauwenbergue, Edith Plestan, Stéphane Landon

In 1995, Societe Generale took a major step forward by bringing together several thousand of its Paris-based employees in the Alicante and Chassagne Towers. This symbolic move marked the beginning of a new era for the bank, both organisationally and culturally.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of this relocation, four employees* — Édith, Valérie, Stéphane and Christophe — reflect on this pivotal moment. They all experienced the move into the Towers and they share their memories of a period of professional upheaval that transformed their daily lives and redefined working practices.

The relocation announcement: Between excitement and hesitation

A workplace relocation can provoke mixed reactions. From logistical constraints to apprehension about change and the need to adapt to a new environment, such a shift can be stressful. Yet for many, it also represents an opportunity for renewal and growth.

Every employee experiences this transition differently, sometimes with very different feelings. Christophe Van Cauwenbergue, for example, recalls feeling no concern at all. Stéphane Landon remembers the announcement being well received: “a modern and functional building, and the bringing together of all teams.” 

However, others, such as Édith Plestan and Valérie Mace, expressed more mixed emotions, combining “surprise, disappointment and reluctance at the idea of leaving central Paris, the buzz of the Haussmann district to ‘exile’ themselves to La Défense.” 

A fresh start for workspaces

Before moving to La Défense, the bank’s central services were spread across more than 50 ageing and often unsuitable sites in Paris. Christophe recalls that “some historic locations, like Edouard VII*, were a real maze of corridors and split levels. You’d get lost!”* This fragmentation hindered collaboration and communication, and made working conditions less efficient. The move to the new Towers marked a strategic turning point in terms of both organisation and human dynamics.

For Valérie, the relocation especially transformed working methods: “It was so nice not to be shut away in a room with just one other person. Everything felt more sociable,” she says. 

Christophe also remembers “the battle for individual offices,” which required rules to be set based on roles and hierarchy, thus disrupting old habits. Nevertheless, he highlights a major benefit: “saving time collectively by avoiding travel across Paris for certain meetings.” 

At the heart of the project was an IT revolution

Beyond their architectural significance, the new Towers represent a significant transformation in workspaces and professional practices. This renewal also brought major technical modernisation, profoundly changing employees’ daily lives.

Christophe recalls this evolution: “Networking, the widespread use of modern office tools, document sharing via a file server, and shared printers.” Stéphane confirms the scale of the change: “For the trading floor teams, it was like moving from craftsmanship to industry,” he says, referring to the arrival of cutting-edge technologies.

Valérie fondly remembers the arrival of the first personal computers. “Back then, everything was done manually with pencils and erasers. Once we were in the Towers, we each had our own computer. It was a real revolution.”

Early days in the Towers: Marked by stillness, amazement and discovery 

After the move, these initial impressions quickly gave way to lasting memories — sometimes unexpected and often amusing — which revealed a new daily reality. 

Christophe particularly remembers the unusual quiet: “What struck you at first was the silence in the corridors. Doors were rarely left open. It took several years for that to change. The building was also non-smoking, which was a huge step forward.”

For Stéphane, the Towers were above all “impressive, emblematic of the era and of the bank’s ambition”. 

Édith, remembers a grand, almost self-sufficient place. “All the amenities made it feel like a mini-city. The TMD, a mail transport system using suspended wagons, was so innovative. And the view over Paris… I’m still amazed by it.” She also shares a humorous anecdote from her first week: “One evening, there were loud noises against the windows. It turned out that migratory birds had hit the Towers, which hadn’t been part of their route before!”. Moving into brand-new offices also made an impression: “Each person was given a picture frame to decorate their space, and we’d visit each other’s offices.” 

Valérie concludes with emotion: “I thought the Towers were beautiful back then, and I still do today. They haven’t aged in the La Défense landscape.”

Thirty years after their inauguration, the Alicante and Chassagne Towers continue to embody Societe Generale’s spirit of innovation and transformation. They remain a prominent feature of the La Défense skyline and are etched in the memories of those who witnessed their construction.

* Testimonies gathered from:

• Edith Plestan : 45 years at Societe Generale, Secretary to Vice-President and Managing Director Jean-Paul Delacour in 1995 – now Assistant to the President
  Valérie Mace : 36 years at Societe Generale, Institutional Investor Relations Officer in 1995 – now Head of Structured Export Finance at GLBA
  Stéphane Landon : 35 years at Societe Generale, Head of FX Options Trading in 1995 – now Group Chief Risk Officer
  Christophe Van Cauwenbergue : 33 years at Societe Generale, Head of Graphic Information Systems in the Real Estate Department in 1995 – now Programme Director for the Digital Euro at the Payments Division

** Edouard VII is a property complex in the Opéra district that housed the Group’s central services from 1923 to 1995.