Pierre-Jean Verge Salamon (51) recently took over as managing director of Renault Trucks Belux. For our summer series, he talks about his love of rugby and the parallels with the business world.
Pierre-Jean Verge Salamon, who has dual nationality (he is of both French and Canadian descent ed.), has held various management positions within the Volvo Group for almost 20 years. For instance, in addition to Renault Trucks, he was also active at Volvo Trucks and UD Trucks for many years.
With a grandfather and father who were rugby players and his childhood spent in the southern French city of Toulouse, the new managing director of Renault Trucks Belux seemed destined to develop a love of rugby. “‘Stade Toulousain’ is the absolute best in European rugby. You can compare them to the status Real Madrid or Manchester United have in top football with 23 national titles and 6 European Cups on their record,” says Verge Salamon.
Childhood dream
Verge Salamon kicked it in his youth years as a player in the national series and as a teenager he even seemed destined for an existence as a professional player for a while. “But, when I was 16 or 17, my father refused to sign a contract that would allow me to combine sport and studies. At the time I obviously had frustrations about that decision, but 30 years later I feel no regrets. Thanks to Volvo Group, I was able to fulfil my childhood dream of seeing the world. It has also allowed me to play rugby on four different continents: in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia. Did you know that in Japan players even bend over each other at a changeover?” he says. “It’s the only country where that happens. It says something about Japanese culture, of course, but certainly also about the sport. Respect for each other and for the rules is extremely important in rugby. You will never see a player protesting against the referee.”
Meanwhile, the managing director hung up his shoes as a rugby player for a while. “I do continue to follow the sport closely. Few weeks go by that I haven’t watched a match. At home on television with a good glass of wine and some friends, or even better, at the stadium. Last season was also enjoyable, as Toulousain became both national champions and European Cup winners,” he says.
Verge Salamon often uses the life lessons he learnt in rugby in the workplace as well. “An important pillar of rugby is diversity. Whether you are small and chubby as a kid, or tall and narrow or blocky: every type of physique has its part to play thanks to the nature of the game. You even need those different types. Moreover, rugby is also a particularly collective sport,” he says. “Unlike football, superstars are a rarity. The team is above the individual and that’s how it should be in a company. If you manage to get everyone on the same page, you can achieve the best results.”
Confrontation
Within his management, the Canadian Frenchman also likes to use references to rugby. “We regularly have a ‘locker room session’ (a locker room session ed.) where I ask to share and name things openly without judging or overreacting. Confrontation is also something you learn in rugby. If you have to bump a player as the last defender, you know you will have to intervene. This is also important in the business world. If at some point there is something you need to clarify, you should not avoid confrontation.”
