From Paris to Sydney via Marseille and now the Basque coast, it is curiosity and the desire to create, transform and discover new things that finally led this great explorer to MGI. Charlotte Rossa tells us all about it.
“I got a French technical diploma (BTS) as a trilingual administrative assistant, then a master’s degree in foreign languages. I wanted to travel the world and explore different cultures. After a first job in Paris in the luxury sector, I headed off to go backpacking round Australia. When I returned to Marseille in 2007, I was looking for an international company where I could continue to enjoy a multicultural environment. I started as an Area Manager at the head office of CMA CGM in 2007. At first; I knew nothing about shipping, but my curiosity and perseverance coupled with the training skills and passion of my superiors helped me learn and gradually climb up the ladder. In 2016, I got my master’s in general management, in order to further my understanding of management control, law and particularly marketing.
In 2017 I joined the shipping company Marfret where I was responsible for representing, developing and supervising the activities of a regular shipping route with 17 stops. Marfret gave me the opportunity to get more concrete on-the-ground experience in the operational aspect of shipping, including handling, chartering, operations and the work of a shipping agent.
I need to understand things in order to do my job, and I like to analyse situations and come up with new solutions. That’s why it was a natural decision for me to join MGI in late 2021. I knew about the shipping line business, but with Ci5, I had 14 more professions to discover! I also found the aspects involving innovation, technology and continuous improvement really appealing.
Marseille – bridgehead of the Rhone-Saône route!
My job at MGI is mainly focused on the hinterland and inland ports. I consolidate, develop and bring together operators around this service. I am also involved in the marketing and deployment of Ci5 in inland terminals. When I was asked to take on the development of our Hinterland services, I took stock of the market in France and produced a market study that mapped barge, rail and road transport. That put me in touch not only with MGI teams, but also with a whole range of external players and partners and helped me to get to know them.
The project has become really important with the declaration of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, that “Marseille should become the bridgehead of the Rhône-Saône axis. To this end, the seaport needs to be transformed into a large river-sea port joining Marseille and Lyon, with headquarters remaining in Marseille, through consultation with teams in Lyon in order to launch new integrated infrastructure.”
The Inland business has become an integral part of our shipping solutions. As part of their growth strategy, shipping companies have been developing combined transport services for several years. They offer their customers a single point of contact for door-to-door delivery solutions. Ci5 therefore naturally offers a complete solution that reflects the needs of port communities.
MGI: a key player in facilitating port communities
We are a neutral player at the heart of port activities, which opens up relationships and ensures real collaboration, as we look to continuously improve hand in hand with our partners, clients and port communities. It’s not about selling for the sake of selling, but about building long-term relationships that are strong enough to ensure that the PCS is useful and used, and therefore a driving force for improved performance. It is a scalable tool with endless potential for development and innovation. That means that you never stop learning, and I love that.
