by Leader Meeting.
Nothing destined me to settle there. Originally from mainland France, after studies oriented towards commerce I had the opportunity to do an internship within a consumer organization : the Orgeco. This is how at the age of 23, I arrived in Reunion for an experience that was supposed to be temporary. Like many before me, I discovered a unique island, dynamic as well as endearing. Throughout the meetings, discoveries and professional experiences, this land has become much more than a place of work. It became my adopted island. Without me imagining it at the time, this arrival guided my entire professional life. Looking back, I realize how much this internship of a few months has changed my existence. What was supposed to be a short professional step has become a human and entrepreneurial adventure lasting more than 30 years..
This first contact with the world of consumption and economic information fueled a passion for the company., trade and the players who bring the Reunion economy to life. A few years later, in April 1993, this passion would take the form of an editorial project that became the adventure of a lifetime : the creation of Meeting Leader. Since then, I had the privilege of observing the changes in commerce, to meet several generations of business leaders, to follow the evolution of brands, brands and consumption patterns, while telling the economic history of this island that I learned to love.
The birth of Leader Réunion
L’history of’a marque
The name Meeting Leader was born from a very simple moment, almost harmless, on the eve of the creation of the magazine in 1993.
Aseated at the bar of the Le Roland-Garros brasserie in Saint-Denis, facing the setting sun, I was thinking about launching this media dedicated to commerce, to the distribution and economy of the island. My gaze then landed on a large advertising billboard 4×3. We saw the French football star there, Zinedine Zidane, nicknamed Zizou, in a campaign for the Leader Price brand. The word “leader” immediately caught my attention. Simple, fort, universal, it evoked both success, l’innovation, and entrepreneurship. The idea came naturally : this magazine would be called “Leader Réunion ». A few weeks later, the brand “Leader Réunion Magazine” was registered in my name with the National Institute of Industrial Property. More than 30 years later, this name continues to embody the same ambition : highlight women, men, businesses and initiatives that advance the Reunion economy.
Behind the scenes of the first issues
Before the birth of LR, there was a founding era, even more artisanal, which had a profound impact on my way of working. Since 1993, I started collaborating with a printer based in Saint-André. It was a structure called Graphica, unfortunately disappeared today. It was with her that I made my first steps in the world of printing and press.. At that time, everything was material, concrete, almost physical at each stage of manufacturing. I particularly remember these back and forth trips by car to drop off the elements of the magazine. We weren't yet talking about digital files or sending by email. We worked with ozalids, zips, jazz, and a whole series of technical supports which were part of the daily life of the printing press at the time. Once there, I had to check the films, correct them, validate them together, sometimes start again.
The first issue of LR was printed in black and white with very limited means, but with determination. For more than 5 years, this rhythm has settled : control, adjust, to come back, start again, learn. Paper, ink, the touch of the prints was an integral part of the creative process. It was also a time when communication took place through very different means : fax was essential, discussions were often done by telephone, and I sometimes worked with a notepad and shorthand, for lack of anything better. Ensuite, everything had to be transcribed, often late at night, to be entered on the first available IT tools. These years were demanding, but they forged a discipline and a deep respect for the work of printing. They also gave the magazine its first foundations, before it becomes a title anchored in the Reunion economic landscape.
