Paul Marcadé

After initiating, launching, and leading the investigation phase of the first State startup within the Ministry of Justice, Paul supported me for 5 years in the investigation, construction, acceleration, and then scaling and generalization of the A-JUST State startup, a decision-support and prospective tool designed to help court leaders manage their jurisdictions with the goal of reducing justice processing times. Initially positioned as a coach and the intrapreneur's right-hand, his responsibilities gradually evolved to also include managing (autonomously and then with a data analyst assisting him) the entire data component, which is the cornerstone of this project, in a context of significant institutional complexity. From the outset and throughout these 5 years, his sharp vision, his keen understanding of strategic issues, his adaptability, his versatility, the richness of his background, his solid experience in managing private structures, and his perfect knowledge of organizations proved to be key determining factors in the success of this project. His pedagogical skills, diplomacy, and interpersonal skills were also unanimously and particularly appreciated, both by the internal stakeholders of the project (high-level sponsor, deputy secretary-general of the ministry, intrapreneur magistrate and justice inspector, members of the A-JUST team) and by all our external contacts (ministry's statistical services, for example) and users, magistrates, and senior executives of the ministry. Paul was even asked to co-lead training sessions on management or steering with me, provided by the ministry's schools (school of magistracy and school of court clerks), or to give presentations to the highest authorities of the Ministry of Justice, including its Secretary-General and the Minister of Justice. Thanks to exceptional commitment and work ethic, he also invested with determination and effectiveness in the technical and complex field of ministerial data to make it operationally available to users. In this area, he acquired rare and valuable knowledge and skills regarding institutional circuits, processes, and actors, while establishing innovative and fruitful contacts with and between departments, thus helping to create synergies that offered tremendous opportunities for the ministry. On a human level, his presence in a team is a guarantee of competence, rigor, seriousness, and high standards, but also of a pleasant, warm, benevolent, cohesive, and solid working group, aligned with objectives and guided by a sense of mission and service to users. Most members of the A-JUST team have been involved in the project for several years, or even since its inception, and Paul was a key figure. Despite being an entrepreneur himself and possessing strong leadership qualities, he knows perfectly how to serve a project leader and adopt a posture that respects everyone's prerogatives, missions, and roles. I have also observed on numerous occasions and in various contexts his unfailing loyalty, his strong sense of public interest, and his commitment to public service. Paul's mission was a complete success, benefiting a product that was ultimately recognized as a national impact service by the Prime Minister's services. It perfectly illustrated what the best of the private sector can offer to the administration without altering its nature, in absolute respect of its values and purposes!