Laurent Gallissot: "I rely on collective intelligence"

Just arrived, already rolled up sleeves. Laurent Gallissot, who replaces Clément Leclerc as head of the French Consulate in Miami, took possession of his new quarters on Brickell Avenue on Tuesday, September 3, when Hurricane Dorian hit Florida and the Bahamas.

" It was a disturbing situation because I was caught off guard. Nevertheless, I was delighted to be so quickly thrown into the bath because this crisis management allowed me to be in direct contact with the peculiarities of the region "says the former 52-year-old foreign affairs advisor who has spent much of his career in French diplomacy.

After having held various positions in France, Europe and the Middle East, Laurent Gallissot wanted to cross the Atlantic to settle his suitcases in Miami. " This is a great first because in the United States I only knew New York and Boston where I used to go with my husband "says the Frenchman born in Algiers, who has always been drawn to port cities. "They are real places of exchange open on the sea and presenting a diversity of the population", highlighted Laurent Gallissot who was diplomatic advisor to the prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. " Marseille and Miami, for example, have similarities and also face the same problems related in part to climate change ".

The environmental impact, precisely, is at the heart of the concerns of Laurent Gallissot who was also Secretary General of One Planet Summit, an international conference on climate change initiated in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron. " We are in a period of transition where the consciences evolve favorably but it does not go fast enough, admits there. Without wishing to enter the debate, Laurent Gallissot intends to support the development of a green economy in Florida. "We have researchers, entrepreneurs or even French investors in this sector and it is important to value their work while showing their effectiveness, says he. It also makes it possible to leave traditional sectors such as tourism, gastronomy or real estate.

Graduate of the Sorbonne and holder of a European master's degree in management of cultural enterprises, Laurent Gallissot is also a French language enthusiast. " A French diplomat spends his time reading and writing, it is well known ", Looses with a big smile the one who considers himself one of the promoters of LabelFrancEducation, awarded to foreign schools that have chosen the French-language bilingual education. " Bilingualism is an educational asset and a considerable tool for personal developmenthe insists. The recent announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to increase the budget of the Agency for French Education Abroad is auspicious ", Adds Laurent Gallissot which suggests the resumption of negotiations for the project of the French Lycée in Miami. " I think that the ecosystem is finally ripe and that Florida deserves this establishment of reference. We still have to find investors and be able to guarantee the quality of the program, but on this point I have no doubt ".

Laurent Gallissot will multiply in the coming weeks work meetings, meetings with elected officials and especially exchanges with the French community. " I position myself as a catalyst and I rely on collective intelligencehe says. It is important to go to the field to be able to dialogue with the population and listen to their proposals in order to create connections that can feed projects ".