On Monday, December 27, the editorial staff of France Médias Monde (FMM) learned of the death of Françoise Hollman, director of partnerships, events and visual identities within the group bringing together France 24, RFI and MCD. His funeral takes place this Wednesday, January 5. A look back at the career of this creative, professional and smiling personality who left his mark on the media sector.
What word best characterized Françoise Hollman? ” Solar », « whimsical », « spectacular ” and ” funny ” for some, ” partner in crime », « demanding », « generous ” and ” class ” for the others. The term does not matter: all those who testified for this portrait consider that a single word does not make it possible to encompass the richness of this figure of the French media landscape.
All the spirits that have crossed his path are marked by his personality. Each friend, member of his family, or even colleague questioned refers to another relative, himself referring to another relative … Françoise Hollman knew how to forge strong bonds wherever she went. Véronique Revel-Rongier, one of her close friends and former colleague at Canal +, summarizes: “ The people who loved him, really loved him. And she really liked people. »
Part of the Canal spirit of the 1990s
Françoise Hollman made her mark on the media very quickly, upon joining Canal + in 1993. Historical press attaché for Antoine de Caunes, des Draws or even Nowhere else, it participates in the construction of the quirky spirit of the Canal + of the time. She is part of the trio of women, with Sylvie Ruggieri and Laurence Gallot, who dialogue continuously with Pierre Lescure, CEO of Canal + at the time, and Alain De Greef, director of programs. ” We did nothing, Alain and I, without turning to them to discuss it before launching the boat, because we knew that they would lead us to bend, to increase, to qualify… They were part of the heart of the system. , they had imposed themselves there and it was an additional asset for us », Explains Pierre Lescure.
Group work to which Françoise Hollman offers an asset of her own. Véronique Revel-Rongier remembers it well: “ As soon as she was hired, Sylvie Ruggieri immediately felt a very artistic fiber in her. She always sent her to talk to Alain de Greef, because she had the secret so that Alain would say “yes” to everything she proposed! »
Put beauty in everything
She offers this artistic fiber to all her colleagues who work with her. All of them emphasize his sense of aesthetics and beauty. For the past nine years, Thomas Legrand-Hedel has worked with Françoise Hollman. A ” complicity “Which marked the director of communication and institutional relations of France Médias Monde (FMM):” She was someone who put beauty in everything, who had an aesthetic sense, such a sensitivity… I relied on her on all levels to have the good taste of things. It’s important to put beauty in things. »An innate class that made her unique. ” She was a very elegant person, her favorite song was Moon River, performed by Audrey Hepburn. She had flamboyant hair. He was the artist of the band on Canal +. It was not a Cartesian woman, organized, but the touch of madness, the offbeat idea », Explains Véronique Revel-Rongier with passion.
In 2003, after Canal +, Françoise Hollman orchestrated communication within several media, from RTL to M6. She became director of communications at RFI in 2008 and, ten years later, director of partnerships, events and visual identities at FMM. She succeeds, by organizing parties that many in the group remember, to create the emulsion between the three media of the entity. Françoise Hollman brings with her her sense of good taste, recalls Marie-Christine Saragosse, CEO of France Médias Monde: “ In the way of decorating her office, managing the communication of the three media, organizing events at France Médias Monde… Everything she touched, she put in harmony. »
In RFI’s most terrible moments, such as when RFI’s two special envoys, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, are murdered by jihadists on November 13, 2013 in northern Mali, she responds present while everyone is collapsed. ” When we come back from Mali, we are all loose. The families are totally helpless and we have very little time to pay tribute. She obtains the agreement of the Quai Branly museum, then organizes things with precision so that despite the mourning, the ceremony is not only a moment of sadness but also a moment of sharing and memory. », Says Marie-Christine Zaragoza. Françoise Hollman will be very active in set up the purse in their honor.
A deep attachment to Africa
Françoise Hollman remained particularly attached to RFI, with which she shared African roots. ” She was African at heart, she had spent her childhood there. She was crazy about African art, African music. His office was riddled with references to African arts », Describes Thomas Legrand-Hedel. Françoise Hollman’s daughter confirms: “ She spent part of her childhood in Bouaké, Ivory Coast […] She traveled to Africa too. She went to Rwanda with RFI, she had seen incredible things there. »
Mamane, a Nigerian actor and columnist for RFI, had a special relationship with Françoise Hollman. She took him under her wing as soon as she arrived in 2009: ” She always had an idea for my communication, to set up a project, it was always: “Wait, I know someone”. She knew everyone, from the actor to the press attaché, including the producer, the director, the technician. »It is also she who accompanies him in the creation of the visual universe of The Republic of Gondwana. « When I spoke with her, it was like she was an African, she understood everything about Africa, she really caught my humor », Continues Mamane.
The comedian remembers an anecdote after one of his shows at the French Institute in Dakar, during a seminar. Arrived by Air Senegal, in which Royal Air Maroc had just taken shares, he criticized the airline for the first fifteen minutes. ” At the end of the show, I went to see Françoise, I asked her if she had liked it. She said : “Yes, yes … especially since I was sitting next to the boss of Royal Air Maroc! You kept going, you drove the point home and I made myself very small!” She told me that with her smile and her class, without a hint of reproach. »
Humor and generosity
At work, she keeps her smile and her sense of humor throughout her career. Thomas Legrand-Hedel witnessed this: “ She made me laugh very quickly, from our first meeting. A biting and intelligent humor, respectful and mocking at the same time, with a lot of self-mockery. We knew how to laugh at everything, and especially at ourselves. »
In the sometimes competitive world of communication, Françoise Hollman stands out with her human warmth and her ability to take an interest in others. ” She had a very high sensitivity, she even remembered the birthdays of her colleagues’ relatives », Smiles Véronique Revel-Rongier. A need to exchange which is reflected in his pleasant smile, which Pierre Lescure remembers perfectly: ” Françoise was the youngest of the Canal + com ‘trio: she had this calm, this reflection, this permanent amenity, this smile that made you want to talk. It was not a facade smile, it was the smile of someone who was going towards dialogue. »
After his disappearance, the reactions multiply. All of them pay homage to a deeply generous, strong and modern woman. Thomas Legrand-Hedel, his partner at France Médias Monde, concludes: “ Since the announcement of his disappearance, I have received an avalanche of messages from all over the profession. I realize how much she was adored in our profession, sometimes by people I had never heard of. I think that at RFI as in the other media, it will leave a great void. »
A director at heart:
- 1983: press officer for the UGC group
- 1996: director of communication and programs at Canal Plus, then deputy director to the general manager of the channels
- 2003: deputy director of communication at RTL
- 2005: director of press and public relations at TPS
- 2006: deputy director of communication at M6
- 2008: communications director of RFI
- 2012: Director of Communications for AEF, which will become France Médias Monde (FMM)
- 2018: Director of partnerships, events and visual identities of FMM
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