Not a Barbie Girl

The city near the Danube. So is Brăila nicknamed, the city in Romania that unfolds

along its banks. This is where Diana was born, six years after the revolution, into a

family of businesspeople. Full of energy, she prefers the company of boys. To the

great displeasure of her grandmother Maria who loves to dress her as a Barbie, all in

white. But she prefers soccer (football) and regularly returns covered in mud. "Dare

you not go up on the rooftops!", Maria warns her. But the call of the forbidden and

the need for heights are stronger. Diana loves to climb as high as possible to see the

lights of the city curl up as a fan in the curves of the Danube.

Child play

It is said, everything is set in childhood. Diana's confirms it. She remembers her

grandmother always diving into the paperwork and invoices of her businesses.

Diana remembers: "When I was little, I had a small blue notebook and had fun with

what I imagined were bills." When others played the merchant, she saw herself

more in the role of the accountant. Arrived in France at the age of twelve, Diana is a

good student, especially in math. She remembers she had two favorite

neighborhoods in Paris, Montmartre and the Latin Quarter. She always  likes to

return to them: "The Sacré Cœur and Notre-Dame speak to me. What they say

touches me, and I do not know why."

Later, at the International Lycée in Paris, she prepares a BTS [Superior Technical

Degree] in accounting. "After the BTS, I started classes for a general accounting

and management diploma, but there were also people getting retrained, much

older than me." She decides to quit this school. At the same time, she is considering

a work-study general accounting diploma and submits her CV around. Lagardère

contacts her, she passes the interview. Her energy, her state of mind sparkles. She

adds in passing that she is fluent in four languages: Romanian, French, English and

Spanish. Two days later, she is called back and offered from the start a permanent

contract. She will hold a position as accountant for three years.

Diana the Huntress

From Lagardère, Diana goes directly to FiveForty°. The click happens during the first

seminar of the new Microsoft Solutions consulting firm in September 2018. The wives

and partners of the employees are invited.

Alexandre, Catherine and Jonathan are discussing the issues about recruitment in

rapidly growing start-ups. Diana explains that she would love to help them with

her networks and good knowledge of the use of LinkedIn.

Diana has the instinct of a head hunter. She gains the trust of the associates and will

be on the lookout for the best profiles. She sets out as a self-employed person.

Her method has convinced the board. It offers her the multifaceted job of executive

assistant with a first filter on recruitment. She is then integrated into the FiveForty°

team.

A lasting difference

She is asked if the family and support spirit reigning at FiveForty° can be sustained

given the rapid growth of the business. Diana is confident: "We will be able to

double the number of employees. What diffuses between our walls permeates into

a nice base to guarantee in the future what makes us different today." Diana

emphasizes the intergenerational aspect of FiveForty°. 

"We are not a cliché of the typical start-up. By us, seniors and juniors make up an

osmosis of remarkable skills and energies", notes Diana. What annoys her in her job:

"when I don't get a reply from a profile that I find interesting." What she likes: "the

support that I need from my managers, for instance, on difficult reminders. They go

to bat for me. I am not a consultant, but support, I know about that too!", she

laughs. "In the end, what I love above everything else about my job is having the

feeling like I'm useful in very concrete assignments", concludes Diana.°