Business

AAPA Gets the Story behind France's Unique Unicorn

France has become a much more fertile ground for creating start-up companies, the youthful and dynamic head of French ride-sharing company BlaBlaCar told a group of 15 AAPA members on Oct. 9. Speaking to us at a lively breakfast meeting at the BlaBla Bistro in his company’s Paris HQ, Frédéric Mazzella, explained how he got the idea for his company in 2003 when he noticed how few cars travelling…


Telecoms, Publishing on the Menu as Free CEO Meets AAPA

French entrepreneur and telecoms gadfly Xavier Niel had a lot to say about the France’s telecommunications and publishing sectors when he met with 17 AAPA members on June 2.   The off-the-record event was hosted by Mr. Niel at the Parisian headquarters of Iliad, the parent company of Free, a mobile phone company and internet provider that has challenged the hold of major French telecoms…


Members discuss wine crisis, worst in 35 years

As Joe Ray wrote recently about a subject dear to many of our hearts, they say it's the worst wine crisis in France in 35 years. In Bordeaux, they say that it's the worst in 150 years. The problem? The numbers are down. Wine consumption within the country is beginning to lose out to beer and responsibility behind the wheel, while beyond French borders the rest of the world's winemakers are…


Flying visit to superjumbo

When a flock of AAPA members and some guests flew down to Toulouse to meet senior executives at Europe's commercial aircraft company, Airbus, little did they know they were creating history: it was the first time your association had taken to the air for a field trip. At a time when Airbus and its parent company EADS were making front-page news, the timing couldn't have been better, and the event…