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Meet the…president

Witbe’s Marie-Véronique Lacaze talks working in media, from the birth of the internet through today’s peak streaming, and why nothing can be achieved alone

Marie-Véronique Lacaze, president and co-founder of Witbe
Talk us through an average day in your role.

As the president of an international tech company, I work every day with the managers of our different services to make sure that they and their teams are aligned with the overall strategy of automated testing and proactive monitoring at Witbe. At the marketing and R&D level, we work to ensure that we’re developing the right products for current and future technological trends. With our salespeople, we work to offer our products at the right price. And with my financial administrators, we make sure that the company has enough funds and investments to sustain our objectives. Basically, my job is to support everyone so that they can perform to the best of their ability and continue the growth of our company.

How did you get started in the media industry?

I started working in France before the internet when no one really knew the impact that it was going to have. People said that it was just a tool made by “crazy engineers.” A bunch of those engineers and I helped create Oléane, the first internet provider in France catering exclusively to businesses. 

We ended up selling that company to Orange in 1998 and used our experience as an internet provider to create Witbe. We wanted to test the service quality being delivered to users. In the beginning, we focused on simple web services, but as video streaming became more popular, the company shifted towards that. Today, Witbe is the only company capable of measuring the true quality received by the users of any video service across any end-user device.

What training did you have before entering the industry?

I had been studying psychology at college for a few semesters before I went to work in the technology industry. I’ve found that the most useful training has come from each of the different positions I’ve held throughout my career – you always learn the most while doing the job!

Why do you enjoy working in the industry?

I love that there is always something new every day, whether it’s new content, devices, ways of communicating, or ways of consuming content. There’s always a new challenge to tackle. It can be complicated sometimes, but it’s very motivating!

What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours?

Make sure you take your vitamins! Jokes aside, the first thing I would say is to never give up, even if it doesn’t work out the first few times. Also, surround yourself with smart and motivated people who want to accompany you in the adventure. Nothing can be achieved alone. The strength of a company comes from all the people that are in it, working towards achieving a common goal.