Professor Benoît Ladoux co-leads the Cell Adhesion and Mechanics research group at the Institut Jacques Monod. He and his teams have been exploring the relatively uncharted territory of mechanobiology for a number of years. Read on to discover his vision of the mechanisms at work and the issues connected with the discipline.

Two-Michelin-starred chef and long-time judge on France’s Top Chef show, Thierry Marx also offers short and free culinary classes to help poverty stricken individuals get back into the workforce. Taking a break between services, he lets us in on his recipe for success.

Nathalie Ternisien and Aurélie Pichard, respectively co-CEO and head of research at Brain Value, a market research and strategic planning company, decipher global consumer behaviour trends. Here is their take on the rise of authentic, responsible, committed brands.

Mathilde Lion is a beauty expert covering Europe for the NPD Group. A fragrance specialist, she tells us which trends to look out for on the market in 2017.

Fred Raillard, co-founder of Fred & Farid, an independent digital agency, set out four years ago to conquer the Chinese market. Now the host of his own weekly social media podcast and the boss of a booming business, he shares with us the keys to success in the Middle Kingdom.

Philippa Foster Back, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), is Director of the Institute of Business Ethics (IBE). Her role is to give a voice to business ethics and highlight its impact on value creation.

Transparent, collaborative, open… You are where you work. In answer to the question “How can companies improve quality of life in the workplace?”, Emmanuelle Duez, advisor to large corporations, cites working environment, furniture and buildings as decisive factors. The founder of The Boson Project, an organisation that is helping French businesses to get a better handle on the expectations of their young employees, takes us on a tour of tomorrow’s office.

“Without social justice there will be no economy.” These were the recent words of wisdom from Danone’s Chairman and CEO to the graduating students of HEC, a top French business school. His comments, which quickly went viral, are backed up by the numbers: corporate philanthropy has seen a record 25% increase in France in the last two years (Admical/CSA 2016 survey). Yoann Kassi-Viver, co-founder of Pro Bono Lab, takes a look at what companies can gain from volunteer programmes.

The crisis of recent years has led to major changes in Russian patterns of consumption. Caroline Dufy, lecturer at Sciences Po Bordeaux and Russia watcher, takes an up-close look at a consumer society in flux.

Is an African middle class starting to take shape and, if so, will it be the next engine of growth? Clélie Nallet, a professor of political science specialising in Africa’s middle classes, shares her socio-economic vision of Africa today.

Eric Briones, aka Darkplanneur, is a strategic planner, associate professor at the Moda Domani Institute, blogger and co-author of a number of books on millennials, luxury and digital technology, including La Génération Y et le Luxe (Generation Y and Luxury) and the recently released Luxe et Digital (Luxury and Digital), both published by Dunod. He explains how millennials are poised to reinvent consumption and why brands need to keep a close eye on them.