DV Faces: Céline Tchao, Lead Strategic Designer, Paris
“What makes me proud to be a DVer is to see the diversity of our projects that address societal and sustainable issues.”
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Meet the world-class talent building the game-changing businesses of the future.
At BCG Digital Ventures, we’re shaping tomorrow one game-changing venture at a time. From ideation to testing and launch, building game-changing businesses from the ground up takes a spectrum of different skills, a variety of expertise, and, of course, a lot of collaboration.
That’s where our talent comes in. BCGDV is home to a diverse community of high-caliber talent hailing from some of the most exciting companies around the world. Each of our multidisciplinary experts brings a wealth of knowledge and career experience, along with a unique perspective to each of our builds. Together, they’re creating innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Our talent makes BCG Digital Ventures what it is today. In this series, we speak to our unique talents about their exciting career journeys, their unique BCGDV experiences, and why they’re passionate about creating the businesses that are changing the world.
BCGDV: Tell us about your unique background and journey that led you to BCGDV.
A: My multidisciplinary background is in Biology/Engineering and Design. After my first degree in Biochemistry, I left my “all traced out career as a biochemist” to study design and innovation before starting my career with the Maker & DIY Biology movement, which was booming in the 2010s. With the growth of the first fabrications laboratories, also known as fab labs, I later joined a lab dedicated to biology and synthetic biology in Paris, before relocating to the Philippines to set up the Manila branch with the help of a local NGO.
Once I returned to France, I became a part of the team of the Design Studio of Dassault Systèmes, where I worked with exceptional designers such as Anne Asensio, former Design Director of Renault and General Motors. In 2015, my career led me to IBM and their newly launched digital and design agency. I worked across various sectors (shipping industry, pharma, telecoms, luxury) while traveling to numerous countries, mainly in North and West Africa.
BCGDV: Why did you choose a career at Digital Ventures?
A: Essentially, the core values at DV resonated with me, while the stories of the people working here sparked a curiosity within me. Being a part of DV allows me to discover passionate entrepreneurs, writers, artists, and inspiring leaders. It’s a place where excellence is met with great listening and care.
Before joining DV, I worked on many exciting projects that were entirely design-driven. But I view design more as a wholly intertwined entity with other disciplines and prefer to create a common language for all the disciplines, which is the case at DV.
BCGDV: Briefly describe your role and cohort at BCGDV.
A: The Strategic Design department is a creative unit, but we have an approach that is almost scientific. And what unites us as Strategic Designers is our profound passion for understanding the human being, societal changes, and the role of technology in our society.
On a day-to-day basis, we orchestrate the entire creative process when inventing a new product or business. With each new venture, we start off by asking veracious questions to identify the distinct problem. We then answer them methodically through research, and imagine solution concepts to know how to bring them to life before finally testing the concept.
BCGDV: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in joining your cohort? What are the three most important characteristics needed to succeed in your job?
A: To identify and understand their unique talent, to be a curious and courageous designer who dares to question the status quo, and finally, to be a constant learner regardless of the profession and cohort.
BCGDV: Are you a member or ally of any of BCGDV’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as DV Pride, Latinx, BEN?
A: I am a member of the mentoring team at Year Here, a London-based social innovation program that is a partner of DV, where I also mentor one of the startups.
BCGDV: How would you describe BCGDV’s culture? Why are you proud to be a DVer?
A: DV has a group of diverse, high-caliber talent, each with their own uniqueness, which creates a fascinating and dynamic culture. The myriad of personalities is the perfect mixture where people do their best every day without taking things too seriously. We are full of contradictions in a positive sense: simple and sophisticated, successful yet humble.
What makes me proud to be a DVer is to see the diversity of our projects that address societal and sustainable issues. We are able to contribute by helping companies in a very concrete way to create more sustainable and impactful initiatives, not only in the vision but also in the operation of it.
To learn more about Strategic Design roles at BCG Digital Ventures, visit our Cohort page.
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