Séverine Moïchine, Doctor in physics and chemistry and a multi-entrepreneur

Séverine Moïchine, Doctor in physics and chemistry and a multi-entrepreneur

After gaining a PhD in Physics and Chemistry, Séverine Moïchine joined the pharmaceutical industry in the early 2000s. Ten years later, she trained as an executive coach and set up her own company. In 2022, she launched UNIC – L’Université de Coaching®, in Toulouse. 

Why did you choose to study at UPPA? 

I made the decision spontaneously after my Baccalaureate, partly for practical reasons, because I’m from Pau, and partly because UPPA had an excellent reputation for scientific subjects. I initially wanted to study biology, but in the end I was more attracted by physics and chemistry. I became really interested in the physics and chemistry of short-lived entities and their modelling. 

To understand computer modelling, I enrolled in the University Diploma in Computer Science for Scientists at the same time. During my undergraduate degree, I also had the opportunity to spend a four-month internship in the chemistry laboratory of a power station in Spain, which allowed me to enter the job market with a dual degree and practical experience. I really enjoyed campus life at UPPA. I was part of the volleyball team and we played every evening and had matches at regional level at the weekends. It was a great period! During my PhD years, I also loved transmitting my knowledge by teaching physics and chemistry to students on the CAPES course, so much so that I was a driving force, along with other PhD students in my laboratory, behind the creation of a tutoring scheme for first-year students in difficulty. 

How did you get started in the world of work? 

It took me a few months to get my first job. At the time, recruiters saw the "PhD in Physics and Chemistry" as having more of a theoretical profile than a practical one, and tended to prefer engineers from the schools they themselves had attended. After a while though, my triple skills set in physics, chemistry and computer science won over the recruiters at the Servier laboratory in Paris, who were looking for an IT project manager in Research and Development. My work involved identifying scientists’ needs, writing specifications and managing projects, in line with what I had been doing during my PhD. Then, after having my first child, I wanted to return to the South-West. I joined the IT R&D department at Pierre Fabre, in Castres. I worked on a number of major projects: digitising drug registration files, pharmacovigilance, customer relations, sales, etc. It was then that I decided to train in NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) to improve communication with the teams. One thing led to another and the course led me to coaching, and because human beings are the most fragile materials of all, I took a one-year state-approved training course. I set up my own company in 2010, working part-time for three years while remaining Project Manager at Pierre Fabre, then working 100% on my own from 2013. 

Was this change of career a “chance happening”? 

Not quite! I have always enjoyed transmitting knowledge, teaching, networking and analysing situations from other perspectives. My experience in the business world also allowed me to pinpoint difficulties within teams and identify the need to guide companies and their employees towards more efficient organisation. Another advantage is that I remain scientific in my approach, which means simplifying contexts and relations. It’s so satisfying to see people flourishing and succeeding with their teams! Over the last ten years, the company has grown and I have specialised in behavioural agility. COVID saw my business explode: companies needed agility more than ever! In 2021, I became regional delegate for the French Coaching Federation and I noticed that executive coaches were well trained but needed to work on the key aspects to make a living from their profession (sales strategy, brand image, digital technology, financial strategy, etc.) and become real entrepreneurs. The UNIC executive coach course includes a five-day “Entrepreurship and Business Development” module. A year later, I opened Sève Greenworking®, an environmentally friendly 300m² space with meeting rooms and offices in Toulouse. I also took over Agil’Oa, which offers behavioural agility assessments and in which I had been a partner for several years. During my studies, I would never have imaged being a multi-entrepreneur at the head of three companies! 

What words do you spontaneously associate with UPPA? 

Science, a wealth of ideas, sport and kindness.

What advice would you give to a young person starting a course at UPPA?

I would say: “enjoy your studies to the full, it will serve you whatever your future career”. I would also advise them to shut themselves away for a month before their exams to study and make sure they pass!  

Want to find out more?  

• Executive coach - https://moichine.fr/

• UNIC – L’Université de Coaching®: www.unic.coach
• La Sève – Greenworking®: https://www.laseve-toulouse.fr/
• Agil’OA: http://www.agiloa.com/fr/