Frédéric Bailly joined Groupe SOS 29 years ago. Initially an assistant to Jean-Marc Borello, founder of Groupe SOS, he has developed over the years, broadening his range of experience as the organisation has diversified. Today he is the Executive Vice President in charge of Groupe SOS’ international activities and real estate. In this short interview, he discusses the group’s international actions and his vision of social cohesion.
Could you define Groupe SOS in a nutshell?
To me, Groupe SOS is an innovative social enterprise that brings solutions to the most vulnerable communities by means of creating products and services for the common good.
What are Groupe SOS’s levers for action internationally?
What we do really with our 12 NGOs and social enterprises working internationally is mostly capacity building: we create programs in partnership with the civil society locally in the countries where we operate, usually also in cooperation with the local authorities. Those programs are geared towards helping them build more capacity, becoming more independent, both financially but also obviously in terms of their expertise.
The link between all of them? The will to have a strong social and environmental impact, backed by a strong business model!
To celebrate its 40th birthday, Groupe SOS dedicates a year to reflecting on social cohesion. What does this concept evoke for you?
I think social cohesion is just this ability to live as a society with our differences with a clear understanding that what is different is actually enriching, and that the common good is more important than each and everyone’s individual interest
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