Afilog Has a New President
After five terms at the helm of Afilog, Claude Samson is handing over to Christophe Ripert, who has served as vice president for the past two years. Elected by the Board of Directors on June 25, Christophe Ripert thus becomes Afilog’s fourth president since its creation exactly 25 years ago. The editorial team at Plateformes Magazine had the pleasure of speaking with both men about the future of Afilog and the industry, building on all that has been accomplished in recent years.
Christophe Ripert, what will be the priorities of your term?
Christophe Ripert : The first is to continue collectively improving the image and acceptance of our industry. Too often overlooked or challenged, logistics buildings are nevertheless at the heart of how our economy and everyday lives function. It is up to us to integrate them better into local areas and make them more understandable, exemplary and desirable. The second priority I have set for myself concerns new generations. Our responsibility is indeed to prepare for the future by attracting, training and inspiring tomorrow’s talent. Afilog must remain a committed player in passing on knowledge, education and promoting our professions, in conjunction with schools, universities and all our partners. We must therefore take account of changes in professions and skills development, work on quality of life at work, and promote gender equality in logistics and industrial real estate.
I will also work to fully position Afilog within the transformational dynamics of our society: digital infrastructure and AI development, new logistics services, mobility, energy transition, and more. Our industry is at the heart of these developments, and we must anticipate and support them, turning them into drivers of growth. During my three-year term, I hope to help secure recognition of our sector as a strategic sovereignty infrastructure for France and Europe. Logistics and industrial platforms must become genuine local facilities that foster innovation and create value, jobs and energy.
Finally, in a world where value chains are being redefined, Afilog must strengthen its European and international reach and become the French voice of logistics in the European debate.
Claude Samson : What Christophe has just outlined is fully in keeping with the work the association has undertaken over several years: decarbonization through promoting the development of photovoltaic panels on buildings; partnerships with logistics associations in other countries (Appunle in Spain, Confindustria Assoimmobiliare in Italy, Abralog in Brazil, etc.); landscape integration through the publication of a guide; and the educational work needed to foster understanding of our professions, notably through the production of white papers…
Christophe’s determination to pursue these goals naturally led me to support his candidacy for the association’s presidency.
Claude Samson, looking back, how do you view your five terms at the helm of Afilog?
Claude Samson : I became president of the association in 2011, after retiring from my role as head of Samada, Monoprix’s logistics subsidiary. Over the past 15 years, I have worked to open up the association to professions beyond logistics real estate: users, start-ups, logistics service providers, manufacturers and local authorities, among others, now stand alongside pure logistics real estate players within Afilog and take part in our various committees. It was essential to me that every link in the chain be able to engage within the association, so that the sector could be better represented to public authorities. I am also proud to have helped our professions become better known and recognized by national and local government. Finally, I am pleased to have maintained a spirit of conviviality throughout these years.
Christophe Ripert : Thanks to Claude, Afilog is an association where people enjoy being involved. His natural authority has helped bring together many stakeholders in a good-natured atmosphere. The association is now an indispensable institution in the professional world and among public authorities.
In your view, what are the essential qualities for leading an association such as Afilog?
Claude Samson : They can be summed up in one word: listening! Listening to the association’s members, the market and public authorities. A president must understand everyone’s expectations, then serve as a bridge between them all by establishing an ongoing dialogue.
Christophe Ripert : Absolutely. You need to be able to convince people before making a decision that will affect everyone. And to convince people, it is essential to understand what each person expects—and therefore to listen—without losing sight of the association’s objectives. My career has given me a particularly comprehensive view of the industry. I was responsible for warehouse organization and operations at the service provider France Distribution Service (DFS), then for logistics and transport research and foresight at Ademe; I served as freight transport and logistics project manager for the City of Paris, and spent eight months in London at Transport for London (TfL) working on the same issues. I then became deputy managing director of logistics real estate company Sogaris. Finally, at Quartus Logistique, I lead the development of logistics development and urban logistics activities. This diversity of experience is undoubtedly one of the common threads running through my commitment to Afilog.
What is Afilog’s main mission?
Claude Samson : This year, we are celebrating Afilog’s 25th anniversary. The association was founded following the tightening of regulations governing classified installations in the wake of the 2001 AZF disaster. Around 10 logistics real estate stakeholders then came together to provide a shared, structured response to public authorities and ensure that the specific features of our industry were taken into account. Afilog thus became the profession’s representative—the necessary bridge between the expectations of government authorities and those of logistics companies.
Christophe Ripert : The association’s role has not changed: Afilog ensures that our profession is taken into account in regulations. Laws are made in response to societal changes, so our role is also to anticipate them rather than be subjected to them, and to build our future growth. Beyond its representative role, Afilog has a place to claim as a think tank for logistics in general, and logistics and industrial real estate in particular.
What will Afilog look like in 25 years?
Christophe Ripert : I am convinced that tomorrow’s logistics buildings will be hybrid platforms: logistical, energy-generating, digital and innovation-driven, both in their design and operation. I believe that in a few years’ time, Afilog will be a European association while retaining its distinctive character: bringing together logistics and industrial real estate stakeholders around their shared challenges, showcasing their expertise, supporting the transformation of their professions, informing the sector’s forward-looking thinking and ensuring its representation before institutions and public authorities.
