From Manager to Much More: Franck Wiacek’s Defining Turning Point
Franck Wiacek
Diriger une Activité (DUA) program
Currently a seasoned leader of a 180-strong team, Franck Wiacek had never pictured himself as a “company boss.” That changed when the expansion of his responsibilities and the expectations of his organization prompted him to rethink his leadership stance. By joining the Diriger une Activité (DUA) program at emlyon business school, he chose to step back, gain perspective, and cross a key milestone in his career. Here is his story.
From Engineer to Executive Leader
For a long time, Franck Wiacek defined himself as an engineer, a professional focused on tangible outcomes, practical solutions, and measurable impact. “I thought I was destined for technical roles,” he recalls. Yet his career path soon opened up broader horizons.
Originally from northern France, he trained as an engineer at ESA d’Angers after completing a BTS in Pierrefonds, following an already hybrid path combining academic study with professional immersion. He began his career at Rhône-Poulenc, which later became Bayer, before joining ARVALIS – Institut du végétal, a leading organization in applied research for field crops. This environment aligned perfectly with his original commitment: putting applied research at the service of French agriculture, farmers, and agricultural value chains.
At ARVALIS, Franck Wiacek gradually discovered a new field of expression. Initially managing small teams, his scope expanded steadily over the years, from fewer than ten people, to 50, and now nearly 200, spread across 26 research stations throughout France. A decentralized organization rooted in local territories, closely connected to agricultural realities that vary widely depending on region, soil, and crops.
“What I enjoy most is helping people grow and producing solutions that are useful, usable, and actually used,” he explains. Management has become central to his day-to-day work, not as a theoretical function, but as a lever in service of agricultural sectors. “We don’t do research for the sake of research. We have a duty to find solutions,” he emphasizes.
When the question of “how to lead on a larger scale” arises…
After more than 20 years in management, a new stage emerged. Franck Wiacek was identified by his peers as a high-potential profile for general management roles. During discussions with an external HR consulting firm, one point became clear: “I had practiced strategy and contributed to structuring projects such as mergers and acquisitions. But I had never been trained in finance for governance, and only modestly in corporate strategy.” What he lacked was a holistic view of organizational performance economic, social, and environmental and the ability to manage an entire business, arbitrate, and make decisions on macroeconomic issues.
The decision to pursue further education was made without putting his professional activity on hold. With the support of his organization, he identified the Diriger une Activité (DUA) program at emlyon business school. The choice quickly became obvious, notably because of the balance between strategy, finance, and leadership, and the opportunity to follow the program in Paris alongside his professional responsibilities.
A demanding program designed for active executives
Over eight months, Franck Wiacek completed the DUA on emlyon’s Paris campus. A first for him: a long, intensive program undertaken alongside a high-responsibility role. “Work doesn’t stop. You have to be clear-eyed—the personal investment is significant.”
The cohort was small—just seven participants from very different professional backgrounds. “A real opportunity,” he notes. This configuration enriched the experience: “We challenge each other’s ways of thinking, our reflexes, our certainties. It forces you to adopt a broader vision and to learn how to reconcile perspectives.”
The modules followed one another with a gradual increase in intensity: strategy, finance, leadership, governance—culminating in a final business game. One constant throughout: real-world grounding. “We work on our own company issues, with real numbers and real challenges.”
Co-development is a core component of the program: each participant helps others move forward on their challenges. The group dynamic makes it possible to identify relevant levers quickly and clearly. “Helping a peer progress on their issue, and accepting others’ perspectives on your own—it’s extremely formative,” confirms Franck Wiacek.
A dynamic and adaptable learning approach
Beyond the content itself, Franck Wiacek highlights emlyon’s mindset. “The instructors are entrepreneurs and executives. They bring the concepts back to real-life situations they’ve experienced.” When certain modules require adjustments, the teaching approach evolves rapidly. “You can feel that this is an institution that operates like a company. Participant satisfaction is genuinely considered.”
He extended the experience in Lyon through elective courses focused on leadership and innovation in a disrupted world an opportunity to connect with other cohorts, expand his network, and further challenge his practices.
Returning transformed and immediately operational
Back at work, Franck Wiacek applied his learnings straight away: financial statement analysis, prioritization of performance indicators, new collaboration methods within the executive committee. “It’s action-reaction. You learn, you apply.”
Even though the general management position did not materialize immediately, the momentum is there. “The DUA allowed me to gain perspective, step out of day-to-day operations, and open my mind. You come back physically tired, but intellectually in Olympic form.”
One thing is certain: becoming a leader is not about a job title. It is a shift in posture—one that sometimes requires revisiting the fundamentals in order to fully embrace what comes next.