She is allergic to routine and always ready to try novelty in her career ? the more so when it involves international networking. This is why Françoise White was so excited last Saturday, when we met her on the eve of her departure for South Africa, where she will be the Human Resource business partner of Barclays Africa for the risk and corporate banking departments. Her excitement was, however, tainted with a pinch of anxiety to leave her son Roger and her husband David behind? ?But it is better to take such decisions without being fully aware of what it implies.?

This is what life has taught her since she left school. ?If I had realised the implications of all the decisions I made when I made them, I would certainly not have achieved such a point in my career today.? After working eight years in various fields of aviation, she decide to resume her studies abroad. As she had meanwhile married David and given birth to their elder son, Gareth, the little family flew to Montpellier where she obtained her law degree. ?Those three years were not easy. If someone had told me what it would be to study law with a small baby, I might have changed my mind.?

But Françoise is not one to throw in the towel? When David moved to the United States, she decided to pursue her studies there. ?But then I realised that French law had nothing to do with US law and the only way of pursuing my studies would be to do international law. As it was not of great interest for me, I followed my brother?s advice and changed to management studies.? At that time, Mauritius was starting to develop and the country lacked managers. This is when she discovered personnel management and human resource development.

She came back from the US alone ? as David had not yet finished ? and pregnant with her second son, Roger. This is when she faced the petty mind of local managers who would not ?allow a pregnant woman to be in touch with customers?. She was getting ?desperate? when she met a French air army colonel who was launching Socota textile factory in Mauritius.

As he was more open-minded than all the employers she had met since her return, he employed her to set up his system of personnel management. She, however, had to make a sacrifice and resume work as soon as she and her baby were fine. But obviously, it was worth it. ?It was a great experience. It was my dream to put my theoretical knowledge into practice and I managed it at Socota. My boss was a mixture of rigour, wisdom and maturity. He was one of the most important persons in my career. He believed in me.?

But, as she is always after new challenges, she moved to CCL Management and then to the Currimjee group before starting her own business. ?I felt it was time for me to embark on a new adventure.? She thus specialised in consultancy and training companies. ?It was not easy at the beginning. You have to give people time to be known in the sector? But then, when the business was really starting to take off, I had a phone call from Barclays,? she says with a broad smile.

Although she enjoyed working on her own, Françoise realised she was quite lonely and was missing the interaction with other colleagues.

?But the greatest motivation for me was when I went on their website and realised how open they were onto the international market. I knew that I would not retire just after my job at Barclays and I had always wanted to take advantage of this multinational company.?

So, when she was given the opportunity to move from her post of HR manager on the country management committee in Mauritius and Seychelles to try her luck further in the region, she did not hesitate. ?I am a bit afraid but I suppose that I can?t let such a chance fly away,? she insists. ?But, if the country wants to develop, our labour force must go and see what is happening elsewhere. We no longer live at a time when our boss expects loyalty for life. We should encourage mobility so that people can offer the best of themselves during the time they remain in a job.?

Obviously, Françoise?s choice would have been different if she did not have the full support of her family. But David already travels to South Africa for work quite often. And her younger son Roger will soon leave home to study abroad and he wants his parents to jump on opportunities given to them. There is no doubt then that Françoise can leave with her mind at peace?

She still remembers the words of her first employer, Jacques Esnouf, when she left Chantecler for the aviation sector. ?If this building you see over there was ready, I would have offered you the job in the personnel department and I am sure you would do well.? She never thought time would prove him so right!