Oliane Piana
Oliane Piana

Business development is multifaceted, and fundamentally encompasses the ideas, initiatives and actions that contribute to the long-term value of an organization. Oliane Piana is an expert in the field, having brought her talents to a wide range of ventures all over the world. By working in such diverse work environments and cultures, she has mastered the ability to adapt international strategies to suit a local market. Nowadays, she is one of the brilliant minds behind Pulse Collab. Her focus on collaboration and community as key tools for business development and success have helped her to stand out within this ever-growing industry.

A woman of the world

Oliane was born in France, but also spent part of her childhood in London, England. As a result, she developed a strong desire to learn about and experience other cultures at an early age. She earned her first bachelor's degree in business and accounting from the French KEDGE Business School, and then her second bachelor's degree from the Dublin Business School in Ireland, which covered an array of subjects such as international marketing, communications, human resources and project management.

Laying the foundation of her career, Oliane took an international position in communications and media in Australia, with advertising agency Euro RSCG Australia – now Havas Worldwide Australia. As junior account manager for one of the client's accounts at the time, DELL, she gained tremendous insight into the organization of an account, the high collaboration needed within a team, and the importance of communication with the client.

Next stop for this globetrotter was Spain, where she jumped into business development – primarily in the marketing and sales industry – and also picked up a third language. Her ability to bring people together was once again a key quality in one role, leading the launch of a new business while also managing the expanding team. The shop quickly became the highest grossing of all four franchise locations. Oliane's talent for tuning-in to the local niche of each client's business and helping them to find their place within their unique community is truly unmatched.

Coming home to France to level-up

She returned to France with drive, bringing her skills to Cristal Events. As business partnership manager, Oliane had to understand specific market trends, discover innovative companies, and identify key market players to get them involved in the events. She became acutely aware of the quickly growing digital era and, seeing the opportunity, decided to expand her career in that direction. She spent the next year working in the ad-tech industry, and found great success thanks to strong collaborations and her initiatives to help her clients focus on effective data collection and analysis. She was always thinking ahead – an impressive characteristic that caught the attention of the all-star team at FrenchFounders.

Finding great success in the US

Oliane was hired in 2016 and, at the time, FrenchFounders was starting to develop its presence in Silicon Valley, where big tech players are literally around every corner. As the largest global community of French-speaking CEOs, top executives, investors and entrepreneurs, FrenchFounders connects people through a digital platform and hosts high-quality business events.

During her time in San Francisco as VP West Coast, Oliane had a huge role in making the region the second leading core US branch of the company with over 350 clients in the first year – second only to the New York headquarters. She was then promoted to spearhead growth management and marketing in Southern California and spent the next two and half years in LA.

In total, she met with over 2000 leaders across a range of industries, and even further strengthened her ability to nurture collaboration between companies and clients, as well as her ability to set up strategies and effectively implement them. When asked about her time with FrenchFounders, she reflects: "What attracted me from the beginning was the challenge of having an active role in the development of a business and, furthermore, in a very tech represented market. This role developed my curiosity and interest in entrepreneurial journeys, new business developments, and customer experiences."

Making her mark as an entrepreneur: Pulse Collab

By 2021, Oliane was feeling driven to help other companies in developing their own business community ecosystems. With that exact mission in mind, she co-founded Pulse Collab – an ambitious, innovative consulting firm specializing in marketing, sales and operations development for early and mid-stage B2B and B2C companies. Oliane further explains: "I understood that building business communities for companies is a very effective way to help them in having a regular dialogue with their customers, partners, and prospects."

Pulse Collab helps their clients to develop their revenue and growth strategy through community building, allowing them to understand the evolution of their own market and trends more accurately to emphasize their position in the market and differentiate accordingly. Oliane's previous international experience scaling partnerships through relationship building, and her experience in key account acquisition and management has made her a key player in the company's development. She has had a significant role in shaping Pulse Collab's strategy and establishing the offers for its customers. In addition to bringing on board the first significant clients, Oliane has also taken the lead as global community program and partnership manager for the company's main customer Scalefast, an end-to-end eCommerce solution provider.

For Oliane Piana, relationships are at the core of everything. For a business to be most successful, it is essential to collaborate and nurture their community to develop long lasting support. Finding their unique placement in their local market is just as important as staying connected to widespread trends. The truth is, we all need to feel connected and are far more likely to contribute our money and support to something that holds personal value. Oliane's understanding of cultural and regional diversity and variances, as well as her flexibility in adapting business strategies, has helped her to become a creative leader in the business development sector.