[Zoom] Interview with Capucine Virmoux, Chief of Staff at Kymono

26 Mar

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You create culture for others. How do you ensure that Kymono's culture — your values, rituals, and energy — stays alive internally, and isn't just well-designed for your clients?

Our biggest fear would be being the cobbler with the worst shoes.

Very concretely, we put a lot of things in place to nurture, evolve, and grow our culture on a daily basis. Throughout the year, we create dedicated moments for cultural exchange, never in a dogmatic or "cult-like" way, but rather very openly. We listen to everyone's opinions, viewpoints, and expectations.

These ideas don't stay theoretical: they're turned into actions, with identified leaders and a real project management approach. The goal is clear: to move forward together.

We want every team member to be an ambassador of Kymono culture, not just a passenger along for the ride.

With a culture as intense as "WE ARE FIERCE / GAME ON," what is the key moment in the hiring process where you know if a candidate will truly thrive in it, or not at all?

That's the whole challenge and complexity of the famous culture fit.

What I look for above all is to understand the candidate's relationship with perseverance and failure. Through their past experiences, we try to gauge how comfortable they are with falling down... then getting back up.

At our company, failing once is OK. Beyond that, it raises questions. We expect everyone to give their best and truly push beyond their limits.

For sales profiles, for example, an overly competitive spirit can be a negative weak signal. We value mutual support and teamwork over a "shark" mentality where people fight for a client at the team's expense.

And regarding the GAME ON aspect, I pay close attention to the person's vital energy: are they someone who radiates joy? How do they celebrate victories, especially collective ones?

We are a collective of individuals who shine, and this energy must be felt from the very first interview.

With hybrid work, coming to the office is no longer mandatory. What, in your opinion, truly makes people want to come to the office? Is it a ritual, an atmosphere, a type of interaction?

Who said it's no longer mandatory? It all depends on the company and shared expectations.

For teams to want to come to the office, it's not enough to impose: you need to explain the why. Education always works.

The atmosphere is key, and it stems directly from culture. If teams are warm, welcoming, if exchanges are useful and bring something meaningful, then there's no need to even ask the question: people come naturally.

Rituals obviously play a central role, as long as they're designed for the team, and with the team.

A very simple example: organizing a running club on Tuesday evening, when one person has padel, another pottery, and others have children — nobody will come.

Conversely, a collaborative lunch on Thursday, planned around actual schedules, works much better.

As often, it's not about copying or duplicating ready-made recipes, but about really knowing your team and adapting to them.

When a company grows fast, people often say that standards erode. How do you maintain your level of standards... without becoming rigid?

It all starts with involvement.

Without engagement, you quickly slide into pitfalls that satisfy no one: complacency, lack of vigilance, topics only skimmed over. Conversely, when teams are aware of the stakes, of their contribution, when they feel recognized and valued, then high standards are maintained naturally.

High standards aren't a constraint: they're a direct consequence of collective mobilization.

Your role spans HR, organization, operations, and culture. What is the subtle but decisive lever you use to hold it all together?

I see this role as that of a conductor... in the shadows.

The goal is for everything to run smoothly, almost invisibly, without anyone feeling like there's constant intervention.

This requires a lot of agility and very little ego. You have to accept putting an enormous amount in place to facilitate the teams' work, without seeking to be at the center.

I like the analogy of a Swiss army knife: a very operational role, with a profoundly strategic scope.