The Adelaide Group launches its corporate university
The Adelaïde Group creates a Scientific Committee to support the expansion of its corporate university
As part of its Better Future 28 plan, the Adelaïde Group has announced the creation of its corporate university, whose development will be overseen by an independent Scientific Committee. Chaired by Pierre-Charles Pradier and Jacques Verlingue, this Scientific Committee aims to make Adelaïde University the foundation of training and continuous innovation in the service of sustainable performance.
A university dedicated to the Group’s talent and strategy
With combined revenue of €450 million in 2024, up 12.5% compared to 2023, and 26% of its business conducted internationally, the Adelaïde Group aims to become Europe’s leading independent family-owned insurance broker.
This trajectory is based on a model founded on organic growth, supported by strategic acquisitions (ten acquisitions in France and Europe since 2015) and a cultural transformation driven by the upskilling of its employees. It is with this in mind that Adelaïde University was created, a key project designed to support the Group’s 3,000 employees in their professional development.
Designed as a learning ecosystem, the university is based on six specialised faculties, each designed to directly meet the Group’s strategic and operational needs: Commerce, Data/Finance and Actuarial Science, Management and Humanities, Social Protection, Business Risk, and Technology.
Each faculty is led by a Faculty Head and a Sponsorship Director who is a member of the Adelaïde Group Executive Committee, ensuring consistency between business challenges, strategic ambitions and employee needs. Subject matter experts within the various teams will complement this governance structure. Acting as operational intermediaries, they will ensure the technical relevance of the training programmes, maintain links with the field and ensure that the system is firmly rooted in reality.
“Adelaïde University is much more than a training centre: it is a collective learning and transformation project. It embodies our vision of a learning, agile and responsible company, where every employee finds the means to grow and contribute to the Group’s performance,“, says Benjamin Verlingue, Chairman and CEO of the Adelaïde Group.
A Scientific Committee, the foundation of excellence and innovation
Chaired by Pierre-Charles Pradier, Economist at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and Jacques Verlingue, Chairman of the Adelaïde Group’s Strategic Committee, the Adelaïde University Scientific Committee ensures academic rigour, programme quality and pedagogical innovation. Comprising academic, economic and entrepreneurial experts, the Committee embodies diversity of perspective and collective strength in the service of education, research and performance.
Its remit covers the entire spectrum of education and research:
✓ define the university’s educational and scientific guidelines,
✓ validate and develop training and research programmes,
✓ encourage experimentation and educational innovation,
✓ strengthen academic and professional partnerships,
✓ oversee internal and external certifications,
✓ and promote professional expertise and skills recognition within the Group.
“Adelaïde University believes that knowledge, when shared, becomes a common good. By recognising expertise and promoting research, we anchor the Group’s performance in a shared and evolving intelligence,”,
emphasises Pierre-Charles Pradier, Co-chairman of the Scientific Committee.
A roll-out designed to boost collective performance
The launch of the Scientific Committee at Adelaïde University marks the start of a structured, gradual and ambitious roll-out designed to support the system’s growth within the Group.
In 2026, the focus will be on the academic structure of the university: the roadmaps for the faculties will be finalised, the first certified training courses will be rolled out, and the business line representatives will be fully mobilised to co-develop courses in line with the Group’s operational and strategic needs.
In 2024, 68,300 hours of training have already been provided on 1,200 topics, enabling 2,300 employees to receive training, 20 of whom have obtained certification. The target is to reach 15% of employees certified by 2028.
<em“Our ambition is to make learning a source of fulfilment, differentiation and pride. For Adelaïde University to become a catalyst for energy and talent, a place where everyone finds the resources and inspiration to move forward,”, concludes Bernard de Laportalière, Director of Human Resources for the Adelaïde Group.
List of Scientific Committee members
• Pierre-Charles Pradier, Economist at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and
Co-Chair of the Adelaïde University Scientific Committee
• Jacques Verlingue, Chair of the Adelaide Group Strategic Committee and
Co-Chair of the Adelaïde University Scientific Committee
• Isabelle Balestra, Legal Director, Bouygues Construction
• Gilles Bénéplanc, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Adelaïde Group
• Franck Bodikian, Human Resources Director, Manpower
• Marc Dennery, Associate Director, C Campus
• Sandrine Gourlet, Chair of the Executive Board of Port Atlantique La Rochelle
• Franck Grimonpont, Director of Insurance, Suez Environnement
• Sébastien Jakobowski, Director of Séroni
• Philippe Korda, Strategy and Management Expert, Advisor to Senior Executives of Major Companies and Founder of the Énergie Jeunes Association
• Christian Morel, Sociologist, Author of the Three-Volume Series Les décisions absurdes
• Ecaterina Nisipasu, Head of Actuarial Modelling, Scor
• Stéphane Saussier, Professor of Economics at IAE Paris