Construire un groupe de 700 personnes sans perdre l’humain | Bastien Sauve, CEO PHIDA Groupe

PHIDA Group has grown from approximately 300 to 700 employees in just a few years. But in this episode, Bastien Sauve isn't talking about growth at any cost. He's primarily focused on quality, boundaries, structure, and responsibility. How do you grow a group without losing its human touch, agility, and high standards? How do you integrate companies, professionalize internal functions, invest in sustainability, test the four-day workweek, and maintain an entrepreneurial culture in a sector as tangible as construction? In this episode, I'm joined by Bastien Sauve, CEO and partner of PHIDA Group, a group active primarily in construction in French-speaking Switzerland, but also in services, events, and investment. An EPFL engineer with experience in private banking and mergers and acquisitions, Bastien joined the group ten years ago, initially as Alain Joseph's right-hand man, before becoming a partner. We discuss growth, acquisitions, leadership, the energy transition, artificial intelligence, construction site safety, the four-day workweek in construction, and work-life balance. A practical exchange for Swiss entrepreneurs, executives, managers, and professionals interested in business growth, personal development in the workplace, and inspiring career paths in French-speaking Switzerland. On the agenda: Bastien Sauve's journey from EPFL to PHIDA Group Meeting Alain Joseph and building an entrepreneurial partnership The group's growth: from 300 to 700 employees Acquisitions: what works, what doesn't, and what lessons can be learned The 4-day workweek in construction Sustainability, safety, and social responsibility in the building sector Artificial intelligence, management, and quality of working time The role of sports, family, and work-life balance 🎙️ Episode supported by SOLARSPLIT Thank you to SOLARSPLIT, the Swiss platform that democratizes solar energy investment, for their support of the podcast. 👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/solarsplit Episode summary: 00:42 Intro 02:59 Who is Bastien? 05:33 The story of the PHIDA Group 25:50 Its evolution, the path to get where it is today 41:06 The company's vision 48:45 Current challenges to its growth 55:08 Acquisitions 01:04:12 The energy transition in construction 01:10:17 Things we don't realize 01:24:48 The duo Alain Joseph and Bastien Sauve 01:32:54 Question from a former guest 01:34:48 AI within the PHIDA Group 01:37:03 Its development strategy 01:38:33 Resources it recommends 01:40:27 Success 01:41:31 End 📍 Find everything we discussed on the episode page: https://bit.ly/ep70-bastien-sauve 🎧 To listen: Spotify: https://bit.ly/4kWcMMp Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3rMm1EK Deezer: https://bit.ly/4haSSvZ 🎁 Gift for my guests 🌶️La Volonté du D. Chili Pepper 📸 Instagram: @lvdd.ch 🥤 Official podcast drink 🍹BENEFI’K Kombucha 📸 Instagram: @benefik_kombucha 📸 Instagram: @bryanumana.swiss 💼 LinkedIn: /bryanumana If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating, and share the podcast with your friends. It really helps the project grow in French-speaking Switzerland ✌️ #SwissPodcast #FrenchPodcast #PHIDAGroup