Nicolas Babin | |
---|---|
Born | Bordeaux, France | April 9, 1966
Nationality | French |
Alma mater | École supérieure des ingénieurs commerciaux de Bordeaux |
Occupation(s) | Former Director of Corporate Communication Sony Europe Former Managing Director Actiplay Head of group Digital Solutions Neopost Co-founder GamFed Co-founder MirambeauAppCare Founder Babin Business Consulting Board of directors member Maxicoffee Board of directors member Commanders Act |
Spouse | Sara E. Ashworth |
Awards | Innovation Award at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show |
Website | nicolas-babin |
Nicolas Babin (born April 9, 1966) is a French businessman, specialized in gamification, as well as technological innovation. He is best known for being the former CEO of Sony Europe in several departments, including robotics.[1] He is currently at the head of Babin Business Consulting.
Nicolas Babin studied at the École supérieure des ingénieurs commerciaux de Bordeaux in computer science.[2] He is the holder of a master in Sales-Marketing.[3] He began his career in 1989 for BNP Paribas as a programmer in San Francisco. He moved to California as a result.[3] In 1992, he left BNP Paribas in order to take the head of the French and German branches for Atwork Health Systems.[3] He then left Atwork in order to take the head of Administration for Cats Software US, thus moving to Palo Alto, in California. He notably contributed to its IPO,[4] before becoming the Managing Director EMEA for Cats Software in London.[3]
Nicolas Babin began his career for Sony in 1997, where he became the Managing Director for Sony Europe for Etak a unit of the Sony group specialized in digital mapping in London.[3]
In 2001, while living in Brussels and being the Managing Director for Sony Entertainment Robot Europe,[5] he contributed to the launch of AIBO, Sony's robotic pets[6] · [7] · .[8] In 2004 he became the Director of Corporate Communications Sony Europe in Berlin and contributed to the marketing of the most recent Sony products[9] · .[10] In 2005, he also contributed to the launch of the PSP in Europe.[11]
In 2006, during the battery recall controversy that Sony faced (some notebook computers from brands like Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo or Apple were provided with built-in lithium batteries that could provoke fire due to overheating, causing property damage or minor burns, forcing Sony to initiate the biggest recall policy in the world at the time),[12][13] Nicolas Babin was heavily involved in the crisis management.[14]
Nicolas Babin left Sony in 2008 in order to join AT Internet, a French company specialized in web analytics, becoming the company Chief Operating Officer.[3] He occupied this post during the Google bug in 2009, or when Microsoft allowed other browsers on their machines[15] · .[16] In 2010, he became the Managing Director of the Groupe Concoursmania in France,[2] specialized in online competition and marketing gaming.[9] He notably managed the IPO process of the Groupe Concoursmania,[4] as well as its development in Europe.[17]
He then joined Neopost in 2013, a French company specialized in franking machines or postage meters as the marketing Director and as the head of the group of Digital Solutions.[18] He then left Neopost in 2017.[3]
Nicolas Babin is also a board member of several companies, including Commanders Act,[19] Maxicoffee[20] or GamFed, a company he founded in 2012 in order to develop gamification.[21]
In March 2017, Nicolas Babin founded his own company Babin Business Consulting,[22] specialized in consulting, marketing, innovations and business development, which he presides since then.[23]
Nicolas Babin is also the cofounder of Mirambeau AppCare, which product includes DiabiLive[24] · ,[25] an app allowing diabetics to better cope with their disease, thanks to a personalized monitoring of food and exercise, an optimized insuline dosage management and also a panic button in case of emergency.[26] He also manages the international development of this app[27] · ,[28] notably in the United States, where they are waiting the Food and Drug Administration authorization to be available,[26] but also in Japan,[29] in Canada[30] or in the United Arab Emirates, where it was notably showcased in the Arab Health trade show.[31] Diabilive won several prizes including the French Concours Lépine, rewarding innovation in 2016,[32] as well as the Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Award in 2018.[33] · [34] In addition to diabetes, Nicolas Babin is looking to expand this concept to others debilitating diseases.[35]
Since 2020, Babin works as a consultant for several companies, like Huawei, Google or IBM, as a specialist in all matters concerning artificial intelligence or 5G[36] · .[37] He is also a regular participant in international conferences on those topics, as well as gamification, digital disruption and leadership.[36] · [38] He is appointed Digital Ambassador for the European Commission in 2023, joining other European specialists focusing on digital transition. [39]
Nicolas Babin also gave lectures related to marketing and gamification at Epitech[40] or at KEDGE Business School.
During the third edition of the Digital week in Bordeaux in 2013, Nicolas Babin participated as a lecturer about gamification.[41] Nicolas Babin also writes articles for websites like Gladiacteur or IndieWatch, specialized in marketing and gaming[42] · .[43]
In August 2017, he founded with his wife a company specialized in real estate in Bordeaux.[44]
Following the 25th of April 2019 general assembly, Nicolas Babin has been elected president of the ASSA (Arcachon site for the preservation of building and environment) in France.[45]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote a book, dealing with the evolution of technologies from the end of the eighties to today.[46]
Nicolas Babin married Sara E. Ashworth in 1993. They have two children named John and Philippe.[47]