With its light and agile structure, open to the world, Openîmes is an economic development agency with a difference. Its mission is to position and promote the Nîmes Metropolitan area, both within France and on the international stage, around unique centres of excellence to create business opportunities, activities and jobs.
Missions
Openîmes concentrates its action primarily on two sectors of excellence driven by global challenges, for which the Nîmes Metropolitan area boasts solid advantages:
As a major actor in the establishment of businesses in the conurbation, Openîmes also helps project leaders in all sectors find the right contacts.
The four main missions of Openîmes are as follows:
1. Promote the creation of a quality offer in the Nîmes Metropolitan area.
Openîmes works with the stakeholders in its area to provide companies with an ecosystem that is conducive to their prosperity in terms of land, digital and other services, financing, technological platforms, and networking.
3. Channel the ambition of the Nîmes Metropolitan area.
Openîmes works to ensure that the Nîmes conurbation is known within France and abroad for the excellence of its centres by:
- organising events, symposiums and international congresses;
- carrying out promotion at trade shows;
- communicating to promote the positioning of an area boasting unique advantages.
2. Facilitate the operation of the ecosystem.
Openîmes is responsible for:
- federating the actors and decision-makers of the sectors it supports;
- making exchanges and discussions interesting and worthwhile;
- mobilising the companies of the Nîmes Metropolitan area.
4. Prospect to enrich the ecosystem
Openîmes places itself at the service of its sectors of excellence by:
- organising missions in France and abroad to attract laboratories, centres of expertise and companies to Nîmes;
- identifying new services and new stakeholders, useful for the development of the existing sectors;
- accompanying the installation of companies.
Through these missions, Openîmes builds the positioning of the Nîmes Metropolitan area to encourage the establishment of companies and the creation of jobs.
Offer
From your initial idea to the concrete implementation of your activity, Openîmes is at your disposal to discuss your project and offer you personalised support.
Tailor-made and personalised support:
- discovery of the Nîmes Metropolitan area (business parks, structuring facilities, sectors of excellence, training, etc.);
- assistance in choosing your future location (land, offices, laboratories, business incubators, workshops, warehouses, etc.);
- connection to economic and professional networks (competitiveness clusters, business clubs, institutional stakeholders, etc.);
- putting you in touch with experts in business development management (financial, legal, property and real estate, HR, accountancy, etc.).
Governance
A non-profit association, Openîmes was founded in April 2015. Three bodies ensure the governance of the agency: the Management Board, the Strategic Orientation and Supervisory Board (Conseil d’Orientation Stratégique et de Surveillance, COSS) and the General Assembly.
1. Management Board
The Management Board ensures the regular monitoring of the agency and specifies the objectives to be achieved. It comprises seven members:
- Mr Michel MATHIEU
Chairman, Managing Director of LCL - Mr Jacky RAYMOND
Vice-Chairman, Vice-President of Nîmes Métropole - Mr Sébastien PAILHES
Treasurer, Executive Director of ARTELIA - Mr Jean François BLANCHET
Secretary, General Manager of BRL - Mr Jean-Marc NATALI
CEO of URBANIS - Mr Maurice GAILLARD
Vice-President of Nîmes Métropole,
Mayor of Bouillargues - Mr Patrice QUITTARD
Vice-President of Nîmes Métropole,
Mayor of Poulx
2. Strategic Orientation and Supervisory Board (COSS)
In conjunction with the Management Board, the COSS is responsible for the Agency’s strategic thinking and orientations. Chaired by Mr Yvan Lachaud, President of Nîmes Métropole, the COSS has 28 members spread across the following three boards:
- “Local authorities”: 10 members.
- “Socio-economic actors”: 10 members.
- “Local companies”: 8 members.
3. General Assembly
Chaired by Mr Michel Mathieu, the General Assembly has 67 members spread across the three boards.
Team
To ensure its various missions, the Agency’s operational team is multidisciplinary. Its Director and members are at your disposal for any specific requests.
Contact us
- Mr Philippe PRIGENT
Director - Ms Magalie BOUTILLIER
Executive Assistant - Ms Cécile CORBIER
Head of the “Administration and Communication” Division - Ms Laëtitia FIERE
“Prospecting and Events” Project Manager - Ms Sophie LAGARRIGUE
Head of the “Healthcare, Medical Devices and Silver Economy” sector - Mr Adrien MANGIAVILLANO
Head of the “Risks, Aviation and Civil Security” sector