The quest for longevity, whether for our skin or our companies, is a universal challenge. As businesses and individuals mature, they inevitably face signs of wear—be it wrinkles on the skin or strategic stagnation in the boardroom. At a recent Euronews event at VivaTech, this parallel between personal and corporate aging was explored with refreshing practicality. The central question was not how to avoid aging, but how to navigate it with grace, intelligence, and resilience. The conversation moved beyond mere theory, offering a blend of biological and corporate wisdom that recognized aging as a natural process to be managed, not a flaw to be feared.
The dialogue, led by two leading innovation executives, quickly established that the first response to signs of age is a change in habits. Delphine Viguier of L’Oréal framed this beautifully, noting that just as her personal regimen includes supplements, sunscreen, and targeted skincare, a company’s response to strategic aging must involve boosting innovation, seeking external ideas, and rekindling creativity. This is a conscious, daily discipline. Pauline Adam-Kalfon of PwC France and Maghreb offered a more surgical corollary for businesses: “Reinvention starts with subtraction.” Her powerful advice is to courageously eliminate initiatives, products, or processes that no longer provide unique value, rather than endlessly adding new layers. This pruning, much like editing a cluttered skincare routine, allows an organization’s true vitality to shine through.
In an era of constant noise and fleeting trends, both leaders emphasized that data is the essential compass for lasting longevity. Viguier explained that L’Oréal’s vast repository of data, now amplified by AI, allows her team to discern enduring patterns and avoid repeating past mistakes. Her philosophy balances the need for agile, trend-responsive moves with an unwavering focus on the timeless, core product lines that form the company’s foundation. Adam-Kalfon provided a stark, numerical reality check from PwC’s research: a mere 20% of companies are capturing 74% of the value generated by AI. The gap, she argues, is closed not by mere adoption, but by a deliberate playbook that uses AI to drive genuine growth and scale successful experiments rapidly, moving beyond cost-cutting to value creation.
A profound point of agreement was the critical importance of diverse perspectives. Viguier likened this to a biological principle, stating, “When you have mixed origins, you have better vitality.” Actively seeking input from people with different backgrounds, both inside and outside the organization, acts as a preventative measure against insular thinking and groupthink. This diversity injects new energy and ideas, acting as a social and intellectual “sunscreen” against the erosion of relevance. When stagnation does occur, Adam-Kalfon warned, the symptoms are rarely superficial. They manifest as a loss of customer relevance, eroding profit margins, and crippling slowdowns in decision-making—a trifecta that no cosmetic change can fix.
The event was fittingly grounded in tangible demonstrations. L’Oréal showcased a high-tech LED face mask, embodying its science-backed approach to cellular rejuvenation. PwC presented an AI “fitness app” for businesses, offering a diagnostic tool to assess organizational health in the face of technological change. These exhibits underscored the session’s core ethos: longevity requires actionable tools and continuous assessment. There was a shared acknowledgment that there are no miracle cures, either in a jar or a software update. Lasting vitality is a marathon, not a sprint.
Ultimately, the conversation concluded with a powerful, unifying insight. The secret to longevity—for a person or a corporation—lies in disciplined, attentive stewardship. It requires constantly listening to your own data, auditing your habits for effectiveness, and monitoring your energy levels. It is about having the wisdom to subtract what drains vitality, the courage to inject diverse new perspectives, and the clarity to use technology not as a shortcut, but as a deep well of insight. By applying this consistent, holistic care, we can ensure that both our skin and our strategies remain resilient, relevant, and capable of facing the future with vigor.
