THE HEIRS OF THE ECONOMY: the methodical management of the transfer of power at Clinipole

Serge Constantin (center), radiologist, founded the private hospitalization group Clinipôle from the flagship establishment, the Parc clinic, in Castelnau-le-Lez.

Founded by Serge Constantin, radiologist, in the early 2000s, the Hérault private hospitalization group has become structured and diversified, relying on the two children of its president: Olivier , 49 years old, and Thomas, 45 years old.

In the region's private hospitalization groups, everything is first and foremost a family affair. Three years ago, Max Ponseillé, at the head of the first of them, the Montpellier group Oc Santé, handed over to his son Guillaume. If the first remains president, the second is now the general director. The operational boss.

In another large group, Cap Santé, whose head office is in Pézenas, Lamine Gharbi is preparing his son Elias for succession. For three years, since his doctorate in pharmacy, he has been running the Pasteur clinic in Pézenas. And finally there is the Constantin family, with Serge, the 76-year-old patriarch, and his two sons: Olivier, 49 years old, general director of the health section, and Thomas, 45 years old, general director of the serviced residences section.

The arrival of Olivier boosts the group

"I started by working with my father, remembers Serge Constantin. It was 1979, in radiology. A little over a decade earlier, the Parc clinic, in Castelnau-le-Lez, on the outskirts of Montpellier, opened its doors, on the banks of the Lez. The precision is considerable: it is from this same clinic that the Clinipôle group will, in the early 2000s, be created and take off.

This time, it is Olivier, indirectly, who is at the origin. Serge's eldest son entered into an apprenticeship contract in 1999. A law graduate, he entered through the (very) small door. "The director of the clinic was retiring, I asked Olivier to come alongside me", explains the father. "I gave it a try, I liked it", adds the eldest son.

Clinipôle is developing with other establishments

Even if law is a discipline that opens many doors, it was nevertheless necessary for Olivier to complete his initial training. "He completed his legal training with management training, with an MBA, at Essec," explains Serge. For Olivier, the career of a lawyer is over. Make way for another universe, that of health. "There is, in this type of mission, a diversity of tasks that I appreciate".

The arrival of Olivier gives the group a new dimension. It allows it to diversify through external growth and investment. Clinipôle gradually ended up also including, among other things, over the years, service residences for seniors, for the reception of disabled people and establishments for dependent people (Ehpad). Medical-social services complement health care.

An intrusion into private beaches

"Even non-doctors participate in our noble task", insists Serge Constantin, whose group now has around twenty establishments in Occitanie. But it’s not just health. The services and leisure part is also invested. A bit like a dancer, its directors bought a restaurant a few years ago, La Guinguette des amours, in an unusual place, Lake Cécélès, in Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréveils.

In the 2000s and later, Clinipôle was also awarded beach concessions on the Montpellier coast, first in La Grande-Motte (Côté Plage), then in Palavs-les-Flots (the Beach Beach), then. These activities are related to the area of ​​expertise of Thomas, the youngest son. "I observe my children carefully", the father agrees.

"I speak on subjects where common sense is required"

The most important thing remains the way in which his heirs run their boat. "In my eyes, there is an important height of institutional relations, he said. A clinic is not just a healthcare establishment. There is an important social and societal aspect, in particular our relations with our approximately 2,000 employees, 80% of whom are women. Even with his lofty commitments, Serge Constantin does not hesitate to intervene when necessary.

"I am accustomed to intervening from time to time, on all aspects of the group's life, on subjects where common sense is required&quot ;. And when asked if there are areas of disagreement with his children, he recalls that “each generation brings its own vision”. For him, it is important to hand over, “but not all”. And when we ask Olivier and Thomas if it is complicated to work with their father, the smiles burst forth. A little embarrassed.

Family relationships ? "In general, it's okay"

"Sometimes, yes, but in general it's okay," they answer. "We can't afford to do anything in an establishment like ours", insists the father, as if to justify his interventions. And we continue to come across Serge Constantin at important meetings in town. And not far from him, Olivier is there too.