Armand Cakpo, finance director for a company in Côte d’Ivoire, is also a talented researcher. We meet this FEDE doctoral student who has thrown himself into applied research.

What did you study?

Following a master’s in audit and management control (at Hautes Études Commerciales, Abidjan), I successfully completed a FEDE European Master’s in Financial Management and Strategy. I have now decided to develop some additional skills.

What have been the highlights of your career?

I have around 15 years’ professional experience. I’m currently finance and administrative director for the company Pharmafrique. In this role I am able to develop operations and strategy skills in various areas: managing relations with banks, increasing productivity and participation at board meetings.

What is the subject of your DBA?

My thesis will focus on how companies can recover from a crisis in terms of both finance and operations. It will focus on pharmaceutical companies. Indeed, I’ve noticed that a lot of research has been done on bankruptcy but rather less on recovery; my thesis aims to fill this gap in a modest but decisive way. My work is what is known as ‘applied research’ in the sense that the subject is highly concrete: helping companies to get their finances and operations back on track.