How I find my balance as Product Manager and Green Community member

The sense of belonging is something you feel deep inside. It happens once you feel accepted, respected, and seen for who you are. To me, that is one of the reasons it is indissociable from a global effort to foster inclusion as a company value. I strongly believe that Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) have a key role to play in making inclusion more real and visible in the workplace. Inclusion can’t just be a top-down decision; it needs to go both ways and be ingrained in people’s daily life at work. In that context, ERGs can make a real difference by offering a safe space where you meet people who share your interests, vision, and convictions.  

ERGs: A smart investment for companies? 

ERGs are a way to humanize the workplace. They remind us that behind every job title, there’s a person with values, stories, and emotions. ERGs connect people, and sometimes they give us the courage to speak up, to share, or just to be ourselves, and that’s incredibly powerful. That is why investing in ERGs creates a virtuous circle; when people feel that they belong, they work better, grow faster, and stay longer. From that perspective, it is a smart move for companies. It shows that you care about the people, not just performance. Nowadays, finding a sense of purpose in your job is what many of us are after. In my case, being a Product Manager for Sustainability gave me the chance to align my job with something I care deeply about: the environment. I’ve been passionate about climate education for years, so joining the Green Community came swiftly. It felt like a place where I could learn, act, and connect. Thanks to the Green Community, I also became an official facilitator for the Climate Fresk, and the French workshop called “atelier 2 Tonnes”, which focuses on carbon footprint awareness. Facilitating those workshops at Criteo is the most human and impactful thing. It’s so amazing how over the course of a few hours, people connect the dots and unlock a new way of seeing the world. Understanding the bigger picture implies a real mental shift, and it’s wonderful to witness this collective awareness grow. 

Product management in advertising and eco-responsibility 

If sustainability is part of my role, other professional requirements sometimes shake up my commitment to environmental sustainability. Like many companies in our field, our core business wasn’t built around a mission of positive impact. Yet, what keeps me committed is how Criteo’s leaders have made environmental sustainability a priority over the years. This is a testimony to how excellence now is also about ownership and taking responsibility for how we build things. Many believe that being a Product Manager in advertising means building more features to show more ads while in reality, it’s often the opposite. A good Product Manager will get to the core of what really matters, removing what’s unnecessary to deliver the most efficient and lean solution possible. It’s about making smart and conscious choices, assessing the business value and environmental cost of the direction we’re taking.  

Partnership is how we’ll amplify our impact 

Creating spaces for meaningful conversations is where I thrive, and all the inspiring colleagues I’ve met through the community have deeply changed how I experience my everyday work. We’ve created incredible momentum inside Criteo with the Green Community, and I’m convinced that if we were to build more bridges with other ERGs, we could take our actions to the next level. Environmental sustainability doesn’t exist outside of social justice. Everything is intertwined – eco-responsibility, access, mental health, equity, etc. - and we ought to partner to amplify our impact in and out of Criteo. Big decisions alone can’t drive change. It’s the small shifts in how we think, choose, and behave that set the stage for a fairer and more sustainable world.