Rocabella - La Bastide

Born and educated in Paris, Jean-Baptiste Rudelle remembers his first contact with the sea

It was in Normandy and it was cold.

Rather than listing the milestones along his career path that have made this telecommunications and webmarketing entrepreneur famous, he prefers to recall the three stages that marked him after his higher education.

First of all, I spent two years working for Enecal (EDF) in New Caledonia, electrifying the islands. It gave me the opportunity to travel all over Caledonia, to discover the sea, the marine fauna... to experience a real initiation rite in the marine environment through windsurfing, which has become my passion, but also sailing, diving..

He then spent time in Asia, in the Philippines and Indonesia, developing telecommunications networks

always in contact with the sea..

Then, in 99, he decided to become an entrepreneur..

It's the best job in the world, giving you incredible freedom and the feeling of being able to change the world... it's inspiring!

He set up the company he had created, Criteo, in California's Silicon Valley, where he lived from 2009 to 2018,

struck, this time, by the force of the waves and the harshness of the North Pacific.

The third stage he chose to evoke: the creation of ^{Think-Tank1The}Galion Project,

where I bring together entrepreneurs and organize sessions for them in magnificent locations. With, once again, the sea as a common thread ..

he emphasizes
At the same time, he set up the BlueFoundation, which works to protect the world's marine ecosystems and combat climate change..

In Toulon, for example, we're working with the WWF on a system to protect cetaceans in the Mediterranean. We also work with the Conservatoire du Littoral and the NGO Smilosur to support marine protected area projects, the installation of solar panels and the restoration of coral reefs.

A keen wingfoil enthusiast, he is also the N°1 sponsor of the RocaCup, a worldwide event organized in Hyères and distinguished by its commitment to eco-responsibility and its desire to be accessible to all.

When I was thinking about the next step in my career, I wanted to base myself by the sea, and the Var has a lot to offer, with its magnificent and varied coastline, peninsula and islands... It's easy to get to, and more authentic than the Côte d'Azur. I fell in love with the estate and that's how the Villa Rocabella adventure began

The Esprit Parc national-Port-Cros brand?

It immediately resonated from a personal point of view, as it's an approach totally in tune with everything I do. I also wanted to lead my teams in this direction. Applying for a brand is very unifying, it instills an ecological awareness, which isn't always obvious from the outset in the hotel and catering sector. This has enabled us to turn it into a team project. In terms of our customers, it shows our commitment, that it's a place with meaning: it's part of building the Rocabella brand image... The brand symbolically links us to the Golden Isles, giving us the impression of being part of a community.

1. Think tank of private entrepreneurs