Speaker Élodie Gentina Professor, researcher and expert on new generations

Moving beyond stereotypes to work better together.

A professor and researcher at IÉSEG, Élodie Gentina turns her work on generations into practical tools for recruitment, engagement and cooperation. A specialist in Generation Z and intergenerational management, she helps organisations attract young talent, retain employees and make age diversity a driver of performance.

Languages

French

Duration

45 to 90 minutes

Formats

Conference, Keynote, Panel discussion, Masterclass

Biography

A researcher close to the realities of new generations

Élodie Gentina holds a PhD in management sciences and is qualified to supervise research. She is a professor at IÉSEG School of Management. For more than fifteen years, she has studied new generations, their behaviours and their relationship with digital technology, consumption and work.

Understanding Generation Z without caricaturing it

Her approach is grounded in extensive fieldwork: interviews, observations, focus groups and several tens of thousands of questionnaires conducted in France and internationally. She highlights young people's expectations without reducing them to a generational label.

Turning age diversity into a strength

As several generations now work side by side, she analyses age stereotypes, tensions around knowledge transfer and new forms of cooperation. Her aim is to move organisations from simple coexistence to genuinely inclusive and high-performing collaboration.

An expert connecting research and action

The author of several books and numerous academic articles, she is a regular contributor to the press and broadcast media. In her talks, she combines scientific rigour, vivid examples and immediately applicable recommendations for leaders, managers and HR teams.

She deciphers Generation Z and intergenerational management to help organisations attract, engage and unite talent across all age groups.

— Élodie Gentina

Would you like to invite Élodie Gentina to your event?

Check availability

Key points

PhD and habilitated professor in management sciences at IÉSEG School of Management.
Research based on interviews, observations and several tens of thousands of questionnaires.
Author of five books on new generations and relationships between age groups.
Expert on Generation Z, recruitment, engagement and talent retention.
A regular media commentator and speaker for companies and institutions.

Topics

Speaks for

Executive committees, corporate conventions, HR teams, managers, marketing, retail, institutions, local authorities, schools and universities.

At a glance

Based in	France
Travels	France and international

Conferences

Élodie Gentina combines research, field observation and business cases to turn generational differences into drivers of attractiveness, engagement and cooperation.

Generation Z: Understanding, Attracting and Retaining New Talent

Moving beyond stereotypes to address real expectations.

Connected, demanding and seeking coherence, Generation Z is challenging established recruitment and management practices. Élodie Gentina explores its relationship with authority, collective work, digital technology, purpose and work-life balance.

Understand the expectations and paradoxes of Generation Z
Adapt recruitment, onboarding and management practices
Strengthen the engagement and retention of young employees

Ideal for Executive committees, HR leaders, managers, recruitment and employer branding

Format Conference or Keynote · 45 to 75 min

Request this talk

A New Era, New Generations, New Ways of Working

Understanding how our relationship with work is changing.

Hybrid work, flexibility, new expectations of leadership and the search for balance are reshaping organisations. Élodie Gentina shows how these changes extend beyond Generation Z and are transforming every generation at work.

Understand changing relationships with time, place and authority
Rethink leadership, feedback and career paths
Combine performance, contribution, purpose and work-life balance

Ideal for Leaders, HR, managers, transformation teams and corporate conventions

Format Conference, Keynote or Panel discussion · 45 to 75 min

Request this talk

Mental Health and Generation Z: A Key Challenge for Tomorrow’s Workplace

Preventing burnout without sacrificing engagement.

Anxiety, hyperconnectivity, the search for meaning and blurred boundaries between personal and professional life shape young people’s relationship with work. This talk helps organisations create demanding, supportive and sustainable environments.

Identify vulnerabilities and signs of disengagement
Develop management practices that support psychological safety
Support autonomy, balance and the quality of workplace relationships

Ideal for HR, managers, healthcare, education, prevention and workplace well-being

Format Conference or Keynote · 45 to 60 min

Request this talk

Generation Z, Brands and Consumption: Understanding New Codes

Authenticity, digital technology and responsibility are reshaping relationships with brands.

Young people’s consumer behaviour reveals new expectations around transparency, personalisation, responsibility, experience and participation. Élodie Gentina helps brands tell lasting trends from passing fads.

Understand young people’s relationship with brands and social media
Identify the new drivers of trust and loyalty
Adapt customer experience, communication and co-creation

Ideal for Marketing, retail, luxury, communication and customer experience

Format Conference or Keynote · 45 to 60 min

Request this talk

Clash of Ages, Clash of Talent: The Challenges of Intergenerational Management

Moving from coexistence to productive collaboration.

Baby boomers and Generations X, Y and Z do not always share the same reference points at work. Élodie Gentina shows that tensions arise less from age itself than from stereotypes, experiences and organisational structures. She offers practical levers for building lasting bridges.

Challenge the prejudices that fuel misunderstanding
Organise knowledge transfer, reciprocal mentoring and learning
Turn generational diversity into a driver of performance

Ideal for Executive committees, HR, managers, diversity, cohesion and transformation programmes

Format Keynote or Conference with discussion · 45 to 75 min

Request this talk

For which events?

Élodie Gentina speaks at the key moments where people, performance and impact matter.

Seminars and conventions
Leadership committees and strategic talks
Product launches
CSR and climate events
Institutions, schools and universities

Possible formats

Formats adaptable to your goals and context.

Inspiring talk
Impactful keynote
Participative workshop
Panel
Webinar

Why choose them?

A unique experience serving strong, useful messages.

Field experience backing the message
Authentic and inspiring stories
Human, demanding and accessible approach
Tailored content aligned with your stakes

06:05

Interview

Generation Z: Rethinking Loyalty to the Company

Élodie Gentina explains how meaning, work-life balance and the quality of relationships are becoming essential to retaining young talent

Watch video

Want to feature Élodie Gentina at your next event?

Our team helps you craft a tailored intervention, aligned with your goals and your audience.

Request a proposal Check availability

Publications

2024 — The Challenge of Intergenerational Management, Dunod, with Jérémy Lamri. Practical frameworks for moving beyond age stereotypes and turning generational coexistence into productive collaboration.
2023 — Managing Generation Z, Dunod. An operational approach to young people's behaviour at work, supported by questionnaires and testimonies from executives, HR leaders and young talent.
2020 — The New Generation in Asia, Emerald Publishing. An international analysis of the dynamics, cultural differences and digitalisation shaping new generations across Asia.
2019 — Generation Z in the Workplace, Dunod, with Marie-Ève Delecluse. From consumer behaviour to employee expectations, an analysis of Generation Z and its impact on organisations.
2016 — Marketing and Generation Z, Dunod. A 360-degree view of adolescent consumer behaviour and the brand strategies needed to engage with this generation.
2012–2026 — Academic articles on generations and digital technology. Research on consumption, ethics, digital practices, well-being and young people's behaviour.

Would you like to invite Élodie Gentina to your event?

Check availability

Workshops

The Theatre of Generations at Work!

Élodie Gentina offers an immersive, participatory workshop inspired by the codes of theatre to help managers better understand the intergenerational dynamics within their teams. Through role-plays drawn from everyday working life, participants explore the misunderstandings, tensions and gaps that can arise between generations, then collectively test ways of resolving them by acting out short scenes.
Split into sub-groups mixing different generations, participants work together to devise concrete solutions suited to the situations presented. They then replay the scenes using the tools and methods covered during the talk, in order to try out new stances and ways of communicating.
This workshop encourages stepping back, collective intelligence and hands-on experimentation. Every participant leaves with levers they can apply directly in their day-to-day management to strengthen cooperation, smooth communication and lastingly improve the way their teams work.

Generations in Debate: Cross-Perspectives on the Work of Tomorrow!

Following the talk, Élodie offers to run an interactive workshop in a panel-discussion format to extend the conversation and turn reflection into concrete action. A genuine space for dialogue, this workshop brings out the realities experienced within the company by giving participants the floor directly: Gen Z employees, managers, executives or HR teams.
Starting from concrete themes such as recruitment, engagement, retention, meaning at work, communication and new professional expectations, participants compare their points of view, share their experiences, successes and difficulties alike, and together identify the misunderstandings or obstacles that may exist between generations.
This collaborative approach gets to the heart of the company’s specific challenges and brings out solutions suited to its culture and its teams. As an expert, Élodie structures the discussion, provides keys to understanding, takes a step back from the debate and summarises the main lessons in order to surface concrete, immediately actionable ideas.
Participants leave with a clearer view of generational expectations, ideas they can apply in the field and a stronger collective dynamic around the challenges of work today and tomorrow.

Would you like to invite Élodie Gentina to your event?

Check availability