Spending an hour with Jean-Paul Agon feels like a blue sky moment. Generous, engaging, and contagiously optimistic, the Chairman and former CEO of L’Oréal is an exemplary lesson in grace and humility.

His business accomplishments and ethical integrity are legendary, taking over as CEO of the world’s leading beauty business in 2006 and overseeing tremendous global expansion and value creation, digital transformation, and a triple AAA rating for sustainability. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the company that for more than 25 years to empower more women scientists with the L’Oréal – UNESCO For Women in Science programme consistently ranks among the world’s leading companies for initiatives across gender equity, LGBTQIA+, disability, socio-economic and multicultural origins.

When asked what advice he would give to students at HEC Paris, a leading European business school where he completed his studies before joining L’Oréal he is characteristically modest. 

“I don’t think that I have something to teach them,” he says. “I would simply share advice of what I have experienced.”

And what an experience, a career journey of Homeric proportions that he shares in our interview for Forbes, that took the HEC graduate across Europe, Asia and North America. 

Being open minded is therefore his first advice. “I think that the first lesson is always to say ‘yes’. Many opportunities that I had were not easy. And very often,” he continues with characteristic understatement, “I would have been the only candidate for these opportunities.”

After two years with L’Oréal, initially as a product manager, Jean-Paul Agon was offered a position to run the company’s struggling operations in Greece. He learned later that everyone else has turned the role down, but in less than a year he had learned the language and turned around the subsidiary in three years. 

From there he took on revitalising the Biotherm brand, and then became General Manager in Germany months before the country reunified. His next move was to Asia, just prior to the Asian crisis, and from there to CEO of subsidiaries for L’Oréal USA three days before 9/11. He became CEO of the entire company in 2006, and over the next 15 years oversaw revenues that doubled, a market cap that tripled to over $250 billion, and established a foundation to provide scholarships based on social criteria.

“I always said yes, whatever it was. It’s exciting – I want to do it. So that’s number one.”

“Number two is seize your opportunities and give everything of yourself. Take a chance, every time. It’s better to take a chance and sometimes fail than not taking the chance. Then give yourself 100%.”

But Jean-Paul Agon’s biggest piece of advice, whether to his three children or to business school students is to choose well what you are going to do in life, and make sure that it’s going to make you happy every day.

“This is going to be your everyday life and it’s so important to wake up every morning excited to go for it, and do what you have to do. This is essential.”

But did he himself know how his life might unfold when he was studying at HEC Paris? 

“When I was 20 years old, I remember admiring certain business leaders – what they were able to create and develop, and the great companies they led. But honestly, leadership was little more than that.”

“HEC Paris teaches you how to act. And it was a great, great preparation for my international life, my professional life, my social life. And they you learn leadership by doing, starting with my first leadership role at the age of 24, when I was asked to go to Greece.”

Jean-Paul Agon also acknowledges the self-confidence that HEC Paris instilled in him to take on new challenges. “it’s true that at the end of the three years of studies, I felt much more confident. I think it’s a very important part of education, much like parents with children. 

One of the first priorities of parents is to give self-confidence. I think it’s the same for school. The role of the school is to give self-confidence to the students. When you finish your degree at HEC Paris you feel confident that you can do many things.”

The French business school also develops the confidence that others have in you. The previous CEO of L’Oréal, Lindsay Owen Jones described Jean-Paul Agon in 2006 as the ideal successor to become the fifth CEO of the company.

“He never talked to me about this perspective – never, ever,” Agon recalls. “So when he proposed the job to me three days before making it official, there was a moment when I said, ‘it’s not going to be easy’. But my thinking was, you know, after all, someone has to do it. So why not? Simple as that.”

“You have a new challenge, you decide to take it or not. And if you take it, you go for it.”

The irrepressible optimism of Jean-Paul Agon, and the ability to see an opportunity in every situation is captured in the expression, where there is a will, there is a way. For him there are two meanings. 

“The first meaning is, of course, that nothing is impossible. And if you really have the will to make it happen, you’ll be able to make it happen. And within that there is also the idea that there is always a way, and it’s up to you to see it.”

The usual idea is that crisis is also a moment of opportunity, but for Agon it is also a moment to think, and often to think differently.

“For me, every crisis was a moment to change, and the possibility of change. For example, in Germany it was an opportunity to change the strategy in the country. In Asia, it gave us the opportunity to jumpstart the business. In the US, it was an opportunity to also to accelerate with the team. And for Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis it was a moment to completely rethink the future for L’Oreal.”

Many of the initiatives, including sustainability and digital transformation started during Jean-Paul Agon’s tenure as CEO. “It was a great moment to rethink and exert a famous Chinese symbol Wei Ji, which means between crisis.”

“The first character is about a difficulty. But remember when the decision is about a new beginning, it means crisis is also the moment where you can start something new. And for me, truly, they were always defining moments.”

HEC Paris has brought a creative French touch to the art of leadership for close to 150 years, and since graduating in 1978 Jean-Paul Agon has stayed very close to his alma mater both on a professional level through his roles at L’Oréal, and on a personal level as a major donor.

Since 2006 he has shown great commitment to the HEC Paris equal opportunities and social diversity program, and five years ago pledged 1 million euros to create his own Sheltered Foundation to support a cause very close to his heart.

He also brings his bold and ethical leadership to the school as Chairman of HEC Paris. The dean of the business school, Eloïc Peyrache says, “Jean-Paul Agon is both a visionary leader and a man who is heavily committed to equal opportunities and promoting French excellence worldwide.”

“HEC Paris holds a special place in my heart,” enthuses Agon. “I am thrilled to commit to the ambitious transformation of HEC Paris, to prepare its future, and amplify its impact and contribution to tomorrow’s world.“

Given his track record of achievement that will be a story worth following.