Skip to main content

An increasing number of companies are calling on the services of these people, who see themselves as the Swiss army knife of managers. Their title is in English: Chief of Staff. In French, this job title could be translated as the equally obscure “bras droit du CEO” or the highly institutional “Chef de cabinet”. More than just a new business line, it involves new names and is becoming an increasingly important part of the company’s organisation chart, and has been for more than a year now. Its role is to support the CEO as a strategic partner.

Their popularity in the world of large companies is growing. The Chief of Staff is an evolution, an additional tool used to improve management efficiency. Today, there are around ten of those Chief of Staff in Luxembourg

A talented pianist, Riadh Khodri is an atypical figure in the world of finance, working in a position that is still rare but is becoming increasingly common in large companies. Alongside CEO Mario Pirola, he is Chief of Staff, a Swiss knife in a Swiss institution. At the same time, he has kept his passion for music intact, which he continues to pursue through concerts at the Luxembourg Philharmonic, for example.

Financial and artistic are not incompatible

“We underestimate the number of artists working in finance. Often in the professional world, where there is social pressure, people are asked to choose a career path. You are one or the other, not both. Many artists are afraid to showcase their artistic skills. Today, it’s more accepted with the realisation that an artist can become an asset, a valuable addition to the company, with a quality of listening, a sensitivity that a musician, for example, possesses”

And Riadh Khodri agrees: “The experience of performing at a high level is compatible and complementary to my job. Pictet and music are not parallel but complementary. Both help me to do my job better and live out my passion as a pianist. When you love, you’re passionate. For example, my professional life has enabled me to improve my piano playing with a better organised, more systematic approach… The piano, for its part, has given me the ability to transcend myself, to channel my emotions and to develop an extra sensitivity. The art of playing the piano develops the qualities of listening, patience, perseverance, creativity and cognitive skills, all of which are useful in today’s professional world.”

After more than 7 years as Head of Risk at Pictet Asset Management, he has taken on the role of Chief of Staff, a role that suits him like a glove. “I’m responsible for successfully implementing the CEO’s strategic plans, establishing partnerships, promoting the company’s culture, organising meetings, maintaining and creating new external relationships, and much more besides. It’s like playing the piano, you have to make the best chords sound using the 88 keys on a keyboard. In a concert, I simply convey the values and sensibilities of the composer’s music to the audience. The Chief of Staff shares the same ambitions: to convey an organisation’s internal values, its philosophy and its strategy, in other words the CEO’s score.”

Exposing children to a passion without forcing them

At the age of eight, Riadh Khodri entered the Algiers International Conservatory. He then went on to study for his master’s degree in engineering in France, with the piano helping to finance his studies. “The presence of a piano in my parents’ home was central. I was drawn to the instrument right from the start of my time at the Conservatoire. The music chooses you. As parents, we often have a tendency to force things a little, to want a child to take the path towards an art or practice. It’s better to expose him to this passion. The child should feel pleasure and attraction. It’s the music that chooses you and remember that once it’s chosen you, it never leaves you.”

Office life and music, they can marry and even feed each other. “I’ve never had to make a choice. Music, like sport, can help you mature, forge your mentality and add strings to your bow. The small difference with sport is that music can be practised for life. So you can keep that passion even if you’re not into performance. The day I was able to introduce music into my work was a major step towards my personal development. One is not incompatible with the other. Music has always been a thread running through my life.”

Putting the artistic side forward in an interview

Riadh Khodri encourages you to emphasise your artistic or cultural side in a professional interview. Avoiding a double life and having a single career by accepting that you can be both at the same time is a way of enhancing your self-esteem. These are different, additional talents. Yes, of course. But they can be complementary.

Naturally, Riadh Khodri thinks more about the piano at the weekend. It’s a time to get away from it all and recharge your batteries. “You can’t lose the piano, but you have to work on your finger position and physical fitness too. I play my piano mainly at weekends. Sometimes, after a difficult day, the piano can be the remedy I need to relax and escape from the stress of the day. But sometimes, surprisingly, it can also become a breeding ground for inspiration.”

However, listening to music at the office doesn’t work for me. I have a different, more critical state of mind in my professional life. Both require different levels of concentration.

“I also play sport for the piano, but I’m still passionate about tennis.” Riadh Khodri, on the other hand, has had to give up tennis, as his movements are not compatible with piano playing. “It’s a shame I had to choose.”

Daniel Pechon

Author Daniel Pechon

More posts by Daniel Pechon

Leave a Reply