Colette B. began her career at the Bank in 1955, at just 21 years old, and went on to spend her entire professional life there. Her story, which spans the transformations of the banks that ultimately formed BNP Paribas and the changing landscape of the banking industry, has been chronicled in a notebook that she donated to the BNP Paribas Historical Archives. This enhanced life story allows you to hear Colette’s voice, read her personal anecdotes, and explore a wealth of contextual information through accompanying articles. Dive into her life story!
“I joined the Comptoir National d’Escompte de Paris (CNEP) in June 1955, after passing my entrance exam. My division manager assigned me to the Victor Hugo branch in Paris, where I started out working at the counter. This was the traditional starting point, and at the time, account records were still kept on small index cards. Although the work was tedious, I found it rewarding.
Then, the General Management decided to introduce mechanical machines to modernize account-keeping. Our branch was selected to pilot this new technology, and I was chosen to lead the implementation.
As part of this project, I was sent to the central branch on Rue Bergère in Paris for specialized training. It was a significant step forward in my career!”
The trial is a success, and the machines are rolled out to all branches in Paris and the surrounding areas. I’m selected to become a mechanography trainer, teaching others how to use these new machines.
Although I’m happy at my current branch, I have to move on. This marks the start of a new phase in my career.
My department head, who is a strong advocate for modernization, offers me his support. He reassures me and lets me know that he’s available to help me with any challenges I may face.
However, as a young woman traveling from branch to branch, I don’t go unnoticed…
At my third installation, at a Paris branch on the Rue du Commerce, the director leaves me standing in his office doorway for a few minutes, eyeing me from head to toe. It’s a reminder that, as a woman, I’m still an anomaly in this male-dominated field…
My next stop is Le Bourget, a small branch with a team of about 15 people, just north of Paris.
During my time here, I’m given the unusual task of carrying a revolver while I deliver payroll funds to the nearby factories.
The revolver
(in French only)
1966-1968 : The Upheavals
«One evening in June 1966, I was having dinner at my parents’ place when I heard on the radio that the CNEP (my bank) was going to merge with the BNCI. What a shock! Nobody had ever heard of it; the secret had been well kept… What was going to happen to us now?
The “thunderbolt”
(in French only)
Stunned by the news, I couldn’t sleep that night. What was falling on our heads?
Rather than a merger, it was an acquisition by the BNCI, which was much larger in terms of staff and wanted to impose its way of working. They arrived like conquerors, considering us incompetent. I therefore liquidated the service and had all the furniture dismantled, condemned to be scrapped, because nothing was to remain of the CNEP. That’s how BNP was born.” (The opinions and feelings expressed reflect Colette’s personal experience and feelings at the time of the events.)
“A chapter of my life is closing, what’s next for me?”
— Colette
After my bank was liquidated, I met with the person who had been assigned to handle my case. He greeted me warmly and told me that I would need to complete a one-year training program in all areas of the BNCI, to learn their procedures and ways of working. Once I had completed the training, I would be given a permanent assignment.
In addition, all the equipment we had installed in the CNEP branches was replaced with BNCI machines. As a result, we had to transfer customer accounts from the old machines to the new ones. This process was known as the “bascule”, and it had to be done outside of regular banking hours, which meant weekends. It required overtime, but the pay was excellent!
Before we knew it, it was May 1968… Does that date sound familiar to you?
Right in the midst of the riots, a team of three people from my agency decided to make an emergency trip to the Banque de France, located in the center of Paris, to retrieve some cash. They set off in a small car, but they weren’t the only ones to have had this idea…every other bank was there too, waiting in line. The problem was, the striking workers had formed a barricade, blocking access to the bank. And to make matters worse, none of the Banque de France’s armored trucks could get out!
In the midst of the 1968 uprising
(In French only)
At last, around 4 pm, a cash-laden armored truck broke through and began distributing bags of money to each bank at breakneck speed, without any checks or balances. It was unprecedented – never before had sacks of cash been handed out without anyone knowing the amount or having any control over it. If this hadn’t happened, the situation could have spiraled out of control and turned into a full-blown Revolution!
