Annie Coignat interview, 25 years at Samat

After celebrating her 25th birthday at Samat, Annie Coignat, (Billing department, Samat Provence), is retiring. All the Samat teams wish her a pleasant retirement. Thank you for your investment and your daily commitment. We interviewed her to tell us about her story. Discover her story during all these years spent with us.

How long have you been working at Samat?

I’ve been working for 25 and a half years at Samat, and 41 and a half years in transport.

Could you describe your evolution at Samat?

I was a traffic planner, then it changed: Rognac was a very small entity at the beginning, so I was in charge of driver contracts, badge management and diesel fuel. We did a bit of everything, we were 8, then the subsidiary grew and we started to recruit new staff to differentiate the departments.

What are your best memories as a biller? 

As a biller, it’s mutual help between fellow billers. It’s a community, both within the site and between subsidiaries. We help each other a lot. We don’t know each other physically, but we do create links in our work.

Is there any events that marked you?

There are several that have marked me. But I would say that the strongest is the death of Mr Meylan (founder of Samat) because I knew him since 1986. He was a figure. He was not a stranger, he was the boss of Samat. Our relations were cordial even in case of disagreement. For me the Samat Group at the beginning was Mr Meylan. His death marked me a lot as it marked people at the time.

Do you have plans for the future?

Well, now is taking the time. To take my coffee in the morning on the terrace while listening to the birds, without having suddenly the ring that says caution, it’s time to start moving to be at 8 am at the office. So the project is already that. Just to take the time to live.

How do you feel shortly before you leave?

It’s very mixed, I’m laughing or crying right now. It’s very complicated to deal with. People call me before I leave, it feels weird. On the one hand I say, “Wow, I’m leaving next week, I’m hurrying. On the other hand, I think Tuesday’s going to be a disaster. Big pleasures and big emotions.

What do you wish for the future of Samat?

Let’s keep it going, let’s make it work. Let the economy recover.

If you had to say one last word to the Samat teams?

Good luck! Right now we still have to hang in there, especially after the Covid. I wish good luck. I’ll obviously regret them, I won’t forget them.

I was happy at Samat, there were good times. I had some big personal problems where I was supported. Only positive things, even if it wasn’t all good every day. But if I’m here after 25 years, it’s because it wasn’t so bad.