The third edition of thePadel de la Finance” was held at the Z5 in Aix-en-Provence, bringing together 50 wealth management professionals from the south of France. This unique meeting is the result of an initiative by five organizers from different financial institutions, including Dimitri Lafon from Natixis Investment Managers and Jennifer Peyrat from the DLPK Nortia group.

Gather around the padel

Dimitri Lafon, head of CGPI partnerships (Independent Wealth Management Advisors) at Natixis Investment Managers, is a regular at this kind of event. It was by partnering with other organizers that the idea of ​​creating a bigger event was born. “This is the first major event dedicated to padel in the context of wealth management which brings together professionals from the south of France,” he said.

Dimitri points out that the padel, a sport in full democratization, lends itself perfectly to this type of meeting. Its fun side allows people of different levels to have fun, thus promoting cohesion and exchanges between professionals. A former tennis player, Lafon appreciates the padel, which he practices twice a month, while continuing to play tennis every week.

Jennifer Peyrat, sales manager for the south-east area of ​​Nortia, of the DLPK group, considers these meetings from a friendly angle. Dubbing her company “the Amazon of finance”, she explains that “events like “Padel of Finance” thus not only make it possible to follow the evolutions of each one, but also to support the taste for the sport and the challenge, very present at these heads of companies”.

This 3rd edition of the “Padel of Finance” will not be the last. Jennifer Peyrat plans to organize this event at least twice a year, with a next date scheduled for October. The organizers, who also include Yoann Peyrat (Sofidy), Philippe Giustiniani (Equitim) and Louis Desforges (Jupiter), even plan to offer separate sessions for novices and regulars of the padel.

From discovery to regular practitioners

“When we started it was a big discovery for many. Today, more than half of the players are regular practitioners and the general level has improved a lot,” adds Philippe Giustiniani of Equitim.

The event takes place over one day, attracting professionals from Nîmes, Montpellier and Nice. The morning is devoted to business, and is followed by entertainment and relaxation. And it's the padel, sport accessible to all, which largely ensures the success of this meeting.

A national event in the viewfinder

In the future, the organizers would like to organize regional events followed by a final phase in a single location. “With the construction of new covered tracks at the Z5 in Aix, the padel should continue to attract many finance professionals”, say the organizers.

For Louis Desforges, the padel is a sport that will appeal to many other sectors because it ticks all the “business and fun” boxes. He continues: "We also see initiatives springing up here and there around this type of event precisely because you don't have to be a great sportsman to play football. padel. There is a form of leveling the levels. The less good can play with the better player.”

Since its creation, thePadel de la Finance” was able to create a strong link between sport, finance, management and real estate. “Previously, many of these professionals ended up on golf courses. Today, they also share their passion for padel, a booming sport that perfectly combines competition and conviviality”, concludes Yoann Peyrat.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.