Welcome at iconic.
Strategic communications consultancy
iconic. is a strategic communications consultancy founded in 2022 by Marie-Virginie Klein.
We support companies, organizations and their leaders in their strategy of influence and visibility, with print, audiovisual and digital media, as well as opinion leaders and public authorities, [on a national and international level].
At iconic. we are convinced that the art of execution is fundamental: the right strategy is the one that can actually be implemented.
We’re a close-knit group, with a wide variety of profiles, but united by the same values. We are all convinced that good communication must be committed and connected to contemporary issues. The strategies we propose are always in line with the dynamics at work in society, as we analyze and perceive them.
We want to embody impact consulting, the kind that gives meaning to the transformation and growth of the companies that trust us.
Founder & CEO
Marie-Virginie Klein is the founder of iconic. She has been helping senior executives with their communications for over fifteen years.
For five years she advised leading business and political figures at Giacometti Péron & Associés (No Com), before joining Tilder for 10 years, where she became Deputy Managing Director.
With her strong interpersonal skills, she supports senior executives in their internal and external communications strategies.
For over fifteen years, Marie-Virginie has specialized in managing her clients’ press and media relations. In this capacity, she has dealt with a wide range of issues and developed expertise in tech ones.
As a teacher, for 3 years she taught a course in “public and media speaking” to students on the Master 2 in Communication at EFAP (École des nouveaux métiers de la communication), and a course in Territorial Marketing to students at the University of Saint-Denis.
Marie-Virginie regularly appears in French media (France info, Europe 1, BFM TV, LCI, CNews, Public Sénat, France Télévision, RTL, etc.) to analyze current affairs and politics. Since January 2023, she has been a regular columnist on BFM TV’s Week-end Direct programme.
Marie-Virginie is Vice-Chairwoman of the WILLA incubator, an accelerator, leader in gender equality in technology, which supports over 500 entrepreneurial projects launched by women every year.
She is also the author of the book Femmes dirigeantes, comment elles ont osé, (Plon January 2022).
Marie-Virginie Klein is a graduate of Sciences Po Rennes (IEP) and the University of Ottawa. She holds a Master 2 in Political and Social Communication from the Sorbonne (Paris1). She completed two years of classes préparatoires littéraires aux grandes écoles (hypokhâgne and khâgne).
Associate Director
Jean-Michel Salvator was a journalist for forty years before joining iconic.
Jean-Michel Salvator began his career as a political journalist at France Inter in 1985. He then joined Europe 1 to cover defence, aeronautics and transport issues from 1986 to 1993. He became a business columnist on the Europe 1 morning show until 1998. For the next 25 years, he managed editorial departments, first as number two (Europe 1, Le JDD, Le Figaro) then as number one (BFM Business, the BFMTV and RMC websites, Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui en France). At the same time, Jean-Michel Salvator was an editorialist on RTL, France Info, LCI, BFMTV and BFM Business.
He is currently a columnist for the daily newspaper l’Opinion.
He has lectured at the Centre de Formation des Journalistes (CFJ), Sciences Po and HEC Paris.
Jean-Michel Salvator is the author of a book on the transformation of the media with Francis Morel, the former head of Le Figaro and Les Echos: Les journalistes sont formidables: de Gutenberg à Zuckerberg (Calmann Levy, 2020). He has also co-authored Pouvoirs with Étienne Mougeotte (Calmann Levy, 2021).
He spent two years in consulting at Tilder, before joining iconic.
Manager
Clémence Naizet is a manager at iconic. With over five years’ experience in communications consultancy, most notably with the Elan-Edelman agency and then with Vae Solis Communications, she helps her clients address their public relations challenges.
Clémence Naizet has in-depth knowledge of the public sector, its issues and challenges. After initial experience in a local authority, Clémence joined the communications department of the École Polytechnique, where she was in charge of media relations and digital strategy management.
As a consultant, Clémence has worked with a wide range of private and public sector organizations on their communications and visibility strategies, and continues to do so.
Clémence Naizet has a Masters 2 in Political and Social Sciences, with a major in Information and Communication, from the Sorbonne.
Managing director
Valentin Mazelier is consulting director at iconic. He has over five years’ experience in executive support, communications and press relations.
Valentin Mazelier trained at Havas Paris before joining Edelman and then Tilder. He spent five years advising senior executives from a variety of sectors.
Today, he advises companies and their executives on developing their communications strategy in order to build, consolidate and protect their public positioning.
Valentin Mazelier holds a Master 2 in Communication & Media from Paris Business School and a Certificate in Management from the University of California.
Consultant
Aurélie Aknin is a specialist in media and influence issues, with an expertise in public and political affairs.
Before joining iconic., Aurélie worked with senior executives at Tilder. She then joined the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, where she worked in the office of the Director of the Mission French Tech as the Director’s right-hand woman in charge of external relations. Today, she advises iconic.‘s clients on their communications and institutional relations strategy, helping them to establish their vision in the public debate.
Aurélie Aknin holds a Master 2 in Public Affairs and Representation of Interest from Sciences Po Bordeaux (IEP), and studied Social Sciences at the Tecnologíco de Monterrey (Mexico City) and Hankuk University (Seoul).
Junior consultant
Jordan Vesian is a junior consultant at iconic. He has experience in press relations and journalism. He helps senior executives with their communications, with particular expertise in promoting their messages on digital media.
Jordan Vesian has in-depth knowledge of the French media landscape. He has had the opportunity to experience it at first hand in a number of local newsrooms, where he worked as a journalist and presenter. He began his career with RCF, before training in public relations with Oxygen Group.
Jordan Vesian holds a Master 2 in Public Communication and Influence from EFAP and a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Communication from Vern University.
Senior consultant
Aïna Pagès is a senior consultant at iconic. With three and a half years’ experience in communications, press relations and public affairs, she supports her customers in their communications and press relations challenges.
Aïna Pagès has in-depth knowledge of Parliament and public institutions. She is an expert in economic, financial and real estate issues. She began her career as a parliamentary assistant to a member of the Finance Committee, in charge of the Finance Bill. As a communications expert, Aïna was in charge of press relations for a major player in the credit brokerage sector, which she supported in its communications and influence strategy for over 2 years.
Aïna Pagès completed her studies at Sciences Po Paris, graduating with a Master 2 in Public Affairs. After taking the ENA and Assemblées administrative entrance exams, she turned to the private sector to support top management in their external communications challenges.
Chief of staff
With a legal background, Caroline Aufrère began her career in legal advertising for 8 years, before joining a law firm as a legal assistant for 6 years.
She joined the iconic. team in January 2023 as chief of staff.
Caroline is the person you can trust to orchestrate all the company’s functional issues.
Founder & CEO
Marie-Virginie Klein is the founder of iconic. She has been helping senior executives with their communications for over fifteen years.
For five years she advised leading business and political figures at Giacometti Péron & Associés (No Com), before joining Tilder for 10 years, where she became Deputy Managing Director.
With her strong interpersonal skills, she supports senior executives in their internal and external communications strategies.
For over fifteen years, Marie-Virginie has specialized in managing her clients’ press and media relations. In this capacity, she has dealt with a wide range of issues and developed expertise in tech ones.
As a teacher, for 3 years she taught a course in “public and media speaking” to students on the Master 2 in Communication at EFAP (École des nouveaux métiers de la communication), and a course in Territorial Marketing to students at the University of Saint-Denis.
Marie-Virginie regularly appears in French media (France info, Europe 1, BFM TV, LCI, CNews, Public Sénat, France Télévision, RTL, etc.) to analyze current affairs and politics. Since January 2023, she has been a regular columnist on BFM TV’s Week-end Direct programme.
Marie-Virginie is Vice-Chairwoman of the WILLA incubator, an accelerator, leader in gender equality in technology, which supports over 500 entrepreneurial projects launched by women every year.
She is also the author of the book Femmes dirigeantes, comment elles ont osé, (Plon January 2022).
Marie-Virginie Klein is a graduate of Sciences Po Rennes (IEP) and the University of Ottawa. She holds a Master 2 in Political and Social Communication from the Sorbonne (Paris1). She completed two years of classes préparatoires littéraires aux grandes écoles (hypokhâgne and khâgne).
Everybody sees it: the world is changing.
The era of the “everyone for themselves”, of the “ego trip”, is over : such an attitude is no longer viable.
No longer ecologically, socially or even economically viable. The question of what we can bring to the community, to the world in general, has become central.
At iconic. we believe that communication cannot remain on the sidelines of this fundamental movement. The quest for buzz and for the Warholian 15 minutes of fame are no longer goals in themselves.
The time has come : in order to be watched and listened to, you have to be able to embody something bigger than yourself.
To be able to expose yourself for the cause you are defending. And to do that, you need to mobilize a wide range of talents and sensibilities.
In the Byzantine tradition, the gold that makes icons shine refers to a sacred light, an inner light that makes these paintings much more than works of art.
Our conviction is that there can be no good communication without the transmission of something like a sacred fire, something that comes from the heart. That’s why we chose the name iconic.
iconic.‘s ambition is to help managers and their companies define, communicate and highlight the ideals that drive them.
This is the only way they can become the true leaders of their sector: by showing that they are making a concrete contribution to the general interest, above and beyond their own particular interests.
These days, it’s no longer enough to be a leader. You have to be a role model.
Be exemplary, iconic. can’t do it for you : but we can help you give and show the best of yourself.
President & founder of iconic.
Communication strategy
Media
Influence
Executive coaching
Editorial
Content creation
Print & digital visibility
CSR communication
Financial communication
We advise senior executives and their companies on their strategy for influencing and communicating in public debate.
We support our clients at every step of the process. We don’t consider our work done until our message has reached its target audience.
On a day-to-day basis, we work closely with our customers and their teams.
iconic. Corporate
iconic. Influence
iconic. Story
iconic. Studio
iconic. Corporate
Communications strategy
Media, print, digital and broadcast visibility
Financial communications
CSR communicationsiconic. Influence
Public affairs
Crisis communicationsiconic. Story
Editorial board
Video content for social media
Creation of editorial contenticonic. Studio
Mediatraining
Training in all forms of public speaking
Our customers are committed. So are we.
Together with our partners, we are helping to promote greater parity and diversity in the economy and to bring out the leaders of tomorrow.
Media
#HebdoCom — 2023
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#BFM — 2023
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#HebdoCom — 2023
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#HebdoCom — 2023