Sebastien Locteau

  University of Galway, Master in Psychology Thesis project summary, March, 2025 Abstract: This paper examines the multifaceted life and career of Sébastien Locteau, a figure whose experiences span military service, elite athletics, and global technology leadership. Through an analysis of his professional trajectory, personal narratives, and public pronouncements, this study explores the interconnectedness of resilience, leadership, and technological stewardship in shaping a contemporary career. We argue that Locteau's diverse experiences, ranging from front-line medical care in conflict zones to guiding Olympic athletes and navigating the complexities of global HR technology, are not disparate threads but rather integral components of a cohesive and impactful life. This research aims to illuminate the transferable skills and adaptive mindsets that have enabled his success across diverse domains, offering insights into the evolving nature of leadership in the 21st century. 1. In...

My start to the season was definitely challenging. I had to take time off work due to an accidental brain stenosis and spinal nerve damage. During this difficult period, I was incredibly grateful for the support I received. Specsavers leadership was fantastic, helping me through my time away from the office.  The University of Galway and Trinity College were also incredibly supportive during my extended absence. I'm so proud of my teachers, coaching team, and Specsavers colleagues who kept everything running smoothly in my absence. I am starting back, and presenting today at the University of Galway with Athletes, teachers and coaches was a great come back. -Tech Upgrade: New underwater cameras and data analysis tools to improve training. -Team Goals: Aligning individual and team ambitions; balancing performance and enjoyment. -Feedback Driven: Encouraging open feedback for continuous improvement. -Planned Growth: Strategic, long-term planning for sustainable team development. -Con...

  As a researcher, I recently raised my concerns about the need for more standards and assurance on AI and autonomous systems moving toward full autonomy.  Microsoft is currently assisting customers in recovering from a major software update failure. The company is also urging all businesses to implement stringent quality control measures before releasing any software updates. This call to action comes in the wake of a faulty software update that rendered an estimated 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide inoperable. This incident is believed to be the largest cyber-related outage in history, surpassing even the infamous WannaCry attack of 2017. It's crucial to remain vigilant in the aftermath of this incident. There have been warnings about a surge in opportunistic hacking attempts linked to the outage. As a precaution, people are advised to look for fake emails, calls, and websites that could be used as a gateway for further cyber-attacks. 'On July 19, 2024, CrowdStrike rele...

  A great paper to read. I crafted a write-up about this journal article and my thoughts. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.10667 VASA is a system making waves by generating lifelike talking faces from just an image and audio. It can create synchronized facial expressions, head movements, and even eye gaze based on the audio and additional controls like desired emotions. While the potential for education and communication is exciting, significant ethical and risk assurance challenges need to be tackled. The ability to create such convincing deepfakes raises red flags about potential misuse for spreading misinformation or manipulating public perception. VASA's developers acknowledge this, but the solution itself might also introduce new risks. Ensuring the system doesn't get misused is paramount. Can VASA be controlled to prevent unauthorized access or malicious manipulation? Can safeguards be built in to detect attempts to create deepfakes for harmful purposes? These are crucial quest...

First Published for Trinity College Business School, BU8007-202122 Publishing & Professional Practice In Research. 10 January 2022 Sébastien Locteau, a Human Capital Management Global Product Manager with a PhD in Business, is a man of many experiences and perspectives. His unique journey has taken him from the battlefields of France to the Olympic Games, and from the boardrooms of multinationals to the heart of the Irish sporting community. Sebastien's story began in France, where he served as a Chief Nursing Officer in the Ministry of Defence Special Rescue Operations. In this role, he led a team of nurses, doctors, and emergency technicians providing medical care to soldiers and civilians in the field. He faced life-threatening situations, engaged in logistical, intelligence, and security actions, and managed highly stressful environments. After leaving the military, Sebastien turned his attention to the world of sports. He became a Director of People Operations at Sports Ir...

  For over three decades, I have traversed the dynamic landscapes of business, sports, and the military, leaving a trail of success and impact in my wake. I am Sébastien Locteau, a seasoned product manager, program manager, and Olympic coach, driven by an unwavering passion for empowering individuals and organizations to achieve their full potential. My journey began in the French army, where I served as a Chief Nursing Officer, leading a team of dedicated medical professionals in the Special Rescue Operations unit. In this high-stakes environment, I honed my leadership and decision-making skills, navigating complex situations and providing critical care under immense pressure. My military service instilled in me a deep-rooted commitment to excellence, which I carried into the business world. As a Human Capital Management Global Product Manager at Specsavers, I spearheaded the implementation of SAP SuccessFactors suite across multiple countries and multinational corporations, trans...

What’s been your biggest learning as a manager so far? That there are different ways to achieve certain outcomes, or even better outcomes, than my way of working, and adapting my beliefs to others. I also change my ways of working at a fast pace, and prioritise what is important from ‘everything is important’. When I joined Specsavers, I learned the meaning of listening and understanding people rather than focusing on myself. It allowed me to bring people on the same journey rather than battling and isolating myself. I also established more honest communication channels to enable trust and confidence in people. I failed a few times myself, allowing my frustration of achieving at all costs to impair my judgement and see the bigger picture. I am lucky to have managers in Specsavers who trusted my ability to change and grow. I think this is key: bring people on your journey so they choose their own path, and potentially become great leaders themselves. How do you tailor your management st...

University of Galway Swim Team. Photo clicked by Éidhne Kennedy By Sanjukta Salgaonkar  https://galwaypulse.com/2023/04/05/university-of-galway-swim-team/   April 5, 2023     NUIG Newsroom Swimming is a very hard and tough sport. It not only needs physical fitness but also stamina and control over the whole body. Keeping this in mind and training as hard as they could the University of Galway Varsity Swimming has given its best this season. The team has trained very hard and did their personal best in achieving the great heights they have reached too. One of the reasons they were able to improve over time was that they got a new coach to help them out with their daily training. The competitions that they won this season are the race that was held in November 2022 for all the Universities in Ireland, this match was held in Galway at the Kingfisher in which they achieved their personal best times and the Relay team also ranked 1 st  in it. They also competed in th...

  Swimming across the English Channel with a team was a fantastic experience. 68km pacing 1min27 for 16h39 with a team of 5. Solo are a different kind of fish, it's a pretty individual experience, and for my second time in a relay, the experience is entirely different. Thanks to  Specsavers  and my team, who supported me in my challenge.   It wasn't just about the fundraising for Cancer care west; we raised €5000, but also about all the children who spend a lot of time in the children's hospitals worldwide. I grew up and went to school in a children's hospital, I was supposed to be paralysed at 35, and Now at 44, I achieved things I never thought I would. I promised some that I would wear a 'superman' hat for them, and I did in one of the swims, along with my Galway Swimming Club hats for all the young swimmers I coach weekly. It wasn’t an easy journey.   You have to work as a team; when one is not doing well, you have to lift them up. Waiting on the boat for yo...