Laurent Flory, Groupe Logiciel – Cellule Nationale Logicielle (French Ministry of Higher Education and Research), France
Short bio
Laurent Flory is a distinguished IT executive with over 25 years of leadership driving digital transformation in the Higher Education sector. He holds dual degrees in Computer Science Engineering and a Research Master’s in Industrial Economics. Beginning his career in 1996 with the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, he quickly advanced to Chief Technology Officer in educational ICT by 1997.
From 2007 to 2021, Laurent served as Chief Digital Officer for the University of Lyon, directing digital operations for a major academic hub supporting 130,000 students. Concurrently, he took on the role of Director of the Digital University of the Rhône-Alpes Region (UNR-RA). In this capacity, he coordinated digital initiatives on behalf of the Ministry and the Region, steering innovative projects in digital university pedagogy. From 2021 to 2023, he advised a top 10 French university on administrative modernization and the establishment of a regional data center.
Motivations:
- Why do you want to join the EUNIS Board?
I intend to join the EUNIS Board because my career has focused on mutualisation—shared digital services and shared procurement across institutions—and because I believe transformation succeeds when trust and cooperation come first. As CIO/Chief Digital Officer of the University of Lyon (multi institution COMUE), I coordinated inter university programmes in networks, infrastructure and shared services, and led procurement mutualisation, including negotiations with software vendors and publishers. As Director of the Digital University of the Rhône Alpes Region (UNR RA), I coordinated regional digital initiatives for public stakeholders and supported innovation in digital pedagogy.
Today, through my missions for the CNL, I advise on international projects, digital practices, and national public software tenders, helping align institutional needs with market realities and policy constraints. I also bring long-standing international community governance through The ACM Web Conference and CSIESR, strengthening cross-border dialogue practically.
This motivation aligns with EUNIS’ strategy: empowering digitalisation professionals as strategic enablers, improving institutional resilience in a secure landscape (cybersecurity, data privacy, continuity), and shaping the European higher education technology landscape through policy engagement and advocacy—bridging institutions, governments and partners. I would be honoured to contribute this experience and community mindset to the Board.
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How will you contribute to EUNIS and its strategic priorities?
I intend to contribute to EUNIS by combining long-term association governance experience with hands-on higher-education digital transformation delivery. For more than 15 years, I have served as an administrator of CSIESR (including Vice President, Secretary and board member positions), with deep practical knowledge of how French “loi 1901” non-profits are governed: statutes/internal rules, General Assemblies, board decision-making, budgeting, compliance, and transparent member communication.
This governance background matches what an EUNIS Board needs: clear strategy-to-execution, sound administration, and strong member engagement. I can also strengthen Board operations—agenda setting, meeting discipline, decision traceability, and membership data quality—so choices are timely, accountable, and inclusive.
More over, I will help to empower digitalization professionals by turning peer exchange into reusable guidance, tools, and SIG outputs, and bring a “public procurement” touch and alternative European networks to the board and SIGs.
Finally, my international community work (ACM Web Conference governance; international relations for CSIESR including EDUCAUSE in the USA and AXIES in Japan) brings a strong network and the habit of building bridges across countries and cultures—an asset for EUNIS’ European scope.
