We are coming close to the 14th anniversary of CREM so it’s worth reflecting on how the Club for the Foreign Residents of Monaco came about and how well its current partnership with CMB is flourishing.
Louisette Azzoaglio Levy-Soussan got the idea when she was in Paris working for Princess Grace. Princess Caroline and Princess Stéphanie were at school there and Prince Albert was in the States. Louisette told HelloMonaco in her HelloMonaco Words of Wisdom interview that she was feeling very lonely. Because, although she had a few friends in Paris, it’s a big city and it’s very difficult to create a social life there. When she came back to Monaco, she thought of all the foreign people who left their countries to come and live in Monaco and thought how difficult it may be for some of them to get into Monegasque society. And Monaco has a particularly rich tapestry of foreign residents.
But the Club had to have premises where people could gather and it was most difficult to find accommodation. Luckily Prince Albert helped along with Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, who lent such a beautiful place, a venue where people can meet, have a drink, read newspapers, meet friends and have meetings.
The idea was to ease the way for people to talk to each other. Dialogue is the best way to make friends, to get acquainted. It was Louisette’s small way to help people to get to know more about Monaco and to feel at home because, when you arrive here from Ukraine, from France, from Belgium, from India or Russia, from wherever, you don’t know exactly what Monaco is. It’s a very special place and you have to be given some keys to how to live here more easily.CREM is now an indispensable part of Monaco life. And since 2022, CREM and CMB Monaco have pooled their strengths to enhance the economic, social, and cultural influence of the Principality of Monaco. Through this strategic partnership, CREM members have enjoyed privileged access to CMB Monaco’s premium banking services, while the private bank has strengthened its relationship with the international community residing in Monaco.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with CMB Monaco,” says Alexandre BOIN, Director of CREM. “This enhanced cooperation will allow us to continue offering our members exclusive opportunities and unique benefits.”
Francesco GROSOLI, Chief Executive Officer of CMB Monaco, also expressed his enthusiasm for the continued collaboration.
Superlative Empathy
No doubt the success of CREM is in major part due to the founder’s empathy as well as its current flourishing partnership with CMB. Louisette Azzoaglio Levy-Soussan revealed that empathetic side of herself to HelloMonaco with these words: “I have empathy for people because I think, as I told you before, that we all go to the same place. Some of them do it in a Mercedes, some of them do it in a Maserati and some of them do it on a bicycle, but we all go in the same direction. Some start very high and finish badly, some start small and finish big, I think this is what we have to accept. I love that we all have the same fate, so why not love… because we are all on the same planet and we have to be all together… I think it should be our principal aim to get along well together because that helps us to survive without fighting.”
