Nicolas Tanguy spent most of his career in Berlin working for Total's German affiliate before moving to Paris in 2014 to become Head of Credit Management for Total Lubrifiants. As Credit Manager, his role is to both protect Total from unpaid customer invoices while also maintaining steady revenue growth. He does this by collecting and analyzing financial and customer data to assess risk and determine credit limits. The position involves tasks like financial analysis, accounting, litigation, and in rare cases seizing ships from customers with late payments. Nicolas enjoys the variety and cross-functional nature of the job.

1. From Berlin to Paris
Before his appointment as Head of Credit
Management in Total Lubrifiants’ Corporate
Affairs Division in Paris in 2014, Nicolas Tanguy
spent most of his career in Berlin at Total’s
German affiliate. The French-German national
began his career there in 2005 in budget
control. “I was lucky enough to be with the
same affiliate during a rough financial patch
and then later, for a period of growth,” he says.
“It taught me a lot professionally.” Nicolas has
fond memories of his time there, such as the
2006 opening of the BMW plant’s Total station
in Munich. In addition, managing a French-
German team of five people gave him “a taste
for management, especially its cross-cultural
side.”
Preventing Outstanding Accounts
In 2013 he left the Network Division for Lubri-
cants, and management control for credit
management. “My current job is both to pro-
tect Total against the risk of unpaid customer
invoices and to keep revenue on a steady
growth track,” he explains. “It’s fairly similar
to what a bank or insurer does: we collect
financial and general data about our custom-
ers, analyze the information collected and
then regularly issue an assessment about
each customer, which will determine whether
or not we extend that customer credit and
how much. Working closely with our market-
ing teams, we’re involved in every step of the
JOB
business and marketing chain, from order
placement through receipt of payment and
from prospecting customers through remov-
ing them from the portfolio.”
A Highly Cross-Functional Position
Nicolas especially likes the job’s variety. “It
entails a wide range of services (financial
analysis, accounting, litigation), required skills,
activities (automotive market, industry and
shipping), products and countries. It also has
a diverse scope: we can raise the line of credit
for financially solid customers. Or, conversely,
take steps to lower it if payments start to come
in late. We can even go so far as to seize a
ship. That’s an extreme, costly and excep-
tional measure, but a very effective one too.”
Nicolas Tanguy
Head of Credit Management
nicolas.tanguy@total.com
PORTRAIT OF
A CREDIT MANAGER
“My current job is both
to protect Total against
the risk of unpaid
customer invoices
and to keep revenue
on a steady growth track.”
TOPLubs | 16EDITORIAL LUB LIFE PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT JOB
Tasked with “securing customer
business relationships,” Nicolas Tanguy
likes to compare his job to that of an
insurer or banker. It involves facilitating
business while shielding the company
from potential customer financial
problems.