Ekibees

Here at Ekinops, we celebrate the diverse interests and passions of our employees. So when Damien Germain, Hardware Development Engineer at Ekinops, decided to turn the rooftop of our Lannion office into a refuge for bees, the team embraced the idea with open arms.

From the coffee machine to the rooftop

Passionate about nature, Damien had already installed about fifteen beehives at home, when in spring 2019, he had the clever idea of bringing his passion to work. After bringing up the idea with his colleagues during daily chats at the coffee machine, they were immediately keen.

With the city of Paris counting over 2,000 rooftop hives, amateur beekeeping is booming in France. Fueled by the ongoing media coverage of the decline in bees and their crucial role in supporting our ecosystems, the country’s enthusiasm for beekeeping is a great example of small individual actions making a positive collective impact.

Busy bees and budding beekeepers

Last weekend, Christine Lesellier, part of Ekinops’ Sales administration team, made the 12-hour flight to Japan to participate in the IPF World Bench Press championships.

Taking place on Saturday 18^th May in Tokyo, the event combined equipped bench press and classic (or raw) bench press and was attended by an all-time high number of lifters: 1088 in total, with Christine joining the 200+ female classic lifters from across the world.

If you’ve met Christine, you’ll know she is a dedicated sportswoman. She first began training in 2009 and is just as passionate a decade on. In 2018, she set the classic bench press world record in her weight category of 50kg. Her secret is simple: work hard, train consistently and enjoy the moment.

Christine is a classic powerlifter, meaning she doesn’t wear a vest for support. She entered the group 2 category (50 – 59 years) weighing in at 50kg and up against three other lifters - two Japanese and a contender from Hungary.    

On her first attempt at the bar, Christine benched an easy 80kg. A world record breaking attempt claimed only minutes later by her Japanese opponent who passed 81.5 kg.

Four days. 44 riders. 435 Km, $230k: How Ride 4 Ceylon is supporting Sri Lanka’s post-war recovery

Last month, I was proud to be one of 44 cyclists that participated in Ride 4 Ceylon (R4C), a challenging 435Km charity ride from Colombo to Jaffna in Sri Lanka, in aid of the Manipay Green Hospital and the redevelopment of the local Jaffna community.

Following three decades of devastating civil war, the Jaffna region is starting to rebuild, thanks in some part to charitable initiatives like R4C, which is providing a lifeline to communities across the region.

Established in 2017 by ex-pupils of St Thomas College in Columbo Sri Lanka, also known as the ‘Old Boys’, the ride raises funds to support the expansion of vital services at the hospital and help the recovery of the once-thriving Jaffna community.

In two years, the ride has seen a remarkable growth in numbers, from just six people in its inaugural year to over 44 taking part in the 2019 ride. This year, the four-day journey welcomed cyclists from across the world, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Romania and the UK.