Turning a Vision of Getty's Future into Reality

Every day, Pierre Ouillet comes to work with the goal of imagining how Getty can be made better—and how to turn his and his colleagues' ideas into reality. Here, he shares his journey from the aerospace industry in France to executive vice president of Finance and Operations at Getty.

A French childhood

I grew up in Lyon, France. Lyon was the capital of Gaul under the Roman Empire, so it has incredible antiquities and Roman theaters. I have such an affinity for the Getty Villa, because when I go there, I feel deeply connected to my roots. My mom was always arts-oriented, so we went to museums and the theater. She actually became an artist after she retired, and I have two of her paintings hanging in my office. She’s very proud to be displayed at Getty—at the wonderful age of 84, she finally made it!

I’m ashamed to say that I grew up as a nerd with a passion for math. But my mom was a history teacher, and my paternal grandfather was the driver of General de Gaulle during the Second World War, so I loved learning about history as well. And my escape from the world was science fiction: my favorite sci-fi movie was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I loved reading novels by Ray Bradbury.

Aerospace ambitions

Initially, my career goal was very much about advancing science. I had a passion for aerospace. My first internship was working on the boosters of the European rocket Ariane 5. That’s when I decided to go into aerospace engineering. So I went to the Institut supérieur de l’aéronatique et de l’espace in Toulouse, which is the aerospace capital of Europe, for a degree in aerospace engineering. I then attended the University of Maryland for a master’s degree with a specialization in helicopter aerodynamics. Life on an American campus was transformative.

A new passion for management

At the age of 24, I became in charge of the French helicopter research programs. I had a very large budget for a kid that didn’t know much about anything. My claim to fame is that one of my prototypes broke the world record for speed at 200 knots. We had a deep partnership with NASA’s Ames Research Center in the Silicon Valley. I remember falling in love with California and telling myself that I would come back one day.

I quickly discovered that I was more interested in strategy and in bringing people together than in the science itself. And I realized how little I knew about management. I left my job to earn an MBA at INSEAD, a very international program on the outskirts of Paris. It was a great learning experience—I learned how to actively listen to other points of view, to appreciate contributions from people of different countries and educational backgrounds, and to compromise. It was pretty foundational for the rest of my career.

International adventures

After my MBA, I joined the management consulting firm McKinsey, working all over Europe before moving to Canada. But after advising others, I wanted to run a business and joined Best Buy during its major expansion in China. I was spending most of my time in Nanjing and Shanghai. It was an incredible experience. But the lifestyle of traveling nonstop was wearing on my family and me, and that’s when I got the call from the University of British Columbia to join them as the vice president of Finance, Resources, and Operations. I got there in 2009 during the fiscal crisis, so my job was to bring financial stability back to the organization and help the president develop a new strategic plan for the university.

Around 2014, my kids were leaving to go to university, so I was free to travel and change geography. This was my time to finally make my move to California. I applied for two jobs. One was at Getty, for a similar position to the one that I have now, and the other was at the University of California San Diego [UCSD]. I never heard from Getty—I don’t think I was fully ready for the job. But because of my university experience, UCSD selected me, and the rest is history.

At long last, Getty

After about 10 fulfilling years as the vice chancellor and CFO at UCSD, I was invited to apply for the role of executive vice president of Finance and Operations at Getty. I could not pass on this opportunity. I loved the energy of my interviews with my future colleagues and the charisma of Getty President and CEO Katherine E. Fleming. Her vision to engage visitors in a way that builds on Getty’s heritage but makes art even more relevant and engaging gave me the direction I needed. Because I had also been to Getty so many times as a visitor, including on my parents’ final visit to the US, this was very meaningful for me.

Life as an EVP

My role is about connecting the dots and translating a strategic vision into tangible projects and programs. That ranges from fun things like opening the Trellis Bar to working on finding a new site to host our scholars and interns. It’s also a lot about engaging my colleagues and driving alignment among our priorities. I’m also focusing on talent development and engagement. When we, for example, embark on what is a significant capital program, we need the team, bandwidth, skill set, and culture to do it well.

I’m also making sure that we don’t forget about staff. We have a lot of initiatives, but it’s important for me to understand their impact on staff in their day-to-day lives, whether it’s thinking about their shifts, about what the relandscaping of the Villa would mean for them, or thinking about the convenience of being able to order their lunch on an app to make their day easier.

Visitor experience update

It will be a completely new journey from when visitors arrive to when they leave. It starts when they drive through an art installation in the 405 Freeway underpass, when they enjoy a more relaxed parking experience with a prepay option and clear wayfinding, when they emerge into an art-infused lower plaza to board a futuristic tram with an immersive art experience, when they arrive on an activated upper plaza with an opportunity to do selfies on the “Spanish steps,” when they enter an impressive welcome pavilion with cool amenities before experiencing our collections in a setting that is both visually stunning and deeply engaging.

We have already delivered some improvements to create momentum, like the Trellis Bar and new seating around the campus, but the major transformation will take place over the next two years so we'll shine for the Olympics and beyond.

Retail revolution

Because of my experience in this industry, I’m passionate about the opportunity to take our retail experience to the next level. We have talented staff and incredible opportunities to get inspired by our architecture, our collections, and the vibrant LA culture to offer an exciting assortment of items that are meaningful and original. When people come to the Center or Villa, it’s an opportunity for them to disconnect from their busy lives and reconnect with art, nature, and the wonderful architecture in a different way. And they want to take a piece of that experience back home, whether they are schoolkids or international visitors.

Will Getty become more French?

There’s a joke with my friends that I’m now too French for the Americans and too American for the French. The French side is about enjoying life and doing serious work without taking yourself seriously, which I think is very important. And the American way is a belief that you can do the impossible, and it’s this very belief that makes it achievable. For me, California brings these two sides together: a love for life and a sense of the possible.

Favorite art and spots at Getty

For me, it’s about the stories as much as the art itself. Some of my favorite exhibitions are at the Getty Research Institute, because they are edgy and fun. I’m a gay man and very grateful for the bold approach that the Research Institute has taken to art exhibitions: the recent $3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives was particularly meaningful to me at this difficult time in our history.

But I will confess that my escape is to go to the Villa, to sit in the Outer Peristyle with my laptop, and go through my emails surrounded by the antiquities, the beauty of the garden, and the serenity of the place. It’s my all-time favorite.