THE SMIB MAG 2019 2020 - 10 YEARS AFTER - ESSEC Business School
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THE SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 10 YEARS AFTER...
INTERNATIONAL
RANKINGS BUSINESS #7 #3 #5 #8
EDUCATION 2019 European Master in Master in Executive
Business School Management Finance Education
ESSEC
Programs
BUSINESS SCHOOL,
THE PIONEERING SPIRIT Key figures
ESSEC is a graduate school with ESSEC is a school with French Roots
programs ranging from Bachelor that trains responsible leaders.
to PhD, a wide range of Masters Being a responsible leader means
6O,OOO 6,66O
programs including our flagship Master being able to see beyond business
in Management and Global MBA as usual. Responsible leaders are
programs. ESSEC also offers executive able to value long-term benefits
education and custom training over short-term profits; they are able
designed and developed on-demand to blend corporate performance graduates worldwide students in full-time undergraduate
for our partners from the private with employees’ well-being. To and graduate programs
sector. ESSEC holds the “Triple crown” prepare its students for the world of
4 +1 34% 1O2
of accreditations for global business tomorrow, ESSEC’s pedagogy seeks
education: EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. to awaken and develop creative
and critical thinking, together with
Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi At the core of the ESSEC learning the learning-by-doing method.
campuses in augmented international nationalities
Dean and President experience is a combination of Responsible leaders are those who Cergy, Paris-La Défense, digital students represented
of ESSEC Business School excellence and distinctiveness. can see the broader picture. Singapore and Rabat campus
ESSEC’s unique educational model
+1oo
is based on education by experiences, ESSEC is a full ecosystem at the
218
that foster the acquisition of crossroad of rigorous and relevant partner universities
CREATED IN 19O7, ESSEC cutting-edge knowledge with the research, innovation, business and in 45 countries
development of know-how and life society. At ESSEC we believe in student organizations
BUSINESS SCHOOL TODAY skills. At ESSEC, we aim to empower bringing research and companies into
IS A WORLD-SCHOOL WITH students and give them the keys the classroom, we also believe that
2,OOO
to imagine, create, lead and have a learning doesn’t end with a degree: degrees awarded each year,
FRENCH ROOTS. ITS PURPOSE positive impact in the business world learning at ESSEC means becoming including 1,600 at graduate level
of tomorrow that will be more complex a life-long learner and joining a
IS TO GIVE MEANING TO THE and changing ever more rapidly. close-knit community of more than
LEADERSHIP OF TOMORROW 60,000 Alumni all across the globe.
ESSEC is a world-school. Our
AND HAVE A GLOBAL IMPACT. International campuses in Asia-Pacific
and Africa are dual gateways that
3O
allow students to really immerse
5,OOO
themselves into different cultures learning and research chairs
worldwide and develop genuine
expertise about business in those
regions. They allow our school to build
deeper alliances with academic, private
32
double degree programs managers in executive education
and public partners in those regions
(26 international, 6 national)
that are growing at an accelerated
+5oo
pace and will be leaders of economic
growth in tomorrow’s world. ESSEC
has built a network of alliances with
163
academic partners worldwide so permanent faculty of 37 nationalities partner companies in education
that its students’ learning journey including 21 emeriti professors and recruitment
is a true international one.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
10 Years after, from SMIB students to …
EDITO SMIB
EDITO SMIB............................................................................................................................5
NADA ACHENANI CHIEF EDITOR.................................................................................6 I remember when I was a SMIB student this
Strategy professor telling us that you build strategy over
THE SMIB JOURNALISTS..................................................................................................7 10 years, and tactics over 10 months. While the SMIB
was created in 1996 so 24 years ago, this SMIB Mag
STRATEGY CONSULTING IN NEW YORK...................................................................8 was first released in 2010, so it worth an effort to try to
understand how our alumni who were featured in the
BUSINESS MANAGER IN LONDON............................................................................10 magazine have strategically managed their career!
They were happy to share their insights about how the program
A BIG FOUR SENIOR MANAGER................................................................................. 13 made them different and turned them into proud members
of the SMIB family sharing important values aligned with
C-LEVEL: the program and school values: Open-mindedness, Boldness,
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO)..........................................................................14 Authenticity/Trust, Responsible and Business-oriented.
We’re happy to share with you their stories and
C-LEVEL: recommendations to current and future SMIBs!
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)............................................................................ 16 You’ll also be happy to learn that SMIB is growing like
a tree with many branches but with solid roots. This
A FRESHER POINT OF A VIEW.................................................................................... 17 made us reach #3 position worldwide as Best Master in
About Industrial Strategy.......................................................................................................... 17 Management (QS Ranking) in 2020. Thank you all for your
about entrepreneurship............................................................................................................. 19 involvement in the program, and let’s keep building a strong
About Banking Inspection........................................................................................................ 21 SMIB Family with fresh graduates (Class of 2018-2019)
and graduates-to-come (Class of 2019-2020)!
SMIB LIFE............................................................................................................................. 22
stratngo Consulting.................................................................................................................... 22
SMIB For Smiles........................................................................................................................... 24
Focus on the Asian Strategy Challenge (ASC) at ESSEC, Asia-Pacific Campus............... 25
Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie (Ph.D)
A WORD FROM PROFESSORS................................................................................... 28 maman@essec.edu
Academic Director of MS SMIB
(Cergy - La Défense - Singapore)
4 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 5
THE SMIB JOURNALISTS
SYLVAIN DELAUNAY
CHIEF EDITOR MOLKA BOUJBEL
GHISLAIN DE LA BRETESCHE
NADA ACHENANI: AYSHA BASHARAT
ANA RAQUEL SILVA SANTOS
SHILPI BANSAL
JACQUES DELAPLACE
STRATEGY developed were suddenly becoming very real & Procurement function and the COO. In
CONSULTING to us. This context also changed the way we
apprehended our post SMIB opportunities,
this project, we had to support a merger
of equal size companies which brought
IN NEW YORK namely internships in industries suffering
such as banking and consulting to a certain
additional complexity in the strategic
recommendations we could provide in
By Sylvain Delaunay extent. In my case, I had to compromise on terms of organization and operating model
my initial ambition to join M&A and had to design. Our teams were also supporting
Pierre-André develop alternatives such as Consulting. in parallel the identifications of synergies
Pancaldi While many consulting firms temporarily that were critical for the deal success.
Senior Manager at stopped hiring or even internships, smaller
Accenture Strategy, fast-growing firms were still looking for talents Consulting in the United States
New York to support their secured pipeline of work. I have had the opportunity to work
Overall the consulting sector did not suffer both in France, many west European
much from the financial crisis as companies countries and in the United States, and
were more than ever looking for support to the work culture is quite different.
further reduce their operating costs and pivot It is going to sound very “cliché” although
After my engineering studies, I started my their business in those decisive moments. I find that Americans have overall a strong
career in the Purchasing department of business sense and extreme rigor in managing
Bouygues Construction group. My objective, Joining the consulting sector business operations. French business
typical for student with technical background, There are many ways to join a consulting culture focuses towards more creativity,
was to shift to a more business-oriented track firm after the SMIB and my best advice is agility and pragmatism. With that, mixing
while leveraging the technical background to stay open to several career options and both is very interesting: I learn to be a solid
I have acquired through my studies. Those understand how this could benefit in building business operator, and I encourage my
first two years were eye-opening for me your overall story of “why consulting”. teams to think out of the box, not take any
and confirmed my willing to pursue a true For my part, I joined Factea - a small Strategy processes for granted and work differently.
business career across different industries. boutique in Paris right at the end of the SMIB The lifestyle that comes with consulting is also
I, therefore, decided to join the ESSEC SMIB and was then hired by Accenture in Paris after not the same. Indeed, even though consulting
program, which gave me the opportunity down 2 years to join their Supply Chain practice. firms are established in all major American
the line to join consulting in both a small My previous experience in the industry, cities, forming a critical size team in a specific
boutique firm and a global consulting giant. even short, was highly valuable for my field of expertise usually requires gathering
Joining the SMIB was undoubtedly one of consulting career take- off as it allowed staff from other offices. That’s why employees
the best decisions and no-regret moves me to rapidly establish credibility with travel to their client’s location in another city
I have made in my career life so far, for clients. This is something to consider when from Monday to Thursday evening, whereas
two main reasons: the diversity of profiles thinking about consulting: when is the in France, most of the strategy consulting
I had the chance to live and work with, right timing to move and should I benefit work happens in Paris. With this lifestyle
but also the wide range of professional from an operational experience before? on the move, more flexibility is allowed and
opportunities and options offered. working from home on Fridays is common.
I met student peers with so many different My work as a consultant
backgrounds and objectives, creating a I am working now as a Senior Manager at
fantastic emulation among us to push Accenture Strategy New York, within the
ourselves into finding the right track and career Supply Chain Operations & Sustainability
choices to fully leverage our SMIB formation. Strategy practice. Most of my time is spent
on managing strategy projects related to
The economic situation 10 years ago profitability improvement for C-Suite clients in
2008 was a unique year to be at the SMIB. the Consumer Goods and Life Science industry.
With the global financial crisis unveiled, I recently completed a successful post-
we were all much more focused on our merger integration for a major Beauty
finance courses as concepts and theories company, supporting directly their Sourcing
8 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 9
BUSINESS de quitter l’entreprise avec laquelle j’étais protection des données. Nos équipes de différence est plus grande que ce que l’on
MANAGER IN et j’ai intégré Kantar ou j’ai découvert une
discipline que je ne connaissais pas du tout,
statisticiens vont ensuite pouvoir élaborer des
modèles qui permettront d’anticiper l’impact
pourrait croire. En passant de Paris à Londres,
je pensais partir d’une grande ville à une
LONDON les sondages et les études de marché. Après
9 mois, j’ai quitté Kantar pour intégrer une
de différents évènements tels que la survenue
d’une vague de froid en Octobre par exemple.
autre ce qui fut loin d’être le cas. Comparé
à Paris, Londres est une « Superville » !
By Molka Boujbel boîte d’études de marché spécialisée dans Moi en tant que Manager, j’ai plus un L’adaptation a été compliquée même pour
l’industrie pharmaceutique, Vivactis. J’y rôle de superviseur. Ayant déjà été à moi qui suis habituée au tumulte parisien. Et
Lauren suis restée pendant 3 ans ou j’ai beaucoup leur place quelques années auparavant, puis les tempéraments sont complètement
Hiribarne évolué et grandi car nous étions une petite je suis à même de savoir les difficultés différents, nous sommes plus méditerranéens,
Business Manager at équipe ce qui me donnait l’opportunité de qu’ils peuvent rencontrer et les aider à les anglais sont plus germaniques, tout sera
Imperial College Health faire beaucoup de choses et me procurait les résoudre. Je m’occupe également de naturellement plus structuré et personne ne
Partners, London l’autonomie dont j’avais besoin pour avancer. l’aspect financier et RH ainsi que d’organiser sera complètement direct, non par hypocrisie
Le mauvais côté des petites structures, c’est des évènements pour mon équipe, avec mais c’est juste comme ça que ça se passe
que l’on a vite fait le tour. Au bout de trois ans, l’aide de mon assistante, car « une équipe de ce côté de la manche ! Évidemment
j’ai donc commencé à chercher de nouvelles heureuse est une équipe performante » ! on y est confronté au quotidien dans la
opportunités, et c’est là où j’ai été contactée vie professionnelle. Par exemple, à mes
Parcours par un recruteur anglais. J’ai été embauchée êtes-vous les seuls à avoir acces à débuts ici, j’avais du mal à comprendre les
Je suis diplômée de l’Ecole Nationale dans Cello Health, toujours dans les études de ces donnees ? quid de la protection directives vagues de mes managers. Ici pour
Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier en 2008 marché en pharma, mais j’avais l’opportunité des donnees des patients surtout suite te demander de faire quelque chose ou de
en ingénierie chimique avec une spécialité de travailler à l’échelle internationale avec à la rentree en vigueur du rgpd ? modifier ton travail on te dira souvent « A ta
en biochimie. Pendant ce diplôme, j’ai décidé de plus gros clients. Une autre dimension ! Je dirais oui et non ! Ces données que nous place je ferais comme ça », ce qui peut paraître
que je n’allais pas rester dans le secteur Aujourd’hui, après cinq ans, je suis business exploitons appartiennent aux hôpitaux et comme une option, mais ça ne l’est pas en
à proprement parler car cela me dirigeait manager à « Imperial College Health nous somme justement dédiés à ces hôpitaux, réalité ! Après en passant moi-même à des
surtout vers des postes en laboratoire, dans Partners (ICHP) », une entreprise qui s’occupe c’est pour cela que nous y avons un accès postes de management, j’ai dû encore une fois
la chaîne de production ou encore dans la d’implémenter des innovations dans le privilégié. D’autres personnes ou entreprises m’adapter. En me reprochait souvent d’être
recherche, ce qui ne m’intéressait pas trop. système de santé anglais. Je manage une peuvent y avoir accès en passant par un trop directe, et en même temps, lors de mes
J’ai donc rapidement décidé de me diversifier équipe de 12 personnes qui fait des analyses process assez complexe, notamment un panel passages à Paris, mes proches trouvaient que je
en optant pour un master en marketing ou de données et des projections économiques. qui va décider de la pertinence de l’usage tournais trop autour du pot. Compliqué tout ça !
en business international. J’ai candidaté à qui en sera fait. Ce panel peut par exemple Finalement, je dirais que le « Mindset » est
plusieurs écoles et j’ai été acceptée à l’ESSEC Pourriez-vous nous parler plus rejeter un projet s’il estime qu’il ne présente complètement différent, que ce soit dans
et à HEC. J’ai ensuite choisi l’ESSEC car j’avais de votre poste actuel ? pas de bénéfice pour la structure hospitalière l’éducation ou dans le monde professionnel.
eu un meilleur feeling avec les personnes avec L’Imperial College Health Partners est une ou le système de santé en général, ou encore Pour t’aider à te développer, ici on va plus te
lesquelles j’ai passé l’entretien. J’ai été séduite entreprise financée par le gouvernement s’il représente un danger pour la protection pousser, te donner des outils et des directives
par l’ouverture à l’international du programme anglais qui a pour objectif d’aider à intégrer des données ou la santé des patients. De pour t’améliorer tout en étant porté sur le
et de l’ESSEC, que je n’ai pas retrouvée dans l’innovation dans le système de santé et les notre côté nous devons aussi passer par ce bien-être et le développement. En France,
les autres écoles. J’ai été attirée par le fait hôpitaux anglais. Un exemple de ce que nous process, mais de par nos relations privilégiées on sera plus porté sur la performance
que l’on puisse choisir de faire un semestre à faisons : étudier le fonctionnement d’un service avec les hôpitaux et le gouvernement, nous et le bien-faire, on aura tendance à
l’étranger. J’ai donc passé un semestre un à dans un certain hôpital et implémenter les sommes plus efficaces et efficients. Nous « t’enfoncer » pour t’aider à avancer.
l’ESSEC à Cergy et un semestre à Thunderbird nouveaux modes de gestion du personnel pouvons mieux savoir quels sont les projets
School of Global Management en Arizona. ou encore intégrer au sein de l’hôpital une qui seront acceptés ou non par exemple. Pour Pour finir, aujourd’hui, dix années plus
Je suis ensuite rentrée à Paris où j’ai intégré nouvelle application qui permet aux patients résumer, je dirais que nous avons un accès tard, que vous a apporté le SMIB ?
Factea, un cabinet de conseil qui n’existe de suivre leurs résultats. Mon équipe est privilégié mais non exclusif à ces données. Beaucoup de choses positives ! Après une
plus aujourd’hui suite à son acquisition par focalisée sur l’analyse des données et nous formation scientifique, le SMIB m’a permis
Karistem Consulting. Je me suis spécialisée avons la chance de bénéficier d’une base Vous avez travaillé en France et ensuite d’élargir mon socle de connaissances.
dans les hôpitaux puisque l’objectif était de de données correspondant à 2,5 millions à Londres, quels sont les differences Que ce soit durant mon semestre à
concilier mon background scientifique avec de patients. Ces informations permettent que vous avez perçu que ce soit sur le l’ESSEC ou à Thunderbird, j’ai pu m’ouvrir
ma formation en management et stratégie. de faire des analyses très poussées et sont plan personnel que professionnel ? à des notions proches de la réalité de
À la suite de mes six mois de stage, j’ai décidé évidemment très encadrées par les lois de Bien que les deux pays soient proches, la l’économie et de la société grâce aux
10 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 11
différents cours que j’ai pu suivre. de rencontrer des personnes intéressantes. A BIG FOUR (seulement 10 % avaient déjà travaillé avant).
Sur le plan professionnel, avoir l’ESSEC sur
son CV aide beaucoup. Que ce soit via le
Sur le plan personnel, j’ai fait la
connaissance de beaucoup de personnes SENIOR MANAGER Comment compareriez-vous la
situation économique d’il y a 10
réseau et les initiatives de l’école ou les desquelles je suis encore très proche By Ghislain de La Bretesche ans à celle d’aujourd’hui ?
Alumnis, les opportunités sont multiples. aujourd’hui. Deux de mes meilleurs amis Il y a 10 ans, tous les secteurs étaient
Le réseau ESSEC Alumni est aussi actif étaient avec moi durant l’échange à Nicolas assez frileux suite à la crise de 2008.
à Londres. Plusieurs événements sont Thunderbird. Je suis allée au mariage de Calvet L’embauche dans le domaine de la finance
régulièrement organisés. C’est une bonne l’un d’entre eux la semaine dernière ! KPMG Advisory, avait diminué. Aujourd’hui, on sent que la
occasion d’entretenir le lien avec l’école et Paris situation s’est détendue, bien que depuis
1 ou 2 ans, certains secteurs comme le
consulting se resserrent de nouveaux.
Quels sont vos conseils pour les étudiants
qui veulent intégrer un cabinet de conseil ?
Parcours Tout d’abord, il est très important d’avoir une
Avant d’intégrer le SMIB, j’ai été diplômé grande motivation et de s’être bien renseigné
de l’école Centrale Nantes en 2008. J’ai sur ce secteur. Postuler dans le conseil demande
dans un premier temps hésité à m’orienter beaucoup d’investissement (notamment pour
dans la finance ou dans le consulting. La les études de cas lors des entretiens). Ce sont
crise de 2008 ayant diminué le nombre uniquement les gens bien préparés qui passeront.
de postes proposés en sortie d’école, J’ai Pour les anciens ingénieurs, avoir réalisé un
finalement décidé de m’orienter dans le stage dans l’industrie peut être un atout lors
consulting à partir de ma 3e année. des entretiens et permet de se différencier.
Je pense qu’il est préférable de débuter dans le
J’ai éprouvé, à la fin de mes études d’ingénieurs, conseil dès la fin du mastère, mais le choix du
le besoin de m’ouvrir à de nouveaux sujets Cabinet est également important, car il peut
et de nouvelles matières et ainsi suivre le constituer une carte de visite très valorisante.
Mastère spécialisé SMIB de l’ESSEC.
J’ai par la suite commencé ma carrière chez
Orga Consultants (devenu Sopra Steria) en
conseil en management où j’y suis resté pendant
2 ans et 8 mois. Tout m’intéressait dans ce
cabinet en termes de missions, mais j’avais
la volonté de rejoindre un cabinet d’envergure
internationale et l’envie de travailler sur des
projets plus grands. Je suis donc parti chez KPMG
France, cabinet dans lequel je suis toujours.
Pourquoi le SMIB vous a-t-il plus ?
J’ai véritablement apprécié l’ouverture
que ce mastère m’a apportée. En effet, j’ai
beaucoup travaillé en groupes avec des
personnes de nationalités différentes et cet
aspect multiculturel me sert encore dans
mon travail d’aujourd’hui. J’ai également
aimé le fait de pouvoir « networker » avec
des étudiants de formations différentes
12 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 13C-LEVEL: What was the reason of your inclination What are the challenges faced by Why did you decide to join ESSEC Masters
CHIEF OPERATING towards pursuing a discipline in strategy,
management and international business
oil & gas sector today? What kind of
strategies are being adopted by these
in Strategy & Management of International
Business? How did you find that the program
OFFICER (COO) specifically in oil & gas sector? Please
tell us the story of how you realized
companies to cope with these challenges?
Or what do you see happening in the
aligns well with your professional goals?
It was at the time when I moved to Paris
By Aysha Basharat it to be your sector of choice. world of oil & gas in the future? and wanted to gain stronger educational
Strategy is the main skill in oil & gas because There are several challenges: skills. As I explained the SMIB Program fits
Tahereh it is linked to geopolitics and international • In most of the oil & gas producing exactly to what I have been seeking.
Amirzadeh relationships. Oil & Gas is an international countries, civil or even military conflicts You are often invited as a guest
COO at Netoil Inc, business since oil & gas producers are mostly can happen anytime. The ongoing speaker at ESSEC for some professional
Paris the US, Russia and CIS, the Middle East, Africa, happenings today in Iraq, in Libya and in seminars as a part of the course. As
Latin America and Australia. As a manager of Venezuela are some of the examples. the theme of our magazine this year
an international oil company, I found the SMIB • Although the demand is still growing, the is “10 years of SMIB Mag”, how do you
Executive Program as the perfect choice for me. offer is becoming increasingly important. think MS SMIB has evolved over these
For instance, US has difficulties to find years? What aspects of the program you
What kind of challenges one buyers for its future LNG which in turn consider have been the most valuable
Could you please tell us about your has to deal with while working impacts the prices of Oil & Gas and on the that contributed immensely towards
educational and professional background? in oil & gas/energy sector? financing of the oil & gas projects. Oil & your professional or personal growth?
I hold a M.Sc. in International Management I would like to mention few challenges here: Gas is no longer so attractive for banks and I think the way SMIB has always adapted
with a specialization in Oil & Gas from •A cultural one: Oil & Gas producing capital markets. A lot of Oil & Gas services in accordance with the economic, financial,
University of Liverpool Management School, an countries, Oil & Gas importing countries companies have gone bankrupt in the US. technological and business needs of the
Advanced Master in Strategy & Management as well as banks and capital markets • There competition for clean and green energy times has been a great aspect of this
of International Business (SMIB) from ESSEC all have various cultures. As a result, is becoming more and more intense. program. I consider it is the reason that it
Business School, an Advanced Master in it is very important to be familiar with has been able to maintain a top ranking
Leading International Industrial Projects (LIIP) these cultural differences, to respect in the best Master programs worldwide.
from École Polytechnique (L’X) and ESSEC them and to deal with them.
Business School. I also have a certificate of •A financial one: Oil & Gas implies large
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from IFP School, amount of funds to be raised and structured.
a certificate of Industry 4.0 from TUM and a •A political one: Most of the oil &
certificate in Combating Money Laundering gas producing countries are under
and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation dictatorships and/or in wars.
(AML/CFT) in Banks from Riga Business School. •A geopolitical one: Some projects
I am the Chief Operating Officer of Netoil which are excellent on paper but will never
has just acquired 51% of Petrel Resources, a happen for geopolitical reasons, i.e. the
company listed on the London Stock Exchange relationships between some countries,
and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. I am some tribes, some ethnic groups, etc.
looking forward to be a part of the board of
directors by end of the year. Before joining That’s why one needs to have strategic insights
Netoil, I was Vice President for Marketing and in this huge (by the large financial resources to
Business Development in Middle East at Swiss be mobilized) business, which is international,
Forfait, a private company specialized in trade dealing with so many cultures, etc.
finance and forfaiting worldwide, working with
commercial insurance companies providing
credit insurance and state-owned insurance
companies – ECAs (Export Credit Agencies).
14 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 15C-LEVEL: CHIEF much them to be their own version, pushing A FRESHER POINT How did the SMIB at ESSEC
FINANCIAL them for a great performance while always
keeping the hunger for excellence. OF A VIEW... impact your career?
By the SMIB at ESSEC, I developed several
OFFICER (CFO) Gilles really kept this lesson as it moved him to About Industrial Strategy
skills such as accounting, finance, marketing,
strategy etc. These skills were very helpful to
By Ana Raquel Silva Santos continuously start something new and improve understand projects during my internship.
himself such as the MBA he recently enrolled in. By Shilpi Bansal I also developed certain soft skills such as
Gilles how to give a good report and presentation,
Gaucher-Cazalis After the end of the program and working Arnaud how to behave in the global company, and
CFO at PHILIPP PLEIN, all over the world from NYC to Paris to Gaab how to interact with the people. These skills
Ticino, Switzerland Hong Kong to Switzerland on some of Intern at Total, helped me to groom my personality, which
the greatest companies in the Fashion Paris is an essential part of the corporate culture.
industry, Gilles always kept updated about
the whereabouts of the SMIB program. How can you explain that what is the role
of strategy in the oil and gas industry?
One thing is for sure: The program pushed Market of the fuels is declining but the
“It was an intense experience” him beyond his limits and was a big time energy markets for electricity and gas are
on his career. It makes one see other Background developing gradually. So, the strategy to
Mr. Gilles Gaucher-Cazalis, today CFO of Philip possibilities and what one could achieve, I am a SMIB alumni from 2019 batch develop new markets and to be the main actor
Plein, was a consultant when he first joined while being able to be put in practice in real and by nationality I am French. I studied in the domain of mobility is a big challenge
the SMIB, managing to take the courses life afterwards. Having some broad subjects engineering in chemistry and physics in for the oil and gas sector. Strategy is also
while working on a project in parallel, which during the courses, including topics such as Strasbourg with specialization in polymers important for any company to do competitive
meant long nights and weekends of hard Finance and Operations, Inventory, Logistics,… and materials. During engineering, I did an analysis to define business and corporate
work to keep everything on track. However, makes one able to discuss proactively internship at ECPM, Germany, consisting of unit strategy, market analysis, define and
Gilles is very passionate about the SMIB several topics in professional life meetings 20000 people in Research & Development. execute technology strategy, manage portfolio,
and is all praises about his time at ESSEC while being knowledgeable and not just The internship confirmed the choice that I resource and risk, improve production,
and describes it as an amazing experience being hostage of other’s information. did not want to contribute to technical role construct environmental strategy etc.
to share knowledge and receive feedback in future. This was the precise reason for me
from colleagues coming from all types of When it comes to the Digital World, Gillles to choose SMIB program at ESSEC which can The Total’s slogan is “committed to
backgrounds and industries, especially the is categoric, fashion business is more and help to open fresh opportunities for me. better energy”, how far is it contribute
professors that were, in fact, professional more about digitalization, e-commerce, towards climate protection?
lecturers mostly with a large path to share. consolidation of online payment and data You worked as a competitive analyst If we talk about fuels, it emits more gas than
That was the main difference from the boring usage. Companies need to be aware of this at Total, for this position what are petrol. Gas is cheaper and more efficient
curriculum of usual college and master courses. and make the switch. Business is not done your roles and responsibilities? than oil, has low carbon effect and thus
in the same way anymore: all processes As a competitive analyst at Total, I contribute less effect on pollution. Electricity will be
He has no specific memory that comes out are online especially daily-life activities. in the marketing front. The work is integrated the energy of the 21st century. To meet
rather the gatherings with the colleagues, Innovation is in everone’s minds and figuring to marketing, logistics and supply chain the increasing demand, Total is targeting
during classes or working cases, he has out the next breakout is the key to success. department. To be precise, it is more about 25 GW of renewable electricity generation
been very happy getting out of the daily the strategic analysis of logistics and by 2025. It could be achieved by investing
routine and learning something new – it He has just one advice for present performance of Biofuels. I also worked on heavily on solar energy as it is fast- growing
helped him on thinking outside the box. and future SMIB students: development of competition observatory for source with boasting advantages: it is clean,
“Be aware of your core competencies and the gasoline market. On top of that, I also abundant, flexible, & efficient. To diversify
One of his fondest memories was this one find new challenges, you have to remain created new tools for off reporting of the the energy mix, company is also investing
professor of strategy, who had perfect yourself while focusing on what makes you activities. I designed some innovative reporting in bio energies, hydraulic and wind energy.
English, was fluent in French and often different. Bring new ideas to the market, system in excel format from the data in SAP, They also focus on distribution of electricity
shared words in Russian and Mandarin. He have an element of differentiation but always it reduced the time by a factor of four. by gas and distribution energy for car.
also spoke 7 other languages (Greek and remain yourself. But most of all: Give time to
Latin included). This professor encouraged network, exchange and share experience.”
16 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 17If I ask to give an advice to the students, about entrepreneurship est pour moi un gage d’assurance et de
what it should be? familiarité avec les principes professionnels.
“My advice to the students would be to to expand their domain and had technical
enjoy the adventure of life and SMIB to the background will have great opportunities. Robin Fort de cette double compétence Business/
maximum. In addition to that, try to grab They can leverage their technical skills Frohlich IT je gère pour le compte de Thales la
all the opportunities to make contacts and and business acumen by exposure through structure d’avant-vente pour les projets de
leverage ESSEC alumni network. SMIB to get more options to work”. transformation du système d’information
After SMIB, for the students like me who want du ministère des Affaires Sociales. Ces deux
années après la diplômation (2018) m’ont
surtout permis d’avoir un regard intéressé
sur les changements qui s’opèrent dans le
monde IT et de voir à quel point les travaux
Parcours qui sont entrepris ou en passe de l’être sont
J’ai commencé mon parcours professionnel structurants pour le futur des entreprises. Le
comme ingénieur en informatique et principe de la digitalisation vers l’efficience
automatique des systèmes. J’ai pu travailler n’est plus à discuter, il est en revanche moins
pendant près d’un an au Royaume-Uni sur évident à mettre en œuvre concrètement
l’automatisation des designs des satellites. en termes de profitabilité immédiate,
C’était un job génial en termes de découvertes d’autant plus dans la transformation et
et d’apprentissage, mais il me manquait la modernisation des infrastructures.
quelque chose, je ne souhaitais pas m’orienter
vers une carrière de développeur. C’est Ce constat ensuivant et la volonté de créer
pourquoi j’ai rejoint l’ESSEC, je souhaitais me poussent aujourd’hui, avec trois associés,
aligner mes envies d’évoluer vers des à entreprendre la mise à disposition d’une
postes à mon sens plus « business » et telle solution. Sans pouvoir détailler le
relationnels au sein d’une entreprise. modèle, nous souhaitons aider à concentrer
d’autant plus les entreprises à la création
Résumer mon aventure SMIB à cette seule de valeur sur leur système d’information,
envie serait finalement difficile car c’est au qu’elles puissent s’affranchir des limitations
final bien plus qu’ajouter une top school sur un techniques (devenues parfois un vrai casse-
CV. Nous partageons notre passage avec des tête tant financier qu’intellectuel) à travers
personnes tant intéressées qu’intéressantes une nouvelle maîtrise, tout en leur ouvrant
dans leurs convictions et l’opportunité nous est la porte de nouvelles sources de profit.
donnée de rejoindre une famille issue de tous Avec un design finalisé pour notre produit,
les horizons du globe (cela s’applique encore les prémices de cette aventure sont en
plus pour ceux qui ont choisi comme moi un place. Quant à la question pourquoi
parcours à l’étranger durant le cursus), c’est devenir entrepreneur, je ne pense pas que
sans doute ce qui, au-delà de la formation ce soit l’affaire d’un statut, d’une volonté
de qualité, me ravit le plus. La réussite n’est d’émancipation du salariat, pour moi toute
jamais acquise mais je reconnaîtrais volontiers personne qui se pose la question « comment
que le SMIB m’a donné la capacité et le recul faire mieux » et qui essaye d’y répondre est
nécessaire pour évoluer rapidement au fil de un entrepreneur. J’ai sans doute attrapé le
mes premières missions, là où j’aurais sans virus en école d’ingénieur quand on créait une
doute mis bien plus de temps pour arriver au société autour d’une solution de paiement par
même constat sans cela. Je ne compte même empreinte digitale. À l’époque je n’avais pas
plus les fois où j’applique certaines méthodes la situation qui me permettait de poursuivre
ou certaines anecdotes professionnelles au-delà de l’idée mais l’esprit est resté,
échangées sur les bancs de l’école. Le SMIB la volonté de créer et d’apporter quelque
18 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 19chose est toujours intacte. J’ai retrouvé cette des infrastructures et des personnes présentes About Banking Inspection Why did you choose to start your career
ouverture d’esprit dans les murs de l’ESSEC. quotidiennement pour approfondir bien plus as an Inspector?
On me pose d’ailleurs souvent la question les domaines qui me plaisent. Alors à tous les • I never thought I would work in the banking
« mais faire le master spé à l’ESSEC, ça valait le SMIB actuellement à l’école, profitez-en un Anna sector... I discovered the job of Inspector
coup ? » Ou le coût ? Je ne sais jamais vraiment maximum, gardez cette ouverture d’esprit qui Sardarian during the Career Day thanks to a SMIB
duquel ils parlent, cependant ma réponse est fait notre marque de fabrique et préparez- Inspector at Banque alumni, which made me want to take the
toujours la même : « vraiment ». Cela dit si vous à réfléchir au-delà de cette phrase que Postale, Paris entrance exams for different banks’ General
j’avais un regret à exprimer, j’irai sans doute vous haïrez sans doute tout autant : « On a Inspection. I found in the profession of
voir l’étudiant que j’étais pour lui dire d’en toujours fait comme ça ». Bon courage à tous. Inspector several characteristics that I was
profiter encore plus, profiter des concepts looking for: a regulatory aspect, analytical
présentés, des modèles, des enseignements, and writing skills to use, group work, regular
changes in the topics covered and work
Background teams, and also a work-life balance. This
My academic career took place in two phases: last point is not specific to all banks and
I first joined the University of Paris II is one of the reasons why I chose to join
Panthéon-Assas where I completed my first the General Inspection department of La
four years of law studies. I also studied a Banque Postale. Other reasons are mainly:
semester in Milan at Bocconi University the values of the bank in which I find
during my third year of my bachelor’s degree, myself, as well as the quality supervision
in the context of an Erasmus program. This and benevolence that I felt from the staff
experience reinforced my attraction for the during my recruitment interviews.
international. I therefore decided to take
a Master 2 at the University Panthéon- What’s your advice for SMIB students?
Sorbonne, specializing in international My advice to students who want to
and European business law, which was become an inspector is, firstly, not to be
completely relocated to Bucharest. afraid to take the entrance exams, and
secondly, to choose a bank that suits
• After this Master 2, although the legal them! It’s important because the working
subject I had studied for 5 years was of great environment has a real daily impact.
interest to me, I had difficulty projecting
myself into the legal profession. So I wanted
to study in a business school in order to
open myself to other opportunities and
that’s when I became a SMIB student.
What did you like most about the SMIB?
• I liked several things of the SMIB advanced
master: first of all, I was obviously attracted
by the international aspect of the master’s
degree, all classes taught in English, and the
diversity: meeting students from all over the
world. I also appreciated a lot the fact that
this specialized master provides a broad and
very professional (partly practical) teaching.
20 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 21SMIB LIFE Have you been to any of our events? Join us in 2020!! All you have to do is apply
If you have not been around lately, we have in September 2020 to the consultant or
you covered! We are also excited about the board member position of your choice. The
stratngo Consulting rest of the events coming up in 2020. You current team will be contacting you shortly
might have missed the very popular and to know about your motives, preferences
first edition of Stratngo Case Challenge and provide you with further information.
which took place during three evenings in Find out more about our latest events and
November and December 2019. During the activities by following our facebook and/
events, twenty-five teams tackled real- or linkedin page. Now that you know us,
world issues in the field of NGOs. Although our team will be happy to know more
the competition was fierce, the case about you and answer all your inquiries.
challenge was mainly the opportunity to get
a deeper understanding of the skills tested Continuing the legacy
in a business challenge. Being confronted “Stratngo Consulting was created in 2015.
to a professional jury and getting one step At this time, we were looking for ways to
closer to real world tasks of a consultant, was put in application what we were learning
a great first experience for the participants. at ESSEC as student. It wasn’t possible to
The event was not particularly targeting apply to the Junior Essec or Essec Initiative
any field of studies and any student ESSEC association. We noticed that NGOs however
was eligible to take part in the battle. have real needs and few budgets for hiring
consultants. With friends (Hamza, Marie-
Our second event of the year is HELP, EAT, Pierre and Aymane), we thus decided to
SMILE’N GO, a Christmas crowdfunding create Stratngo Consulting which aim is
planned in early December. We joined to provide strategic consulting services to
Introducing Stratngo Consulting in advice from external consultants. In fact, our efforts with SMIB for Smiles to non-profit organizations (growth strategy,
few words a team configuration was put in place to organize the food sale and tombola. performance improvement, cost structure,
Stratngo Consulting is an international pro make sure the NGOs’ needs are fulfilled in development of new offers, international
bono association that provides consulting due time: a team of four consultants is led Internally, Stratngo Consulting preserves the development, strategic marketing, etc.).
services to NGOs, in the field of financing by a project manager. At the beginning of college spirit by organizing regular parties Since the creation, the association is
strategy, communication improvement, each mission, our consultants define a clear and team building activities. A weekend growing each year thanks to members
project management and much more. It timeline for the project steps and deliverables. getaway is even planned in February 2020 for and alumnis. From now, almost 20 projects
was created in 2015 by SMIB students and all members. We cannot wait for the second have been launched in a large number
has not stopped to evolving since. Today, The association seeks motivated, self-driven edition of the Stratngo Case Challenge in of countries and more than 100 students
Stratngo Consulting has built a strong team students who would like to gain work experience March 2020 and let us not forget about the already contributed to the association.”
of forty members including eight board and build capacity in the undeserved NGOs. study team presentation in May 2020, a highly
members, coming from three different Therefore, we make sure our consultants are interesting event where the final research Jacques Delaplace,
advanced master programs, with an aim to enthusiastic about their daily routine. The outcomes are shown in front of a whole co-founder of Stratngo Consulting
fulfill seven missions and one research project eight board members play a crucial role in audience of alumni, students and NGOs.
this year. Our team is also culturally diverse the development and sustainability of the What’s next?
in order to support our partnerships with the association by coordinating the work driven by As we work for positive and sustainable
different NGOs located in France or abroad. the different teams, looking for partnership with outcomes, we count on students’ eagerness
new NGOs, taking care of other activities like to drive the association further! Want to
What are our objectives? financing, communication and event planning. work on real-life missions of an NGO, or
Stratngo Consulting has three main objectives. Furthermore, our main objective is to even gain experience in management,
support the research team in their study marketing, communication, finance…?
The association’s first aim is to help NGOs report about the use and analysis of Keep reading and learn about some of our
improve their performance by gaining skilled unprocessed data by governmental bodies. partner’s missions in amazing locations.
22 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 23SMIB For Smiles realization that the world is in a dire need for Focus on the Asian Strategy Challenge (ASC)
individuals who possess a willingness to share
and motivation to contribute towards the
at ESSEC, Asia-Pacific Campus
greater cause of human solidarity. A team of
25 compassionate MS SMIB students, including This 6-month consulting mission is the best way to put in practice all soft and hard skills needed
5 members constituting board positions for the to become a qualified consultant. Students have to act as a real consulting team, under the
year 2019-2020, we make a robust community supervision of an ESSEC coach, on a mission that is proposed by a company or an economic
striving to help social organizations for cluster located in APAC. Both the company and the coach grade the students and can eventually
execution of their goodwill missions. We share pursue the collaboration through an internship or job offer... This mission is complimentary from
a profound sense of involvement to support the the school side, with companies invited to give whatever they want, to contribute to the SMIB
charitable missions aiming to ease the plight development. This year’s projects are diverse and reflect students’ field of interests.
of underprivileged strata of the society.
From providing access to children deprived The DHL Team:
of education to uplifting living conditions Topic: Ideation on robotics to disrupt the
L’esprit pionnier – The pioneering Spirit! This of those fighting the ordeals of hunger and supply chain
mascot of ESSEC Business School substantiates homelessness, SMIB for Smiles has planned
its constant urge to stay at the forefront with partnerships with NGOs and associations Ellabane Yassine, Théophile Le Bizec and Yu
a pursuit for global excellence. The worldwide working on the same missions. Our very first Zhang’s mission is to help DHL to implement
presence of notable managers and exceptional activity for this year consisted of assisting Le a new service that they want to provide to
business leaders is a vivid manifestation of Maillon, a social grocery store based in Cergy, their clients who sell robots. DHL enjoys its
some core founding values upon which this in their food collection drive at Auchan. worldwide logistic network and sustainable
pioneering spirit has been strengthened. client’s relationships to become a sales
assistant and distributor for robotic companies
It has enabled the school to produce dynamic who want to expand their business in APAC and
professionals who are not only well-acquainted overseas.
with business & managerial prowess but are
also driven by a strong sense of responsibility This consulting project has the huge advantage
towards social causes prevailing across the to be very open which let us some liberty of
globe. In order to fulfil this purpose, the thinking and acting.
school has disseminated Humanism and
Responsibility as its fundamental values which Our involvement in this mission goes from
have been a springboard for some ambitious market research, data analysis, pricing
humanitarian ventures led by its students. strategy to the creation of a support that will
As we celebrate “10 years of SMIB Mag” by Through collaboration with Stratngo- a pro-bono convince the potential customer. We had the
acknowledging the achievements of SMIB consulting association of SMIB, we arranged opportunity to visit the DHL Innovation Center
Family over the course of last decade, it is Christmas charity events “Help, Smile’n Go” & and we will attend some clients meeting to sell
imperative to highlight a charitable on-campus “Eat, Smile’n Go” that included a food sale and this service. it is definitely a very interesting
initiative, “SMIB for Smiles” inspired by the very tombola. With an enthusiastic participation experience that allows us not only to better
same values of humanism, responsibility and from both teams and a keen interest shown know the robotics industry but also to network
compassion. by ESSEC students, it turned out to be a quite with the major players in this field.
eventful day enabling us to achieve great
Propagating happiness by alleviating results. In addition to that, partnerships with
sufferings of the dejected and bringing smiles associations such as Enfants du Mode, Défi
on their faces has been a driving force behind Plaquettes, Secours Populaire along with a
the formation of SMIB for Smiles in 2013 and volunteer activity with an NGO during SMIB
all of its proceedings over these years. We Business Trip to New York City are some
completely understand this objective with a examples of forthcoming projects for the year.
24 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 25The Dior Team (Perfumes & cosmetics) The DECATHLON Team
Topic: Chinese Traveler’s Customer Journey Topic: Improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of the offer range for Climbing
and Mountaineering in Decathlon South East
Asia and Australia
analysis and extract best-practices. The team Quentin Dauplais, Grégoire Leclercq and Louis
will finally present an action plan for Dior to Charlet : We are three students from business
enhance its engagement with Chinese travelers and engineering backgrounds. We chose
making the best use of the numerous digital this project because we like sports and the
touchpoints present in the customer journey. values supported by the company. Moreover,
the topic interested us, and we felt that our
Chinese travelers are in fact becoming a key work will bring to them a real answer to their
segment to seduce for many industries as they need. Indeed, after the first meeting with the
make about 80% of travel retail, therefore it company, we understood that the climbing
is interesting to make a deep dive into their market is not well-known by SIMOND, the
complex customer journey. However, it comes climbing brand of DECATHLON. We began
with challenges: first we must understand who our study market in Singapore: competitors,
are the Chinese travelers? Data constraints locations to practice climbing, competitors,
Pauline Glever, Léopold Mathieu and Rebecca make it difficult for both brands and us to climbing events, survey, etc. The aim of our
Mosseri’s mission was to understand the know exactly who they are, where they go study is to do this kind of work for all the Asian
behavior of Chinese travelers and how to and so on. Then, we must understand what countries and Australia. At the end of the
leverage on digital tools to effectively target their journeys looks like, keeping in mind project, we are going to be able to advise them
them during pre-travel. To begin with, the team that the Chinese customer journey is way in their strategy to increase their market shares
must ensure that a luxury brand like Dior is more complex than any other consumer in and create a real community of climbers.
present at keys digital touchpoints of Chinese the world in terms of touchpoints, contents Thanks to this consultant assignment, we
travelers. To do so, the team must make and expectations. It is valuable to understand can have an overview of what are the tasks
an in-depth study of the Chinese traveler’s the specificity of their journey but also which entrusted by consulting firms, we are improving
different consumer journeys with a focus on current trends are shaping the future of their our way to work in group, and we have a
their complex digital ecosystem. Moreover, ecosystem and experiences. Moreover, we find privileged relationship with the company. It is
Dior wishes to understand how to stand out it very interesting to analyze how luxury brands a real opportunity for us to understand how a
amongst the rest in this digital environment can express themselves using digital without company can work and the issues they must
whilst ensuring overall brand image. Thus, the jeopardizing their brand image. Finally, it is deal with.
team will analyze how others luxury perfumes also a great learning journey about travel retail,
& cosmetics brands advertise on digital media a promising industry.
and how they engage with Chinese travelers.
The team will also conduct a competitive
26 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL - SMIB MAG 2019 - 2020 27You can also read
