Last visit was: 20 Nov 2025, 00:08 It is currently 20 Nov 2025, 00:08
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 21 Apr 2020, 06:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: 100 Million Protective Masks Gathered by MBA Alumnus



As people around the world race to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Thibaud Sarrazin-Boespflug, MBA ’96, has an answer. In fact, he has 100 million of them.

As the president of the HEC Alumni Chapter in Shenzhen and with deep connections to both the French Chamber in Hong Kong and members of the Chinese healthcare community, Thibaud was in a unique position to gather much-needed personal protective equipment. Enlisting the help of six volunteers, the HEC Paris MBA alumnus was able to collect 7 million masks in 48 hours. That number rose to 100 million masks within two weeks. Setting up a supply chain and a routing system with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the volunteers shipped the 100 million masks to France. The protective equipment is now outfitting medical personnel, caregivers, police  and crucial others throughout the country.

Raising Funds for Doctors and for Students
Another initiative spearheaded by the HEC Community is a fundraising campaign co-organized by HEC Alumni and Sciences Po Alumni to raise donations for two international medical organizations: Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde. As of mid-April, more than €170,000 had been pledged toward medical equipment and support for healthcare workers throughout the world.

Helping out closer to home, the HEC Foundation has launched a solidarity fund to support current students who find themselves in financial difficulty. A first round of grants was awarded to 10 students in April.

For a complete list of all the COVID relief projects underway in the HEC Community, please visit our official webpage.

 

 
The post 100 Million Protective Masks Gathered by MBA Alumnus appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 22 Apr 2020, 09:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: Spring’s Magnificent Beauty at HEC Paris



One of the biggest draws for studying at HEC Paris is its vast and verdant campus. Although our classrooms are quiet at the moment, our green spaces are louder than ever, with bluebells and vibrant orange, yellow and red poppies “springing” up in abundance. As the season takes hold at HEC Paris, we wanted to share its beauty with you. Here’s what Mother Nature currently has on display across our 272-acre grounds, stunningly captured by MBA student photographers Amanda Shih, MBA ’21, (who also acted as our photo editor for this project) and other MBAs from our September 2019 intake, including Nadav Bieber, Tinh Hoang and Sara Lucia Eraso.

 

This Giant Sequoia is the most breathtaking tree on campus. Giant Sequoias are known to live for over 3000 years, so this majestic beast is here to stay. (Photo courtesy of Nadav Bieber)

 

One of the varieties of Cherry Blossom found on campus. Cherry Blossoms typically bloom between March and May, dropping their delicate petals after just a few weeks. (Photo courtesy of Tinh Hoang)

 

Elm trees are known for creating amazing filtered sunlight. In Japan, this effect is called Komorebi – 木漏れ日 (Photo courtesy of Sara Lucia Eraso)

 

Magnolias are thought to be the earliest flowering plants, with fossils dating back over 100 million years. They even pre-date bees, relying on beetles for pollination.

 

Because this variety of cherry blossom features single, rather than double flowers, its appearance is markedly different from its pompom-like relative.

 

This bluebell-lined path is one of many jogging routes that weave their way through the HEC forest.

 

Despite their charming appearance, Bluebells are actually poisonous, containing around 15 biologically active compounds to defend themselves from animals and insects. But scientists are hopeful; they are researching how these toxic chemicals could potentially treat cancer one day. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Shih)

 

These vibrant wildflowers can be found across the campus in Spring, especially near the lake and HEC Chateau (Photo courtesy of Amanda Shih)

 

Along with tulips, these orange beauties line the walkways near the S building (Photo courtesy of Amanda Shih)

 

One of Amanda Shih’s photos in her light-hearted series, with the Chateau looking stunning on a warm Spring day.

 

 

Another of Amanda Shih’s photographs, capturing the sunset in the HEC forest.

 

Pink Cherry Blossoms by the lake-side playing fields. Picnicking beneath a cherry tree is a centuries-old tradition in Japan, where the Cherry Blossom is the national tree. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Shih)

 

A close-up of the Cherry Blossom captured above. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Shih)

 

 

Daisies scattered across the HEC grounds. One of the most common plants in the world, they are found everywhere on Earth except Antarctica. (Photo courtesy of Tinh Hoang)

 

 

 

 

 
The post Spring’s Magnificent Beauty at HEC Paris appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 12 May 2020, 10:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: How to transform an industry, according to Alstom’s Digital Innovation Director



When I was invited by HEC Paris’ Digital Transformation Club last November to join them for an exclusive visit to Alstom’s Headquarters, I wasn’t quite sure why a VR demo was on the itinerary. How could a global leader in the transportation sector possibly use virtual reality headsets? But even as we step inside Alstom’s Paris Headquarters – a towering glass building designed to replicate the inside of an engine – it’s clear to both myself and the 11 HEC Paris MBA students here today that this is a company dedicated to innovative technology.

Alstom’s Paris Headquarters is based upon the inside of an engine

“Living the product”
Once inside, we’re led to Alstom’s Virtual Reality Center (VRC) by Digital Innovation Director Carles Coca-Mascorda. His enthusiasm for explaining the products is infectious, but since the philosophy behind the technology is to “live the product”, it’s not long before we are handed VR headsets.

Instantly, we’re transported to the first class carriage of a train. I can walk up and down the aisles, choose a seat or even disembark the train to stand on the platform – all from the comfort of Alstom’s VRC (provided I take care not walk into any of the MBA students around me).

At first it’s fun to play around, switching between different upholstery fabrics and other materials in the train, but Carles shows us that it’s not just about the aesthetics. The technology takes us into the engine itself, to examine how everything fits together, and to practice changing faulty parts.

It’s clear that Carles sees this technology as more than just a novel way to show clients

what they’re buying. He predicts it will overhaul the entire production process, from design to manufacturing. “Normally a manufacturer will receive a plan that’s made up of a list of parts,” he says. “But what if they are able to see how all those parts fit together and interact all at once? With our 3D plans you can see the finished product straight away, and observe how every part fits together.

Nikhil Nangia, President of HEC Paris’ Digital Transformation Club, testing Alstom’s VR technology

“For example, using written plans for a car, it takes a leap of imagination to conceptualize what it will be like to drive that car. You won’t get a sense of it ergonomically until you’ve made a mockup. You won’t realize that the steering wheel should be a little lower, or the buttons on the dashboard a little wider, until you’ve physically sat in that car. With VR, the moment you see the plans, you live the product.”

Aakarsh Srivastav, MBA ’21, is one of the students on today’s tour. A former aerospace design engineer, he explains that he used the same basic tools in his previous job, but not in the same way. “Being able to actually walk around and interact with designed parts in virtual reality, rather than just viewing them on a 2D computer screen, is mind-blowing. Trips like this are so insightful. They give MBAs a lot of perspective on how technology is evolving and changing the future of work.”

A VR set at Alstom’s HQ

Digitalization vs. Digital Transformation
Carles believes that for true digital transformation to take place, we need to change the way we imagine products. “Our way of conceiving products is stuck in the past. In some countries, there is a legal requirement to deliver designs on paper, so that they can be stamped to confirm the product will last a minimum of 30-60 years,” he explains.

But, he adds, the answer is not simply to replace paper plans with screens. “That’s not digital transformation,” he insists, “that’s digitalization.” When a student asks to clarify this distinction, he explains: “I studied dinosaurs at school with a book. My children now do the same using a tablet. But the information we receive is exactly the same. A true digital transformation would be creating technology that allows you to live with the dinosaurs. The digital would transform not just the way you learn, but what you learn. And that’s what we’re doing with trains.”

This distinction between superficial and “true” digital transformation is something that Carles is keen to impress upon our group. Nikhil Nangia, President of the MBA Digital Transformation Club, agrees. “Digital transformation isn’t just a buzzword,” he says, explaining why the club’s Vice President, Dhruv Chhabra, decided to organize today’s visit. “It’s great to see firsthand how Alstom is leveraging AR, VR, Virtual Trains and Smart Engineering to pioneer the future.”
The post How to transform an industry, according to Alstom’s Digital Innovation Director appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 18 May 2020, 05:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: HEC Paris MBA student wins the Africa Takes on COVID-19 case challenge



The texts looked official—one even had the UNICEF logo on it—but their messages were incredibly dangerous. One claimed that a blend of certain herbs cured COVID-19. Another said that temperatures above 26° Celsius killed the virus, so anyone living in warmer climates was safe.

But perhaps the most surprising thing was the messages’ source, explains HEC Paris MBA student Steve Tchuenté Kayo. His mom was sending them.

“All my family lives in Cameroon, where WhatsApp is widely used,” Steve explains. “She was doing what comes naturally to everyone: sharing messages from trusted friends with all her contacts.”

Experts say the COVID-19 outbreak may be the biggest source of internet misinformation ever, with fake news spreading as fast as the virus itself. Fortunately, Steve and his teammates at MLP Rocket may have a solution to this “infodemic” of misinformation. Their Accuro phone application recently won the Africa takes on COVID-19 MIT Challenge. This 48-hour hackathon hosted by MIT had 1500 competitors coming from 100 countries. Teams competed to find solutions to protect the most vulnerable populations on the African continent.

Because of his mom’s texts, Steve participated in the track seeking ways for African smartphone users to verify the accuracy of information they receive and share. He and his five teammates initially didn’t know each other. They introduced themselves on Slack and Zoom, and then worked across four different time zones to design and prototype their solution. In the end, MLP Rocket pitched their Accuro phone application to the judges. Their innovative app uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to fact-check information and distribute messages from official sources.

“We had 3 minutes to pitch our concept to the judges,” Steve explains. “Overall, it was a great experience to learn how to think on your feet and get others on board to your way of thinking.”

Thanks to the strength of MLP Rocket’s idea, the app is now moving into the incubation phase, with Steve and two of his teammates —Marilyn Osei and Tarik Fathallah —working to refine the prototype they presented during the hackathon. If successful, Accuro has the potential to reach up to 340 million smartphone users in West and Sub-Saharan Africa. To learn more about Accuro or to contribute to its development, visit the project’s official website.
The post HEC Paris MBA student wins the Africa Takes on COVID-19 case challenge appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 18 May 2020, 08:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: HEC Paris MBA student wins the Africa Takes on COVID-19 hackathon



The texts looked official—one even had the UNICEF logo on it—but their messages were incredibly dangerous. One claimed that a blend of certain herbs cured COVID-19. Another said that temperatures above 26° Celsius killed the virus, so anyone living in warmer climates was safe.

But perhaps the most surprising thing was the messages’ source, explains HEC Paris MBA student Steve Tchuenté Kayo. His mom was sending them.

“All my family lives in Cameroon, where WhatsApp is widely used,” Steve explains. “She was doing what comes naturally to everyone: sharing messages from trusted friends with all her contacts.”

Experts say the COVID-19 outbreak may be the biggest source of internet misinformation ever, with fake news spreading as fast as the virus itself. Fortunately, Steve and his teammates at MLP Rocket may have a solution to this “infodemic” of misinformation. Their Accuro phone application recently won the Africa takes on COVID-19 MIT Challenge. This 48-hour hackathon hosted by MIT had 1500 competitors coming from 100 countries. Teams competed to find solutions to protect the most vulnerable populations on the African continent.

Because of his mom’s texts, Steve participated in the track seeking ways for African smartphone users to verify the accuracy of information they receive and share. He and his five teammates initially didn’t know each other. They introduced themselves on Slack and Zoom, and then worked across four different time zones to design and prototype their solution. In the end, MLP Rocket pitched their Accuro phone application to the judges. Their innovative app uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to fact-check information and distribute messages from official sources.

“We had 3 minutes to pitch our concept to the judges,” Steve explains. “Overall, it was a great experience to learn how to think on your feet and get others on board to your way of thinking.”

Thanks to the strength of MLP Rocket’s idea, the app is now moving into the incubation phase, with Steve and two of his teammates —Marilyn Osei and Tarik Fathallah —working to refine the prototype they presented during the hackathon. If successful, Accuro has the potential to reach up to 340 million smartphone users in West and Sub-Saharan Africa. To learn more about Accuro or to contribute to its development, visit the project’s official website.
The post HEC Paris MBA student wins the Africa Takes on COVID-19 hackathon appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 26 May 2020, 09:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: How to Win at Salary Negotiations



Negotiating a salary increase is one of the most nerve-wracking conversations imaginable. It can simply seem easier to accept a future employer’s initial offer, even with a strong CV. According to a recent study by Payscale, 63 percent of male MBA graduates requested raises before starting their first post-degree job, while only 48 percent of their female counterparts did. Of those MBAs who ventured into the negotiation ring, 59 percent were successful at getting their salary demands met.

Getting a pay rise is often much harder after you’ve started the job, so it’s important to try to reach your highest earning potential before signing on the dotted line. Thankfully, HEC Paris Affiliate Professor Philippe Gaud, a former Human Resources Director at Apple, Inc. and an expert in Human Resources, recently gave a workshop for the HEC Paris Career Center on how to win at salary negotiations.

His insights for our soon-to-be-negotiating HEC Paris MBA students:

1. Practice, so that you exude confidence and the right attitude during the conversation.
Write down what you want to say, and practice saying it, whether it’s to your reflection or to a close friend. “There should be only two reasons why a company would decline giving you a raise: either they think your salary expectation is too high, or they think you are being unreasonable and, therefore, would be a problem for the organization. If you remain realistic, professional and confident, you increase your chances of success,” Professor Gaud says.

But can projecting confidence come across as being arrogant? According to Professor Gaud, a lack of assertiveness can actually be detrimental to the negotiation process. “Talking about money is not dirty,” he says. “If you would negotiate other aspects of your job or workload, why not talk about money? Do not allow yourself to be undervalued.”

Still, Professor Gaud suggests treading lightly when deciding whether to tell your potential future employer about other job offers you may have. Never use other offers as a bargaining chip – this may come across as a threat. Instead, work out a careful and pleasant way to tell them, but only if you think this could add some necessary pressure or show that you are in demand.

2. Consider the key stakeholders: the company, the recruiter and the job.
Philippe Gaud, Affiliate Professor in Management and Human Resources

The company: Do your homework by researching salaries on sites like Glassdoor or by meeting with alumni who are currently employed there. If the salary offered seems low, try finding out the likelihood of getting it boosted, and how much you might receive. Base this off the company size, HR policies and company culture/values (e.g. startup or well-established). If they encourage risk-taking, for example, then you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for more, Professor Gaud says.

Also consider the potential challenges the company may face. If their budget for your project is small, then maybe they can’t afford to increase your salary up front. Consider things like: Will you have an opportunity for future pay raises or promotions? Does the company give performance-based bonuses or salary increases? The answer to these questions should affect your desire to negotiate.

The recruiter: You could be negotiating with anyone from your future line manager to the company’s CEO. Try to find out who it will be beforehand and prepare accordingly. It is important to ensure that the recruiter understands exactly what you bring to the job, so that they can offer you a salary based on your unique skillset.

The job: Is this a new or an existing job? If it’s the former, there could be more flexibility on salary. Ask yourself why the job is vacant – are you replacing someone directly or has the required profile changed? If it’s just a replacement, there is likely to be less flexibility on salary. However, if they are looking for someone with a different profile or a new skillset you bring to the job, there will likely be more room for negotiation.

3. Know your worth, and be willing to walk away if necessary
Walking away from an offer can be agonizing, but you should know when it is necessary, Professor Gaud says. Work out your perceived salary value (the minimum salary you think you are worth), and your ideal salary. Go for your ideal salary, and definitely don’t accept an offer that is less than what you perceive you’re worth – if they will not budge, then perhaps there is no point in negotiating.

As an HEC Paris MBA graduate, you should demonstrate everything that you offer the company, which is a lot. You are re-entering the job market fully operational, with the extra value and qualifications brought by your MBA. You have a deep, 360-degree view of business, a multicultural approach to problem solving, and years of work experience that you will be able to apply straight away. Put across the idea that giving you a higher salary upfront will put more pressure on you to deliver, and show the company they can put their trust in you.
The post How to Win at Salary Negotiations appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
 [1]
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
 [1]
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 29 May 2020, 09:00
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: Student Voice: Tonny Yuliantino, MBA ’20



Securing a job at Boston Consulting Group requires standing head and shoulders above the competition. And to be headhunted by them, rather than having to apply in the first place, takes someone who really stands out. But that’s exactly what happened to Tonny Yuliantino. Shortly before finishing his undergraduate engineering degree in Indonesia, Tonny’s impressive academic performance earned him an invitation to an exclusive BCG gala held at his university. Attending the private event led to an internship offer, and he has since worked for the prestigious consulting firm for almost seven years.

Paris at dusk, captured by Tonny

After working his way up from Summer Business Analyst to Consultant, the company offered to sponsor his MBA degree. Upon graduating from the HEC Paris MBA in June 2020, Tonny will rejoin the prestigious consulting firm in its Jakarta office.

Management consulting has a reputation for being very deadline driven and demanding. What are your favorite aspects of it?


I have always liked problem solving, so consulting seemed like the right fit from the start. It really is a “no pain, no gain” industry. It can be demanding, but once you’ve completed a challenging assignment, you feel really accomplished. As a plus, the fast-paced nature and challenges of consulting at BCG make it great for personal development.

Why did you choose the HEC Paris MBA?
I ruled out American business schools because their MBA programs are too long. I then considered where in Europe would be the best place to study. France’s central location enables you to travel across Europe, and Paris is such a beautiful city, so it was my top choice. Then I chose the HEC Paris MBA because of its great reputation and beautiful campus.

Has Paris lived up to your expectations?
The Louvre at night, captured by Tonny

Paris has been a dream. I have been able to practice my new-found hobby of photography, and where better to do that than Paris? The people, the food and the architecture are all incredible. One of my favorite buildings is the Louvre – I’ve been at least five times, especially in the evening, spending up to three hours there to take pictures. The Sacré Coeur and the quaint, narrow and cobbled streets surrounding it in Montmartre are equally impressive.

I also love bakeries, so living near Paris has been great. Whenever I visit a new country, one of the first things I do is to find the best bakery nearby and buy croissants. Some of the best ones I’ve had in Paris have been at Blé Sucré and Maison d’Isabelle, but I also love Paul, which you can find all over the world.

What are your MBA highlights?
There are so many! I’m an extrovert, so the overall camaraderie with my MBA peers has been my personal highlight. From catching up at the campus P-Bar on Thursdays to weekend getaways, we always make time to socialize and have fun together. One weekend, 15 of us went to Luxembourg during the National Luxembourg Day celebrations. One peer is from there, so he showed us around and we had a great time.

Tonny and his MBA peers in Luxembourg

Besides that, sporting events like the MBAT are second to none. The fact that we organize it and host so many universities makes it even more fun. In addition, the professors are not only supportive but also really make time to talk with us both in and out of the classroom. This helps to build both a professional relationship and a social one, and it’s great being able to spend time with such smart people.

The leadership exercises, such as the off-campus Leadership Seminar, are amazing too. This was a two-day leadership training hosted by the French military. The experience helped us to get to know and trust each other, and really helped with team building and leadership skills. It pushed me to my limits but showed me that I can overcome my fears if I put mind over matter. During one exercise, I had to jump from one high pillar to another. At the time I had a phobia of heights, but everyone was encouraging me to focus just on the goal of moving to the next pillar. I was so proud afterward of what I had accomplished.

What do you think makes a good leader?
A good leader knows how to encourage and motivate people while, at the same time, understands and takes into account the context of their lives. A good leader knows how to create psychological safety for their team, so that everyone can be innovative without worrying about making mistakes. This is similar to Amazon’s “fail fast” approach.

What are your biggest achievements?
Tonny visited 12 states during his exchange to Kellogg

In terms of my personal life, I consider the amount that I’ve travelled across Europe and America as one of my biggest achievements. During my MBA, I was fortunate enough to complete a three-month exchange to Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. I managed to visit 12 states while living there, so I have visited 24 percent of the United States, but hope to see more in the future. I’ve also been able to visit nine European cities since I started my studies at HEC Paris.

In terms of my professional life, being hired by BCG was probably my most life-changing event. It made so many more opportunities possible. Becoming a Consultant completely changed my outlook on everything, because it has helped me to develop a great way of thinking about life’s problems in general. It has also made me more confident and improved my communication skills, including body language and nonverbal communications.
The post Student Voice: Tonny Yuliantino, MBA ’20 appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 12 Jun 2020, 09:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: 3 Tips for Acing the Google Interview



With over 3 million high-quality applicants each year and approximately a 0.2% chance of successfully becoming an employee, Google has one of the most competitive hiring processes in the world. With perks that range from great salaries to gourmet lunches, it’s no surprise that jobs at Google are in such high demand.

Claire Howlett-Thorne addresses a full house at the Digital and Tech Career Fair

What’s the secret to standing out among all those job applicants? That’s the question we asked Business Transformation Lead Claire Howlett-Thorne, MBA ’09, when she was giving the keynote speech at HEC Paris’s annual Digital and Tech Career Fair. “Putting it bluntly, Google is spoiled for candidates,” Claire confirms. “However, we are always looking for the 5-legged sheep. So finding the perfect profile for any given opening is like finding a pin in a haystack. Hence, Google has put in place a stringent process to surface the best candidates.”

She adds that the company’s workforce is rapidly expanding, and even her team has more than tripled in size since she started with the company three years ago. “When I joined Google there were 60 of us, now we are over 200,” she explains. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, topped 100,000 employees in mid-2019, and hiring remains strong, even though it has slowed slightly due to COVID-19.

Here are three insider tips from Claire about how to prep for Google interviews:

Ensure that your experience matches the job description
Spare yourself time, effort and false hopes by applying only to positions that match your experience. As mentioned earlier, we are spoiled for candidates, so we look for people who have already done the job.

Our job descriptions are usually quite clear, with sections on “minimum qualifications” and “preferred qualifications.” If “minimum qualifications” mentions “min 3 years in a business consulting role,” you MUST have 3 years in this role and not 3 years of experience as a whole.

A “Googleplex” slide – the Tech company’s offices across the world have slides and other fun features

If you are looking for a career switch right away, Google may not be the right choice. However, if you are passionate about our company, you can join a role that matches your experience. Then, after building your network and your track record, you can switch through an internal move.

If you are unsure whether the role matches your profile, ask a friend! Ideally someone who works at Google or within our ecosystem. Alternatively, someone who knows you well and, at the same time, can provide unbiased advice. (So, probably not your mum… )

Sharpen your analytical skills
Google is known for its notoriously difficult General Cognitive Ability (GCA) interview, which features questions such as, “Google is considering launching the GShoe, a pair of sneakers expected to redefine the walking experience. If you were driving this initiative, how would you tackle it? ” (No need to prepare this one, it is no longer being used). Overcome this hurdle by practicing case cracking. I regularly cracked cases with the MBA’s Consulting Club when I was studying at HEC. It’s a great activity because of the transferable skills it develops.

Jean-Rémi Gratadour, Claire Howlett-Thorne, and some of the student volunteers who made the fair a success

When interviewing at Google and facing the GCA, start with the basics.  Make sure you understand the problem and its implications. What are we trying to solve? Why does it matter? Then search for additional information or check your assumptions with the interviewer. What business are we referring to? What geography?

Then, and only then, can you start developing your thought process towards a solution. You would be surprised by the number of candidates who jump directly into problem solving without getting the big picture first. To me, that’s a “thank you, next” right away.

One mantra when you enter the GCA interview: Take. Your. Time. Many candidates get nervous and race through their reasoning. The key with GCA is to show that you have a structured thought process and can take a step back. The conclusion doesn’t matter that much, but the reasoning path does. It’s not about the destination, but the journey.

Know the Google mission and core values
Company culture is incredibly important at Google. One of the interviews assesses “Googleyness,” a neologism that captures how a person embodies the company’s values and behaviors. In other words, interviewers assess whether they would enjoy a lunch or beer with you.

Know the company’s mission (For Google, it’s “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”).  Be ready to explain what it means to you on a personal level, and what actions you have taken in the past to contribute to it. Be also ready to articulate how the company’s mission relates to the job you are applying for.

Working at Google gives you a huge sense of responsibility. It’s an amazing opportunity and, at the same time, it is very humbling. When I was introduced as the keynote speaker today by Jean-Rémi Gratadour, the Executive Director of the HEC Paris IDEA Center, he said, “We have Google here on campus!” I thought, “Wow… that’s a big weight on my shoulders!” When you join Google, you join something bigger than yourself. People who thrive in their jobs are those who leverage their past experiences to ace the basics and then stretch themselves to have 10X the impact.

Being clear on your mission and what value you bring to Google will be extremely useful, not only for your interviews but also to bloom in our environment.

Good luck on your applications!
The post 3 Tips for Acing the Google Interview appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 17 Jun 2020, 06:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: MBAT, Potlucks & Pride: Memories of the HEC Paris MBA



When Nefe Otomi, MBA ’20, organized an Instagram takeover for the Class of 2020, the response was overwhelming. For three solid days, the stories flooded in. The MBA’s social media was tagged in literally hundreds of photos. We reposted images of masked balls and lakeside barbecues, birthday celebrations and pool parties, weekend trips and visits to Paris—and so much more. Muffin, the MBA’s unofficial mascot, made his appearance, as did the “twins” Prabhu and Vidur. The takeover was spontaneous, fun and moving.

That was back in April. And with social media being what it is, the only lasting trace of that takeover is a few hastily captured screenshots (shown at the top of this post). To give our S18 and J19 intakes—otherwise known as the mighty HEC Paris MBA Class of 2020—the chance to reminisce together one last time, we asked them to reshare their favorite MBA memories with us. This is their response.

Luis Raúl Martínez, S18 intake
“After months of work, countless meetings, negotiations, tests, and tastings, the time finally came! Nefe (who was in charge of the gala) and I stand by Salle Wagram’s entrance to welcome our 1,500 guests to MBAT 2019’s Masquerade Gala & Closing Ceremony. Watching people so dressed-up and excited made it all worth it.”

Nefe and Luis at the MBAT Gala

Hana Wilson, J19 intake
“One of my favorite HEC Paris MBA memories was winning the championship for women’s basketball at MBAT with the HEC team. As a female athlete, I love connecting with women and being part of how we empower each other through movement and sports and camaraderie at every age and demographic. There’s so much focus on men’s competitive team sports. It was great getting to know the women in my cohort better, and kind of destroying other teams…”

Hana (3rd from left) and the MBAT-winning women’s basketball team

Davina Chang, J19 intake
“The most memorable part of my HEC MBA experience didn’t take place on campus. Instead, it took place almost 8,000 km away in Kolkata, India, where a group of us had travelled to celebrate our classmate Prashray’s wedding last December. Exploring a new country is exciting in itself, but doing so with a diverse group of fun-loving, open-minded individuals was what made the experience so special. For me, that trip was exactly what my HEC experience represented: a chance to reach different cultures, a platform to build new friendships, and an opportunity to broaden my horizon.”

Davina (5th from left) traveled 8000 km with classmates

Chitwan Loond, J19 intake
“Campus BBQs! The summer of 2019 was the best time of my life. It isn’t an MBA if you haven’t done a LATAM BBQ, an Indian Holi, a Chinese New Year, and an American Thanksgiving with your friends for life. The cultural events gave us something to look forward to every month, an opportunity to immerse ourselves in different experiences and a way to build bonds with our colleagues from across the globe.”

The students that BBQ together, stay together, with Chitwan in the center

Asaf Goldberg, S18 intake
“Looking back, one of the most memorable parts of my HEC MBA experience didn’t take place on campus. It actually took place in Israel, my home country, when my classmate and I organized HEC Paris’ first-ever trek to Tel Aviv. We enjoyed an unforgettable week, packed with high-profile company visits, cultural events, diversity panels, great food, and breathtaking views. For me, it was exactly what HEC Paris MBA is all about: experiencing new cultures, expanding your horizon, and forming new, life-lasting friendships and memories.”

Asaf (3rd, left) and other MBA students at the Dead Sea

Dhruv Chhabra, J19 intake
“In our first term, we had a course on Statistics & Business Analytics. Professor Xavier Boute was our teacher and had a unique style of teaching. In one of our classes, he came in and announced that he would talk about a statistical technique, ‘cluster analysis’. We listened normally as we would in any other class. But next, he went towards his laptop, projected a slide with a few scattered dots and started playing the song Hotel California. And with that music in the background he said with an amused expression, ‘We are going to understand today how clustering is so similar to a P-bar party – how initially the party starts with everyone alone and gradually, some commonalities start to cluster people together and until at the very end, the whole crowd is dancing together as one cluster.’ As he went on with this funny yet profound explanation, the whole class laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the session. We all have been in many classes before, but Professor Boute made this one truly special and memorable for all of us.”

Professor Boute makes sure MBAs really understand statistics

Nikhil Nangia, J19 intake
“A unique part of the MBA Program at HEC Paris is that participants must spend three days at an off-campus leadership seminar held at The Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr. Each of us had the opportunity to be a leader chosen for a challenge, commanding a team of 10 peers. The physical and mental challenges (e.g., building a bridge to get my team to cross a river, military crisis management, traversing a rope 300 feet above ground, building a boat to cross a lake, getting everyone to cross a high wall, etc.) taught me how to motivate others even when I was outside my own comfort zone. The experience was truly unforgettable.”

Nikhil (far right) and his team at Saint-Cyr

Corey Leung, S18 intake
“My favorite MBA memory is the 2019 Talent Show After Party. It was the last time that many of us would spend with our batchmates before we went back into the real world. It was a night of music, food, and wine that ended with all of us arm-in-arm singing Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing at the top of our lungs. Many laughs were had and a few tears were shed. It was the perfect ending to 16 of the most memorable months of my life.”

Corey’s photo of his batch mates, taken at the Talent Show After Party

Nazneen Ahmed, S18 intake
“I have always found the language of food to be universal and the experience at HEC was no different. I started organizing potlucks where everyone would bring one dish to share. One time, I hosted a shakshuka cook-off with three different versions cooked right in my dorm room! It is amazing how talented some of my classmates were in the kitchen. Pictured here is one of my favorite memories, that of an asado. We all pitched in for a LATAM-style barbecue on the pit by the lake where we devoured massive quantities of meat while listening to reggaeton.”

LATAM-style BBQ complete with reggaeton and Naz (1st row, left)

Oliver Chen, S18 intake
“Pictured is our last gathering as core team on the first night post MBAT. We were so tired but happy and relaxed. It was a roller coaster of 7 months. We laughed, cried, argued, and continued solving problems coming our way. Without these incredible human beings, we wouldn’t make it. Secretly, not so anymore, I had been looking forward to this moment for quite a while, and was so happy when it finally happened .”

Oliver (seated, far right) and the MBAT Core Team

Nikita Rustagi, J19 intake
 “An iconic day during my MBA was the Pride Parade in Paris during the summer of 2019. It was a memorable time of inclusion, colors and joyful celebration–very representative of my MBA experience. The spray-on blue hair, non-stop dancing from morning to night with thousands of people, followed by the French firemen spraying water on us in the crazy summer heat just added to the fun. What made it so special was celebrating this with all my friends in the MBA. While we are all business graduates in formals most of the time, it was on this day that we all let our hair down and as humans, celebrated a purpose. This is what the HEC Paris MBA experience is all about. Also, the HEC banner and T-shirts just made it cooler!”

Nikita’s selfie at the 2019 Pride Parade

Paul-Emeric Willette, S18 intake


“This is a picture from one of the French conversation sessions that we were running every week in the P-bar. Noémie, Jon and Cody started this great initiative. Anyone, with any level of French, could join and speak (or just listen to) French in a comfy setting! Wine always helps to speak a foreign language, doesn’t it?

I will always remember the many informal gatherings with my fellows. They were always relaxed, but at the same time great opportunities to learn about each other, our backgrounds, our cultures.

Back to the French conversations sessions: I think that the picture is a great summary of my experience at HEC: international, intense and people-focused.”

French conversations with Paul-Emeric (seated, blue sweater)

Liz Miller, J19 intake
“One of the most impactful experiences I had during my MBA was our leadership seminar at St. Cyr. It was the first time during the program that I truly felt like a leader. Even now looking back, I still remember how proud I was being able to conquer my fear of heights. My teammates told me I inspired them because I did all the activities even though I was scared to death and showed my vulnerability. I learned to bring the team together, encourage others, and be brave. This experience is something that gave me the courage to take on bigger responsibilities later in the MBA, such as being an advocate for the LGBT community.”

Liz takes on the high line at the Off-Campus Leadership Seminar

The post MBAT, Potlucks & Pride: Memories of the HEC Paris MBA appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
 [1]
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
 [1]
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 22 Jun 2020, 05:00
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: 25 at the Top: HEC Paris MBA Alumni in the C-Suite



We never get bored of saying it: HEC Paris has educated more CEOs of Fortune Global 500 companies than any other European business school.

Here’s the breakdown of the world’s 10 leading educational institutions, showing the number of degrees they awarded to chief executives and their companies’ combined revenues, as reported in the 2017 Times Higher Education Alma Mater Index (that’s the last time the ranking that reveals the academic backgrounds of the world’s top chief executives was published):

Graph courtesy of the Times Higher Education Alma Mater Index

To celebrate the ongoing power of HEC Paris to forge leaders, we are highlighting 25 HEC Paris MBA graduates who are currently working worldwide in the C-Suite. With nearly 4,000 HEC Paris alumni who are CEOs, CFOs or have founded their own companies, this list is far from complete. Think of it as a small sampling of the impact HEC Paris MBA graduates are having on business worldwide.

Banking
1. Jean-Yves Fillion, MBA ’92, CEO, BNP Paribas USA; Chairman, CIB Americas



Jean-Yves Fillion started his career at BNP Paribas in 1984 as an account officer. He worked in several departments before deciding to earn his MBA at HEC Paris in 1990. After his studies, he returned to BNP Paribas and became Vice-President of North America’s Corporate Banking Department. He was appointed CEO ofBNP Paribas USA in 2015 and took on the role of Chairman of CIB Americas in 2018.

 

Consulting
2. Pierre-Yves Cros, MBA ’84, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Capgemini Group

As an engineering graduate of one of France’s Grande Ecoles, Pierre-Yves Cros started his career as a scientific attaché in Western Germany. In 1988, he joined Capgemini as a corporate strategy consultant, combining his scientific knowledge with his experience in strategy and transformation. In 1997 he was put in charge of the Global Operations at Gemini Consulting.  He founded and launched Capgemini Consulting in 2009, in collaboration with the MIT Center for Digital Business. In 2013, he was named Capgemini’s Chief Strategy and Development Officer.

3. Olivier Herold, MBA ’09, CEO, The Oxford Group



The Oxford Group provides leadership, management development and executive coaching to leading organisations in over 60 countries. Olivier Herold joined The Oxford Group as a senior consultant in 2009, soon after completing the HEC Paris MBA. His work with high-profile clients such as GE Healthcare, Société Générale and Total led to Oliver being named the group’s CEO in 2016. Since then, he has led the company’s global expansion while continuing to work with some of its most well-known clients.

 

Education
4. Xavier Romatet, MBA ’86, CEO, Institut Français de la Mode (IFM)

Xavier Romatet (center) welcomes students during the MBA Luxury Club’s Trek to Paris.

After completing his MBA, Xavier Romatet and fellow HEC Paris graduate Christophe Chenut created their own marketing company. In 1993, their company became part the DDB group, where Xavier held several leadership positions, including president of Rapp Collins. In 2006, he took the helm of Condé Nast France, overseeing publications such as Vogue, GQ, and Glamour. After 13 years with the famed publishing company, Xavier left his position as Vice President of Condé Naste International to become CEO of the Institut Français de la Mode. His goal is to build a world-renowned school for fashion in the heart of Paris, integrating three essential elements: management, know-how and creation. IFM welcomed its first undergraduate and graduate students in Fall 2019.

Gérard Maradan, MBA ’05, speaking on campus

Environment
5. Gérard Maradan, MBA ’05, CEO and Co-founder, EcoAct

After graduating from the HEC Paris MBA in 2005, the physicist and engineer remained on campus for another six months, using the school’s study rooms as a base for creating his startup. Today EcoAct is a €7 million-a-year environmental consultancy, and Gérard Maradan has personally led more than 100 projects designed to help companies reduce their carbon footprint. He has also participated in the development of more than 25 carbon offset programs.

Gerard is also the co-founder of Entrepreneurs for Life, an NGO that supports innovative social entrepreneurs with the aim of reducing poverty in developing countries.

 

Nina Sesto, MBA ’16, explains her vision of the future of healthcare at TEDxHECParis.

Health and Pharmaceuticals
6. Nina Sesto, PhD, MBA ’16, Head of Head of Telemedicine, Magdalena Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases 

Nina Sesto came to the MBA program after nearly 6 years of molecular biology research at the Insitut Pasteur. After graduating, she combined her scientific and business knowledge to co-found the Magdalena Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases, the largest privately owned cardiovascular clinic in Croatia and surrounding regions. With 200 employees and 35 physicians on staff, the clinic treats on average 20,000 patients annually. In her role as the clinic’s Head of Telemedicine, Nina is seeking ways to leverage AI to provide 24/7 healthcare to patients, and is currently piloting a virtual nurse named Maggie. In May 2019, Nina returned to HEC Paris to deliver this TEDx Talk on her vision of the future of healthcare: personalised medicine.

Jaja Okigwe visiting campus with his family

7. Jaja Okigwe, MBA ’97, CEO and President, First Choice Health

A graduate from the HEC Paris MBA in 1997, Jaja Okigwe has 20 years of strategy and innovation expertise in the healthcare industry, moving from companies such as Deloitte – where he worked in their healthcare practice group – to Premera Blue Cross. In 2018, Jaja was appointed CEO of First Choice Health based in Seattle, Washington. The hospital- and physician-owned healthcare system provides services to 600,000 members in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota through its PPO network.

8. Michel Vounatsos, MBA ’90, CEO, Biogen, Inc.

He speaks six languages, runs marathons and has decades of experience working for drug manufacturers in half a dozen different countries. In January 2017, Michel Vounatsos took on an even bigger challenge: leading Biogen, a Massachusetts-based biotech firm. Michel’s tenure started at a critical time, as the company delved into a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen continues its breakthrough research in this field, and may soon have an FDA-approved drug to slow cognitive decline.

9. Guillaume Zagury, MBA ’90, Vice President Head of International Affairs, Oasis International Hospital

Specialized in international health policy and emergency medicine, Guillaume Zagury served as the Public Health Expert for the French Ministry of Health for 5 years. After moving to China, he became the Clinicial Head at the SOS International Hospital of Wuhan, Tianjin and Fujian, and was the consular doctor of Shanghai for two years. In 2011, he co-founded Oasis International Hospital, a private international hospital in Bejing, where he now holds the dual office of Vice President and Head of the Department of International Affairs. Both an entrepreneur and a humanist, Guillaume is involved in Doctors of the World in Afghanistan, Rwanda, Russia and Central Africa. In 2003, he headed the management of SARS in Wuhan and currently manages the COVID-19 response in Shanghai.

 

Ankit Gupta greets customers at the Dialogues Café in Bangalore.

Hospitality
10. Ankit Gupta, MBA ’16, Co-founder, Dialogues Café

After living and working in countries throughout the world, Ankit Gupta wanted to return to his native India to create his startup. At Dialogues Café, patrons are charged for the time spent in the welcoming co-working space, and are provided with unlimited food and drinks–or they can choose to bring their own. Corporate level Wi-Fi, meeting spaces and a boardroom are provided, as well as a wide range of books and board games. “We wanted to focus on building collaboration, and create a space where customers could meet, dream, discuss, share and execute ideas,” Ankit explains.

 

Impact Investing
Ashley Lewis, MBA ’16

11. Ashley Lewis, MBA ’16, Co-founder, Invest with Impact

In 2010, after establishing herself as a financial analyst and consultant, Ashley Lewis stepped away from a traditional. career trajectory in finance – she’d been employed by both The Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs – to work in Togo as a small-business development consultant with the United States Peace Corps.

Following her passion, Ashley later applied for and was accepted into a fellowship program, where she worked within an early stage accelerator. Immediately after graduating from the HEC Paris MBA, she co-founded Invest with Impact, a global platform that educates people about impact investing and helps place talent in impact investing roles throughout the world. Ashley also founded the HEC Paris alumni chapter in Nigeria, and she currently serves as its president.

 

Investment Services
12. Olivier Combastet, MBA ’86, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Pergam Finance

Nineteen years after it was founded, Pergam Finance manages assets valued at an estimated €800 million. Under Olivier Combastet’s guidance, the company has earned a reputation for finding atypical investments for its clients. From telecommunications and arable land in Uruguay and Argentina to undeveloped real estate in the US, it’s been said that Olivier, a former triathlete and current endurance swimmer, has a knack for finding investments not yet on the radars of other asset-management companies.

13. Ole Rollag, MBA ’02, Managing Principal, Murano Connect

Ole Rollag started his career working as bond runner for Dean Witter. Upon graduating from the MBA program, he joined Société Générale as a fund manager. In 2009, after working in banking for nearly his entire career, Ole decided to create his own asset management consulting firm, Perfecta Partners. Murano Connect spun out of that business as an “investment dating service” connecting compatible funds with investors.

 

Legal
14. Claude Niedner, MBA ’91, Partner and Chairman, Arendt & Medernach

Claude Nieder is a founding partner at Arendt & Medernach, a leading legal, tax and business-services firm in Luxembourg. After earning a law degree at the University of Strasbourg and an MBA from HEC Paris, Claude worked in the capital markets department of a major Luxembourg bank. A member of the Luxembourg Bar Association since 1993, he specializes in investment funds with a focus on hedge funds, real estate and UCITS matters.



15. Sabine Dittrich, MBA ’11, Global Head of Regulatory Intelligence, UBS Asset Management; Executive Committee Member, International Capital Market Association



Dr. Sabine Dittrich is a German qualified lawyer who holds a PhD in International Securities Law. After completing the HEC Paris MBA, Sabine joined UBS Asset Management and, as their head of EU Public Policy, was responsible for advising all areas of the business on EU matters. Sabine currently has equivalent of a COO position. Her team is charged with assessing regulatory impact within the EMEA, Americas and APAC on strategy and operations. She was a featured speaker at the Global RegTech Summit 2019 in London, and occasionally returns to HEC Paris as a guest lecturer.

 

Sam Abazari, MBA ’20

Real Estate
16. Sam Abazari, MBA ’20, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AJAN Management

Sam Abazar was already a CEO when he arrived at HEC Paris. He started his real estate business as a side career while he was working full-time at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, helping low-income families secure food stamps. That first year in real estate was a success, with Sam achieving a 73 percent return for his investors. His goal in joining the HEC Paris MBA was to further build his business to turn around derelict properties in disadvantaged areas, creating healthy and thriving communities. While at HEC Paris, he founded the MBA’s Real Estate Club. He returns to his company, AJAN Management, after his June 2020 graduation, with a mission to make the lives simpler for landlords and tenants alike, and with a focus on the 1-4 unit residential segment.

 

Restaurant
17. Melvina Sarfati El Grably, MBA ’97, General Manager, Deliveroo France

Melvina Sarfati El Grably couldn’t have become general manager at Deliveroo France at a more tumultuous moment: she took the helm of the food delivery service in February 2020, just before France underwent a 55-day-long confinement for COVID-19. A former partner at McKinsey and Company specialized in consumer goods, Melvina also has significant experience in marketing. Directly after obtaining her MBA at HEC Paris, she joined Procter & Gamble, overseeing their marketing for France and Europe, and later becoming the Vice President of Marketing Transformation for Pernod Ricard USA. In a recent interview in Snacking, Melvina said that she intends “to help Deliveroo continue to grow, and to highlight the central role we play in the French restaurant industry.”

 

Retail
18. Marc Hanisch, MBA ’09, CEO, Dos Caballos

Despite its Spanish name, Dos Caballos is a German company established by MBA alumnus and world-class mountain biker Marc Hanisch. Using his own experience of powering through rough terrain on two horse power—the amount of force that cyclists strive for while riding a racing or mountain bike—Marc’s company, with a physical store located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, is both a manufacturer and distributor of high-end cycling, sports and casual wear.

 

Startups
19. Matthew Hart, MBA ’16, Founder, Soter Analytics

Matthew Hart is solving the #1 problem in industrial workplaces: injured employees. As an engineer who once managed teams for Australia’s biggest mining company, Matthew saw firsthand how lives could be ruined by physical injuries. He founded Soter Analytics shortly after graduating from the HEC Paris MBA in 2016, determined that combining big data and wearable tech could solve the $140B problem of workplace musculoskeletal injuries. Crunchbase predicts that Soter Analytics’ wearable safety device, Soter Spine, will become the new standard in preventing musculoskeletal injuries.

Summer Lindman (4th from Left) with Talkable team members

20. Summer Lindman, MBA ’16, CEO, Talkable

Summer Lindman has over 10 years of experience leading customer-facing organizations–from enterprise sales in the hospitality industry to customer success in the technology sector. She is the CEO of Talkable, a B2B SaaS referral-marketing platform that helps e-commerce companies grow their businesses through word-of-mouth and customer loyalty. Prior to joining the HEC Paris MBA in 2014, Summer worked for four years boosting the sales efforts of The Leading Hotels of the World. After completing her MBA, Summer grew the Customer Service team at Talkable from 3 to 26 people. She was named the tech company’s CEO in 2018. Currently, she is focused on transitioning the company from a product-focused business into a customer-centric organization.

21. Simon Valadou, MBA ’17, Co-founder and CSO, CFO, Data Soluce

Starting his career specialized in Middle East geopolitics, Simon Valadou later became Chief of Staff for a member of the French Parliament. He co-founded Data Soluce in 2016 while completing his MBA at HEC Paris.

Data Soluce’s SaaS platform allows property investors and developers to effectively monitor real estate projects. The platform unifies multiple, but typically disconnected, databases and software throughout a building’s lifecycle, creating an interactive information source that can be used by all the project stakeholders. Data Soluce delivered its first Proof of Concept in 2018. In 2019, the company completed a successful multimillion-euro fundraising, and earned the Pass French Tech label given to hyper-growth startups.

The CEO of Altaroad, Cécile Vilette

22. Cécile Villette, MBA ’16, CEO and Co-founder, Altaroad

An engineer with 10 years telecommunications experience under her belt, Cécile completed the HEC Paris MBA in 2016. Her project during the MBA’s Entrepreneurship Specialization studied the feasibility of bringing the IoT sensors developed by scientists Rihab Jerbi and Bérengère Lebental to market. In 2017, the three women decided to make their idea a reality, launching Altaroad, an innovative deeptech startup which aims to make mobility smarter, safer and more environmentally friendly. Altaroad’s IoT technology uses special patented sensors to collect road data, then publishes traffic insights in real time. In 2019, Challenges Magazine named Altaroad “one of 100 startups to invest in.”

 

Technology
23. Alain Monié, MBA ’75, CEO, Ingram Micro Inc.

Beginning his 35-year-long career in Mexico as a civil engineer, Alain Monié currently leads the world’s leading technology distributor, Ingram Micro. His storied career includes 15 years in Asia forging Allied Signals’ expansion into China and India, and two years as president of the Latin American Division of Honeywell International. Since being named CEO of Ingram Micro in 2012, he has emphasized corporate strategies and profitable growth initiatives. The privately held company reported a revenue of $11.76 billion in the first quarter of 2018, and in 2019 was ranked 64th on the Fortune 500 list. Alain currently also serves as a board director for Amazon.com.

 

Travel
24. Nikki (Ran) Wang, MBA ’10, General Director and Co-founder, TheWaysBeyond

Having worked for years at Fortune 500 companies in Beijing, Nikki Wang came to France to pursue her MBA degree at HEC Paris. After graduation, she worked as a corporate auditor while freelancing for leading lifestyle publications in China. This led to her co-founding a booking agency to promote French electronic musicians in Asia. Her latest venture is TheWaysBeyond, a travel company that creates bespoke cultural learning experiences in Paris for corporations and groups.

 

Pascal Cagni was recently the guest speaker at an Afterwork Drinks reception organized by alumni in Paris. Photo courtesy of Matthieu Marquenet (MBA ’13)

Venture Capital
25. Pascal Cagni, MBA ’86, CEO, C4 Ventures; Chairman of Board of Business France and French Ambassador for International Investments

Pascal Cagni’s career trajectory is simply legendary. A chance encounter with Steve Jobs on the Big Island of Hawaii (where the Apple co-founder was celebrating his 45th birthday) ended with Pascal accepting the position of General Manager and Vice President of Apple Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Under his 12-year tenure, Apple’s EMEA revenue increased from $1.3 billion in 2000 to nearly $40 billion in 2012.

In 2014, Pascal founded C4 Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in European startups and companies wanting to enter European markets. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed him Chairman of the Board of Business France and Ambassador for International Investments.
The post 25 at the Top: HEC Paris MBA Alumni in the C-Suite appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 14 Jul 2020, 04:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: Best Summer Reads: Recommendations by HEC Professors



After studying hard, the summer holidays are the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy a well-earned break. One of the easiest—and most inexpensive! —ways of disconnecting from it all is having your imagination captured by a great book. We asked our HEC Paris professors for suggestions about what to read this summer. The result is a list of works that range from classical fiction to the most cutting-edge business guides.

The Business of Big Data: How To Create Lasting Value in the Age of AI, by Martin Schmalz and Uri Bram (2019)
Recommended by Christophe Spaenjers, Associate Professor of Finance

Professor Spaenjers says: The rise of big data and AI is one of the most important forces in today’s business landscape. This short book, co-authored by a finance professor at Oxford SBS, gives a clear and accessible (but not oversimplified) introduction to the “data economy.” It explains how businesses are collecting, analyzing and monetizing data—and delves into the relative strengths and weaknesses of human versus artificial intelligence. Highly recommended to everyone with an interest in learning how technology is changing our economy.

 

 

Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupéry (1943)
Recommended by Xavier Boute, Associate Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences

Professor Boute says: Why this book? Firstly, it will help remind MBA students of what they learned in statistics class. Second, it’s the best way to practice a little French during this summer. But most importantly, after the strangeness of the last few months with COVID, summer is the best time for each of us to gain a new perspective on the world. Understanding the viewpoints of “la rose” (the rose), “le mouton” (the sheep) and “l’allumeur de réverbères” (the lamplighter) is a fun way to prepare for the Fall term!  You might well find this book inspiring, with so many quotes (in French) to read, write, share and recite, as well as the sentiments the author expresses around the word “apprivoiser” (to tame).

 

Martin Eden, by Jack London (1909)
Recommended by Gonçalo Pacheco De Almeida, Professor of Strategy and Business Policy

Professor Pacheco De Almeida says:  Jack London is perhaps the greatest American writer of all time. Although famous for his best-selling classics for younger audiences such as The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906), in 1909 Jack London published what may well be his best novel ever: Martin Eden. This book was written over a century ago; yet one can feel the heartbeat of the author on every page. The bare-knuckle, semi-autobiographical story of a sailor who pursues his dreams of literary fame is a powerful narrative that leaves the reader with a profound, thought-provoking message. In London’s own words: “One of my motifs, in this book, was an attack on individualism (in the person of the hero)”. This critique of individualism and personal ambition should reverberate today as the world comes to grips with a global crisis that can only be solved through coordinated collective effort and social inclusiveness.

 

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll (1945)
Recommended by Jeremy Ghez, Associate Professor of Economics and International Affairs

Professor Ghez says: Alice goes back in Wonderland and finds out her most basic intuition is not always right and that in order to stay in position, she must run, fast. Even though the book was written a half-century ago, it is as if Lewis Carroll meant this book to be a metaphor for today’s business environment.

 

 

 

Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries, by Safi Bahcall (2019)
Recommended by Olivier Sibony, Associate Professor of Strategy and Business Policy

Professor Sibony says: One book I would definitely recommend to our MBA students is Loonshots. It is the best book I’ve read about innovation, how most organizations stifle it, and how to overcome the issues surrounding it.

 

 

 

And we can’t overlook these two superb, recently published reads from our very own HEC Paris Professors
 

You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake! How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them, by Olivier Sibony (2020)
Drawing on dozens of highly relevant–and often entertaining!–case studies, Professor Sibony’s book shows how biases continually lead us to make bad business decisions. To combat these pitfalls of cognitive bias, Professor Sibony proposes an effective decision-making architecture. He provides 40 simple, easy-to-implement techniques for business leaders to leverage the collective intelligence of its people and ultimately make the best decisions possible.

“A masterful introduction to the state of the art in managerial decision making. Surprisingly, it is also a pleasure to read.”

— Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow

“Finally! Actionable advice for leaders based on decades of decision science. Succinct, accurate, and even-handed. I loved it!”

―Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit

 

Architects of Change: Designing Strategies for a Turbulent Business Environment, by Jeremy Ghez (2019)
Professor Ghez leverages his deep understanding of economics and geopolitics to provide readers with the tools to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and build a a strategy to predict and effectively respond to future business trends. The book teaches you how to grasp, leverage and harness the dynamics that shape tomorrow’s markets, and provides a roadmap for reinventing the way you do business. Entertaining and well-written, the book is a must-read for anyone who wants “get beyond the buzz” and work for positive change.

“It is common to hear that we are living in turbulent times: ones of anger and extremism.  It is much less common to hear what to do about it.  This book helps decision-makers move beyond the noise, arguing that they can be transformative even as private citizens. It pulls you away from ‘business as usual’ and empowers you to become an agent of change with the strategic tools necessary for success.”

―Greg Treverton, Former Chairman of the US National Intelligence Council
The post Best Summer Reads: Recommendations by HEC Professors appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 21 Jul 2020, 01:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: How We Beat a Tough Job Market: Advice from HEC Paris MBA Alumni



The current world health crisis has made everything feel uncertain, including knowing how and where to find your next job. But it’s not the first time the economy has faced a downturn, and it certainly won’t be the last. Recruiting for some companies has gone down, but LinkedIn still has more than 65,000 internships and 1.5M job listings for the United States alone, and some highly sought-after companies, such as Amazon, are hiring more people than ever before.

To help our MBA students make the most out of today’s career opportunities, the HEC Paris Career Center recently invited three MBA alumni who secured great jobs right after the 2008 financial crash to talk with our students. Sharing their job-search strategies with current students were Tatiana Renko CEO of HSBC France office in Brussels, Archana Shah, Analyst Relations Lead to Amazon Web Services, and Murli Mahalingam, Group Pricing Manager at Algeco. Here’s their top tips for “beating a crisis,” as recorded during last month’s Careers presentation.

 

1. Use your network
Marie Courtois, HEC Paris Career Center Director

Marie Curtois: The HEC Paris MBA gives you an amazing network – use it. Reaching out to people you know through HEC Paris or to former colleagues is a sure-fire way to generate more job opportunities, no matter what the economic climate is like.  Don’t hesitate to seek out people on HEC Pulse, the HEC Alumni Association’s mentorship platform. There are new mentors volunteering daily who want to help out, and there’s bound to be someone whose experience exactly correlates to what you’re looking for in your post-MBA career.

Archana Shah: It’s so important to reach out to your network. You can ask them if they know about job openings. You can also use their expertise to find out what it’s like working for a certain company, or in a particular industry, or to discover their thoughts on living in a particular country.

Archana Shah, MBA ’08, of Amazon Web Services

Murli Mahalingam:  In addition, make sure to share all the job opportunities you know about—or even ones that you interviewed for but were unsuccessful in securing–with your MBA colleagues who might be interested in that sector or that type of job.

Tatiana Renko: Always remember that you’re graduating from one of the world’s best institutions, one with the best alumni networks in the world and great resources at your disposal. Use the resources as much as possible, work hard, and don’t let yourself get discouraged.

 

2. Be open-minded
Murli Mahalingam: Don’t be afraid to slightly alter your plans, especially in the short term. This could be in various aspects of your job search, including function and location. After my graduation in 2008, I really wanted to work in France, and fortunately, I was offered an internship here. Still, if my search had lasted longer, it would have been a good idea for me to start looking for jobs in my home country or outside of France.

Archana Shah: When I graduated, I had hoped to change both my function and geography, but soon realised that I would have to be more open-minded and prioritise one of those options. I chose to change my function. I narrowed my job search and only applied for jobs in my native Singapore where, at the time, most employers only wanted to hire permanent residents, which gave me an advantage. I also chose to apply for internships rather than full-time jobs; I knew that they give you a “leg up” and great experience to get your foot in the door.

 

3. Be calculated, and know when to cut your losses
Tatiana Renko, MBA ’08, of HSBC

Tatiana Renko: Take a calculated approach to getting a job. It might be your dream to change function or location after your MBA, but during a crisis it can be best to stick to what you know, and apply to where you already have a working visa, to maximize your changes of success. Still, start out by applying to jobs that you want the most, but have a deadline when you will cut your losses.

Marie Curtois: I absolutely agree. A career is a series of stepping-stones, so you shouldn’t see your next step as one that will last you for the rest of your working life. You have learned lots from your MBA, and there’s no reason not to apply for your dream job in a different function once the market picks up again – and it will eventually. 
The post How We Beat a Tough Job Market: Advice from HEC Paris MBA Alumni appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 21 Jul 2020, 01:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: Best Summer Reads: Recommendations by HEC Professors



After studying hard, the summer holidays are the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy a well-earned break. One of the easiest—and most inexpensive! —ways of disconnecting from it all is having your imagination captured by a great book. We asked our HEC Paris professors for suggestions about what to read this summer. The result is a list of works that range from classical fiction to the most cutting-edge business guides.

The Business of Big Data: How To Create Lasting Value in the Age of AI, by Martin Schmalz and Uri Bram (2019)
Recommended by Christophe Spaenjers, Associate Professor of Finance

Professor Spaenjers says: The rise of big data and AI is one of the most important forces in today’s business landscape. This short book, co-authored by a finance professor at Oxford SBS, gives a clear and accessible (but not oversimplified) introduction to the “data economy.” It explains how businesses are collecting, analyzing and monetizing data—and delves into the relative strengths and weaknesses of human versus artificial intelligence. Highly recommended to everyone with an interest in learning how technology is changing our economy.

 

 

Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupéry (1943)
Recommended by Xavier Boute, Associate Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences

Professor Boute says: Why this book? Firstly, it will help remind MBA students of what they learned in statistics class. Second, it’s the best way to practice a little French during this summer. But most importantly, after the strangeness of the last few months with COVID, summer is the best time for each of us to gain a new perspective on the world. Understanding the viewpoints of “la rose” (the rose), “le mouton” (the sheep) and “l’allumeur de réverbères” (the lamplighter) is a fun way to prepare for the Fall term!  You might well find this book inspiring, with so many quotes (in French) to read, write, share and recite, as well as the sentiments the author expresses around the word “apprivoiser” (to tame).

 

Martin Eden, by Jack London (1909)
Recommended by Gonçalo Pacheco De Almeida, Professor of Strategy and Business Policy

Professor Pacheco De Almeida says:  Jack London is perhaps the greatest American writer of all time. Although famous for his best-selling classics for younger audiences such as The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906), in 1909 Jack London published what may well be his best novel ever: Martin Eden. This book was written over a century ago; yet one can feel the heartbeat of the author on every page. The bare-knuckle, semi-autobiographical story of a sailor who pursues his dreams of literary fame is a powerful narrative that leaves the reader with a profound, thought-provoking message. In London’s own words: “One of my motifs, in this book, was an attack on individualism (in the person of the hero)”. This critique of individualism and personal ambition should reverberate today as the world comes to grips with a global crisis that can only be solved through coordinated collective effort and social inclusiveness.

 

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll (1945)
Recommended by Jeremy Ghez, Associate Professor of Economics and International Affairs

Professor Ghez says: Alice goes back in Wonderland and finds out her most basic intuition is not always right and that in order to stay in position, she must run, fast. Even though the book was written a half-century ago, it is as if Lewis Carroll meant this book to be a metaphor for today’s business environment.

 

 

 

Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries, by Safi Bahcall (2019)
Recommended by Olivier Sibony, Associate Professor of Strategy and Business Policy

Professor Sibony says: One book I would definitely recommend to our MBA students is Loonshots. It is the best book I’ve read about innovation, how most organizations stifle it, and how to overcome the issues surrounding it.

 

 

 

And we can’t overlook these two superb, recently published reads from our very own HEC Paris Professors
 

You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake! How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them, by Olivier Sibony (2020)
Drawing on dozens of highly relevant–and often entertaining!–case studies, Professor Sibony’s book shows how biases continually lead us to make bad business decisions. To combat these pitfalls of cognitive bias, Professor Sibony proposes an effective decision-making architecture. He provides 40 simple, easy-to-implement techniques for business leaders to leverage the collective intelligence of its people and ultimately make the best decisions possible.

“A masterful introduction to the state of the art in managerial decision making. Surprisingly, it is also a pleasure to read.”

— Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow

“Finally! Actionable advice for leaders based on decades of decision science. Succinct, accurate, and even-handed. I loved it!”

―Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit

 

Architects of Change: Designing Strategies for a Turbulent Business Environment, by Jeremy Ghez (2019)
Professor Ghez leverages his deep understanding of economics and geopolitics to provide readers with the tools to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and build a a strategy to predict and effectively respond to future business trends. The book teaches you how to grasp, leverage and harness the dynamics that shape tomorrow’s markets, and provides a roadmap for reinventing the way you do business. Entertaining and well-written, the book is a must-read for anyone who wants “get beyond the buzz” and work for positive change.

“It is common to hear that we are living in turbulent times: ones of anger and extremism.  It is much less common to hear what to do about it.  This book helps decision-makers move beyond the noise, arguing that they can be transformative even as private citizens. It pulls you away from ‘business as usual’ and empowers you to become an agent of change with the strategic tools necessary for success.”

―Greg Treverton, Former Chairman of the US National Intelligence Council
The post Best Summer Reads: Recommendations by HEC Professors appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
newsHEC
avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
7
Posts: 214
Kudos: 7
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 29 Jul 2020, 07:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog: Simplifying the Complex World of Real Estate



During the course of our lives, we meet people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Being 93 percent international, the HEC Paris MBA is an excellent microcosm of this, connecting diverse individuals from around the world. For Sam Abazari, MBA ’20, seeing this door to different cultures and backgrounds reignited a personal goal of his: to bridge social classes by providing value for all stake holders through real estate. Thanks to his newly launched property-management company, AJAN Management, Sam is now one step closer to achieving this goal.

The Inspiration
AJAN Management specializes in the 1-4 unit residential segment

Growing up in Tehran, Sam witnessed first-hand the distressing effects of homelessness, a vicious cycle perpetuated by uncertainty, desperation and costly, temporary housing solutions. Once he moved to Boston, he saw the opposite extreme. His neighbor down the street owned almost half of the property in the area, alongside multiple buildings in New York. Sam later found out that this massive wealth stemmed from a single investment in a 2-bedroom house back in the 1940’s.

A few more observations and conversations down the line, Sam soon established that housing is one of the key drivers of extreme poverty and wealth. Since then, he has committed himself to finding ways to address society’s ever-growing wealth inequality.

The HEC Paris Opportunity
Needing to further develop his business and leadership skills, Sam decided to pursue his MBA degree at HEC Paris. From core curriculum courses, such as Organizational Behaviour, to specialisation-specific ones like Entrepreneurial Finance, new knowledge was acquired, and skills were refined. But above it all, lifelong connections were made, and unbeknownst to Sam at this point, business partners would be found too.

Sam soon established that housing is one of the key drivers of extreme poverty and wealth. Since then, he has committed himself to finding ways to address society’s ever-growing wealth inequality.

The Silver Lining
For the majority of businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely disruptive. For Sam, the pandemic had a silver lining. He turned the three months of mandatory social distancing into three months of pure productivity.

By the end of April, he had created his business model and drafted a full business plan, setting a June launch date for his property-management company. Sam created AJAN Management with the goal of making lives simpler for landlords and tenants alike. Specializing in the 1-4 unit residential segment, AJAN seeks to modernize a dated industry by leveraging technological solutions to provide superior services from property maintenance to tenant management.

The final piece in the puzzle was how to bring the brand to life.

***

Sitting 5,000 km away in Paris, Davina Chang (MBA ’20) was leveraging her popular Instagram page @thecolordiet to find freelance gigs as a website designer for restaurant and lifestyle brands. It was an easy way for her to generate some work while searching for that perfect post-MBA job. She was in the process of building up her portfolio when she saw Sam’s request for a contact in web design in the Class of 2020’s WhatsApp group. For Davina, it was great opportunity to practice her creative skills.

As she created AJAN Management’s “Mission,”“ Vision,” and “FAQ” pages, her curiosity piqued. With a background purely in finance, she knew almost nothing about real estate. She hadn’t even interacted that much with Sam throughout the program, so it took her a while to realize he was being serious when he suggested, “if you want to join a very, very brand new startup with $0 revenue, we are always looking for talent.”

Within a few days, Davina found herself writing her personal biography on the business’ “Meet the Team” page. In retrospect, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Free-spirited at heart, Davina had left her stable corporate job in search of something more aligned with her values, an unconventional mix of creativity, kindness and spontaneity. Having taken some time to tick off bucket-list items, such as climbing a volcano in Indonesia and bungee jumping in New Zealand, she decided to submerge herself in a new environment, at the same time fulfilling a childhood dream: she moved to Paris.

Beyond an unexplainable desire to improve her French, Davina had also been drawn to HEC Paris’ focus on entrepreneurship. She had been trying to find a way to tie together her broad range of skills – from visual content creation to journalistic writing to analyzing financial data. Starting her own company therefore seemed like the ideal solution, and all she lacked was an idea to kickstart it all. Sam reaching out with AJAN Management was therefore the missing element to make this dream come true.

The Launch
In the first week of June, the two officially embarked on their startup journey. Sam currently serves as AJAN Management’s CEO and Director of Property Management, while Davina now handles the task of building up the AJAN brand as the Chief Marketing Officer.

Despite the geographical distance, the two work together to promote AJAN’s goal of making real estate a simple, stress-free endeavour. A business created with inspiring personal values, a strong team spirit, world-class academic accreditations and a sprinkle of serendipity, AJAN hopes to proudly represent the HEC Paris MBA brand in the United States, returning a favor for all that the school has provided to them during the past 16 months.

 

 
The post Simplifying the Complex World of Real Estate appeared first on HEC Paris MBA News.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
fahadconall
avatar
Joined: 17 Sep 2021
Last visit: 17 Sep 2021
Posts: 5
Location: Canada
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
Posts: 5
Kudos: 0
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 17 Sep 2021, 05:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
This is great!
avatar
fahadconall
avatar
Joined: 17 Sep 2021
Last visit: 17 Sep 2021
Posts: 5
Location: Canada
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
Posts: 5
Kudos: 0
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 17 Sep 2021, 05:56
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I was looking for something similar also.
avatar
fahadconall
avatar
Joined: 17 Sep 2021
Last visit: 17 Sep 2021
Posts: 5
Location: Canada
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
Posts: 5
Kudos: 0
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 17 Sep 2021, 05:56
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
There is a very limited time for this.
avatar
fahadconall
avatar
Joined: 17 Sep 2021
Last visit: 17 Sep 2021
Posts: 5
Location: Canada
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
Posts: 5
Kudos: 0
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 17 Sep 2021, 05:57
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I actually waited for long to do this.
avatar
fahadconall
avatar
Joined: 17 Sep 2021
Last visit: 17 Sep 2021
Posts: 5
Location: Canada
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V55
GRE 1: Q162 V165
Posts: 5
Kudos: 0
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 17 Sep 2021, 05:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Anybody can suggest me good univertisies for mini MBA.
User avatar
bb
User avatar
Founder
Joined: 04 Dec 2002
Last visit: 19 Nov 2025
Posts: 42,395
Own Kudos:
82,126
Given Kudos: 24,110
Location: United States
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 3
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
Posts: 42,395
Kudos: 82,126
HEC Paris MBA Admissions and Related Blogs 10 Jul 2023, 09:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Archived HEC Discussion
Hi there,
You've stumbled upon an old discussion from our HEC Forum that's now outdated and has been archived. No more replies are possible here.
Interested in current discussions? Feel free to dive into our dedicated HEC Forum for all fresh things related to the HEC MBA program.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
   1   2   3   4   5   6 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts