Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in the countryside of France, in Burgundy, and definitely never expected to have such an international career. I have been living in Seoul for over 10 years now, and before COVID I was sharing my time between Europe and Korea travelling back and forth. Being grounded in Korea has given me the opportunity to rediscover the country with different eyes in between two video-calls with Europe. To speak more about who I am today, I would say that I am an engineer at heart, passionate to understand how things work and dedicated to build products used by many to make their life better.
What’s your current job?
I am currently working for the automotive & mobility division of LG Electronics. While LG might be better known for its TVs and washing machine, it also makes a lot of electronic components for the automotive industry. More specifically, I have been working on the development of in-vehicle infotainment systems (navigation, media, phone etc.) for major European automotive brands (Renault, Jaguar Land Rover and so on). I spent the last 10 years doing my best to build a bridge between European carmakers and LG engineering, making sure that the teams were all moving in the same direction.
Why did you choose to study the EGMiM programme?
I could make sense of the gritty technical details of the inner-working of the complex product I was working on at the time, however I felt highly unqualified on the “management” side of the work. Working as a Program Manager for LG made me de-facto a “manager”, yet it remained an obscure and mysterious concept for me. With its motto (“To understand the causes of things”), LSE felt like a great place for me to bring together my engineering values and my desire to learn more about how management and business work.
How has EGMiM benefitted your career?
EGMiM really helped me to broaden my horizon and develop new perspectives. I have been able to expand my abilities beyond my initial technical skills. It enabled me to make meaningful contribution to discussion at work in areas outside my usual scope (business, management). Following my graduation from EGMiM, I have been given the opportunity to build up a completely new team of Technical Account Managers focusing on making sure that our customers are using our technology successfully. It is a great way to make use of my technical skills and all the management skills I learnt from EGMiM.
What is one piece of advice you would give to those who will start the programme next year?
Enjoy every minute of it, even the most boring lectures! At first, the 18 months might feel like a long time, but it really goes by in a blink. Most of the programme is a kind of “once in a lifetime” experience, and I hope you can savor all of it fully.
Are there any other projects or hobbies you've been working on outside of work?
Following my dissertation about the relationship between Time Management Behavior and personality, I have been pushing the exploration of cross-cultural management topics further. I had the chance to give a TEDx Talk about our relationship to time. I am pursuing this research as a hobby to improve cross-cultural management practices, especially in the context of large global IT teams.
What was the most challenging aspect of the programme?
Returning to the “school benches” after having experienced the office life for so long has been a real challenge for me! Being able to just sit tight and focus on a lecture is quite challenging when we are used to the constant flow of distraction we have at the office. In addition, we have to manage this school life with our professional life, making us feel almost like we have two lives during the programme.
What was your favourite module and why?
The module in Beijing was definitely my favourite. I think that it was the perfect combination of enlightening lectures to understand a complex environment for business, interesting company visits to appreciate the incredible scale of the country and social events to enjoy Beijing life. Clearly, I did not sleep much during that week!
If EGMiM was a …. What would it be?
Car make
It would definitely be a Tesla. Innovating in an old industry, trying to bring different perspectives on what a master in management is.
Movie
It would be “L’auberge Espagnole (“Pot Luck”), even if we are definitely a bit older than the protagonist of the film, I think that most of us went through a similar experience and feeling during the programme.
Fruit
It would be a kiwi. A bit of a weird fruit but refreshing with a point of acidity to keep you alert.
Name three personality traits of an EGMiM student.
I found that EGMiM students tend to more or less share the following traits. First, they are usually very curious individuals, trying to really understand things. Secondly, they are usually extremely goal-driven, determined to complete what they engaged in. Lastly, they are open-minded students, embracing the differences and the diversity.