• ESSEC MSc Marketing Management & Digital program opens doors to diverse industries.
• Lessons learned at ESSEC Asia-Pacific translate well into the working world.
• ESSEC community a valuable asset.

Many drawn to the ESSEC MSc in Marketing Management & Digital (MMD) program have ambitions of becoming marketers for a luxury brand. Indeed, Lara Dessainte, Rémi Laveille, and Olivia Debain were all drawn to the program for these reasons.

These dreams have come to fruition for Lara, who graduated in 2021. She is the Global Digital Manager in the Travel Retail Western Ecosystem at Moët Hennessy. Each day, she leverages the skills gained during the MMD program as she strives to curate physical experiences and digital touchpoints for the brand.

Rémi and Olivia, however, have discovered their interests lie elsewhere. Olivia, who graduated in 2020, is now a business development manager at Amazon Pay, a sales-oriented role she describes. Rémi, who finished his degree in 2019, works in Japan as a marketing strategist at leading global automaker Stellantis.

Diverse though their paths may be, they have landed precisely where they want to be, credit to the MMD program.

Leveraging on the Strong Suite of MMD Skills

“Working for different industry partners prepared us well for the working world,” Lara shares, recalling how her cohort had at least four projects to help companies from the beauty sector to the tech industry solve real-world problems.

“This challenged us to provide concrete strategies in a short period, which enhanced our creativity and ability to solve problems,” she says.

Rémi echoes these sentiments, citing the opportunity for hands-on experience working with C-suite level executives as one of the highlights of his ESSEC experience.

“It shaped the presentation style I use even today and gave me a clear code of conduct to follow,” he says.

Arguably, these skills, when coupled with ESSEC’s brand name, make graduates from the MMD program a recruiter’s favorite. After all, post-ESSEC, Rémi moved smoothly from LVMH in Singapore to Unilever in France—and he received offers from leading tech giants in Europe before he eventually landed precisely where he wanted to be in Japan.

Similarly, Olivia was in the running for three internships—with premium, luxury, and sports eyewear groups Luxxotica, LVMH, and Amazon. She eventually received an offer from Amazon, which has turned into a full-time position today.

Applying the ESSEC MMD X-Factor

Olivia shares that adapting to a new role in sales came surprisingly quickly to her. “It helps to have marketing experience because everything is so interconnected,” she explains.

As the point of contact between the sales department and the marketing team, understanding marketing concepts has eased her communication channels.

In addition, “interacting with people from so many different backgrounds at ESSEC Asia-Pacific really helped me get out of my comfort zone, which is something that you need as a salesperson,” she says.

Remi believes these diverse interactions are fundamental regardless of which country or sector one is in.

“You want to know how you can deal with different types of customers—for example, address a problem in Europe but still attract the market in China. That was a key learning point for us,” he says.

Significantly, these diverse perspectives served him well when he started his own digital marketing agency called WebitYours to help local businesses in his community pivot online during the pandemic.

Today, WebitYours continues to operate on a pro-bono basis. Rémi supports two startups—one that promotes sustainable development in the rural areas of Columbia and another that helps education in Africa—with their online advertising.

But no matter the task at hand, whether developing an ad budget, strategizing to build brand awareness, or pitching to companies, one thing is straightforward: The skills he taps into and how he presents himself only echo what he learned at ESSEC.

The ROI of Being an ESSEC Alumni

Listening to their stories, some might say that Lara, Rémi, and Olivia have found success through the sheer force of their personalities. But they quickly clarify that the people they are today have been infinitely shaped by their time at ESSEC Asia-Pacific.

After all, being part of a small, intimate community that moved together from class to class helped Olivia build strong friendships. In addition, she says, “I was able to collaborate with people I think are the brightest I’ve ever met, that I am still friends with today, and that both challenge and motivate me.”

For Remi, ESSEC’s partnerships with prestigious universities in Japan are perhaps why there is a vast alumni network within the country—offering him community, encouragement, and inspiration as he ekes out a new life in a foreign country.

“It takes a specific type of person to be able to leave their comfort zone, but once you do, you’ll learn so much about yourself and grow tremendously,” Olivia declares. Her advice? Come to ESSEC Asia-Pacific.