When I left school at 18, I took some preparatory classes with the aim of going to business school. I knew that this kind of studies would open up a wide range of possibilities and help get me ready for the ever-changing business world. In 2000, I took the oral exams for EM Normandie. Straight away I was struck by the welcoming atmosphere at the business school. I can still remember the students who welcomed us - they even offered to put up anyone who didn’t have the money for a hotel. You felt at home at the school from the very beginning!
I was so won over by this positive energy, that at the end of my first year I volunteered to help welcome the new candidates myself. The most important things were the quality of the teaching and the school’s emphasis on values. All of us in the 130th intake worked hard to build relationships, not just between ourselves but also with the administration, which often bore the brunt of our wicked sense of humour!
Management: nurturing your teams and partnerships
After a year out working in media and experience at Lagardère Publicité, in 2008 I joined the advertising division of the M6 group to manage media agencies in relation to programme sponsorship. After that, I was promoted in 2013 into a new department working on business development. Now I support a team of salespeople who represent all the components of the group: from our TV channels (M6, W9, 6ter, Paris Première, Téva and Sérieclub) to our websites (6play, CuisineAZ, Déco.fr…) as well as the three radio stations from the RTL group that we have just acquired. Day to day, it’s an exciting job. Contrary to what you might think, it has a very human focus.
Each year, we meet around a thousand clients, and we offer them solutions to meet their communication needs and fulfil their media strategies.
First you have to win over a customer, and then you have to support them. Our job involves adapting to wildly different sets of needs, helping customers to hit the right targets and building on shared success. Sometimes we support start-ups with lots of potential, and as they grow they end up investing in classic campaigns similar to those that big companies might run.
EM Normandie Alumni is more than a network: it’s pride!
When I was studying, the Alumni network was nothing like it is today! With the development of digital tools and social networks, everything has changed, and I feel much closer to everyone! I often take an interest in the association’s news and I’m always impressed by the quality of the contents - I’m sure it must influence students who are trying to decide where to study. I even get CVs and requests for advice, and I try to respond in a helpful way. A network is absolutely essential for an institution like ours, and I think we need not only to be able to make it work for us, but most of all, we need to be proud of it!
Noémi's advice :
"Believe in yourself and never forget that you spend a huge part of your life at work. That means you need to somehow combine your work with what motivates you. There’s no such thing as a successful career that you don’t enjoy - if you don’t enjoy it, it isn’t a success! You need to have self-confidence, follow your dreams and make the most of your experiences. An internship can sometimes set the course for your whole career! Stay curious and get stuck in !"
