#MadeinHEC | Meet Florent Sybord, Strategic Management Graduate

Meet Florent Sybord. Here he shares his obstacles to admission to the Strategic Management Program at HEC Paris, how he was able to find his voice as a diverse and inclusive community leader while on campus, and his pathway to his current career as a consultant at McKinsey.

HIS STORY

My name is Florent Sybord.  I was born and raised in Paris, not very original, I know!

HIS STUDIES

I studied Strategic Management at HEC Paris. It promised what I was looking for. Academically, the 360-degree coursework covered how companies can make impactful decisions to bring both short- and long-term benefits to stakeholders. Personally, I benefitted from a very international environment in a relatively small cohort. And professionally, I was met with limitless job opportunities. Spoiler alert: my career aspirations were fulfilled!

THE CHOICE 

Honestly, it was not an easy choice: competition between business schools is tough, most of them have great value propositions. However, the recruitment process at HEC Paris sealed the deal for me. It managed to make me step out of my comfort zone, both through the written and oral examinations, while always showing empathy. This concrete promise of a steep learning curve in a caring environment made me want to attend HEC more than other schools. I encourage anyone interested in HEC to apply and see for themselves! Get ready to bring your A-game!

My favorite aspect of the program is the people I met within my cohort, not only my teachers, but the people working in the administration.

HIS CAREER

Concretely, the teachers, the other students, the career center, and the professionals enable very open discussions about the different opportunities and options of career paths. After drafting those futures, the classes, the mentoring, and the peer-learning will give you the means to help turn those eventualities into realities. All it takes is a lot of energy and a constant determination. Overall, I think that my case is a good illustration: I started my 1st day in the Master’s in Strategic Management not really knowing what I wanted to do. A year later, I started working at McKinsey Paris in a full-time position!

As for my long-term aspirations, all I know is that I want to have a tangible and positive impact on businesses and society in general. I know, it sounds a bit presumptuous, but it’s true! I know that my Master’s helped me gain a lot of maturity by increasing my curiosity and broadening my understandings of society, all in all helping me build this “toolkit for life”.

BENEFITS OF HEC PARIS

Professionally, it’s helped me discover my path and make it a reality. Personally, it has allowed me to bloom further and become even prouder of who I am. I had the chance to work in the Diversity Committee, with other students, teachers, and members of the Administration, to make HEC a more diversified and inclusive space through concrete actions. It was an opportunity to realize that my voice, my opinions, and my personal experiences truly matter – a conviction that I now bring everywhere with me.