Mariia Kalinchenkova

The MSc Strategic Management program ultimately prepares its students for top international management positions within any industry 

I graduated from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, where I completed a BSc in International Economic Relationships. As one of the top students, I was given the opportunity to do a semester in France. By that time, I had grown interested in management and therefore chose to pursue a management program at Toulouse University 1 Capitole. During my term in Toulouse, I realized that I wanted to continue my studies and to deepen my knowledge of management. Wanting to undertake a master’s degree, I realized that it would be highly beneficial for me to gain some work experience with an international company beforehand. For almost a year, I’ve worked as a Marketing Trainee at Louis Vuitton Eastern Europe. This experience has allowed me to understand the company’s culture and values, which has undoubtedly strengthened my desire to work in the fashion industry.

Boosting careers

I think the MSc Strategic Management program ultimately prepares its students for top international management positions within any industry by offering a fundamental management approach and by fostering academic excellence, intercultural and linguistic skills. I applied for MSc in Strategic Management at HEC Paris in order to advance my chosen career path. I was looking for a program with direct exposure to the international business world and in particular the luxury industry, with a wide range of management courses focusing on strategic analysis. Furthermore, gaining a first-hand insight into an excellent education system from recent graduates reaffirmed my choice to complete my masters at HEC Paris.

Gaining insight into concrete strategic challenges

I highly appreciate the mix of theoretical and practical classes, interactive lectures and traditional classes, taught by both HEC professors and professionals from various fields in the business world, who provide an insight into real world strategic challenges faced by their companies today. Apart from the main courses that cover the core disciplines in management sciences, all the students are also able to choose electives according to their preferences. Moreover, at the end of the program, MSc students are provided with an opportunity to complete a “Certificate”, a six-week intense program related to a specific sector, with the chance to be awarded an additional HEC certificate. I have chosen to study for Luxury management via the Luxury Certificate chaired by Kering.

I want to become a fashion Brand Manager and therefore must acquire specific management skills to be able to refine a brand’s strategy and continuously change its day-to-day practices in order to develop a successful company. The MSc in Strategic Management has a strong focus on strategic topics which is perfect for me. Furthermore, I hope that after completing the Luxury Certificate I will find out more about possibly doing an internship at Kering, with whom HEC Paris has close links. Lastly I believe that the MSc in Strategic Management is the best program to help drive me to become a contributing member of the business world.