Master in Digital Business Strategy Testimonials

Tell us a little about yourself
I have spent most of my professional career in the banking industry. In 1997, I joined the Crédit Agricole Group. Since then, I have held several management positions in functions as diverse as client relations and correspondent network management. Since 2011, I have been in charge of digital communication at CACEIS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole Group. During this period, I was able to set up the internal collaborative network, develop the presence of CACEIS on social networks, redesign the website and ensure the group's e-reputation monitoring.

Why did you first apply for the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management program?
These professional experiences have allowed me to acquire a certain level of knowledge of new technologies and trends in digital communication, a field that is taking an increasingly important place in the global communication landscape. In 2015, I wanted to deepen and perfect this knowledge thanks to the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management of GEM, in order to support the digital transformation of the CACEIS group much more effectively.

What is your feedback about this program now that you have graduated?
I really appreciated most of the courses. The Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management helped me to gain a more precise vision of the different characteristics impacting both technical and strategic aspects of the information-technology sector. The teaching staff, composed of internationally recognized professionals, guarantees content of high quality, based more often than not on practical cases.

What was the impact of the program on your professional life?
Thanks to the insights I received, I have strengthened my knowledge in all the aspects mentioned above, and have had the opportunity to apply most of them in the different projects I have worked on since graduation. On top of that, it has provided me with the tools and abilities to be more pro-actively involved in my company's digital transformation.

Tell us a little about yourself
I started as a digital project manager in a small but fast-growing digital agency.
My mission was to support and organize the developers team through web projects. During this experience, I gained a strong technical background and learned about web project technology and stakes. Throughout the GEM program, I expanded my skills in digital strategy, project methodology and digital marketing. It allowed me to work closer to customers and take more responsibilities in projects design and conception. After the Master, I left the agency I was working for and took part in the launch of a new digital agency. Thanks to the skills I acquired during the GEM program, my missions were more about consulting and supporting clients. After this experience as a digital project manager, I became Product Owner and specialized in mobile applications. I am now working at Le Monde, in charge of mobile applications development.

Why did you first apply for the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management program?
After a one-year internship in a digital agency, I wanted to stay in a tangible and stimulating environment. The GEM program was a good way to continue working and learning at the same time. As I wanted to develop my skills in digital strategy and project management, this program appeared to be very relevant for my career plan. It was global, comprehensive and was delivered by professionals which really made a difference.  The Parisian location of the campus was also important in my decision, as Paris is a very dynamic city with more and more tech startups and digital companies. The program is fully conducted in English with students from all over the world and it was very enriching to meet and share with people from other cultures.

What is your feedback about this program now that you have graduated?
Most of the class material and modules were really relevant, varied and rich. Each module was conducted by an expert who always gave concrete examples to illustrate theoretical concepts. The program included flip teaching sessions and a lot of group work to ensure experience sharing. My only regret is that the “global approach” did not allow deeper treatment of some concepts like Growth Hacking, Lean & Agile methodology. But time was limited in a one-year program. The program rhythm was very pleasant as classes took place during just 3 days per week, allowing me to stay connected to my work.

What was the impact of the program on your professional life?
This program completed the hard skills that I had learned “in the field” with a huge spectrum of theoretical concepts and notions. I gained experience in SEO, content marketing, agile methodology, online advertising, design thinking and much more. It gave me a larger and clearer understanding of global digital strategy. After this program, I was able to move from web developers management to product owning and digital consulting. I joined Le Monde as a mobile product owner and am now in charge of the mobile apps development of Le Monde and Telerama.

Tell us a little about yourself
I did my first internship at Groupe Renault, where I supported the HR digital team on digital transformation across Renault France. My main topic was about redefining the digital candidate experience to make it more convenient and adapted to a new generation applying to Renault's careers website. For my second internship, I joined Nissan Europe to support the Digital Customer Journey & Lead Management team. My main topics were about managing the automatic e-mails triggered by users on Nissan's websites and the lead journey of users booking a test drive online. After a full year of internships, I applied for GEM's Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management. I followed the program while working at Mercedes-Benz France on financial marketing offers and a digital mobility platform. Upon graduation, I joined the Customer Engagement division at Capgemini Invent. As a consultant, I now work with different teams to support companies in delivering successful digital transformation across their channels.

Why did you first apply for the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management program?
After my experience in internships working on digital topics, I wanted to further my knowledge and enhance my skills in this domain. As Digital topics are fast changing, my main criterion for choosing a program was having enough balance between theory, to build a strong knowledge basis, and practice, to learn about methodologies and tools. I applied to the GEM program because it met my expectations from a Digital perspective. I had positive feedback from the alumni and the list of modules seemed to cover diverse topics in the digital domain. I also applied to this program because of its diversity. Students not only come from different countries around the world, but also have different backgrounds and professional experiences.

What is your feedback about this program now that you have graduated?
Three days of classes per month might not reflect it but the program is very rich and dense. This rhythm is perfect, and companies appreciate it. It was like a breath of fresh air, of innovation, new tools and methodologies that I could bring to my daily work and share with my team. While some of the students could be more interested in advertising, others would be more interested in mobile apps or content. The program covers a wide range of topics and everyone is fulfilled. Most of the faculty have an international background and a very interesting experience in Digital. As an example, attending an SEO class taught by a faculty member from Google and a mobile class from a former member of the team which developed the DEEZER app was very enriching.

What was the impact of the program on your professional life?
As for many of my classmates, I have been in contact with companies very early on. Having this program on my resume helped me find the job I wanted and to be assigned to interesting digital transformation projects. Moreover, as a consultant, it allowed me to have sufficient knowledge to discuss with company executives about benchmarks and best practices in various domains (Marketing automation, DMP…).

Tell us a little about yourself
I started my career in Manchester where I worked as a sales representative selling French furniture. This was an amazing experience! I was particularly impressed with how sales are considered there, with salespeople being highly regarded. Back in my home country, France, in 2001, I worked as an export manager until 2010, and then as a marketing manager, as I was rather fed up with airports and jet lag! The companies I worked for were very industrial: technical textile and then coated plastic films. It was during this last experience that I felt the need to strengthen my knowledge in digital culture.

Why did you first apply for the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management program?
As a marketing manager, I witnessed first-hand the arrival of digital in the business world. I realized how important digital was when, at a meeting in 2015, I heard several directors of top companies (Whirlpool, Orange…), describe how digital had transformed their organizations: they were using strong words such as revolution, transformation… They also explained why they had no choice: to adapt or disappear. I became fully aware, at this point, of my incompetence in this matter and started looking for training. The GEM program caught my eye. As I had previously graduated from GEM, I was very confident in the quality of the training. It would also give me the opportunity to do something I was craving for: create my own company! I was just concerned about what it would be like to go back to school at 45 years old while working at the same time. Would I be able to follow the rhythm?

What is your feedback about this program now that you have graduated?
This program helped me to have a robust digital culture: to understand what digital is about, what are the different jobs involved, and how they interact with one another. The faculty, which are all professionals from different digital sectors, keep the theory fairly low and leave great time for practicing. The rhythm of work is pretty intense, in particular between January and April. It was tough as I had less time to do my job! However, though it was intense, it remained feasible. As the training is based in Paris, and I live in Grenoble, it was, at times, hard for my family. Luckily, my wife and kids have been very supportive.

What was the impact of the program on your professional life?
Being a graduate of the program gives me a lot of confidence and authority. As digital has grown very quickly, companies are looking for references. The training helps me a lot in being able to relate to every profession. Since graduating, I have created my agency, Pluvian, which specializes in Inbound marketing. The program director, Yann Gourvennec, gave me some valuable insights and tips. My customers are mainly SMEs in BtoB. I keep on learning as it is a fast-changing world and dedicate 4 weeks a year to learn specific new skills. We have teamed up with a software company doing marketing automation. Today we are specializing in videos, as it is still the fastest growing way of communicating on the internet. All in all, the program was a great experience: it put me outside my comfort zone, I acquired new skills, and I created my company.

Tell us a little about yourself
I did my first internship at Groupe Renault, where I supported the HR digital team on digital transformation across Renault France. My main topic was about redefining the digital candidate experience to make it more convenient and adapted to a new generation applying to Renault's careers website. For my second internship, I joined Nissan Europe to support the Digital Customer Journey & Lead Management team. My main topics were about managing the automatic e-mails triggered by users on Nissan's websites and the lead journey of users booking a test drive online. After a full year of internships, I applied for GEM's Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management. I followed the program while working at Mercedes-Benz France on financial marketing offers and a digital mobility platform.
Upon graduation, I joined the Customer Engagement division at Capgemini Invent. As a consultant, I now work with different teams to support companies in delivering successful digital transformation across their channels.

Why did you first apply for the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management program?
After my experience in internships working on digital topics, I wanted to further my knowledge and enhance my skills in this domain. As Digital topics are fast changing, my main criterion for choosing a program was having enough balance between theory, to build a strong knowledge basis, and practice, to learn about methodologies and tools. I applied to the GEM program because it met my expectations from a Digital perspective. I had positive feedback from the alumni and the list of modules seemed to cover diverse topics in the digital domain. I also applied to this program because of its diversity. Students not only come from different countries around the world, but also have different backgrounds and professional experiences.

What was the impact of the program on your professional life?
As for many of my classmates, I have been in contact with companies very early on. Having this program on my resume helped me find the job I wanted and to be assigned to interesting digital transformation projects. Moreover, as a consultant, it allowed me to have sufficient knowledge to discuss with company executives about benchmarks and best practices in various domains (Marketing automation, DMP…).

Tell us about yourself
I was born and raised in Mexico, I have been working for more than 10 years for entertainment companies to develop and implement online and offline marketing strategies: 10 years of knowledge and experience in media and entertainment marketing and 5 years of experience in online marketing. I am passionate about new technologies and entrepreneurship.

Why did you first apply for the Advanced Master in Digital Strategy Management program?
I applied because I wanted to learn more about digital transformation and new tools that can help me to create better digital strategies. Also because it combined an academic program, which is geared specifically towards technology and innovation, with the perfect location to provide me with a European perspective of business.

What is your feedback about this program now that you have graduated?
The program overall was very good. I learned a lot about digital in many sectors and industries, which helped me to have a better understanding of new technologies, but also gave me a new perspective, it helped me to be more creative, open-minded and learn from students.

What was the impact of the program on your professional life?
I have had the chance to apply a lot of things that I learned during the course, and to innovate in my career. After the program I was more strategic oriented, which has helped me to plan better and deliver better results to the company I work for.