Master in Management
With the Master in Management become a top-level business leader, capable of meeting the expectations of organisations all over the world.
2 to 3 years
Reims,
Rouen
Back to school: three keynotes to launch the NEOMA journey
Almost 1,000 students were expected to join the first year of the Master in Management Programme in Reims and Rouen this year. On hand to greet the new cohort were Delphine Manceau, Director General of NEOMA, and Michel-Edouard Leclerc, the School’s President. Also in attendance was the honorary sponsor of the incoming class, Véronique Penchienati-Bosetta – Deputy CEO of the DANONE Group – to share her trademark energy.
9:30 a.m. Delphine Manceau, the Director of our School, spoke about the challenges that lie ahead for our students.
“Three or four years from now, when you graduate from NEOMA, you won’t be the same person you are today. But this new chapter in your academic and personal lives comes at a time when the world is changing very fast. The shifts taking place around us – environmental, technological, geopolitical and societal – are extremely far-reaching.
While some of these major developments are radical, and can sometimes be disconcerting, they are also incredibly exciting. So, though you may lose your bearings and feel anxious from time to time, I want to emphasise that they will also bring you fantastic opportunities: to reinvent things, and to reshape the companies and organisations you’ll be joining in a few years, all of which are being pushed to reinvent themselves today. You will have a front-row seat to witness these sweeping changes.
And our goal here at NEOMA is that you won’t just sit back and watch these transformations: you’ll play an active role in them.”
10:15 a.m. Michel-Edouard Leclerc, President of NEOMA, shared the lessons he has learnt from a lifetime of entrepreneurship, starting with a modest family shop in Landerneau, Brittany, and growing into a vast retail network of some 766 stores.
“Drawing on my own experiences and career, my advice to you is this: learn to understand other people, especially people who don’t think and act like you. That’s what will help you connect with others and make things happen. If you genuinely aspire to be an entrepreneur, you really have to learn from those around you.
And the second thing is this: society is changing dramatically. There’s just no comparison between the small shop my parents owned when I was growing up and the company as it is today. But we’re still standing, despite the constant challenges thrown our way. And we’re still standing because we've always reinvented ourselves. We didn't necessarily rebuild based on what we knew, but with our hunger to learn and to refuse to be swallowed up.
You need to use this time you spend in our School to get to know yourselves, to grow stronger, to gear up for change.”
10:45 a.m. The sponsor of the class, Véronique Penchienati-Bosetta, Deputy CEO of the DANONE Group and NEOMA graduate, also gave some advice.
“What will make the difference are the choices you make, your commitments, your curiosity, your drive, your values, your fighting spirit, your openness. Turn these exceptional traits into a source of strength. And, more than anything, believe in yourself.
NEOMA will give you deep roots and powerful wings, but it’s up to you to decide where you want to go. So, find the courage to be yourself, because it’s only by daring to be yourself that you can make a difference.
Last of all: stay fiercely curious. NEOMA will show you many doors. It's up to you to decide whether or not to open them. My advice is to make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.”
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