How do you reinvent yourself after a top-level sporting career? That was the question rugby player Tyler Ardron asked himself. Here he explains his choice of course at NEOMA Executive Education.

1/Why I chose the Executive Business Director Programme at NEOMA

“I am Canadian, I play rugby for Castres Olympique and at the same time I’m studying for a Masters at NEOMA. Before that, I played for the Canadian team, I travelled a lot, to Wales, New Zealand and other places. In 2020, I signed for Castres Olympique, in the south of France, I still have one year of my contract left, until June 2026. I always knew I should prepare for what I would do next. At NEOMA, I’m studying on the Executive Business Director Masters course. The classes are very interesting, the speakers are professionals who really know what they are talking about, it’s not just theory, it’s putting it into practice, that’s very relevant to us.

In terms of the timetable, that’s perfect for us: the lessons take place on Monday and Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I can devote myself totally to rugby, and on Sunday to my studies. The School really has designed a course that allows us to focus on the most important things at the right time.”

2/ What I learned from this training

“On the Executive Business Director course at NEOMA, we do a lot of case studies. That’s what I am looking for to prepare for the future, really usable skills. We had a class on intercultural communication. People don’t communicate in the same way in Asia, North America and Europe. That’s something you learn a bit about in rugby because you play with teams from all over the world, but the environment is quite strict and competitive. It’s different in the world of business.

In the classes, we did in-depth analysis of how businesses function, what makes them work, the importance of figures, and how to move from one sector to another, where to focus your attention. As rugby players, we’re very good at action and reaction, but taking time to reflect more deeply on certain problems is not something we do in our job. It’s great to have people who can teach us how to do that.

3/ What my professional projects are

“After rugby, my wife and I are first going sailing for a year. Then I would like to run a company, but I don’t yet know what that might be. I’m setting everything in place. The ideal would be to have a business that would let us work between France and Canada, that would be perfect.”