Zoé Darnanville was a champion horse-rider. Now she wants to take over the family business. To help her construct this project, she chose a training course at NEOMA Executive Education. Here she recounts how the General Management Programme (GMP) enabled her to launch her new career.

 1/ Why I chose the General Management Programme at NEOMA Executive Education

“I started riding at the age of five, and was regularly selected for the French team. I was a reserve at the European championships and twice won bronze for junior pony- and horse-riding in the French championships. I did not continue my studies after the Bac Pro qualification but devoted myself to my sports career. A year ago, I decided to pick up my studies again, with the aim of taking care of the family business in the equestrian sector, it was a childhood dream but I needed to be better equipped.

That’s why I turned to NEOMA and the General Management Programme, it was a one-year course that could easily be adapted to fit in with my schedule. We have three days of classes per month, so it’s very flexible. The other reason was because NEOMA has a very good reputation.”

2/What I gained from this training

“The GMP will give me new skills, thanks to the wide variety of subjects covered, it has also helped me consolidate the skills I had acquired from my previous experience. Marketing, finance, steering the course of a business, it’s very comprehensive. It gave me an overall view of management. It was also just what I was looking for to build my self-confidence. It enabled me to organise a mountain bike raid to Morocco.”

3/ What are my projects?

“Thanks to NEOMA, I will be able to ensure the family business runs well and develops successfully, while continuing to put my energy into projects that are dear to my heart, I can reinvent myself professionally and at the same time preserve my original passion.”