Camille Micault: Journey of a French Entrepreneur in Brazil

Tell us a little about your academic background. Why did you choose to join SKEMA Business School?

My background is a little atypical. I started with a Bac STG in my home town of Rennes, followed by a BTS MUC (Management of Commercial Units) in Saint-Malo. I then worked to finance a year-long backpacking trip to Australia and New Zealand, where I perfected my English.

On my return, I took exams to enter a business school through parallel admissions. I was finally accepted at SKEMA Business School, which was my first choice. I was immediately attracted by the school's openness to the world and its multi-campus offering. Having always had a taste for the international, it was an obvious choice. When I visited the school, I also liked the atmosphere of the Lille campus and the student city, which reminded me a lot of Rennes.

That's how I joined the Parcours Grande École in L3, followed by a Master's in International Business at SKEMA Business School's Lille campus.

What were the highlights of your studies at SKEMA Business School, both in human and academic terms?

From an academic point of view, I'm particularly impressed by the quality of the speakers. I had the opportunity to meet renowned entrepreneurs, heads of major companies, political figures... It was all very inspiring.

On a human level, the associations have given me a lot. I was vice-president of the S'konnection association, which welcomes foreign students. I loved this experience and the fact that I was able to share my culture with the school's international students. I was also treasurer of a film association. These very enriching associative experiences enabled me to nurture my passions for travel and cinema. They were also very formative, allowing me to see what it was like to run a business on a small scale.

During my studies at SKEMA, I also made some great friendships with classmates, with whom I still maintain close ties today despite the distance that separates us.

At the end of my L3, I did a three-month internship in Montreal for a major real estate developer, which went very well. I was also lucky enough to spend the first semester of my Master 1 on the SKEMA Business School campus in Raleigh, USA, where I had a great American-style student experience, with classes in English. In the second semester, I did an academic exchange in Budapest, Hungary.

It was an incredible year, punctuated by wonderful international cultural experiences, each very different from the next!

How did you discover Brazil?

After my first year of the Master's program, I was looking for an internship abroad for my gap year. I consulted the offers circulated by the school and found a 6-month marketing internship in a luxury hotel in São Paulo, Brazil.

I was a little apprehensive as I didn't speak a word of Portuguese at the time, but the interview with the director, who was herself a SKEMA alumni - Nelly PAGER (SKEMA 2005) - went very well and I decided to take the plunge!

It was pretty daunting arriving alone in this city of 20 million people, without mastering the local language (especially as I arrived in the middle of the country's biggest protests, in 2013, and the city was in chaos!). In the end, I managed to adapt quickly. I was also lucky enough to meet up with some Brazilian friends on the spot, whom I had met during my semester of study in Budapest, which made my local integration much easier.

It was a very formative and inspiring experience, during which I learned a lot.

During my stay in Brazil, I visited Rio de Janeiro, and it was love at first sight! I fell under the spell of the city, the atmosphere, the surrounding nature... So I decided to do my second part of my gap year in Rio, which would host the 2014 soccer World Cup in a few months' time.

I did a 6-month internship at a luxury boutique hotel. I was given a wide variety of tasks: guest relations, concierge, receptionist, etc. The hotel was located on the outskirts of a favela, which created a strong cultural contrast, typical of the city, between the elite and the more working-class milieu.

At the end of this internship, I returned to France for my final year at SKEMA Business School. On the plane, all I could think about was coming back to Rio after graduation and helping to organize the Rio Olympic Games!

For this last year, I joined the Sophia Antipolis campus, to follow the Tourism & Events Master's program. It was a very interesting program, with excellent speakers. The courses were very dynamic, interactive and punctuated by real-life case studies with major organizations and events in the region (the Nice stadium, the tourist office, the Cannes festival...). The teaching was really practical and hands-on, and it was an exciting year!

How did you integrate into the Brazilian job market after your studies at SKEMA Business School?

During my Master 2 at SKEMA Business School, I took part in ITB(International Travel Berlin), one of Europe's biggest tourism trade fairs, bringing together players from all over the world and where the school had a stand.

I took advantage of this opportunity to get in touch with the Brazilian tourism industry. I printed out around a hundred CVs in Portuguese and distributed them to all the Brazilian operators and travel agencies present at the show, expressing my desire to work for the Olympic Games, which were taking place the following year.

I had excellent contact with Daniel Cabral, from the Panorama Brazil travel agency. He offered me an interview, following which I was hired as Project Manager for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Three weeks after graduation, I was on a plane to Rio!

As Project Manager, I was responsible for implementing the entire Olympic Games project from A to Z, which took place the following year.

It was an incredible opportunity to be right at the heart of this global event! In particular, I had to create partnerships with hotels and real estate agencies to build up a portfolio of luxury apartments, and I came into contact with Olympic committees, international agencies, ticket suppliers and so on. I was able to work with very high-end clients, such as luxury houses and foreign delegations (from Africa, India, China, Japan...).

It was an extraordinary experience, highly formative, but also very intense. That year set the tone for the rest of my career: it was there that I fell in love with sports events and learned my trade.

How did your company Brazil Exclusive Travels come into being, and what services do you offer?

After the Olympic Games, Daniel Cabral, the director of Panorama Brazil, wanted to move to England to open a hotel. We had built up such a bond of trust that he decided to entrust me with his entire customer portfolio, in return for a commission.

That's where I set up my business in 2017: Brazil Exclusive Travels.

Brazil Exclusive Travels is a luxury concierge company specializing in high-end services for wealthy clients. We have three service areas: corporate services, luxury concierge services and sports events.

Our corporate division caters mainly to foreign companies based in Brazil. We offer them a wide range of services: issuing airline tickets, booking hotels for business trips, receiving delegations (transport, security, hotels, leisure activities, etc.), etc.

Within the luxury concierge division, we have created partnerships with luxury real estate agencies who wish to offer a full range of personalized services to their guests. As soon as they receive a request from one of their customers, they pass it on to us and we provide the service: in-home chef, massages, helicopter tour, private jet trip...

We've built up an extensive network that enables us to cater for every customer and every request, no matter how extravagant. Parachute jumping over Rio for a stag party; privatization of the Corcovado; delivery of a hundred bouquets of flowers to fill a hotel room on the occasion of a wedding anniversary... We receive the most astonishing requests and always make it a point of honor to meet them, guaranteeing a quality of service up to the standards expected by the customer.

Our third division is sports events, which is my favorite. We cover 5 international sporting events: the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Champions League, the Football World Cup, the Roland Garros and the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. For these events, we are looking for partners and suppliers outside Brazil.

For over a year, we've been working on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It's a colossal project for which we've created a dedicated entity: Sports Exclusive Travels, to offer packages for the Paris Olympics that include accommodation (apartments, luxury hotels...); concierge experiences; exclusive tours and the organization of transportation, among other things.

Since its creation 7 years ago, the company has developed well. The team is now made up of 7 people (including another SKEMA alumnus!) and we've worked hard to enhance our branding and promote our image.

What do you like best about Brazil?

I love the energy in this country, the simplicity and kindness of the people. Brazilians live fully in the moment and have a slightly nonchalant and casual side that makes it very easy to talk to them. Contacts are very easy, there's a lot of tolerance and inclusion, and everyone is there to help us integrate as foreigners.

I also love the great cultural mix that this country offers, reflected in its music, dance, gastronomy... It's always fascinated me.

Brazil really does offer something unique that I haven't found anywhere else, despite my many travels. This country exudes joie de vivre, "alegria "! Brazilians are always positive and ready to celebrate life, even if many face precarious conditions.

It's something I try to draw inspiration from every day.

Do you have any career advice for young SKEMA Business School graduates who want to go international?

Above all, I think you have to dare to step out of your comfort zone. As a student at SKEMA Business School, you're incredibly lucky to be able to enjoy a wide range of academic and professional experiences abroad: it's an opportunity you should seize without hesitation, one that helps build your self-confidence and your personality.

I would also advise all students to start creating and developing their network as early as possible. To this end, the SKEMA Alumni network is a force to be reckoned with, with contacts all over the world. Not only does it open doors, but it also enables you to surround yourself with other expatriates who can provide real support when you move abroad in the future.

Contact: Camille Micault, Managing director, Sports Exclusive Travels

Interview by lepetitjournal.com for SKEMA Alumni