Chen Yang (SKEMA 2019): a promising career as a data architect for a global company

After her studies in China, Chen Yang moved to France to attend SKEMA Business School. Currently working as a data architect for a global company in Paris, she tells us more about her academic background and her career accomplishments.

Can you tell us about your academic background?

I'm from China, where I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Information Systems at a very good engineering school, the Harbin Institute of Technology. After that, I moved to France to join the MSc in Business Consulting and Digital Transformation at SKEMA Business School on the Sophia Antipolis campus. This is a programme that ties in with what I had previously studied in China.

After graduating from SKEMA Business School, I wanted to continue to deepen my knowledge of data science, so I completed a second Master’s degree in Data Science at an engineering school in Brittany.

What made you choose SKEMA Business School?

At that time, SKEMA Business School was one of the few French schools to offer a major in business consulting and digital transformation. The school was really successful and very good in this domain and showed a lot of potential for the future. This was a very important factor in my choice. Another factor was that SKEMA offered courses with a maximum of 30 to 40 students per classroom, and some courses were divided into a morning class and an afternoon class. SKEMA Business School also offered lots of professional projects with real companies, which was not that common. This was the best way to learn, because it allowed me to have so much interaction with the professors and the classmates.

What were the main highlights of your studies at SKEMA Business School? 

The thing I liked most would be the quality of the teaching. I remember very clearly the teacher who taught corporate finance and he was quite knowledgeable. He would write down all the terminology on the board, which made it much easier for me to take notes and to keep up. The class was very structured and the teacher always took the time to answer the students’ questions. The professors were, overall, very thorough and qualified, and very available for the students, which was the main highlight for me.

Tell us about your professional journey since completing your studies?

After graduating, I hadn’t fully made up my mind about whether to work in France or in China, because that was around the lockdown period during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, it was quite hard to go back to China to find a job, so I started looking for internships in Europe. I found my first internship as a Marketing Analyst in the UK for a startup in the field of animal care, and had to start it remotely because of COVID. After that, I interned in Belgium as an IT consultant for a healthcare company. Then, I worked as a business automation intern for Honor in Paris, and as a data management intern for a company based in Luxembourg.

Those internships in different parts of Europe made it much easier to find a job, and also helped me to get a clearer idea of what I liked and didn’t like. They also taught me more about the professional world in Europe.

Can you tell us about your current job? What does your average day look like?

I'm currently working for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in Paris, since January, as a data architect. My main job is to work on SAP S/4HANA MDM projects, handling tasks such as data migration, coordinating transport, ensuring quality, and assisting the Scrum Master.

As part of my day-to-day duties, I work on the materials aspect of data migration, ensuring the smooth progress of the process by coordinating and resolving any relevant issues. Additionally, I assist in monitoring the performance of data quality.

I would love to stay in this company long term and grow in this industry, learning more about data architecture, data governance and information system management. 

What were the main benefits of studying and working abroad? 

Studying and working in different environments and countries in Europe (Luxembourg, Belgium, France…) gave me a better understanding of the different management and working cultures. It also allowed me to further develop my communication skills.

Do you have any career advice for SKEMA Business School students? 

First, I think it is very important to be humble. I find that the most successful people are also the most humble and I don’t think that being overconfident is very good, especially at the beginning of your career.

I also believe that when you want something, you should just go for it and put in real effort to make it happen instead of thinking too much about it. Don't always calculate the shortcuts or the opportunity cost. Whatever you choose, there is always a risk that it might not work out the way you wanted, but the most important thing is to always try.

Contact: Chen Yang, Manager, BPT Data Architect @Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

Interview by lepetitjournal.com for SKEMA Alumni