Wondering what the London network’s like? Its ambassador is here to tell you...

The SKEMA Alumni UK is currently run by two ambassadors, Amélie Willemet (SK 2015) and Emmnanuelle Pfaff (SK 2009), as well as Fabienne Buon (SKEMA Alumni). There are 968 alumni in the community, including 274 in London.

The speed networking event held on 30 October 2018 at the Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch, a five-star establishment located in a once-trashy, now-arty part of England’s capital, was a great success according to the 40 alumni who attended. Access to this venue was made possible by Estelle Pinna, Marketing & Communication Manager. Another perk of the network is that it opens the doors to some unique places. Thank you, Estelle!

From London, Amélie Willemet tells you everything there is to know about the network:

"Some of you know me already - others know me by name only or not at all. My name is Amelie Willemet and I’m a graduate of the Class of 2015. I’ve been in London for going on 2 years now and I currently work at Cognizant as a consultant for the Digital Strategy department. I stepped into my ambassador role as soon as I arrived in London, in February 2017. The club was looking for a new member and it was an ideal opportunity for me to join the SKEMA UK network and begin my London experience. I was also part of the Project Management Club at the time, but I ended up leaving that because it was much too frustrating to manage a club remotely and not be able to attend any of the events.

You’ll have noticed, through your personal or professional experience, that the London network is very “volatile”. The proximity to France and the current conditions (Brexit, always Brexit...) make London somewhat of a revolving door for professionals. It’s a very appealing city – particularly to SKEMA’s Finance alumni – that attracts all types of profiles: students doing internships on their gap year or at the end of their Master’s programme, young graduates and professionals who’ve been relocated, or those who simply had a desire to live abroad for a few years (because yes... even though an expatriation to London might be considered an “easy” expatriation, it is still a big challenge).

For all these reasons, building yourself a network here is a constant challenge. Contacts leaves, new ones arrive, then leave... And you... you stay. Because London is pretty great despite all that. And if you’re anything like me... you arrived here not knowing how long you were going to stay. We all tell ourselves that it’s for 2 or 3 years and some end up settling here for good. That’s why we decided to organise a speed networking evening for the last after-work event of the year. To allow new arrivals to integrate more easily, make some new contacts, chat about life in London and all the little useful tips and tricks, and to give old-timers a chance to share their experience and grow their network.

We’re always seeing new faces (and there are always a few regulars, thankfully!) I talked a lot with some of you, both new arrivals and old-timers, that I’d never met before!

Now, we’re going to get to work preparing the next event, to meet your expectations as best we can. Don’t hesitate to speak up.

Keep in touch for the next alumni event in London!"



SKEMA Alumni United Kingdom

 Interview with Virginie Alvarez, SK 2006, founder of MyWardrobeMistakes: pre-loved fashion meets e-commerce in London