Hugo Maugenest (SKEMA 2017), Ambassador of the Dubai Chapter

Could you briefly tell us about your career since graduating from SKEMA and what motivated you to become an ambassador for the Dubai Chapter ?

After graduating in 2017, I started my career in financial markets in Dubai by joining Commerzbank, where I worked for five years, before joining Crédit Agricole in 2022.

This career path would never have been possible without SKEMA's solid network and the foundations offered by my Master's degree in Financial Markets and Investments, which have played an essential role in the development of my life and career. For me, becoming an ambassador was a way of giving back to the institution that has contributed so much to my career.

How do you plan to energize and enliven the Dubai Chapter as an ambassador? Could you share a few ideas for events or initiatives that you would like to put in place?

Dubai is a dynamic city with a transient population, which represents both a challenge and an opportunity to build a strong alumni community. In the past, we used to organize 2-3 events a year (cocktails, afterworks, dinners), but recent budget restrictions have made this more difficult.

With the opening of SKEMA's Dubai campus in September 2024, we have a unique opportunity to :

• Create events that bring together students and alumni, enabling the latter to share their career paths and students to find advice and opportunities from experienced professionals.
• Strengthen collaboration with the school to access more resources and improve event organization and communication.
• Recruit new ambassadors to more actively engage young graduates and organize more regular events, which will consolidate our community and increase the chapter's visibility.

What message would you like to convey to alumni to encourage them to join and become actively involved in the Dubai Chapter?

The more we are, the stronger we are! With the opening of this new campus, we're entering a very exciting phase. Your involvement in developing our network - whether by simply adding new alumni to our WhatsApp group, sharing professional opportunities, attending events or mentoring other alumni and students - can make a real difference.

Every little contribution helps to build a stronger, more connected community.