Jean-Baptiste Heissat (SKEMA 2004), Ambassador of the Singapore Chapter

Could you tell us a little about your journey since graduating from SKEMA Business School and what motivated you to become an ambassador of the SKEMA Alumni Singapore chapter?

One of the reasons I chose SKEMA was its international network. I also liked the fact that the school encourages academic exchanges. I was lucky enough to go on exchange twice, first to AIT in Bangkok and then to SDSU in California. These experiences fitted perfectly with my personal and professional goal of living and working overseas.

Logically, after graduating I started my career abroad, in 2005, in China, working for Manitowoc, a leading American company in the mechanical industry. I was in charge of developing and standardising their global procurement. At the time of the 2009 financial crisis, thanks to the SKEMA network, I moved on to head up the global procurement office of TLD, a world leader in airport equipment. I stayed there for over seven years before moving to Singapore to join Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest mining companies. I was still in procurement, but my roles were more strategic.

During the pandemic, I tried my hand at entrepreneurship before being recruited by ISS, a leading workplace experience and facility management company. I was an internal consultant for them, tasked with turning around the supply chain and procurement team in Singapore, and then I managed the margin improvement programme for APAC countries. After a year, again thanks to the SKEMA network, I joined Telenor, a telecommunications giant, in their procurement strategy department.

In parallel to all that, I was a SKEMA ambassador in Shanghai from 2007 to 2016 and have been helping to run the Singapore chapter for a few years now. I have also attended several events on the Suzhou campus. My career path testifies to the strong presence of the school and the positive impact of its network at key moments in my career.

For me, being an ambassador is a way of giving back to the network, supporting the growth of our alumni and helping them to stay connected to the school after graduation.

As ambassador, how do you plan to bring energy and life to the Singapore chapter? Can you share any ideas for initiatives or for events you’d like to run?

The Singapore chapter lost a lot of momentum with COVID, especially as budgets dried up completely. With the other ambassadors, we’re trying to get the community going again with informal monthly get-togethers and a quarterly schedule of themed events. These events are sometimes held in collaboration with other major French schools.

Our aim is to generate more activities through to the alumni association, by promoting themed events. One idea would be to involve SKEMA resources, such as faculty members, and collaborate with other alumni associations in the region.

What message would you like to send to our alumni to encourage them to join and become actively involved in the SKEMA Alumni Singapore Chapter?

Get involved in the network in the long term: the more you give, the more you get.