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Pauline Jambert (SK 2012): “At SKEMA, I discovered a real spirit of mutual support”

15 October 2020 INTERVIEW

After her studies in international management at SKEMA Business School, our alumna Pauline Jambert began a long-term career with the Airbus Group. She tells us about her career progression with the aerospace giant, and the many opportunities and expatriations that have punctuated her professional life so far.

 

Can you tell us about your educational background and your choice to attend SKEMA Business School?

After graduating from high school (economics and social studies stream) I attended a preparatory school in Mulhouse, my hometown. I then sat the SKEMA Business School competitive entrance exams and was accepted into the IMiM (International Master in Management) on the Lille campus. I was really interested in that programme because I wanted to study in English and work overseas. I was also sure that I wanted to do a degree course in management, because the programme is quite diverse, providing a good grounding and the opportunity to subsequently specialise. Then I rounded off my management training with an MSc Project and Programme Management on the SKEMA campus in Paris. There, there were many students and professors from around the world. This exposed to me very different cultures, ways of thinking and management styles. At SKEMA, the classes are small and you do a lot of group work. This is very enriching and is without a doubt the greatest added-value of this programme. After finishing my studies, I was lucky enough to be selected to join Airbus via a graduate programme.


Can you tell us about your career progression with the Airbus Group?

I started with Airbus as an International Compliance Officer in the Greater Paris area, through the graduate programme. I was especially working on processes and on securing relations between Airbus and its different subcontractors and intermediaries. I’ve always worked in the Defence part of Airbus and most of our clients are governments. So there are very strict rules to follow and we have to adapt to the different countries with which we work. I stayed in that role for two years and then left for Munich, where I was offered a position as project manager. It was a very different experience with a melting pot of small projects and activities aimed to support the CEO of the Defence and Space division. It was very interesting. Among other things, I got to contribute to the reorganisation of the company and to the set-up of an environmental organisation.  After three years in Munich, I wanted to work on a more operational project, for Airbus manufacturing. So I went to Seville, in the south of Spain, where I worked on a versatile military transport aircraft designed to operate over very long distances and carry heavy loads; it is also used for humanitarian missions. I worked on a continuous improvement project, working with subcontractors to optimise methods and reduce manufacturing costs. After one year in Seville, I was offered the opportunity to return to Germany, to Bremen this time, where I continued my cost optimisation work. A new opportunity presented itself very recently, to work in Munich on a new large-scale European project called “FCAS” (Futur Combat Air System). I am very happy to be taking part in this project, which holds real promise for the future of defence.


Has the SKEMA network played a role in your professional life?

At SKEMA I discovered a real spirit of mutual support (particularly though my involvement in student associations, as I was part of the Sports Office). When I joined the graduate programme at Airbus, I found this same spirit of solidarity. This really facilitated our evolution and our two years of training within the group. I think that creating a network while you’re studying and being able to turn to it throughout your career is the key that opens all the doors. To this day I’ve maintained some great contacts with the SKEMA network and I chat regularly with former classmates and with people who were with me in the graduate programme at Airbus. I also see other alumni very often, because every time I move I let my former classmates know in case someone is in the city I’m moving to. Whichever site I’m transferred to, there are always alumni from my class I can talk to. This makes integration so much easier, which is why it’s important to network and to build relationships even while you’re studying.

 

Contact: Pauline Jambert (SK 2012) - FCAS Project Supply Manager at Airbus 

Interview by lepetitjournal.com for SKEMA Alumni

 

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