Lirone Oziel, an MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership (MDT) alumnus (Class of 2021), agreed to share his ESCP experience with us and how it helped him land a job that he really loves.
Lirone is currently working in Paris as a Digital & Emerging Technologies Consultant at Wavestone, a management consulting company specialising in technology and supporting companies in positive transformation.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I grew up in the Paris area. After graduating high school, I moved to Canada to study marketing and international business at HEC Montreal. I graduated in 2018 with a bilingual Bachelor degree in Business Administration. After that I moved back to France and did an internship in sales and marketing at Potloc, an international tech startup specialised in customer surveys. This internship confirmed my idea of starting my career in the tech industry, and eventually led me to considering doing the MDT.
Why did you choose ESCP's MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership and what, in your opinion, makes it unique in the masters market?
I have always been quite interested in innovation and new technologies. However, as a business school graduate with very little experience in science and engineering, I often felt like I was missing knowledge in these fields. I chose the MDT to bridge that gap and feel more legitimate when applying for roles in the tech industry.
What I mostly liked about the master’s is how it seeks to put business-oriented people and engineers together, which is still quite rare for master degree programmes today. The MDT combines business topics with deep dives in the engineering side of technology. This combination has been very helpful for me because firms seek professionals who understand both business and technical imperatives to conduct digital transformation projects.
Can you share with us a memorable experience during your MSc that had a significant and lasting impact on your life, professional or personal?
We had the opportunity to do plenty of different activities, from visiting an Amazon warehouse to participating in a three-day workshop on robotics with Comau. However, one memorable experience was the Ted Talk presentation we had to prepare on the topic of leadership. Beyond the everlasting challenge of presenting in English to an audience as a non-native English speaker, what I really enjoyed was the opportunity of putting together the topics of leadership, technology and sports. It was a very interesting exercise that improved my public presentation skills for sure.
What were the main takeaways from your experience as a student on the MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership?
The MDT combines business classes with more technical topics. This combination gave me a deep knowledge of how new technologies such as AI, IoT, or the Cloud work, and how they are approached by companies from a business strategy point of view. Thanks to a handful of workshops and lectures from professionals, the MDT gave me a hands-on experience of how technology projects are implemented in companies.
The MDT also gave me a better visibility of the tech industry, its actors, how to approach it, and how to sell myself in interviews. Whether you’d like to go to consulting firms, start-ups, or other companies, the kind of knowledge and experience we gained during the programme is very valuable in the job market nowadays.
As an international programme, the MDT gives us the opportunity to meet and work with people from all around the world. This is another great skill to have as most companies operate internationally. Since I joined Wavestone, for instance, I have been working with people from Europe, America and Asia, and my experience as an international student has surely been a great asset to me.
What was your personal biggest transformation after the MDT?
As a mentioned previously, my Ted Talk presentation combined the topics of leadership, technology and sports. I chose these because I was preparing at the time for an Ironman triathlon, which requires qualities that are also relevant for leaders. I can say now that thinking this through for the presentation has helped me quite a lot in my physical – and mental – preparation for this race as one must “lead” oneself to go through the training as well as crossing the finish line.
Can you tell us about your current role and responsibilities?
I currently work as a consultant at Wavestone, a management consulting firm specialised in technology. My responsibilities are threefold: (i) I am involved internally on business development activities for the IoT offer of the firm; (ii) I am working on developing internal trainings on IoT topics; and, of course, (iii) I am currently consulting for a big French firm on cybersecurity and digital identity topics.
How did the MDT help to improve your professional success?
First, the MDT really helped me build a powerful pitch for job interviews which played a big role on my recruitment process. Being able to explain the what and how of a given technology and how it can help companies achieve long term competitive advantage is very valuable, especially as consultants.
Second, being able to communicate and work with engineers on technical topics has been very helpful since I started; I have mostly been working on very technical projects. The same goes for collaborating with people abroad, which is almost daily for me right now.
Could you tell us a little bit about where you see yourself in the future, career-wise?
I can see myself deepening my expertise in tech consulting for a few more years before considering going back to the tech start-up ecosystem and contributing to some exciting and innovative enterprises.
What types of candidates do you think should apply to MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership, and what would be your advice to these future applicants?
Anyone who is interested in technology and its strategic significance for companies today should apply. It is relevant for both business school graduates wanting to gain technical knowledge, and engineers seeking to broaden their expertise in business fields. My advice for future applicants preparing for interviews is to keep an open mind, to read a lot on the future of technology and business, and to keep an eye on the latest developments of new technologies.
What are three words that best describe the ESCP MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership?
Innovative, social, and promising.
Feeling inspired by Lirone’s story? Find out more about ESCP’s MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership here.
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