Meet a student: a diverse and inspiring community
After three years at EDHEC, Kirsten Thorsén is getting ready to leave the campus to start her career. She reflects on these past few years, the passionate professors, the friendships she built, and the sustainability issues she is concerned with.
What is your background prior to joining EDHEC?
I am from Sweden and Denmark yet I finished high school in Brussels. My Bachelor of Science was achieved in International Political Economy from City University of London, including a Certificate of Social Science and Humanities from Sciences Po Paris. Prior to joining EDHEC, I undertook a gap year to work in a Fintech and engage in civic work. Brexit, having brought about uncertainties in the UK, drove my inclination towards working in Europe.
What is your connection to France?
Following my year in Paris, I was convinced to return, yet this time to a Business School. I had made some lovely encounters and remained drawn to philosophy, history, and the arts…and I thought by living in France I would learn French properly.
You joined EDHEC at the Master 1 level of the Master in Management-Business management. Can you sum up your experience of the track?
I joined EDHEC during the Covid era in 2020 and have made many precious friends since. These friends in question harbour starkly different, yet enriching backgrounds. In the context of a globalised world, this proves to be incredibly valuable. My cohort, similarly, shared this international asset. We got thrown into a full-online experience and we made it work across three different time zones!
As part of my professional immersion year at EDHEC, I interned in FMCG and consulting. First, I joined Danone Global Customers for six months where I was part of the Global Sales team, working on sustainability projects. I supported Danone’s campaigns, engaged in weekly meetings with Danone’s partners, benchmarking nutriscore and eco-score analyse, and on a playbook gathering and sharing internally some good practises from different business units. Then, I went on to work for a consulting company as Junior Sustainability and Strategy Consultant where the work varied on the project I was staffed on but a lot of synthetic note-taking, Excel and PowerPoint. Both were intense experiences where I gained a lot of insight. My internships were like jumping on a rollercoaster, shooting colourful fireworks!
This past semester I have been sharpening my sustainability beliefs both in theory and also in practical group work by deep diving into different industries and their impact on the environment. For example, given the hard work of previous students some students from the responsible procurement in a globalised economy class taught by Pr. Fasterling and Pr. Verbeeck, I had the chance to go to the UN HQ in Geneva to take part in lively discussions at the Forum for Business and Human Rights and contribute to writing the report with other engaged actors. I recently got a job offer as Consultant Junior Industrie et Développement Durable (Junior Consultant Industry & Sustainability) at IBM before the end of my Master 2. This is a golden opportunity to put my ideologies into practice and deepen my skills in Sustainability Consulting while working with two very inspiring and talented managers in a company that values diversity. I have a good feeling about it.
You chose to specialise in Global & Sustainable Business for your Master 2. Why this choice?
I think there is a dire need for leadership on all sustainability topics. Environmental and social injustice of human rights breaks my heart, especially the idea that the system we are living in does not really accommodate our main stakeholder; the Earth. I know that there is no simple and easy answer to tackle climate change, but not doing anything is the worst choice. Choosing the MSc in Global & Sustainable Business made sense with my career aspirations. This year allowed me to develop my critical thinking and form my own opinions.
What aspects of MSc programme do you enjoy the most so far? Your favourite class? Professor? And why?
There are many aspects that I enjoy in the programme. I have met diverse and passionate people: exceptional professors, experts from the industry, classmates. There is a lot of interaction among all students and we are lucky to have a course Director Prof. Bastiaan Van Der Linden who is always accessible a message away. But if I had to choose one, it would Prof. Inge de Clippeleer, my Master thesis supervisor. She is an extremely smart and humble role model. She also taught the course ‘Sustainable strategizing and leadership’. The course focuses on leadership styles including transformational leadership, on work culture, and how to deal with difficult situations.
You say that you are a sustainability enthusiast. How does it transpire in your daily life or commitments?
Sustainability is about finding a better way of doing things, have less impact on the environment, and minimise harm on people across the whole supply chain. I come to school by walking or by bike, buy my equipment carefully to be durable, and I avoid taking warm showers. This is a concrete daily engagement!
I believe that if one thinks hard enough on a particular problem, a solution somehow appears. Humankind have managed to build empires, and complex structures. Surely, we also have the capability of making it right without greenwashing – even though it might not be evident from where we stand today (with the 1.5°C COP target)! Unfortunately, there often is a trade-off between cheap price, quality, technology and energy. By studying this Master’s, I have come to realise that there are many systemic problems as well as risks, but there is neither just a simple ‘sustainable’, right answer to please everyone. A smart man once said Business requires capital returns to survive, just like humans need oxygen to live. Yet, this does not imply that we only live to breathe. Certainly, there is a need for sustainable purpose to be embedded in corporations and for the system to evolve and sleigh each dragon spreading fires. Unfortunately, in the current fractured world, sustainability is needed, but sustainability requires visibility. Visibility similarly requires collaboration. The second concrete thing, is to keep a positive mindset to seek solutions for the next generations, instead of cynically dwelling upon the problem and letting our loved ones deal with the consequences.
How has your professional immersion year impacted your career aspirations?
Just link John Lennon’s song “Imagine”, I am a dreamer. Therefore, I would say my career aspirations are a work in progress. I like to take one project at a time and make it work.
What has been the greatest opportunity you have had at EDHEC so far?
I would say meeting incredibly talented, clever and inspiring students, teachers and other people connected to the university.
Can you tell us about the career services you benefited from?
All of the services. Without the career coaching of Florence da Costa, the head of career team, I would not have been able to find jobs. I have had one-on-one meetings. There is always someone who encourages you. I think it is extremely important when you are young and have dreams to find the confidence in pursing them. Having career advisors who can just tell you how to present yourself in the correct manner, the messages to deliver to be able to get the job, is very helpful. We get tailored emails with job offers. We also have a lot of visibility on different industries visiting campus on a weekly basis from traditional business school paths FMCGs, Finance, Consulting, GAFAM… But also entertainment or creative industry’s magic culture to various roles in alcoholic beverages or condoms, or social enterprises...
I really feel that at EDHEC, we have many options. We have the privilege to choose the job offer that is best for us.
Joining EDHEC makes you an Alumnus from the start. How have you benefited from the EDHEC’s alumni network?
Unable to attend alumni events, I have mainly used LinkedIn to reach out to the EDHEC community. Most of the time, the alumni will try to be helpful. It was the case for prepping interviews, including IBM.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about applying for the programme?
Ask people (professors, faculty but also students) in the programme for feedback, not just one person, but to about a dozen, because given the number of students there are many different paths and many unique stories, it’s not uncommon that some students are unsure about what they want to do afterwards. They have to find their own way, to self-reflect. My advice is to get a broad overview to make your own opinion.
If you had three words, to sum up your EDHEC experience, what would they be?
Be there, For One Another (just like someone was there for you).
A quote that defines you.
A quote from a professor, I think said “Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans”. That certainly seems to have been my case.
EDHEC’s motto is: make an impact. How do you intend to make yours?
I would say: Wait and see!
