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Interview of the Month:

Leslie Serrero (ESSEC 97)

Q: What is your background?

I am currently a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in the New York office, where I have spent a majority of my time working on marketing strategies for consumer goods companies. I graduated in June 2003 with an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to Harvard, I worked for three years at General Electric Global Exchange Services in Europe. I started at GE as a financial analyst, implementing the European finance structure for the professional services organization, and supporting the business development team in Europe, Middle East and Africa. I then moved to a ‘black belt’ position – internal consultant role – leading productivity and customer satisfaction driven projects across Europe.

Q: Why did you decide to come and stay here?

I always had the desire to work and live outside of France. I spent some time in Brazil, loved it, and knew I would move again. During ESSEC, I had the opportunity to do an exchange program with the University of Chicago, and I decided I should try to come back to the US for a longer period of
time. Then, working for an American company in Europe confirmed my willingness to experiment first hand the US business culture. My decision to go to Harvard was the next logical step in deciding to relocate to the US. It was an easy transition, and a great opportunity to find out about the US business world. I knew I wanted to work in New York after my MBA, so I focused my job search on New York exclusively. – and was lucky enough to find a great job !

Q: What advice would you give to ESSEC graduates who would like to come to work here?

It is worth trying and taking a chance. It’s a great opportunity that they will not regret. It is probably more difficult to find a job once in the US, because getting a visa can be challenging. I would therefore try to be hired by a company in France. For recent ESSEC graduates, it is worth looking
into “VIE” – a number of French graduates came to NY via that mean. For more experienced alumni, I would look into openings within my company and/or leverage the ESSEC network to find out about opportunities in the US.

Q: How do you think your ESSEC background helped you to be where you are?

ESSEC gave me a great education, credibility in the French business world, and the opportunity to apply my knowledge through the ‘apprentissage’. This combination of factors helped me get a job at GE, which in turns probably helped me go to HBS, and where I am now. In addition, because
of its ‘challenger’ position, ESSEC has to constantly reinvent itself. This position provides a unique culture to ESSEC that is transmitted to its alumni: the constant search for improvement and an open-minded approach to issue.

Q: What do you consider as your role in the ESSEC family?

When I arrived in Boston, I felt there was a need to connect the various alumni with each other, and thought I could help create that link. It was a great opportunity to meet a number of alumni and start creating a community. I hope I can continue that role now that I am in New York. I also hope to continue helping the association building its network with the other top French and US graduate schools in New York.

Thank you Leslie…