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NEWS & FEATURES |
Interview of the Month- May 2004: Damien Zinck (ESSEC 90) Q: What is your background? I started my career with Crédit Lyonnais in Milan in the Treasury
Department. A year later, I joined Société Générale’s Options Division in
Paris, covering the German and Italian institutional markets. After three
years, I was offered a position in Dallas in the Corporate and Investment
Banking Division. In 2000, I moved to Chicago to join BAREP Asset Q: Why did you decide to come and stay here? The United States is a great place to be for business in general, and finance in particular. One thing I particularly appreciate about the Americans is their positive attitude. Q: What advice would you give to ESSEC graduates who would like to come to work here? I would recommend them to plan ahead. My first advice would be to try to work for a company that could send them to the U.S. The big corporations with a U.S. presence are obvious choices but I would also look for smaller companies with plans to expand in the U.S. My other advice, for those wanting to work directly for a U.S. company, would be to find a niche that will allow them to have an edge over American candidates: this can be a special skill, the knowledge of the European market, a language, a rolodex… To identify those positions, industry connections are the best. To those who are still students at ESSEC, I would recommend internships in the U.S. or exchange programs with U.S. universities in order for them to get their foot in the door and to build contacts. ESSEC has relationships with some of the best MBAs in the world, two of which are in Chicago (Northwestern University and the University of Chicago). Q: How do you think your ESSEC background helped you to be where you are? My years at ESSEC accelerated my personal growth through teamwork, the involvement with associations (AIESEC, tennis), exposure to different cultures through internships and exchange programs (Germany, Poland, U.S., South Africa), the necessity to manage time efficiently. The maturity gained during those years helped me later in my work and personal life. Q: What do you consider as your role in the ESSEC family? After I became aware of the existence of ESSEC USA, I volunteered to start the Chicago chapter. Thank you Damien…
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