Marie Sallois, MBA 2001, had been in consulting for about seven years when she realized it was time to make a decision: become a partner or move into industry. At 30 years old, she decided to take some time out for herself, increase her career potential and develop her international exposure by taking an MBA.

“Once at IMD, my aim to gain an international perspective was more than fulfilled. I had already worked abroad a lot, but never with 40 different nationalities at once! It was very different, and very helpful. Unexpectedly, what I found most difficult was adapting to the structure. As a consultant, I was used to total freedom in how I organized my time, and I rebelled a bit at having my day so rigidly structured by someone else!”

Marie was one of the 12 women in her class, “I didn’t feel at a disadvantage in the classroom, but we were always the minority in the study groups as there was only one woman per team. I believe that teams now include several women, or none, which is a strategy I’ve seen work well in companies too.”

One such company is Schlumberger, where Marie accepted her post-MBA position. “I found the job in the corridor at IMD! I was talking to a guest speaker, and our conversation, combined with his high regard of IMD, resulted in my being offered a job managing the consultancy business of their IT company.”

Her subsequent transition to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), where she is currently the Head of Corporate Development, was influenced by her family situation. “Following the sale of the IT company, my options all involved moving overseas to areas where my husband’s career would be at risk. As my first child was only a few months old, we preferred not to take this risk. Schlumberger encouraged me to contact the IOC, one of their main clients, where the newly appointed Director General was in need of a right hand person. The combination of my work experience and the IMD MBA helped establish my credibility at a top level and the next phase of my career began.”

Published: 2007