After a successful career, this Kedger has founded an eco-responsible event agency

1️⃣ To begin, tell us about your educational background. What did you study, both before and at KEDGE?

After I got my bac (high school diploma) in science and I earned a DEUG (General Academic Studies Degree) in Applied Mathematics and Social Sciences (now known as a licence 1 and 2 – at the University of Paris VII. I always liked maths, so it was logical for me to continue along that path. But I also loved philosophy and psychology during my last year of high school, so I wanted something in which I could combine human sciences. The curricula were made for me because you can choose between several social sciences. So naturally, I chose psychology. After I got my DEUG, I got my undergraduate degree in mathematics.

In addition to my courses, I worked in managing activities at a leisure centre during the holidays. I loved the contact with others, and I realised that I loved organising events. I am very organised by nature, so it was clear to me that I should change to the events sector because the jobs in the science field weren’t for me. I applied to KEDGE and was admitted to the Master of Science Entertainment & Media Management programme at KEDGE Marseille. This was is specialisation in Events Management, and was the best ranked in the events organisation sector! My two years there were great!. The location of the school was superb and I learned a great deal. I learned the key elements to understanding the business world, such as marketing, communications, innovation, human resources, accounting, strategy, management, etc, as well as all the ins and outs of events planning.

2️⃣ Tell us what you did after your studies were finished. What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions? 

I had always wanted to use my skills in a sector where I would be useful and that was related to human, environmental, and social values. So I was pleased when I got my end-of-studies internship at a sustainable development consulting firm in Paris that specialised in carrying out carbon assessments in the events sector. The company had just been created, and there was just was the founder, two freelancers, and myself. A year later, there were ten of us! It was a very enriching experience. I directly supported the founding director in almost all of the company’s activities, including conducting carbon assessments, managing external communications, admin, welcoming and training staff, etc. I didn't know it at the time, but it was my first step into the world of entrepreneurship.

Then life brought me back to Marseille, where I was lucky enough to get a job at the Unis-Cité association to set up a new political project: the Service Civique (Civic Service). I was the project and team coordinator of its first team in France. We had a partnership with the city of Marseille in the field of disability, and we managed around fifty young volunteers. Because of that experience, team management and project coordination no longer hold any secrets for me, and I’ve gained a great deal of maturity, patience, and diplomacy through the partnerships and human relationships I had.

After four very intense years, I took a sabbatical and wanted to go volunteer abroad. But life decided differently, and a year later, I found myself in the French-Swiss Haute Savoie - Geneva. I immediately volunteered to work on a project called “Step into Action” whose objectives were to raise awareness of sustainable development among young people and to encourage their engagement. We very quickly created the “Step into Action Geneva” association and I was appointed its President. We wanted to expand our project throughout the canton and held a fundraising campaign so we could hire someone.

Our aim was to make the project sustainable and structured while continuing to develop its potential. At the same time, I worked as a civil servant for a year and managed extra-curricular activities. Our fundraising was a success and so I became the association's first salaried project coordinator. In addition to other events, we organised a major one where we welcomed more than 1,000 Geneva schoolchildren to the Palexpo Congress Centre for two days, with an interactive trail led by more than 30 young volunteers, and some thirty local association partners. Five years later, the association has four branches in Switzerland. In Geneva, I coordinated four more versions, including a special one in partnership with UNICEF, at the UN at the Palais des Nations, for the International Children’s Rights Day. Working at, and with, the UN was for me like a daydream come true: intense and magical!

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3️⃣ What are you doing/what is your situation today? What gave you the idea and why do you want to do what you’re doing today?

After all those experiences, I wanted to create my own business so that I could implement all the ideas I had in my head and build the company of my dreams, which would reconcile happiness and work. I'm lucky that my partner and fiancé, Mohammed Ali Mayouche, share the same dream and that we decided to go for it together! This year we co-founded our top-of-the-range and eco-responsible event agency in Geneva: 2Vibes. Also, we’re both ace organisers. He’s a chef and an expert in both French and world cuisine and, as you can tell, I’m an expert in sustainable development and event planning. We are both passionate about what we do and happy that we can work together to create a different kind of company where people are at the centre of our concerns, where the environment is taken into account in all areas, and where luxury is combined with ethics. We work with both companies and private individuals. In fact, we like to work on a variety of projects, whether organising a wedding, a public event, or a company seminar.

🌟Concept 2Vibes: innovative and committed !🌟 . Our event agency offers an innovative concept by combining several areas: 🌟 . Create top-of-the-range, tailor-made events adapted to the needs and values of our clients. 🌟 Organising eco-responsible events that respect the environment and ethics. 🌟 Integrate the human factor from the conception to the realisation: listening, caring, participative management allow us to put the human at the centre of our projects. So does it seem possible or impossible?

L'AGENCE 2VIBES

4️⃣ What are your development goals for the future? 

Our three-year objective is to grow our client portfolio and to enlarge our team. Our long-term vision is to develop our brand and to diversify. In addition to our event agency, we want to open one or more restaurants and a catering service. Another of my secret dreams would be to open a very special place.

5️⃣ If you were to give advice to any KEDGE graduate who wants to do something similar, what would it be?

Listen to your heart and make the most of every moment. I focused all my studies on sustainable development, which I am passionate about. That way, I was able to specialise in the sustainable development field without actually having chosen a specific course of study. Career-wise, I didn't choose the easiest path. I had jobs that can't be described in just a few words and that don't even exist in the “classic” academic world. However, I’ve always done what I’ve liked, and I’m completely fulfilled in my work. There's no magic formula, but I've learned that when you listen to your heart and your mind, and both are in agreement, then you're on the right path.

KEDGE Business School gave me the tools I needed to understand the business world. Because of the course curriculum, the quality of the teachers and experts involved, and the projects we had to carry out, I learned a lot while getting my master degree. I’ve clearly felt that in all my professional positions I had a global and transversal vision of how an organisation works. I’ve also carefully kept all my course work, and sometimes bring them out to review them.

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