Personal experience - Grace Lagneau, a graduate of the MAI programme in Continuing Education at KEDGE

A graduate of KEDGE’s MAI Continuing Education programme (MSc International Purchasing & Innovation Management), Grace Lagneau tells us about her career path and the training she received at KEDGE, as well as what it has allowed her to achieve. An inspiring journey resulting from getting a new perspective through additional training.

Hello Grace. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Would you please tell us briefly what job you held before you took KEDGE's continuing education programme and what that position entailed?

Hello. Before I took the programme at KEDGE, I was a purchasing manager for an SME which specialised in video surveillance and AI solutions. My main responsibilities were twofold. Firstly, I was responsible for optimising purchases while ensuring equipment was procured, and, secondly, I was responsible for establishing business relations with suppliers.

You decided to go back to school and study at KEDGE Business School, in its MAI programme. What motivated you to take this decision? Did you feel that you needed to progress, deepen your knowledge, or did you want to specialise?

I'd held a number of different positions in the purchasing sector but I’d never received any concrete and comprehensive training. Most of my skills were acquired through work experience, the guidance provided by my various managers and mentors, and through reading specialised materials. In my former company, I had the impression that I had done everything to be efficient in purchasing, but I knew very well that being a good buyer is not just about negotiating prices and reducing delivery times. I loved my job and I wanted to deepen my knowledge. In my opinion, continuing education is the best way to reconcile theory with real-world application. That’s why I decided to get further training. 

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What benefits do you feel you’ve gained from this programme?

The programme has been a total asset for me. It gave me a 360-degree overview of the profession. What’s more, I was able to jump-start my career by assuming responsibility for my company's supply chain department. My superiors were impressed by the quality of the education I received from KEDGE and the speed with which I was able to apply what I learned. 

What was the programme format?

The programme lasted a year and generally consisted of one week of classes per month. My class is the COVID generation, so a lot of the classes were held remotely.

The professional world is increasingly changing, which requires a constant effort to acquire new knowledge and keep skills up to date. What type of profile would you advise taking KEDGE's continuing education programme? How can training such as what you received be a factor in personal and career development?

We had a variety of profiles from different sectors in my class, so we were able to help each other. In my opinion, the technical background of participants is a secondary consideration. The most important thing is the participant’s mindset - passion, tenacity, and above all the desire to grow. Having an MAI is a very valuable credential on your business card! And you mustn’t hesitate to apply what you will learn at school in your workplace. The training you'll receive will push you to go further and question yourself so you will continually grow and broaden your scope of knowledge.

Continuing education Interview MAY