Interview with Nicolas Liogier, KEDGE graduate and now Managing Director of Travel & Leisure at Veepee

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your time at KEDGE?

I attended KEDGE’s Grande Ecole Programme at its Marseille campus and specialised in business strategy. I participated in the school's associative life and was a member of the sports club.

After spending two enriching years in Marseille, I took a gap year to gain professional experience as a finance auditor at Ernst & Young and as an M&A Analyst at a firm that specialised in the small and mid-cap markets.

In my final year, I did a university exchange for a semester in India. That was a very impactful, unforgettable, and formative experience that has followed me throughout my career.

I’ve been grateful for that opportunity, so I've kept a close relationship with the School by being a speaker in the MBA entrepreneurship programme led by Mr Christophe Garonne. I am also very pleased to support the School by being a member of its Strategic Committee to support entrepreneurship. 

You are now the Managing Director for Travel and Leisure at VEEPEE. Would you tell us about your position and its challenges?

I started working at Veepee in 2015. For four years, I was actively involved in developing the company’s entertainment activity by laying the strategic groundwork for a ticketing technology ecosystem (flash and permanent sales of tickets for events such as concerts, sports, exhibitions, theatres, etc., and ticketing management software for partners). I was then appointed CFO of the company’s operations, to oversee the structuring of operations and facilitate the integration of international affiliates.

In January 2020, I became Managing Director of the Veepee Travel business. I also took over the responsibility of the Leisure sector at the same time, which gave me a chance to work with actors in the travel sector who face the same challenges. We offer an innovative technological platform that promotes offers to 4.5 million unique visitors per day, within a unified technical, operational and commercial environment - and this in 10 European markets.

Veepee's travel and leisure activities accounted for a volume of activity of almost 400 million euros before Covid and employed around 300 people. Since the beginning of this year, we've seen a recovery in our business with trends equivalent to those of 2019. 

More than 50 KEDGE Alumni currently work at Veepee. How do you explain VEEPEE’s attraction to our graduates as an employer?

Veepee has been developing a close partnership with KEDGE Business School for over ten years. Firstly, we are involved in the teaching process (forums, visits to our facilities, innovation challenges, My Way, improvement of the Digital Marketing Master's programme, active participation in the Be-U certification committee, round tables, juries, etc.), and, secondly, by offering numerous internship and work-study opportunities, with, of course, the potential of getting a permanent or fixed-term contract.

Veepee has a host of innovative jobs in the e-commerce sector (sales/purchasing, marketing, finance, logistics, etc.). The values and culture of Veepee are clearly the same as those of KEDGE: passion, engagement, open-mindedness, humility, and business orientated. Being an employee of Veepee means being a part of a human adventure at the heart of digital and CSR issues. 

KEDGE and Veepee have recently signed a new partnership agreement to strengthen their collaboration. What do you think your company can offer our students and graduates (opportunities, sectors of activity, etc.)?

Veepee is a leader in the market and has been a recognised player in the digital market in France and internationally for 20 years. We have many different opportunities and give our new employees the chance to grow in all the regions where we are present: France, Benelux, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, etc.

More specifically, here are some things we can provide in the short term:

• Inspire students through our presentations of career paths and professions;
• Enable students to experience real business issues in the company through workshops, case studies, and challenges;
• Support young people in building their careers and choosing their direction (mock interview workshops, BE U jury);
• Offer internship, work-study, and fixed-term or permanent employment positions in France and abroad in different sectors and professions. 

What advice would you give to our graduates and students who would like to work for VEEPEE?

Be innovative, proactive, a creative force, and humble. We are looking for friendly people who like to work as part of a team. Our employees are engaged and passionate.

NICOLAS LIOGIER - LINKEDIN  VEEPEE

Ecommerce Interview Partnership PGE Veepee