On 18 March, the first-year students on the NEOMA Master in Management programme met (remotely) with their new mentor: Thierry Guibert, currently CEO of Maus Frères (Lacoste, Aigle and The Kooples, etc.). This graduate of ’96 and a former President of NEOMA Alumni is very attached to his old School and he shared his energy and experience with the students. What exactly is his experience? Well, Thierry Guibert began at KPMG, moved to Kering, became COO of the FNAC group, then Chief Executive Officer of the Conforama group; he went to Maus Frères in 2015 to head up the international branch, and then became CEO in January 2021.

Arrogance never pays

He summed up this trajectory to his mentees in one key word:e HH teamwork. “Experience allows you not to make your mistakes again, especially with team management, where you have to respect each other above all else”, he explained to the students. They then questioned him about his values: “Humility is the key to success in professional life, it is not unrelated to performance. Arrogance never pays.” And on his ambitions: “My limit would be financial profit at any price to the detriment of the human being.”

His career trajectory is really inspiring 

Thierry Guibert agreed to mentor this Master in Management promotion to stay in contact with students and also to learn from ‘millennials’. And the managers of the future were delighted by the CEO’s enthusiasm. “This meeting was very valuable and enlightening,” commented Aurèle Agon from the Rouen campus. “Thierry Guibert was outstandingly open with us, sharing his ethical standpoint and the way this translates into his brand”. “As a Master in Management student, I think having a promotional mentor like Thierry Guibert is a real opportunity,” said Annabelle Vivot from Reims. “His career trajectory is really inspiring, it’s an example for us all.” Thierry Guibert’s commitment to the students at NEOMA is therefore a real window into the professional world.