Ambassador portrait: Mathieu COEFFIER (EDHEC BBA 2012), Montreal

1. Can you tell us briefly about your club (origin, team members, distribution of tasks, number of years spent as ambassador)?

Although it has had a presence in Québec for many years, the EDHEC Montréal club was recently handed over to two new ambassadors. It was previously run by a duo from EDHEC (Grande Ecole), and I was the natural successor to Sophie Dudot, who wanted to hand over after many years in the job, so I followed through on my increasing level of involvement at the beginning of 2015 by becoming the first EDHEC BBA representative. In the spring of 2016, Alexandre Langlois, the club’s iconic figure, brought his 11-year stint as an expat to an end and returned to France. Following a call for applications, Arthur Sylvestre joined the club and took over from EDHEC GE, bringing a more marketing-oriented network that was a perfect match for my finance-oriented contacts. Although we’ve been working together for just a short time, we have optimum complementarity that is just waiting to bear fruit!

2. What drove you to accept the role of volunteer ambassador? What personal or professional benefits do you take away from the experience?

My primary motivation was to get involved and meet new people. That led to a desire to help out, generate connections between people and make myself available as a contact person. I’m also proud to belong to the network of EDHEC graduates and keep it dynamic. Ultimately, it’s a natural way to develop both your personal and professional networks.

3. What would you say is your best memory as club ambassador? What are you most proud of?

Our best memory is quite recent – the latest EDHEC Rendez-Vous. Partly because it was organised by the current duo of ambassadors with flawless support from the school’s alumni service, and partly because it was a roaring success. The creativity theme was a very popular one and the combination of technological art displays with drinks on the terrace was perfect. Around 12 people attended. Several graduates who had not attended an EDHEC event for a long time made the journey, and there was a wealth of backgrounds (BBA, GE, MBA, new arrivals, expat graduates, and various professional fields). That undoubtedly contributed to what was a highly festive atmosphere.

4. What’s next for your club (digital developments, more frequent events, more diverse events, increased attendance, finding some backup support, etc.)?

We would like to perfect the way the brand new duo of ambassadors organise things, vary the types of events in the future by drawing up a schedule for the months to come, and of course increase attendance by improving communication and developing even closer ties with our graduates.

5. What advice do you have for new club ambassadors or founders?

There’s something I didn’t think of when I started out: don’t hesitate to contact an ambassador in another similar country to get advice about managing and running the club. It’s important to look at similar countries because you always have to adapt to your network (size and importance, graduate profiles, local culture, similar activities, etc.).

6. What expectations do you have from the community of EDHEC graduates or the EDHEC Alumni Association?

Keep on playing the game!

More information about the club: contact address, links to social networks...

EDHEC Montréal Facebook and LinkedIn groups

Arthur Sylvestre: tedbear@gmail.com

Mathieu Coeffier: mathieu.coeffier@gmail.com