Learning French is vital if you want to work in France

Name: Iuliana Megelea
Current position: Performance Management Consultant at PwC in Paris
Degree earned at Audencia: IMM 10
Other degrees: BSc in Mathematics and Informatics in Applied Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest
Nationality: Romanian
Residence: Paris, France 

Professional path
As Performance Management Consultant in the finance department at PwC, Iuliana enjoys her responsibilities from both a technical and human perspective: “I get to work with a lot of companies and see how they are organised, how they work. I learn a lot every day because each company is different, and every person is unique. It is important to adapt your speech, methods, etc. to the individual.” She keeps all of this in mind in order to provide clients with the best solutions to their current budgetary challenges. Of course there’s a lot of research involved, but Iuliana says “it’s very rewarding at the end of a project when you see how the client’s work has improved.”
In a previous position as a first-time project manager at 2B Consulting, she helped to implement software from IBM to improve the soft coding and budgeting for the owner of a large chain of supermarkets. “It worked in the same way as a consulting company. We implemented the software for all the smaller chains, while also keeping the larger corporation and how they manage their projects in mind, translating their problems into technical terms. And at the human level, I experienced managing the team and budget, in addition to the other challenges of the clients.”
She loves her current job, but one day she hopes to start her own company in either consulting or analytics and work internationally, traveling across the globe – and visiting some of her closest friends from the IMM class of 2010.

Passions
Iuliana Megelea is passionate about a lot of things – from international travel and outdoor sports, to consulting and analytics, to quality time with friends and family – but everything she does, she does mindfully. “I try to always be correct, to treat others with respect and in the way I would want to be treated. This applies to my personal and professional life,” she says. And because of this, Iuliana seems to thrive in areas where both accuracy and consideration matter, whether it’s speeding down the slopes, reaching for her next hold while rock climbing, or finding the best solution to the complex budgetary challenges her clients at PricewaterhouseCoopers face on a daily basis. In fact, it’s Iuliana’s passion for internationalisation and tailoring client experiences to their specific needs that is part of her motivation to become an entrepreneur.

Most memorable experience in France
Iuliana’s passions for international travel and business are what brought her to the International Master in Management programme at Audencia Nantes in 2009, which had a long-lasting effect on her personal and professional life. “It was a whole new world for me, with such a broad range of subjects. And in my class, we were 26 nationalities out of 30 students – a great experience.” But what she treasures most is the lifelong connections she made. “The moments spent with my friends in the IMM programme are priceless, because I have best friends from all over the world now.” Iuliana talks with her IMM friends weekly, and each year, they pick a destination to meet. “Last year we met in France, and this year we plan to meet somewhere in Asia!”

Advice to international students looking to work in France
Iuliana has one very important piece of advice: learn French! And know that the more languages you speak, the more international your work is likely to be. Iuliana speaks Romanian, French and English fluently and has a limited working proficiency in Spanish. “I didn’t really speak much French when I came to study at Audencia, but I learned a lot as I communicated more and more with peers and colleagues.”

Staying in touch with Audencia Alumni
In addition to keeping in touch with the close friends she made in the programme, Iuliana is also getting involved in the Audencia Alumni network this year: “It’s important to keep in touch with the network – especially when I had such an amazing experience.” Iuliana goes to Audencia Alumni networking events when she can and plans to attend an Entrepreneur’s event later this year.