Recap of the Finance & Consulting Forum 2024: an essential event for careers in finance and consulting

The Finance & Consulting Forum 2024 featured thematic conferences that provided students with insights into current issues in these fields. A panel discussion led by recruiters from Deloitte and Julhiet Sterwen addressed recruitment processes in consulting, detailing the skills and approaches that firms are seeking today.

Another conference highlighted the role of women in consulting and banking, discussing the challenges and misconceptions they may face in these sectors, hosted by Forvis Mazars and BNP Paribas. "Women in the finance sector, particularly recent graduates, may hesitate to apply for certain positions out of fear that they won't measure up or lack the technical skills. Ultimately, they impose barriers on themselves. By daring to confront these careers and opportunities, I believe they would find their rightful place. For me, there are no real barriers" said Camille Mansoor, a consultant at Forvis Mazars.

A third conference, presented by KPMG, tackled the question of location in finance and consulting, posing the issue: "Paris vs. regions—do we really have a choice?"

Finally, Crédit Agricole CIB led a discussion on M&A (Mid & Large Cap), offering a detailed overview of this key area for students interested in pursuing analyst positions in mergers and acquisitions. "The role of an M&A analyst involves guiding clients through buying and selling processes. We support them throughout the entire process—from identifying potential buyers or targets to closing the deal. We deal with advisory issues in mergers and acquisitions as well as financing operations for companies or investment funds. It's a rich profession that allows our interns to be exposed to a wide range of operations and to other investment banking roles within Crédit Agricole CIB," explained Anatole Sadon, an M&A analyst.

For the third consecutive year, emlyon's Career Center opted for a hybrid format for its recruitment events, with one day in person followed by a day online. This approach combines the dynamism and flexibility of digital meetings with the spontaneity of face-to-face interactions. The in-person day allows recruiters to introduce themselves and present their firms to many students, while the online day facilitates more targeted and personalized interactions with students through reserved time slots.

This format also allows for a larger number of companies and students, whether they are interning or studying on an international campus, to participate online. The profiles of the students were also hybrid and diverse, according to recruiters' observations!

"You have students with quite remarkable backgrounds; you don't meet the same profiles twice. The profiles are heterogeneous. It's different from usual forums, and that's what I particularly appreciated. We are now looking for this diversity of profiles, and I found it today. Beyond that, they are passionate and eager!" enthused Cyril Paolantoni, M&A Analyst at Société Générale.

The Finance & Consulting Forum 2024 once again reinforced its status as a bridge between emlyon students and significant professional opportunities. With the participation of international companies like HSBC and EY, students were able to discover global career prospects in fields ranging from auditing to market finance to strategy consulting.

Students from various programs at the school, including the Grande École Program, the Global BBA, Specialized Masters, and Masters of Science, were present at the event.