Ever since its creation one year ago, HEC Paris MBA’s Black in Business Club has focused on increasing the representation of Black professionals on campus and in the workplace. Their efforts to recruit more Black students to the school has led to brainstorming meetings with university administration.

“Things don’t change unless you mobilize, and work to make change happen,” says Aminata Seck, the club’s president. “We all have lots of demands on our time, but there are ways you can contribute that don’t take up a lot of time. Plus, even a small effort can have an outsized impact on the future.”

The club also works to connect students with potential future employers.  Their career-oriented events for the month of March include a “mentor speed dating” and the upcoming Black in Business Week (March 7-9), featuring high-profile speakers from the Finance, Energy and Tech sectors.

Meet the club’s current executive committee, whose core objectives center around community, career and culture.  Each of these students was elected by their MBA peers to a six-month-long mandate that started in January, 2022.

 

Aminata Seck, President

Biography

Home City, Country: Dakar, Senegal
Last job before the MBA: Director of Business Development, West and Central Africa & Haiti, Chemonics International (Washington, DC, USA)
Hobbies? You can usually find me reading, wandering aimlessly in the city, or cooking. And, of course, traveling and tasting new foods.

What are your goals for the MBA?

My goal is to find a way to contribute to socioeconomic development in emerging markets, specifically in West Africa. That said, if I walk away with lasting friendships, great memories and the feeling that I’ve learned something, that’s part of what I want to accomplish.

What achievement are you most proud of?

A few years ago, I was tasked with gathering information for a project countering violent extremism in Burkina Faso. I had very little information to work from but I orchestrated a field visit to Ouagadougou. There I met with local, international, and government stakeholders. Afterward I returned to DC to design and write a technical proposal for the project’s implementation. We were awarded $34M for my proposal. I had the chance to return to see some of my ideas in action, including a staff that I’d conceptualized, which was a very gratifying experience.

Why is it important to you to be part of the Black in Business Club?

Many have heard me say this: I strongly believe that it’s important to take up space and create an environment where everyone sees themselves represented and heard. Universities need the support of motivated students to ensure that their diversity and inclusion programming and initiatives are relevant and grounded. The MBA program keeps us plenty busy, but the team and I felt it was key to be able to look back and know we did even a small part in creating a pipeline for future students, and that we served as a resource for current students.

 

Lily Kisenga, VP Marketing

Biography

Home City, Country: Nairobi, Kenya
Last job before the MBA: Customer Success Manager at TaroWorks, Nairobi, Kenya
Fun fact about you? I’m handier with a screwdriver than I am with a spatula.

What are your goals for the MBA?

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us all just how important supply chains are and how much of a ripple effect a disruption in one part of the supply chain can have on manufacturers, consumers and the economy. After the MBA I want to move into operations management, specifically in e-commerce or retail in a role at the intersection of logistics, and sustainability and the circular economy.

What achievement are you most proud of?

At TaroWorks, I inherited an account that had been struggling for years to use our product effectively, and had been on the churn watch list for most of its life with the company. Because our product was used primarily by non-profits with field operations in remote and disconnected areas, when the pandemic hit many of our clients had to pause their fieldwork due to movement restrictions. However, this particular client worked with orphans, so they needed to be able to track their beneficiaries’ progress regardless of the pandemic.

As they had seen a lot of turnover over the years, I was able to advocate internally for a pro bono re-training. In exchange, I was able to lock in the client on a two-year contract, paid up front in full. I worked with them to design a remote-friendly questionnaire change-management plan that would enable them to get more buy-in from field staff. It was really rewarding to be able to convert a client from at-risk to churn to committed for two years, and on track for expanding their usage when everyone else had failed. This was in the middle of a pandemic when many of our other clients were choosing to pause their subscriptions.

Why is it important to you to be part of the Black in Business Club?

Inequality is still a big problem, especially when it comes to Black people. It’s important for me to be part of a club that is focused on showing that we are qualified and competent, and to support each other as we share our experiences and network with those who have made it into spaces that very few of us have made it into.

 

 

Osemudiamen Inegbedion, VP Partnerships

Biography

Home City, Country: Ekpoma, Nigeria
Last job before the MBA:  Reliability Engineer, Land Assets, Shell Petroleum Development Company, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Hobbies? Traveling, watching football, listening to music and dancing

What are your goals for the MBA and for the future?

• Fine tune my business leadership skills
• Achieve French-speaking level B2
• Explore renewable energy as a means to closing the energy access gap in Nigeria

What achievement are you most proud of?

Leading the shutdown and capacity expansion of a gas plant. It involved coordinating and integrating the work-scope of over 100 colleagues and contractors during the peak of the rainy season. My team completed the shutdown within schedule and without any incident.

Why is it important to you to be part of the Black in Business Club?

It is important to build camaraderie among the black students on campus, to attract successful Black leaders to engage with and inspire club members, and to showcase HEC Paris as a choice institution to prospective black students who want the best student-life experience.

 

Maoulay Adjorlolo, VP of Culture

Biography

Home City, Country: Seattle, Washington, United States
Last job before the MBA: Financial Analyst, Amazon (Hoboken, New Jersey, United States)
Hobbies? I love playing music!

What are your goals for the MBA?

I hope to be a sustainability/impact consultant. I’d like to help large and small organizations improve their efforts to decarbonize, reduce waste, transition to renewable energy, and to provide capital, goods, and services that improve the well-being of their communities.

What achievement are you most proud of?

While working with farmers in rural Cameroon, I worked with a group of 33 women to begin crop-rotation and dry-season farming. They had never done either at a large scale, so the project required new equipment, new knowledge, and new ways of operating. I’m proud of this accomplishment because it required two years of language learning, cultural integration, relationship-building, and creative problem-solving. Even better, the project provided a steady income to a group of women who could re-invest their profit in their children and their communities.

Why is it important to you to be part of the Black in Business Club?

The club is our chance to build community on campus. It’s very easy for Black people, businesses, ideas, and culture to get lost among the business of an MBA in a country that doesn’t collect metrics on race. By continuing the club, holding events, and building relationships with each other, we can deepen our mutual connections and learn how to better support each other in our efforts to accomplish our goals.

 

 

Mouhamed Lamine Loume, EMBA Advisor

Biography

Home City, Country: Dakar, Senegal
Last job before the EMBA: Senior Data Analyst/Project Manager at GE in Paris, France. Recently founded Saytu Consulting
Hobbies? As a football fan, my passion for the sport also fuels my passion for traveling. In fact, I have traveled extensively for Paris Saint-Germain Champion’s league away games and have been to numerous European cities. I also follow the Senegalese national team, and have been to Egypt, and more recently to Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations. I also attended the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. I really enjoy meeting local fans of the opposite team; it is a great opportunity to learn more about their history, and the city’s culture. I also enjoy visiting stadiums across the world, as stadiums carry a solid history of clubs but also provide a lot of information on the previous star players that have marked the clubs.

What are your goals for the Executive MBA?

The Executive MBA at HEC Paris is helping me acquire the expanded skill set and technical knowledge necessary to excel in the business and management world while complementing my own set of skills acquired through multiple years of work experience. The courses help me sharpen my understanding of strategic and financial decision-making necessary to take my career to the next level on my way to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

As a Senegalese citizen, my motivation to dedicate my Capstone Project to a venture that is aimed at addressing and solving financial inclusiveness issues across Sub-Saharan Africa. This desire stems from the ongoing frustration that most West Africans face towards our financial institutions.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the world’s least financially inclusive regions. Bank accounts are perceived by many as being unattainable, unaffordable, or just unnecessary, and consequently, the vast majority of the region’s financial transactions occur on an informal basis (mostly via cash), either between family and friends or between customers and informal local businesses).

What achievement are you most proud of?

Before starting the Executive MBA, I quit my full-time job and started my own company. I used to work for big companies and conglomerates and was not sure what to expect working as an independent. Now, I have to fill almost all the roles from admin, HR, to the IT department work.

I have been focusing on my company for over a year now, offering consulting services to bigger firms. I have learned a lot of organizational and managerial skills. Moreover, I have learned a lot about myself and have tremendously improved my soft skills. I have realized that I am the product, and I have to sell my services and cater to clients. The EMBA program came at the right time, as the program really fits into the executive role I am currently filling within my company.

Why is it important to you to be part of the Black in Business Club?

As a Black professional, I am involved in issues and subjects related to black people. I think it is very important for a Club like HEC’s Black in Business to exist. In fact, given the push for diversity and inclusiveness, we need to do more as a club to promote the amazing Black professionals we have on campus, and therefore help the school attract Black talents.

What I like the most is that the club is very inclusive and welcomes students and professionals from all backgrounds and walks of life. We have upcoming initiatives that can be of interest to everyone on campus.

We want to create a diverse space where black students along with their fellow colleagues can come together, build strong networks, and help students from minority backgrounds have the same opportunities. We look forward to helping make HEC and future workplaces more inclusive and diverse environments.

Join our three-part webinar series, “Spotlight on Diversity,” to learn more about the various clubs, events, and diversity & inclusion initiatives at HEC Paris. Our Black in Business Club will talk more about their upcoming initiatives on April 19. Sign up today!