IMHI Class of 2016-2017

IMHI Class of 2016-2017
Class of 2016-2017

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Meet the students: Caroline Lucas - France


  • What is your educational/professional background?
I graduated high school with a "Baccalauréat" in Economics and social sciences (English European section) in Brittany and moved to Lyon in order to ​follow my passion and study Culinary Arts and Food Service Management at Institut Paul Bocuse, after several internships and jobs in the kitchen as a Commis, Part Chef and Teacher in Paris, Monaco and Shanghai I obtained my bachelor's degree. 

However, I decided to study for an extra year at Institut Paul Bocuse/IAE Lyon III and obtained a double bachelor's degree in International Hospitality Management and Tourism, which led me to follow a Management training of 1 year as a "School of Excellence" trainee at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower. 

Today I am a second year student of the MBA in Hospitality Management at IMHI/ ESSEC Business School and finished last September an internship as Junior Analyst at JLL Hotels & Hospitality in the real estate field.

  • Why did you decide to do an MBA and why did you choose the IMHI program?
​I decided to do an MBA in Hospitality Management in order to further my knowledge especially on the financial and administrative side that I fe​lt could be more developed​. ​I​ chose IMHI ​among all the other MBAs ​because it is one of the best in the world which had already proved its value through its alumni such as my last mentor in Chicago​ who​ ​went to​ Institut ​P​aul ​B​ocuse just like me and then​ to​ IMHI. We had the same bachelor​'s degree​ but I could definitely tell what was different between us and ​I​ really wanted to reach that level​ it pushed me to want more,​ therefore I thought IMHI would be able to bring me there.

  • In your opinion, what are the strong points of the program?
​The strong points of the program are the numerous team workshops​ that make you learn a lot about yourself and others​, ​strong ​financial and managerial programs, ​the quality of the teachers and ​the network​.​

  • What has surprised you most about yourself during your time at ESSEC? 
​I was surprised that I​ would be able to become a generalist in the field. My financial skills and my understanding of the industry had been developed to a ​high level and extremely quickly, I did not know it would be that fast!​​

  • What's the best advice you received during your time at ESSEC? 
It is not only about work​ in the classroom but also about the people you meet and the network you build​.​

  • What are your professional goals after you graduate and how will this MBA help you achieve them?
​I am not quite sure yet,​ I would​ probably go back to F&B but ​differently, ​with a new eye and a position allowing me to implement innovations in the sector. This MBA opened my mind to such a wide variety of fields within the hospitality industry​. I think I would have a totally different approach to each ​work and I do not foresee my career as a straight line leading to the destination; probably because I find so many aspects of the industry and even outside extremely interesting and worth taking a look at. To be good at what you do you have to know about everything else, I feel that it is important to open your mind and not only focus on a reduced environment.

  • Any advice for students applying for the program?
Be yourself, be bold and be curious.​