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AFAM: Hello Arthur and thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. You were a Business data analyst at Dassault Falcon Jet ( VIE). Please tell us a few words about your position.
Arthur: I was a Business Data Analyst in the Final Assembly Department at Dassault Falcon Jet. Amongst my missions, I had to use my knowledge in data mining to create reports and indicators, to show the performance of production lines in this department. I was also the main point of contact between developers of the company and my department, to communicate the requirements to the developers in the creation of new tools. I would phrase the need that we have, and the developers would create a beta version that I would test with my teams on the floor, to figure out if we would implement the tool.
This position gave me the opportunity to work on various projects, from pure data mining to software development.
AFAM: Before you found a VIE at Dassault, you participated in the Shasta program. Could you please tell us a few words about how the program impacted your internship search.
Arthur: Before I knew about Shasta, I had just no idea how to find a job in a foreign country. I had some knowledge about my research in France, but I didn’t know anything about common practices from recruiters overseas.
Shasta allowed me to have unique conversations with a French recruiter set up in the US. He knew the main differences between the two systems and helped me comprehend how to look for a job, how to approach foreign US recruiters for a job (what documents to have, how to introduce myself properly, …) and generally how to convince foreign companies that I was worth recruiting, even if it meant paying for my visa.
It really helped me build confidence throughout my research.
AFAM: You have been living in the US since July 2024. How did you find Arkansas and what did you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Arthur: My luck with Arkansas was to be able to experience a living area so different from what I knew in Paris. It completely changed the way I lived, my daily habits and my preferred activities.
The great advantage of being in a centered state is to be able to fly to any great city in a few hours. I visited more American cities than I could do in any vacation, from Miami to Chicago to San Francisco.
AFAM: Could you tell us a few words about your future plans?
Arthur: Such an experience had two effects on my future plans. First, it opened my mind on the idea of working abroad, and cleared the path for an eventual long term position abroad. I realized the benefits of working with people with a different culture.
AFAM: Thank you, Arthur!
To join the Shasta program or to know more about it, please contact us!
picture: courtesy of Arthur
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AFAM: Hello Nicolas, and thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. You are a Senior Principal Data Science Business Leader at Genentech. Could you please tell us a few words about your current company and your role and responsibilities in it?
Nicolas: At Genentech, a biotechnology leader in drug development, I am part of the data science function in the late-stage drug development business unit. Our function handles all data analysis for clinical studies to ensure the efficacy and safety of drugs before they can be approved for market release. My role involves leading operational AI initiatives, particularly around leveraging cutting-edge technologies like large language models (LLMs). My primary focus is on "no-code analytics," which aims to democratize AI and analytics by leveraging advanced data science platforms and enabling business domain experts to independently prepare and analyze data without deep coding expertise. This empowers them to generate valuable insights more quickly and effectively. Other projects involve accelerating information access and utilizing AI to automate workflows throughout the organization.
AFAM: You began your career as a management consultant at Unilog Management, which later became part of CGI, then you were a Software Consultant for Planisware, a software vendor in the project portfolio management space. Can we say that in your career you switched from a Consulting role to an Internal role? Or was it a switch from an External Consultant position to an Internal Consultant one? Why did you choose to make this career path change?
Nicolas: Starting my career in consulting provided me with rich and diverse experiences, exposing me to multiple business environments, cultures, and priorities. This experience significantly improved my productivity, adaptability, and capacity to swiftly understand client needs and efficiently solve problems across various contexts by identifying general patterns. Consulting's structured approach, particularly when guided by a clearly negotiated statement of work, often made project execution straightforward and enjoyable. However, consulting engagements often end abruptly once the initial problem is solved, leaving potential for further improvements unexplored. Transitioning to an internal role allowed me to focus more consistently on long-term solutions rather than short-term projects, ensuring ongoing progress and deeper impact. Today, my role can indeed be described as an internal consultant, leveraging my extensive business analysis and consulting experience to deliver ongoing value within the organization.
AFAM: What do you enjoy the most in your work? What is the most challenging part of your job?
Nicolas: What I enjoy most is the opportunity to engage with experts across various domains within the organization, continuously learning from their knowledge and experience. My role also keeps me closely connected to emerging technologies, providing constant opportunities for growth and skill development. The challenging part would be effective communication especially in a large organization. Understand the need of your stakeholders and always formulate your answer according to their need to maximize the impact. So in a way be consistent in the variation of your messaging depending on your audience. This is even more challenging as the content of the message evolves as you make progress.
AFAM: You also worked as a Research Assistant at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory just after your graduation from Arts et Métiers. Was this your internship experience in the US?
Nicolas: This research position at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was actually my final-year project for my degree at Arts et Métiers. I was fortunate enough to extend my research work after, allowing me to further experience life in the Bay Area. This time made a lasting impression on me and ultimately influenced my decision to return to the United States, specifically to San Francisco.
AFAM: How does being a Gadzarts help you in your career and professional life?
Nicolas: The Gadzarts network is indeed extensive, and although it hasn't directly influenced my professional advancement, it provides a valuable sense of community. It's always great to connect with fellow Gadzarts around the world. Professionally, the key skill I developed as a Gadzarts was effectively bridging communication between technical experts and executive leadership—understanding complex business challenges and clearly articulating the technical solutions needed to address them.
AFAM: It has been more than 15 years since you arrived in the US. You live in California (San Francisco bay area). How do you like your life in California? How do you spend your free time?
Nicolas: I genuinely enjoy living in San Francisco. Over the years, I’ve built a great community here, including many friends and connections within the Gadzarts network. My lifestyle has definitely evolved over time; when I first moved back to San Francisco, I spent a lot of time sailing around the bay sharing a sailboat with a friend. Now, my activities are more family-oriented—we enjoy camping by rivers, lakes, or the ocean. I enjoy water sports like open-water swimming, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. Additionally, I get the chance of getting involved in my kids’ lives by coaching their school soccer teams, which has been incredibly rewarding.
AFAM: Thank you, Nicolas!
Nicolas: My pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences!
On the picture: Nicolas with his family on the hike, Rubicon trail at Lake Tahoe (picture - courtesy of Nicolas)
Other interviews in "Why Consulting?" series:
Interview with Cyprien Bastide ( Bo 214)
Interview with Maxime Crépin ( Bo 210)
Interview with Claude Leglise ( An 174)
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On June 29th Gadz'Arts of the SF bay area gathered in Saratoga to celebrate summer together. Gadz'Arts were playing pickleball, relaxing by the pool and enjoying the food. Thank you Yarith and Aude Phay and Nicolas Horde for organizing! Next Gadz event is coming up in September and we will be happy to meet new addition to Gadz'Arts US family - our parcours US students!
See you soon and enjoy your summer!
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AFAM: Hello Rémy and thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. You are a Manufacturing Engineer at TaylorMade Golf company. Could you please tell us a bit more about what exactly being a Manufacturing Engineer for a sports company means?
Rémy: Hi everyone and Sal’s to all Gadzarts,
First, TaylorMade Golf designs, produces and markets a complete line of golf clubs, golf bags and accessories for men, women, and children. We are one of the largest golf equipment companies in the world with sales of over $1.8Billion in 2024. We also partnered with Tiger Woods to launch an apparel company in 2023, called SUN DAY RED.
In a nutshell, one of my roles is to be the link between the design of new golf clubs in Carlsbad, California, where we have our headquarters and our factories located in Asia. I would follow all the prototypes from early ideas to production, such as developing new processes, qualifying new suppliers, defining quality plans...
Golf clubs are very technical, and we work with advanced materials like titanium, carbon composites, tungsten, forged steel, aluminum… For example, our latest driver head (club to hit from the tee to achieve the longest distance) is manufactured with 8 different materials. We have very specific limits set by the institutions defining golf rules and we are also dealing with physics rules every day. Main goal of conception is to have the best weight distribution on each club for the ultimate performance and at the same time making sure that they are durable enough.
To give some numbers, a driver could be swung at ~125mph (~200km/h) by the best players generating a ball speed of ~185mph (~300km/h) and a force around 9000N during a very short collision (0.4 milliseconds) with the golf ball.
At TaylorMade, we do not release new products until they are measurably better than the previous ones. Plus, we are working with industrial design teams to add what we call “cosmetics” to our clubs and making them as sexy as possible.
AFAM: your first international experience was in China. Please share with us more about this experience and how come you decided to leave France and go to China?
Rémy: I decided to go to China during an exchange semester while I was at Arts et Métiers METZ. Great opportunity to travel over there and always wanted to discover a bit more what is called “the factory of the world”.
This was in 2011, and the destination was Chongqing University. The experience blew my mind, and the culture shock was real. I loved it so much that I decided to find internships in China. It was hard with all the paperwork needed but definitely worth it. The first internship was in Hangzhou, close to Shanghai as a quality inspector for a third party quality company. Great opportunity to inspect more than 70 factories in only 4 months all around the Zhejiang province from Decathlon’s bikes to kid toys to beauty products. The second one was for a big French engineering group called Fives in Shanghai, working on industrial heat exchangers. I would really encourage students to go out of their comfort zone as much as possible. You’ll see the world differently plus you can gain a lot of new skills and valuable experience.
I got hired by TaylorMade Golf in 2013, after sending resumes relentlessly to all golf and sporting companies in the world. I started working directly at one of their suppliers in Guangzhou, Southeast China, managing production and developing new processes. I have spent 2.5 years over there and then moved to Carlsbad California in 2016.
My experience in Asia is still extremely valuable to this day as I travel over there 3-4 times/ year to visit suppliers.
AFAM: does working for a sports ( golf) company is simply a coincidence or a part of an elaborate career plan?
Rémy: Definitely an elaborate career plan. I have always been passionate about this sport and playing at a high level in my youth. When I was 11-12, I remember sneaking out of my room in France at night to watch Tiger Woods at the Masters on TV, the most prestigious golf tournament played at Augusta, Georgia.
I decided to do a preparatory class PT and then Arts et Métiers to get a solid engineering background. But the end goal was to work for major golf OEM and try to leave my mark in the industry.
During those 12 years in the industry, we launched iconic products (Stealth, Qi10 Drivers, R7 Mini Driver…) and new technologies (“Speed Pocket”, “Carbon Face”…) that helped capturing more than 90 wins on TOUR including Major tournaments. Very proud and emotional moment, when Tiger Woods played one of my projects to grab a legendary win in 2019, the Masters at Augusta.
It is really hard to define goals or a career plan, but this introspection is necessary if you want to have a minimum of control.
Like on a golf course, you need a game plan and only you can define it.
AFAM: How did being a Gadzarts help you in your professional life?
Rémy: You learn fantastic core values when you are a Gadzart. This makes it easier when you travel around the world. I have recruited 2 Gadzarts while I was in China because I knew they would fit immediately.
I believe that we have special adaptation skills. Arts et Métiers technical courses are also well appreciated. My last semester specialized in composites was fantastic and I still thank Professor Emmanuel Richaud for his passion and expertise.
AFAM: You have been living in Southern California, near San Diego since 2016. How do you like your life in California? What are you enjoying doing in your free time?
Rémy: Definitely a different experience than China. Working at the headquarters gives me more freedom and influence on short and long term decisions for our product lines. Carlsbad is also the Mecca of golf. All major golf brands are located in a 2 mile radius.
Life in California is slower paced than in Asia in my opinion. I know it sounds cliché but I picked up surfing and I am totally hooked now. So, I split my free time between enjoying outdoors with my family, playing golf at Torrey Pines and surfing the San Diego breaks.
AFAM: Could you tell us more about your future plans?
Rémy:
Working in the golf industry and at TaylorMade Golf is more exciting than ever. We have launched new technologies and materials in the last couple of years that really pushed the boundaries of what we can achieve and unlocked new design territories. Performance is our number 1 criteria, and we will continue exploring these .
Furthermore, we are seeing more golfers playing around the world. This sport is becoming more and more popular, even in France.
I left France in 2011 and it has been a great journey so far. I miss France and Europe for sure. Our continent is beautiful, our lifestyle unparalleled and our industries really strong and competitive. We tend to appreciate this even more when we live abroad.
I am not excluding a return in the coming years, and we will see if this is the best move for my family.
Working visas and green cards are hard to obtain in the US so I will probably wait until I am an American citizen before making a move.
Also, if you are golfer or just want to know more, do not hesitate to contact me on Linkedin.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/remyarnaud89/
https://www.taylormadegolf.com/
AFAM: Thank you, Rémy!
Picture(s) - courtesy of Rémy
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French Grandes Ecoles organized Alumni Summer Party at Convivialité Ventures in San Francisco on June 12. This was not the first event organized in partnership with ESSEC, EDHEC, HEC, Science Po, X and a great way to end the season together!
Big thanks to ESSEC alumna Helene le Person and EDHEC alumna Anne Charpignon for hosting and providing drinks in their office space in SF.
We are looking forward to seeing other schools again in September.
Have a nice summer!
Executive Director at EDHEC America, Patricia Vinant and A&M alumnus and West Coast group president, Nicolas Horde at the party
Pictures by Vincent Toesca, President of SF ESSEC Alumni
- Business Unusual: interview with Alexandre Issac (Bo 219)
- Arts et Metiers students sharing their memories of studying at Texas A&M
- What our Shasta candidates say about the program
- "Green and Clean": interview with Alessandro Rizzo (Ai 219)
- Zoom on: interview with Rémi Pujol (Ai 208), sales director at Instrumental Inc.
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