Soizic Fouilland (TBS 2014) - Digital Strategy Consultant

27 March 2020 Portraits / Podcasts

"During these shifting and "timeless" period we are going through, my advice would be to make the most of it to try something you wouldn't usually have time to try."

Can you say a few words about yourself ?

My name is Soizic, I am 30 years old and I have been working in digital strategy for 3 years. I work in unison with my customers to build an action plan to give them more visibility and be more cost-effective online. I have a passion for agile methods, innovation games and other management or facilitation methods that use collective intelligence. I use these tools as part of my consulting mission for start-ups and SMEs to encourage the outcome whereby good digital practices are used by teams !

Find out about all Soizic's activities on her website : soizicfouilland.fr

Why did you choose Toulouse, and TBS to study ?

When I was studying preparatory classes in Lyon, I could already imagine myself in Toulouse, a city I knew hardly anything about. However, the oral entrance exams were the truly decisive moment. For the first time, I discovered the sun in Toulouse, place saint pierre, the welcome d by TBS students and the school's vitality. These four elements were enough to convince me.

Can you tell us about your time as a student at TBS ?

From my first year at TBS, I can specifically remember the people I met, the numerous group projects, the invincible Delta project (!), the lists and rallies : a good introduction to overall business culture. After my second year in Barcelona and my major in Marketing, I wanted to swap my year out for a training course I dreamed of doing : so I signed up to the Faculty of Sociology as part of a combined honours program. Finally, my third year lay for the most part on the shoulders of Cameron Guthrie, Director of the “Management Online” program : a semester of fascinating practical classes and interventions that steered me towards my choice of career, getting me ready (as much as possible) for the professional life that lay ahead !

Did you participate in student associations ? If so, can you share your experience ?

I listed for le Petit Tou (warm greetings to the Incognitou who read this !) and even though I didn't go further than the lists... I have unforgettable memories and I made friends who are still very close to me today. So I didn't loose out :-)

How do you see yourself today ?

What were your main objectives when you started work after your degree ? What was your motivation ?

I was very interested in the world of start-ups and entrepreneurship. I went to Paris for my final internship and immediately felt comfortable in the atmosphere of the incubator for whom I was working at the time. I wanted to try, to discover everything !

Why did you choose this area of activity ?

I have always been interested in entrepreneurship so it was fairly predictable that I would end up starting my own company. Above all, this career gives me all I need to satisfy my curiosity as I am always learning. Between the tools, the methods and the problems raised by my customers, there is constant development so I (hardly ever) do the same thing twice. I have the freedom to test things out and to contribute to the very strong collective effort in the digital sector.

How did you get to where you are today in your career (the milestones) ?

After my final year internship, I worked in the web department of a large SME, a retailer in second position in the French jewellery sector. It was like a “startup” environment as our challenge involved launching e-commerce without upsetting the 150 physical sales points. This entailed much evangelization and inluded fascinating projects which gave me the proof that internet can be of service to traditional and "local" sales points. I then went on to join the start-up, ESS whose project was of a highly local nature : Create social interaction between neighbours through sharing of posessions and services. Once I came back to Toulouse I started my own company.

How did your studies help you reach your personal and / or professional achievemenmts ?

A 360° vision on company careers - vital when involved in project management. Methods and tools for working as a team. The memory of inspirational speakers who motivated me to become one myself.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now ?

10 years in the internet sector is an eternity ! I hope that my job will have evolved so much that I can't even imagine it today... nevertheless, I can see myself persuing the same goals : using digital to encourage collective intelligence, partnerships, momentum in local collaboration, which will change the world !

How do you position yourself with the Alumni network ?

How did the Alumni network support you ?

When I was a student I used the network on several occasions to exchange with professionals who worked in areas I was interested in. That saved me a great deal of time ! Moreover, recently I was contacted by a student. I believe that the Alumni network is a golden opportunity for students, as it is for professionals.

What advice would you give to TBS Alumni, whether students or graduates ?

One thing I have learned in digital is that whatever our profession, we cannot anticipate or foresee everything. Results can only be reached through testing : test, learn, start again... And during this shifting and "timeless" period we are going through, my advice would be to make the most of it and try what you wouldn't normally have time to test. Launch a website, a blog, a podcast... Invest in communication channels, new ways of messaging.