Written by LYNN ANDERSON DAVY
November 27, 2014
Airbus Vice President Andreas Hermann was back on the EDHEC Lille campus recently for a Key Account Management course with MSc Marketing Management students. A regular visitor to EDHEC, Mr. Hermann spoke with students about key account management as well as the challenges and excitement of working in the competitive international air transportation industry.
Professional guests such as Mr. Hermann play an important role in the Marketing courses of EDHEC Professor Jean-Pierre Dolait, who uses his extensive business contacts (he spent many years in top management positions in several multinational groups) to hit home certain lessons. “My students often meet with company vice presidents. It gives them the best perspective of corporate strategies and management challenges”, said Dolait, who also brings in executives from Intel, Nespresso, salesforce.com, and Apple to meet with students.
During the course with Mr. Hermann, students learned that to be successful in key account management, it is imperative to know the organization of the company with which you are working. “You have to know how it functions and how its key managers think,” Mr. Hermann said. “Basically, when you are a Key Account Manager, you are the expert on the customer you serve. No one knows better what is going on with that customer than you. And this knowledge is what drives all of your dealings with the customer and all the decisions that you make in relation to the customer.”
Another big benefit of such interventions: Students get the chance to make important professional contacts, contacts that often result in internships and job offers. EDHEC MSc in Marketing Management student Camille Lebrun has completed two internships at Airbus Helicopters; experiences that she said have helped her to shape her career aspirations.
