Megan Scullion

Class / Grad Year: Class of 2021

Current Employer / Role: Richemont; Senior Manager of Global Regions, I do strategic leadership work for the office of the Group Regions CEO

Best memory at school:
There are a lot to choose from, but probably how much the professors care about your development and challenge you to be the type of professional with solid business and financial skills, but equally importantly, one that will walk in the world with morals and ethics and challenge things, to help shape and mold a better future. They underscore that those are the types of positions we will be in if we’re graduating from HEC. There are some special moments with professors in the classroom, but I’ll save those as surprises for the newcomers to discover on their own.

Biggest achievement at school:
Making the “triple jump,” changing geography, job sector, and moving into a different function. For me, that was moving from the U.S. to Europe, from fashion to hard luxury, and from the commercial side of the business to a role based in leadership. HEC allowed me to push myself outside of my comfort zone; they helped me grow so I could manifest the transformation in my life that I was searching for.

Your advice to incoming first years:
This is a wonderful chance to explore – who you are and what you’re like in an environment where there is no one dominant background. You see which parts of you come from your personality, which come your nationality and culture, and which parts of you need growth and to evolve past where they are right now. Take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and use it to experiment. Loosen your grip on the constant need to achieve, the need to control. It’s not the first job after graduation that you’re preparing for, it’s the second, or the third. HEC sets you up to play the long game in your career and you owe it to yourself to make time to define what success means in your own terms, and ultimately and ideally to identify how you can contribute as a positive force in business and in the world upon graduation.

Where do you currently live?:
Geneva, Switzerland

Fun fact about you:
I like to think I could have been a nose or a sommelier as I’m quite gifted at identifying the different notes in perfumes and wines.

Why did you choose your school?:
I chose HEC for a combination of things that only it could offer. HEC is known for kindness within its cohorts and its collaborative spirit, which I valued over anything competitive and cutthroat. HEC imparts students with exceptional knowledge and experience of life and business in continental Europe, and the network you become a part of is one of the most rarified and robust in the world. I’d be remiss without adding that Paris at your doorstep is magical, and the food – let the French teach you how to eat.

What student organizations did you join?:
I was the HEC Women Forté Ambassador and joined The Executive Committee (TEC) on Campus, the HEC Retail & Luxury Club as Vice President of Watches & Jewelry and Fashion & Accessories, and the Women in Leadership Club

Favorite trait in others:
Kindness and respect, for themselves and others

One thing you would’ve changed in the MBA experience:
To have had 50% women and 50% men; I can only imagine how much additional richness that equality would have brought to discussions, group work, and the overall experience.

Favorite class:
This is hard to choose, but Statistics, Organizational Behavior, and Advanced Strategic Marketing make the top cut for me.

One secret to success:
To quote Socrates, “Know thyself.” The biggest success you can have will come by deeply and profoundly knowing yourself. When you excel at self-knowledge and self-acceptance, you can make sound decisions that are rooted in a basis of confidence and wisdom, and without ego. You are meant to be exemplary if you are graduating from this school, with one of the highest degrees available. You can achieve something of greater significance for yourself and for others. This is success for business leaders today.

What is your biggest regret?:
Covid impacted some of the in-person events and I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the Outdoor Leadership Seminar, which is done in partnership with leadership experts from the French military. It was one of the draws of the program for me and something really unique to HEC that I was looking forward to.

What is the next thing you’re going to do on your bucket list?:
It’s a very private goal, but I’ll share it here with you today. One dream I have is to perform 4 TED Talks before 40, so I’m in the process of figuring out my first one.