Interview with Thorsten Makowski, Director of the MSc Strategic Management & Consulting at SKEMA

With over 20 years' experience in consulting and an international background, Dr. Makowski now heads SKEMA Business School's MSc Strategic Management and Consulting. In this interview, he talks about his career path, his vision of the profession, the specific features of the MSc he leads, and the major issues currently transforming the consulting sector.

Hello Dr Makowski, could you introduce yourself ?

I'm an associate professor and director of SKEMA's Strategic Management and Consulting (SMC) program. I have 20 years' experience in consulting, mainly as managing director or partner in several firms.

Zoom in on your background: tell us about your various academic and professional experiences ?

I began my career with a Master's degree and a PhD in two different fields, before moving into consulting. I loved this profession: it's both very demanding and very rewarding, with a marked international dimension. I also continued my education at business schools, notably Chicago Booth where I obtained an MBA, and Harvard on several occasions. My career path took me from consultant to senior consultant, then manager, senior manager, principal and finally partner in several consulting firms. At the same time, I discovered a real vocation for teaching. While still a consultant, I taught at 35 business schools on four continents. This led almost naturally to a teaching career.

Lire plus : Enquête sur le salaire après SKEMA

You're the head of SKEMA's MSc Strategic Management and Consulting: can you tell us a bit about the program ?

Of course. The program is designed for highly talented and motivated students who want to achieve something special in their lives. It mainly prepares students for two distinct but closely related careers: becoming a strategy consultant, or working in the strategic or general management of a major international group. Both require similar skills, high standards and knowledge. Because these are highly competitive environments, our program has to be up to the challenge. That's why we attach fundamental importance to quality: the quality of the teaching, the teachers and the students. I'm delighted that from the very first year, we've established a close collaboration with Harvard Business School Online.

As Director of the MSc, what do you find most exciting about your role ?

It's a great job. Building a program of this quality with all the players involved is very exciting. But what I love most of all are the people: our students are brilliant, motivated and carefully selected, our teachers are fantastic and our advisory board, made up of SKEMA alumni working at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc., is exceptional. Working with this talent is a real pleasure.

If you had to describe this MSc in three words, which would you choose ?

Ambitious, ultra-competitive and stimulating.

What achievement of a former student has particularly impressed you ?

The program is very recent, having been launched last September. I'm very satisfied with the quality of our students: just 2 or 3 months after starting, most of them had already landed very good jobs. Most of them have gone on to work in the consulting sector, and many of them have started their careers abroad.

What do you think is the most important quality for success in strategic consulting today ?

It's a difficult question. Strategic consulting is very complex. You have to understand business fundamentals, anticipate major economic developments (such as AI, technology, etc.) and combine this with human skills. For me, it's the combination of soft skills and hard skills that makes the difference.

What makes SKEMA's MSc Strategic Management and Consulting different from other programs ?

There are many things that set us apart, but I'll mention two of the main ones :

• A strong collaboration with Harvard Business School Online. Five courses in the program (a quarter of the total) are delivered by HBS Online, enabling students to earn five HBS certificates. An exceptional opportunity.
• The majority of our teachers are active consultants from MBB firms: a partner from BCG, several speakers from McKinsey, but also teachers from Bain, Roland Berger or Kearney. And for a corporate perspective, two of our lecturers are former or current CEOs.

What kind of students are you looking for for this MSc ?

First, students need to be bright, with strong analytical skills. Secondly, they must be ambitious, competitive and have a strong work ethic. An international outlook is a real plus. A good level of English is essential; French is an advantage.

How does the program concretely prepare students to join strategy consulting firms or corporate strategy departments ?

We prepare students on several levels. Of course, they acquire an excellent understanding of the business and customer issues. But we also connect them directly to the network of consulting firms: courses run by MBB partners, career events and an in-house consulting club to maximize opportunities. We also train them in the soft skills essential for successful interviews: case analysis, presentations, etc., inspired by Harvard methods. The fact that our teachers are current MBB associates means that training is as close as possible to real-life requirements.

Is the MSc geared towards an international career? What opportunities are there abroad ?

Absolutely. At SKEMA, we believe in the importance of thinking of ourselves as citizens of the world, open to diversity. That's why SKEMA has 9 campuses on several continents.
We're making sure that our graduates are very international, with teachers from many different countries. This openness is also reflected in our job opportunities: our students quickly find international opportunities. That said, some of our students also love Paris and choose to start their careers here.

Which companies or firms regularly recruit SKEMA graduates ?

Our graduates mainly join five types of organization: MBBs, the Big Four, specialized or niche consultancies, large multinational companies and start-ups. Many of them receive job offers several months before the end of the program.

Do you offer real assignments, case studies or projects in partnership with companies ?

Yes, we do. Our teaching methods are designed to reflect the real world. The strategy courses are run in partnership with HBS Online and use the case method. Consulting courses are taught by MBB consultants using real-life cases and data from assignments. Our students learn how the best firms structure their projects.

Read more : SKEMA opens new campus in Dubai

 

What major transformations are you currently observing in the world of strategy consulting ?

A fascinating and complex question. The world is changing rapidly, and strategy consulting is obviously affected. The biggest transformation, in my opinion, is AI and technology. They are redefining the market, the tools and even the consulting business model. We need to understand how these tools can improve the performance of consultants and their clients. But certain fundamentals will remain: the role of the consultant, the relationship of trust with the customer and human intelligence.

How do you train students in the new challenges facing the consulting industry: digitalization, sustainability, AI, the war for talent...?

These are very different trends. As far as technology, AI and digitization are concerned, we don't just talk about them, we integrate them into the learning process.
As for sustainability, we offer courses dedicated to this theme, with a strategic and value-creation-oriented approach. We observe that this is a major issue in the Western world (outside the USA), but less present in emerging markets like India or in the USA since the Trump era. In any case, our program already includes, and will continue to include, courses devoted to sustainability, particularly from a strategic and value-creation point of view.

Finally, what advice would you give to a student wishing to enter the world of consulting?

For me, the most important thing is to learn constantly and to strive to grow. And also: be competitive. Be curious. Love your job. Build relationships and enjoy the people around you.