Pranav V. now working for PUMA shares his experience of the MSc in Sports Industry Management:
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m from India. I obviously love sports and enjoy practicing and watching sports just like my fellow classmates. I have a diverse academic background. Before joining emlyon business school, I was an engineer and I had worked as an IT consultant for 3 years. I then decided to pursue management studies. I looked for a sports related management programme because I decided I wanted to work only in a sports related company after graduation. I’m happy to achieve this goal now.
What were the highlights of your experience in the MSc in Sports Industry Management?
Several things I liked about the programme
1. Structured approach to courses - with general management courses (very important -I hope emlyon business school keeps it that way!) and then the specialisation.
2. Practical tutoring from industry experts (in the 2nd and 3rd semester) who not only shared their vast amount of market knowledge but also explained real life issues related to sports companies and how to solve them
3. Chinese semester with an In-company project in fairly big sports companies - I did my In-company project in PUMA China, which helped me later on to get an Internship in PUMA Germany which eventually got converted into full time employment.
4. I feel the programme delivered what it promised i.e., good management education, extensive market knowledge about the sporting goods industry, professional contacts and a clear path to people like me who want to work only in sports companies.
Where are you currently working and how did you find this job?
I’m currently working as a Project manager on a global supply chain project. I liaise between PUMA and external vendors to solve production issues related to sourcing of sports products.
As I mentioned before my path to this job started with the In-company project for PUMA China which turned into an Internship with PUMA Germany to a full time job.
Has the MSc in Sports Industry Management help you get where you are professionally? And if so, how?
Yes definitely. The programme has helped acquire basic management skills, extensive market knowledge and a chance to network with industry professionals. Overall it has provided with a good entry point into the sports industry.
What advice would you give to the future students of the MSc in Sports Industry Management?
Enjoy the programme. Identify your strengths and try to build your skill-set specific to the role you want to play in the sports industry from the beginning of the programme. Choose your internship/thesis wisely after completing the courses, that will certainly help you in landing your dream job.