MBA50 HEC Paris MBA Student Emilie Flanagan - Interview BusinessWeek

Learning lessons at business schools come both inside and outside the classroom, as HEC Paris MBA student Emilie Flanagan can attest. During the 16 months of her business degree on the outskirts of the French capital, the Washington (D.C.)-born McGill graduate and international women's rugby player held a key role in organizing the 2013 MBA Tournament, the MBA world's version of the Olympics. Helping coordinate a three-day event that attracts more than 1,300 students from 14 other top schools was a chance for Flanagan to apply her classroom learning in team leadership, marketing, corporate sponsorship, and operations. The hands-on management approach also provided a valuable experience for her résumé as she considers a career in sports management.