News
Olympic Fencing Champion Romain Cannone (SKEMA 2022) Shares His Top Tips with Grand Paris Campus Students
On 24 October, SKEMA Business School's Grand Paris campus had the privilege of hosting Romain Cannone, a 2022 graduate and Olympic fencing champion at the Tokyo Games in 2021. During this visit, Romain shared his extraordinary journey with students, from his studies at SKEMA to his Olympic triumph, and his current professional role as a Management Controller at EDF.
A high-level athlete crowned with Olympic gold in 2021, Romain Cannone is among the standout athletes who have made their mark during their time at SKEMA. To share his inspiring path, the alumnus recounted with sincerity and generosity how he managed to balance two worlds: high-level sport and auditing and management control. A graduate of the MSc in Auditing, Management Accounting & Information Systems, he was guided throughout his academic journey by Kirsty Paoli, the scientific director of this programme, and Nathalie Sanchez, physical education professor in charge of supporting elite athletes at SKEMA. "These connections go beyond soft skills, such as time management, to include technical abilities like KPI tracking, data-driven decision-making, forecasting, and scenario analysis. As an institution, we couldn’t be prouder to see our graduates excel in their careers and inspire the next generation. It's also during their studies that many of our alumni forge lasting friendships, creating a network they can reconnect with across the globe," says Kirsty Paoli, scientific director of the Master of Science programme.
This conversation with Romain, led by Professor Antoine Deplace, allowed the students present to gain a deeper understanding of the synergies between these fields and to see how the discipline of sport can fuel professional rigour.
