Ashley Bienvenu did more than land her first post-MBA job; she nailed it. As Partner Development Execuive for advertising products at Google, she is right on course. But she wasn’t always quite so sure about what direction her career would take. With a background in legal and previous experience in tech business development, Ashley was a classic explorer and began the HEC Paris MBA with an open mind.

It was her interaction with her peers from the advertising world that initially peaked her interest in the marketing specialization and the possibility of a career in advertising.  Following the fundamental phase, Ashley landed an internship at BBDO, one of the world’s top advertising agencies with offices in Paris. However, she soon realized that it wasn’t for her. While she liked advertising, she missed the innovative aspect of business development and found the day-to-day agency routine unsatisfying. 

“My internship was a real turning point for me. I realized that while I liked advertising, agency life was not for me.” Her so-called disappointment was a blessing in disguise.  “It allowed me to refocus my energies and concentrate on what was important to me. I came to understand that I liked working in the tech sector but that start-ups weren’t for me. This series of realizations is what lead me to start looking for a position in digital marketing in a larger company and in the end the experience I gained in my advertising internship is a great complement to what I am doing today.”

Ashley’s open-minded approach to finding the right career path actually took her back to her roots and helped her understand what she values most. Sometimes you have to get things wrong first in order to really get them right.

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