"FIFA Master" alumni and sports industry representatives at the Euro UEFA 2016 Turquey-Croatia match during the second day of the FMA Gathering.
“This last edition of the FMA World Gathering was fantastic”, says Nick Lau, alumni from the 4th edition of the International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport (“FIFA Master”) and Project & Knowledge Management Group Leader at FIFA.
On 11th and 12th June, the FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA) held its 6th Biennial World Gathering – this time in Paris, France – and the feedback confirms that the 3-parts event was a huge success.
Saturday 11th June, started with the FMA Congress, with the morning sessions open only to alumni and our partner, the Centre International d’Etude du Sport (CIES). Here, attendees discussed matters related to the association, gave the floor to alumni to present ideas and discussed the vision and direction of the forthcoming strategic plan.
The afternoon session was open to members of the current edition of the “FIFA Master” as well as other special guests. It was filled with great content and allowed for a high level of debate and knowledge exchange.
The afternoon started with a keynote speech by Alexander Schischlik, Chief of Section, Youth & Sport Sector at UNESCO. His talk addressed critical industry topics such as global access to sport and the interdependence between sport and governance.
That was followed by a Panel Discussion about Recruitment and Career Development, organised by the FMA in partnership with GlobalSportsJobs (GSJ).
Will Lloyd, GSJ’s CEO, moderated the panel with Céline Peltier, HR Director at Paris St. Germain, Mathieu Souchet, HR Director at Lagardère, and Matt Hill, Senior Vice-President for Sports and Entertainment Consulting at GMR Marketing. Other guests, who also contributed to the discussion, were Helen Hughes, HR Director at the NBA, Phil Gegan, General Manager, and Juliana Travassos, Strategic Partnerships Coordinator - who are both at Soccerex -, Cedric Le Nest, Headhunter and Managing Director at Sport Business Talent, and Kelsey Philppot, Senior Director also at GMR Marketing. The afternoon session drew to a close with an hour of networking between alumni and guests.
Helen Hughes, from the NBA, said “I really enjoyed spending time with everyone and was very impressed by the calibre of the Alumni and by how welcoming everyone was”, while Matt Hill, from GMR Marketing commented: “The FIFA Master Alumni Association is really impressive. We met a lot of terrific people and look forward to following up with many of them, both with regards to potential opportunities at GMR, as well as ways we may be able to support their organizations”.
During the evening, the FMA Committee hosted the 1st FMA Awards, which was followed by a night out at Le Duplex, right next to one of Paris’s landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe.
Aine Power, who is an alumni from the 11th edition of the course, and Legal Counsel at the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), enjoyed the new ideas introduced this year: “The highlight for me from this year’s gathering was the inaugural FMA Awards. It was a nice opportunity to celebrate the impressive achievements of our colleagues and to have some fun while doing so”. She continued with her impressions about the event as a whole: “It was wonderful to meet many old friends and some new ones and to be reminded about what makes the FMA family so special”.
FMA Gatherings are vital in helping alumni to meet and keep in touch regularly while, at the same time, supporting networking with key stakeholders from the industry. Beyond these benefits, the event strongly contributes to CIES and FMA relations. Indeed, the attendance of Vincent Schatzmann, Alessandro Pellicciotta and Kevin Tallec Marston (respectively General Secretary, Head of Marketing & Development and Academic Project Manager at CIES) demonstrated that the long lasting cooperation between both institutions is of mutual benefit. Firstly, CIES gains from the ideas and experience the FMA brings from within the sports industry, thus allowing the “FIFA Master” programme to constantly evolve and adapt the content of its programme to current industry needs. Secondly, the FMA has a role in helping postgraduates to achieve their full potential by marketing and supporting postgraduates within international sport. Such industry perspectives have contributed in building a stronger FMA network year after year and to position the programme as one of the leading courses in the world today.
On the Sunday of the gathering, alumni and guests attended the Turkey v. Croatia match at this year’s UEFA EURO 2016. The passion and amazing energy in the packed (and extremely loud) stadium served as a clear reminder of why we chose sports as our field of work.
By the close of proceedings, the lingering question in the minds of most of the delegates was – When is the next gathering?
Stay tuned – there will be news on that soon!
Some more quotes:
Alexander Schischlik, Chief of Section, Youth & Sport Sector at UNESCO: "I would like to thank the FMA for the warm welcome you offered me and for the opportunity to meet so many engaged and inspiring young executives in sports. I was quite impressed by the depth and pertinence of the many good individual discussions I had about sport’s social role and I am pleased to learn about all the good initiatives the Alumni want to take".
David Fowler, (5th edition), Head of Brand and Marketing Communication at FIFA: "The highlight for me was connecting with new FMA and catching up with old friends. The gathering had the perfect blend of FMA updates, professional learning, socialising, and was extremely well organised. I left feeling inspired by many of the stories I heard from fellow alumni about how they are trying to shape the future of the FMA and the sports industry in general".
Pascal Sommerhalder, (3rd edition), Associate Director at Infront Sports & Media: “The event has been great for sharing best practice experiences and knowledge whilst spending a good night out and being able to do valuable networking and to connect with alumni from all around the world. It was also helpful to get relevant insights and to hear about the latest trends in the global jobs market from some of the world’s most acclaimed HR professionals and recruitment experts.”
Nick Lau, (4th edition), Project & Knowledge Management Group Leader at FIFA: “This latest edition of the FMA World Gathering was fantastic. It was an acknowledgement to all of us, serving as committee members and active alumni, who have worked hard to bring the FMA to where it is today. But it was also a reminder that we are at an important moment in our history and that continued efforts and teamwork will be required to take us to the next level.”
