Ann-Sophie De Baets

Tell us a little about yourself – both personally and professionally: 

I grew up in a small town at the Belgian coast together with my family (parents and three siblings). We have always been close and I lived with two of my siblings while studying in Belgium.

I’m now doing the Future Leaders Program at GSK. During this three-year rotational programme I will do three completely different roles, each for one year. In my first rotation I was a marketing manager for the oncology brands. And since September I’m a sales representative within the General Medicine Business Unit. 
 
Why did you choose to pursue the INSEAD MIM? 

When I was 18 I started my degree in pharmaceutical sciences even though I already knew I never wanted to be a pharmacist nor did I want to work in a lab; the two most logical careers after those studies. However, I was inspired by my older brother who once told me to just choose what you love and where your interests are, then everything will fall into place and you’ll never be able to regret a decision you ever made.

During my last year in my master, I was doing an internship at MSD on the strategic partnership unit. There, I took the opportunity to talk to as many people as possible to figure out what my next steps should be. It was then that I realised that all the jobs I found most interesting had an economical/marketing background. So I decided I wanted to pursue a Master in Management. I started looking into many different schools and had conversations with current students and alumni.

After talking with some INSEAD students, I just knew that this would be the place I felt most at home.

Any memorable moments that you are still fond of? 

My classmates. It was the first time that I was surrounded by such open-minded, social, ambitious, like-minded people. All the amazing experiences I had would not have been possible without this group!
 
It’s been over a year now since you graduated from the programme, how have things been for you? 

I’m doing great! I like my job a lot and feel that I can have an impact in improving patients’ care. Helping people, and that sense of having an impact have always been important to me. I just started my new rotations in the sales team and can’t wait to learn from my experienced colleagues. I have no idea yet what the future holds, there are still a lot of different things I still want to do. But I’ll continue to do what I love and make sure we do business for good.
 
What was the impact of the Career Development Centre on your professional development? 

The Career Development Centre helped me feel at ease throughout the entire job application and interview process.

They were always able to calm me down when I was stressed, and help me see clearly. 

I primarily attended the mandatory CDC sessions at the beginning of the programme, and while they were interesting, I didn't find them as relevant since I wasn't actively applying for jobs at that time. However, when I did begin applying for jobs, I revisited those sessions to see how I could better prepare myself. I even scheduled additional sessions with my career coach to refine my elevator pitch and storyline. We also had sessions to help me identify my strengths and learn how to effectively showcase them in my motivation letter and interviews.

At the beginning of my journey, I was focused on specific graduate programmes. However, after facing some rejections, I realised I needed to broaden my job search. My career coach then assisted me in adapting my motivation letters for the consulting industry.

Consulting job applications only opened in March, so by that time, I had already become adept at balancing classes with other activities. Around March, my focus shifted from spending time with friends to visiting the CDC and preparing job applications. Since I had already learned how to efficiently prepare for classes, I didn't need to dedicate as much time to them. This, in turn, freed up more time for me to work on my job applications.
 
Parting words of wisdom, or any advice for prospective students and would you be willing to be contacted for any more information? 

When choosing a school, find a place where you’ll be able to feel at home. There are a lot of great schools out there, but they all have a different culture and ways of working. Talk to alumni and current students and figure out what is most important to you.

You can always reach out to me as well if you would like to know about my experiences at INSEAD!