ESSEC Alumni in China: “2024 has been a contrasting year here”

Matthieu David-Experton (E09), President of ESSEC Alumni’s China Chapter, tells us more about the local community – and the activities he offers to them. If you are a graduate or a student in the area, join their online group!

ESSEC Alumni: What is your personal history with China?

Matthieu David-Experton: I have been living in China for 15 years and I must say this is thanks to the dual degree between Peking University and ESSEC Business School that I decided to land for the longer term there! I have always been an entrepreneur and this country is definitively a good place to launch your own ventures. Nowadays I am managing Daxue Consulting, a consulting firm with 30 professionals.  

EA: What are the profiles and backgrounds of our alumni in China? 

M. David-Experton: According to our estimates there are between 1,000 and 1,500 alumni in the country. I’d say about 80% are local Chinese; the proportion even rises up to 90% in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, where most live. There are more expats in Hong Kong. Overall our local community is very diverse, reflecting the various programmes and the many outlets of our school. 

EA: What opportunities do our alumni have in China? 

M. David-Experton: 2024 has been a challenging year for China with a slowing growth and a struggling real estate market. That being said, at the same time exports reached a record high, amounting to a 1 trillion dollars of trade surplus, and many Chinese companies surged on the global stage, especially in the automotive and mobility industry, and on Internet – TikTok, Shein, Aliexpress, Sensetime, to name a few. In this contrasting context, our alumni have proven more stable in their jobs, with a lower turnover. As it happens, the job market for expats is shifting; whereas it used to offer mainly senior positions in the 00s, then a mixture of senior and junior positions in the 10s mostly in international companies, now local companies seem to show a renewed interest for hiring foreigners, both in junior and senior positions. 

EA: What about the ESSEC brand? Is it an asset on the local job market? 

M. David-Experton: International companies in China know and value the ESSEC brand. Local companies, not as much, so I recommend to highlight the certifications and exchange programs of our school in your resume. Also, try and highlight any major French group you may have worked at: LVMH, Société Générale or Ubisoft are known and renowned. 

EA: What other practical advice do you have for our alumni moving in China?

M. David-Experton: Learning Chinese will always be an asset if not a requirement. Better start early! Also, the job market for foreigners is not "liquid" but "opportunistic" so it is key to get acquainted with the communities that are either here or linked to China wherever you stay in the world (such as ESSEC Alumni’s China in France Club). Last but not least, make sure your understand all the Chinese regulations so as to avoid unfortunate mistakes. And of course, join ESSEC Alumni’s China Chapter! 

EA: What are the latest events you organised? 

M. David-Experton: We were lucky enough the visit the Maison Hermès thanks to our honorary President Weiming Cao (E90). We also took part in the France-China Forum initiated by student association ESSEC China on the Cergy campus, and gathered with HEC and ESCP alumni at the Consul’s residence in Shanghai. And of course, we helped organising the recent visit of ESSEC Alumni Managing Director Marie-Pierre Schickel (E95) and ESSEC Group Managing Director Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi. We held three events in three cities: an evening at Galeries Lafayette in Beijing thanks to Nicolas Morineaux (E99), an afterwork reception at Bulgari in Shanghai, and a 'hike and lunch' in Hong Kong. In all, the three events attracted almost 200 participants. It was also an opportunity to conduct interviews with  students and graduates to consider  future activities. Stay tuned and check our agenda and the online groups of our branches in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen: we all regularly have drinks and meet-ups. 

EA: Do you have other projects?

M. David-Experton: I’d like to launch new events’ formats, some specifically designed to mix senior and junior alumni, others to enlighten our alumni’s careers, ambitions, challenges, and concerns. For instance, mental health has become much more of an issue after the lockdown in Shanghai: I’d like to cover that kind of topics in the coming year. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out! We welcome new volunteers any time!

Join our China Chapter, our Beijing Chapter, our Hong Kong Chapter, our Shanghai Chapter, our Shenzhen Chapter, and our 125 clubs and chapters!

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni 

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