Julien Hebert
“Engineer turned business-savvy program director, combining technical expertise with leadership and full P&L accountability”
Graduation Year: HEC Paris Class of 2024
Current Role: Program Director at MBDA
Why did you decide to pursue an Executive MBA?
After almost 18 years in the defense industry, I had built a strong technical background. But I felt that moving into senior leadership required me to complement my engineering expertise with a broader understanding of business, strategy, finance, and leadership.
My motivation was not to change careers, but to broaden the scope of my responsibilities. I wanted to move from being primarily the technical expert to becoming a leader capable of managing the full business equation, including P&L responsibility.
What lead you to the HEC Paris EMBA, and how did you know this school and this program was the right fit for you?
HEC Paris was a natural choice because I was looking for academic rigor combined with strong exposure to real business challenges. Coming from engineering, I wanted an environment that would push me well beyond my technical comfort zone.
The diversity and seniority of the cohort were also important. I wanted to learn alongside experienced professionals from different industries, countries, and functions. HEC offered exactly that combination of academic excellence, international exposure, and a highly experienced peer group.
How did you customize your learning experience?
I chose the 10-day format every two months rather than two days every other week. With a demanding full-time role, longer but less frequent absences were much easier for my company to manage. I also chose the Board Governance specialization because I was expected to join the board of an SME in which my company had taken a stake. It was a very practical way to complement my operational experience with a deeper understanding of governance and board responsibilities.
Special shout-out to Georg Wernicke for the incredible journey of Board Governance in NYC and Saudi Arabia by the way.
How did you balance the demands of work, family, and the program while studying?
It was definitely a balancing act. On top of a demanding full-time role, family commitments, and the EMBA, I was also training for an extremely demanding ultra-trail, the “Diagonale des Fous” in Reunion Island. And as it was the year I turned 40, I decided to make it a special one, with trips I had always dreamed of, including Greenland, seeing mountain gorillas in Uganda and Giza’s pyramids in Egypt.
It was probably the most intense year of my life, but also one of the richest. Looking back, balancing everything was challenging, but having so many meaningful things happening at the same time made it an incredibly rewarding year.
What’s a standout memory from your time at HEC Paris?
The most impressive moment for me was probably the first time I met my cohort and realized how incredibly diverse it was. We had people from all over the world and from completely different fields: cardiology, law, finance, oil & gas, marketing, HR, and many others.
Even those with an engineering background, like me, brought completely different cultural perspectives — Indian, Brazilian, Japanese, and so on. Discovering how differently people could approach the same problem was fascinating, and this diversity became one of the most valuable parts of the HEC experience.
How has the program helped you grow personally or professionally since graduating?
The biggest change was in my mindset. HEC taught us to “dare to learn, learn to dare.” So I dared.
I dared to train for an ultra-trail, to book a trip to Uganda to see mountain gorillas, and even to go skydiving. And professionally, I dared to take on a risky new Program Director role when we were still bidding for a major contract, with no guarantee that we would win it. It was a bet that could have worked brilliantly — or left me looking for a new job just a few months later.
We won the bid, and that leap of faith changed my career trajectory.
Is this the industry and role you envisioned yourself when you entered the program?
The defense industry still appeals to me as much as ever, and it remains my field of choice. When I applied to HEC, we were hoping to win a major semiconductor contract — my area of expertise at the time — and potentially launch a new business unit within my company.
We ultimately lost that bid, so I had to bounce back and take a different path. Fortunately, the EMBA had equipped me with new skills in strategy, finance, and leadership that were highly relevant to a Program Director role. Once again, I dared to take the position while we were still bidding for another major contract, knowing there was a real risk we might not win it. Life is about taking risks if you want to achieve something. So I dared — and this time, it paid off.
What are some of the biggest takeaways you gained from the experience?
Of course, all the academic skills I developed are extremely useful today: business strategy, corporate finance, marketing, accounting, and many others. But the biggest takeaway goes beyond the curriculum: the network.
I developed an enormous network across my cohort, other HEC cohorts, the wider alumni community, and the many HEC clubs. HEC has one of the strongest alumni networks in the world, with a remarkable number of entrepreneurs and a strong presence among Fortune 500 CEOs.
All of this creates an ocean of opportunities, and navigating it every day is an incredibly exciting part of the HEC experience.
For those thinking about applying to the HEC Paris EMBA, what advice would you share with them?
Be very clear about why you are doing it. An EMBA is a significant investment, so I would not recommend doing it simply to add another line to your CV. Come with an open mind and be prepared to be challenged by your classmates.
But more importantly, if it’s been a long time you are thinking about it then stop thinking and act. As the famous saying goes, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!”
DON’T MISS: 10 profiles of HEC Paris EMBA Alumni
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