Margaux SALMON, STU-LSE class of 2012 "Urban governance and development" researcher at Groupe Huit

Attracted by the international scene and fascinated by large metropolises, she spoke at the annual meeting of land professions with an alumnus of Groupe Huit, a multidisciplinary consultancy specializing in the urban development of so-called "Southern" countries. Initially focused on Africa, its field of action has since been extended to Asia and Latin America. The discovery of Nairobi and Kenya, during an internship with UN-Habitat, convinced her to focus on urban issues in the "South".

Seduced by Groupe Huit, she took advantage of an opportunity during her year at the LSE to meet them. A few months later, the company was looking to recruit, and Margaux joined the team at the beginning of the school year following her graduation.

Margaux now works in an international and multidisciplinary team. Working in a small team allows her to be in direct contact with experienced people with varied profiles; she is also beginning to work in cartography - one of the shortcomings of the STU master's degree in her opinion. She also appreciates the variety of projects she works on, as well as the opportunity to travel regularly in the field. One of her first assignments was to identify infrastructure projects in Vietnam. The nature of her activity depends a lot on her location. In France, she divides her time between responding to calls for tenders, collecting and processing data, and writing reports. When she is on assignment abroad, she focuses on qualitative data collection (interviews) and field visits.

While she believes that most of the learning is done on the job in terms of content, Sciences Po allows her to develop essential qualities: a global vision, a spirit of synthesis, and curiosity. These skills allow her to adapt easily, and are regularly used when she has to respond to calls for tender. At the moment, Margaux does not have time for AO; in a week, she leaves for Lagos...