04/03/2024
In 1992, Guillaume Suin (who graduated the Grande École Program in 2004) spent his holiday in Spain… watching television! The reason? The Barcelona Olympics, and he didn’t miss a single event. Thirty-two years later, this sports fanatic (golf, running, windsurfing, etc.) and now Supply Manager – Decathlon x 2024 Olympic Games official partnership, is fulfilling a childhood dream by taking part behind the scenes at this historic event.
I first went to an engine-ering school where, paradoxically, I discovered accounting and management control, disciplines I was literally passionate about. So I changed direction and enrolled at IÉSEG, which I still remember with great fondness, both in terms of the people and on an academic level. At the time, I was already a huge sports fan, but I wasn’t particularly thinking about a career in this sector. What I did know, however, was that I wanted to go into financial auditing or a high-tech company.
I was practically born at the same time as the company! As a teenager, I did a lot of sport and regularly visited the stores. I wanted to buy everything and found the people working there really inspiring and welcoming. When I graduated and couldn’t find a job in auditing, I remembered my dream of working for Decathlon and joined as a sales assistant for the Christmas and New Year period. I immediately felt at home. The many opportunities for advancement that followed enabled me to hold eight positions in 17 years.
I became aware of the partnership (see below) in July 2021 and immediately seized the opportunity to try something new. I offered my skills in supply and management control, and joined the team which is now composed of 60 employees. My role is to get stock to the right place at the right time, in the right quantities. This involves everything from drawing up the business plan to supplying the stores, including product listing, pricing, sales and purchasing forecasts, and so on.
I’m always particularly enthusiastic about this event and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Whether it was Seoul (1988), Bar-celona (1992) or Atlanta (1996), I spent many sleepless nights staying up watching the competition. Rio (2016) was special because my son had just been born and I was bottle-feeding him while watching television. Taking part in this great celebration in my own way, and meeting some of the world’s top athletes (Teddy Riner, Vincent Gerard, etc.) is a very special treat.
The partnership between Decathlon and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee was signed in July 2021. As a leading company in its sector, Decathlon welcomed this opportunity to strengthen its brand image by contributing its expertise in designing sports products.
In particular, it is responsible for designing and distributing the 45,000 kits for volunteers helping out at the event, and has the rights to design and sell official products under an exclusive license.
This article was written by Luna Créations for IÉSEG Network’s magazine, IÉS #18.
