Frédéric Jonquet (SKEMA 2013): shaping brand strategy around France’s biggest sporting broadcasts

You now hold a senior position at France Télévisions Publicité. How did your journey begin at SKEMA Business School?

When I joined SKEMA Business School in 2009, on the Sophia Antipolis campus, within the Master in Management (PGE), I did not yet have a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I arrived after two years of preparatory classes, with a solid academic background but little practical experience. Very quickly, I felt the need to complement that theoretical framework with something more hands-on.

I became involved in student life by joining the sports office, where I later became president. That experience mattered: we organised the SKEMA Beach Session, an event bringing together several hundred students, with around forty people to coordinate. That was where I discovered, in practical terms, what collective organisation, team management and responsibility really meant.

At that stage, had you already identified the sector you wanted to work in?

Not entirely. Sport already played a major role in my life, but my plans remained open. I was still hesitating between several fields: business, human resources and marketing. I had ideas, but had not yet found the professional shape that truly suited me.

Did your various internships help clarify things?

Yes, they allowed me to test very different environments. I first worked for The Walt Disney Company in Orlando, in a highly sales-driven environment. I then joined Michael Page in Paris, followed by American Express, where I discovered relationship marketing and loyalty strategies. Each experience taught me something, but I still had not found a field in which I could picture myself long term.

“I now lead a department of around 25 people.”

The turning point came at Canal+?

In my final year, I completed my apprenticeship within Canal+’s advertising sales division, in the special operations department. I worked on competitions such as the Premier League, the Top 14, Formula 1 and golf, with advertisers such as Rolex. That experience proved decisive. I found a unique space where sport, media and brands come together.

“The school allowed me to test different paths, commit to collective projects and gradually understand what genuinely motivated me.”

How did you then join France Télévisions Publicité?

At the end of my apprenticeship, Canal+ offered me my first contract, which I held for a year. Then an opportunity arose at France Télévisions Publicité, in a role directly focused on sport. The remit was clear: managing the commercial strategy for major events such as French Open, the Tour de France, the Six Nations Championship and the Olympic Games.

Your current role also involves major management responsibilities. What does that now cover?

I now lead a department of around 25 people. We design media plans and bespoke special operations around major events broadcast by France Télévisions. We work with leading French and international brands: Renault, E.Leclerc, EDF, L'Oréal, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Rolex and Allianz.

This also requires close coordination with competition organisers: the French Tennis Federation, the French Rugby Federation, Amaury Sport Organisation, and during the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee. The aim is to build coherent operations that align advertisers’ expectations, editorial constraints and the specific nature of each event.

Did 2024 Summer Olympics represent a special moment in your career?

It involved several years of preparation, with work launched far upstream with advertisers. We built commercial packages almost two years before the event, in a highly collective dynamic. It was a major moment because of its scale, the level of brand commitment and the audiences achieved afterwards. Some evenings brought together several million viewers, with very high peaks during the major finals, confirming the strength of these television moments.

Looking back, what did your time at SKEMA Business School bring you?

Above all, I remember the freedom to explore. The school allowed me to test different paths, commit to collective projects and gradually understand what genuinely motivated me. In hindsight, that diversity proved valuable: it taught me that a career does not always take shape straight away, but often emerges through experience.