After presenting Decathlon’s business model, Pascal Bizard shared Decathlon’s keys to success in China with the students: "The cultural differences between China and France are enormous. However, it is the cross-cultural exchanges that make the company more dynamic." Michelle Zhu explained to SKEMA students how Decathlon chooses its employees and what the core meaning of Decathlon is. She then took SKEMA students on a tour of the Decathlon China Lab building, which many students described as a dream workplace.
During the visit, SKEMA’s student reporter interviewed the two Decathlon China managers. Bizard expained: "We have been in close contact with SKEMA for many years. One of the reasons for hiring SKEMA students is that Decathlon is a very passionate company, which fits well with SKEMA. At SKEMA, cross-cultural cooperation is the norm and this makes its students very successful in a globalised working environment."
On recruitment criteria at Decathlon, Zhu said: "There are six uncompromising recruitment principles in Decathlon: willing to serve, like sports, energetic, down to earth, responsible, and cooperative."
This visit gave many students a new understanding of their career plans. This is also the purpose and significance of the visit organised by SKEMA Talent & Careers and its partner Decathlon.