Åsa Rytter Huseby

You will delve deep into a specific field, learn to think critically from the best there is and become part of a life-long international community.

I am currently completing my MSc Management at Imperial Business School, specializing in finance. This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a short but incredibly enriching exchange at HEC Paris joining the Accounts and Restructuring program.

I am intrigued by the depth of what financial accounts can reveal about businesses, and find debt restructuring to be a particularly exciting field. Thanks to the partnership between my school and HEC Paris, I was able to integrate this specific topic as part of my degree.

The intensive two week block let us dive deeply into the content: doing group presentations of historic fraud cases, financial modelling, valuing corporations such as L’Oréal, and discussing restructuring through recent high profile deals like Boeing. Professor Olivier Levyne wholeheartedly stayed in-between classes to discuss complex concepts with us, and invited fantastic guest lecturers further into the program such as Hervé Stolowy and Alice Roux. All three had one thing in common: they inspired me to continue to think critically. The most unique aspect of the experience was probably the sense of community, with participants from all over the world working closely together. 

The beautiful campus is also a small cosmos in itself. One of my most treasured memories is late-night walks to the chateau and around the small lake. At the same time, it was a short distance to Paris, and luckily, the ‘Fête de la musique’ happened to take place during my stay. Another highlight was the wine and cheese evening, an experience that truly belongs in a French academic environment!

As a Norwegian who has studied in France, Italy and now the UK, I have always been keen to see the bigger picture and develop an international perspective. By studying at HEC Paris and returning to France, I felt that I could tie a common thread through my entire academic journey. It felt like coming “home” in a way, but at the same time learning something completely new, thanks to the range of ages, perspectives and backgrounds of the participants.

I highly recommend the Accounts & Restructuring program, or in general, an intensive summer program at HEC Paris, to absolutely anyone seeking a career in finance, whether you pursue investment banking or another path.
 

Find out more about this Summer Program