#Iconic_Audencians: Jessica Giuliani (GE 13), the high-flying financial officer

It is with an open smile and a lilting accent betraying her Southern France origins that Jessica Giuliani greets us for this interview.

Hers is a story of a youngster from Toulouse whose head was always turned upwards to the sky; such was her fascination for aeroplanes. Her mother was convinced that she would one day join Airbus, the city’s iconic multinational corporation. However, Jessica’s dream of becoming a pilot crash-landed when she was told -wrongly- that her eyesight would prevent her from flying. Smart, curious, and ever full of joie de vivre, she went on to graduate from Audencia’s Grande Ecole programme in 2013. At 33, her CV could make many fifty-year-olds pale with envy. In just a few years, Jessica has embraced a successful career in finance becoming CFO of Airbus in Santiago di Chile in 2020.

Armed with the confidence that 20/20 vision isn’t a prerequisite for flying, she signed up for her first lesson last year. The flying school is just a few minutes from her office, which she takes as a sign that the time has come to fulfil her life’s dream.

Thus summarised, Jessica’s trajectory seems almost predestined. When she signed her contract with Airbus, her mother said “See! I’ve always known you’d end up there. Didn’t I tell you so many times?” But Jessica insists on setting the record straight. It’s not about destiny so much as hard work, ambition and an appetite to jump on opportunities that has got her where she is today.

Let’s meet a fearless woman who has managed to get hold of what matters to her most in life, by keeping her feet on the ground and her head in the sky.

 

For the third year in a row, we are delighted and proud to showcase 12 new profiles of Audencians from around the globe. The alumni that you will discover have very generously given up their time for an interview for which we are immensely grateful.