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Benoit Milliat
Benoit Milliat

Head of Field Marketing chez Red Bull

EM Normandie - learning to take initiative

After a DEUG (2-year diploma) in Economics and Management in Lille, I sat the Passerelle competitive exam to study at EM Normandie. 
I immediately fell in love with the location and the overall atmosphere. Choosing to study at Le Havre also meant that I was able to continue kitesurfing! So when I had to decide which associations  to join, I naturally chose the Sports association office, and that’s where I met my closest friends. My former classmates are still my best friends today, and by a strange coincidence we’ve all ended up in Bordeaux, where I now work. 

Continually adjusting our marketing

I finished my studies at EM Normandie with HEC Entrepreneurs training, and I was able to put everything I learnt into practice almost immediately. At the time, I was a Red Bull ambassador at the business school, and ever since then my career has been with Red Bull in one form or another. When I left EM Normandie in 2006, I joined the company to help create Red Bull France. We were based in Monaco and our team was made up of just six people. We officially launched in 2008 and ten years later, there are more than 250 of us! 

I currently lead a team of 20 people and 130 student ambassadors. Together, we work to increase the brand’s reputation in terms of events.  To win new market shares, we are constantly adjusting our marketing strategies, combining two main different approaches. At the regional level, we work hard to understand our customers and their lives. We have a strong presence at sports events that have ties with regional identities, such as rugby in the south-west of France or motor sports in the north. At the national level, we’re developing our own events such as the Red Bull Air Race: an air acrobatics competition, which this year will take place in Cannes. In April, we’ll be bringing together the best pilots on the planet. In total, we take part in hundreds of events each year! It’s an intense job, but I find it really invigorating!

Learn to network!

Our network is becoming more and more dynamic! It’s a real asset for everyone involved, and it’s up to us to make it stronger together! Because of my work, I haven’t always been able to attend all the events, but I have been able to meet other alumni at the Entrepreneurs Club evenings, and their professional experience has taught me so much. I also get contacted by students looking for work experience or jobs. As far as I can, I try to help them, and it’s always a pleasure.

Benoit's advice :

" Make sure your career is in something you’re passionate about! Everyone performs better when they develop their strengths, rather than painstakingly try to improve their weaknesses. So believe in yourself, and go ahead! Life is out there waiting for you! "

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