5 juin 2025
S’il y a bien un mot qui définit le parcours d’Isabelle Quevilly (HEC Montréal 2006), c’est « international ». Curieuse, ambitieuse et entreprenante, cette diplômée n’a jamais hésité à sortir de sa zone de confort pour faire progresser sa carrière.
After studying multimedia communications, Isabelle left her native France to pursue her passion for advertising and digital marketing.
Her destination? Montreal, where she began a DESS in Marketing Communications at HEC Montréal, while pursuing her career opportunities in the city.
“The DESS program at HEC Montréal was one of the most relevant I found, especially in comparison with the options offered in France,” explains Isabelle. I liked the idea of developing expertise in the North American market in French, through a format that allowed me to study while gaining hands-on professional experience.”
Having worked in several consulting firms and now at Meta as Director Creative Shop Northern Europe, Middle East & Africa, Isabelle's career took off following her move to Montreal - literally and figuratively.
Find out more about an HEC Montréal graduate who has turned her international ambitions into reality.
Photo : Anna Lachlan
I have fond memories of the creative force that drives the Montreal community, as well as the desire for innovation and influence on an international scale. Even today, Quebec's creative talent in advertising continues to shine among the best in the world. Montreal's warm welcome, generosity and unique energy are incomparable - and I can't wait to return one day.
I lead a creative consulting team that accompanies advertisers in exploring innovation in creative strategy on our platforms, and promotes new brand and e-commerce strategies, with creators and AI, to achieve their marketing objectives with Meta.
Having been in the digital field for as long as I can remember, my studies at HEC Montréal gave me a solid base in all disciplines, from media planning to brand strategy. These skills opened the door to leadership and innovation roles, where I was able to build bridges between traditional media and social media. The fundamentals of brand strategy also enabled me to join branding consulting firms when I moved to London. A unique mix of skills, adding real value to my work.
The experience I gained in Canada, the United States and Europe enabled me to build a solid foundation in international relations and gave me the opportunity to pilot global strategies for many major brands.
Montreal was an important milestone in my career: here I was able to develop to the full and put my innovation management skills to good use. I also received the trust of my management, as well as invaluable mentoring, which enabled me to grow personally and develop an exceptional professional experience.
The network of Quebec companies based in Europe was also a major asset for my return to Europe.
As a manager, it's essential to embrace diverse perspectives and stay focused on an ambitious and motivating goal. I'm currently based in London, and my clients are based in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey and Dubai. What interests me is understanding the trends, opportunities and challenges where we have a strategic creative solution to offer to support our partners' growth. My European management team is based in Paris, while the international team is based in New York.
I love working with multicultural teams: you learn a lot about different ways of approaching problems and creativity with different approaches. You must be willing to listen to really understand what is being said, ask questions, and approach challenges with humility and curiosity. I don't believe in the perfect answer and believe in a united team that finds solutions and progresses together. It's like a sports team: we're always looking to improve, to collaborate better, and each person contributes to the group by building on his or her strengths.
