In this article, Hongting LIU (ESSEC Business School, Master in Strategy & Management of International Business (SMIB), 2021-2022) shares her professional experience as a Business Development and Marketing Strategy Intern at Forvia (Faurecia), in the Sustainable Materials Division.
About the company
Forvia is the new corporate identity created after Faurecia acquired HELLA in 2022. It represents the combined entity of Faurecia + HELLA, forming the 7th largest global automotive supplier. It is renowned for its innovative solutions in seating, interiors, clean mobility, and electronics. Committed to sustainability, the company launched its Sustainable Materials Division to address the increasing demand for eco-friendly automotive solutions. This division, established as an independent entity within the corporate structure, embodies a start-up-like agility while benefiting from the parent company’s resources and expertise.
Logo of the Forvia.
Source: the company.
The Sustainable Materials Division focuses on developing innovative materials for automotive parts while also marketing these solutions to external clients, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit within the organization.
My internship
During my six-month internship from April 2022 to November 2022, I worked in an environment that uniquely combined the structure of a global corporation with the flexibility and dynamism of a start-up. This experience provided me with a deeper understanding of sustainability in the automotive sector and enhanced my professional skills.
My missions
As a Business Development and Marketing Strategy Intern, I analyzed market trends using sales and supplier data, prepared communication materials (e.g., product presentations, portfolio books, and website content), and organized internal events to align stakeholders including clients, corporate team, and other divisions and departments of the company, with our division’s objectives. Additionally, I collaborated with engineering, business teams, and external partners to monitor the progress of various projects, ensuring timely execution and alignment with strategic goals.
Required skills and knowledge
The role required a range of soft skills, including project timeline management, creative marketing ideation, and building new products and strategies from the ground up. It also involved identifying and leveraging internal resources to coordinate efforts and achieve objectives, working independently without direct managerial oversight, and self-organizing teams to accomplish goals effectively. For some projects, you do not have previous examples and you need to start from 0 to 1. You also need to prove your idea/strategy by analysis to persuade your manager and other divisions of the company. It allows you to be responsible and follow up a project by yourself. You are required to set up the timeline and control the pace of the project. You need to communicate with different departments as well as other divisions to accomplish your project. Creativity and adaptability were also essential, as I worked on creating promotional materials from scratch and contributing to the division’s entrepreneurial efforts.
What I learned
This internship not only strengthened my understanding of how large organizations foster innovation but also highlighted the importance of balancing structure with flexibility in driving success. Faurecia provided the advantages of a large company, such as standardized workflows, abundant career opportunities, and a highly international environment. At the same time, the newly established division offered the benefits of a startup, including autonomy, the ability to build promotional materials from the ground up, and exposure to a rapidly developing sector. I appreciated the high level of efficiency and the immediate impact of my work, as well as the absence of the ‘cog in the machine’ experience common in larger firms. Moreover, working in the sustainable materials industry—a burgeoning field—equipped me with B2B (Business to Business) skills that have since been instrumental in launching my entrepreneurial journey after graduating. As it is an automobile company selling car parts (for our division, it is a division selling new material which can be applied to car parts), clients of this company are other car manufacturers which are companies. The marketing strategy for business-to-business market can be quite different from B2C (business to consumers) The experience of making marketing material and designing marketing strategy develop my skills in B2B marketing sectors.
Why should I be interested in this post?
For ESSEC students aiming to work in sustainability or innovative industries, this experience exemplifies how large corporations can offer opportunities that combine structure and creativity like start-ups. The insights I gained are particularly valuable for those seeking roles in business development or marketing within forward-thinking divisions.
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Useful resources
Gibson, C. (2004) Birkinshaw, J., & Building Ambidexterity Into an Organization
About the author
The article was written in January 2025 by Hongting LIU (ESSEC Business School, Master in Strategy & Management of International Business (SMIB), 2021-2022).