Shaping a city’s global image with Inès de Ferran

As the Media Manager for Paris je t’aime much of Inès’ work happens in the shadows. “A lot of people don’t know that my job exists”, she explains.

Yet, if you have ever seen a double-page spread in The Guardian on Paris being one of the top bikeable cities in Europe, or perhaps an entry on a trendy new Parisian restaurant in Elle magazine, it has probably crossed Inès’ desk. 

“When I tell people that I work for the Paris Tourist Office, they have this image of someone sitting behind an information desk ready to give directions to the Louvre. And I’m like ‘no no no, that’s not it!’”

“I’m covering everything: culture, hospitality, business tourism, gastronomy, sports.”

If you imagine the sights and scenes of Paris as a cabaret, Inès is the one behind the curtain ensuring the show goes smoothly and gains those five-star reviews afterwards. In her role as Media Manager, she welcomes journalists to Paris, organising press trips and crafting press releases, to showcase the city’s best angles and promote it as a tourist destination.

Speaking of cabarets, one of Inès’ upcoming projects is a press trip centred on showing the new face of the Parisian cabaret scene. The goal, as with many of Inès’ projects, is to break the mould of cliché imaginings of Paris by shedding light on the city’s many facets. Inès will be showcasing a range of independent and queer cabarets to journalists who will, in turn, promote the city’s rich nightlife offering. 

Inès often jokes that she is the real-life Emily in Paris. “I’m at every gallery, hotel or museum opening. I have to know what is going on to enrich my knowledge of the city’s offerings. This enables me to craft press trips and make recommendations to journalists depending on their editorial focus” 

Olympic career highs

A career highlight for Inès was the 2024 Paris Olympics. She played a crucial role in managing Paris’s touristic appeal in international media, facing several challenges along the way. From the city’s bedbug PR crisis in late 2023 to controversy surrounding pollution in the Seine and its suitability to host open-water Olympic events, media management in the lead up to the Games was a perfect example of just how reactive Inès’ work can be. Working in media management, and in tourism specifically, Inès is always alert to potential media crises and primed to tackle them using her years of strategic and creative experience dealing with the press. 

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was very proud to work around the Olympics in Paris.”

From Paris to Athens to London, and back again!

From a young age, Inès knew she wanted to shape a career around travel, languages, and intercultural exchange. This led her to pursue a BA in Modern Greek at Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, spending a year studying in Thessaloniki.

Following a Master’s in Intercultural Communications at the Sorbonne University, Inès decided she wanted to study for a second Master’s in London.

“It was important to me as a future professional to have an English-speaking study experience.”

Drawn in by our global reputation and international atmosphere, UCL was her first and only choice. 

“It was a really challenging academic environment. Classes at UCL were taught differently to those I had experienced in France and Greece. There was a much stronger focus on collaborative thinking through talking and sharing ideas. 

“The expectations were very high, to match the high quality of the learning experience, which was very useful for me as a student. My time at UCL developed my ability to work hard and conduct quality research, which is still an asset in my professional life now.”

After her graduation – one of Inès’ fondest UCL memories – she sought out internships at embassies and cultural institutes. She interned at the Greek Embassy in Paris and then the French Institute of Athens, working on a range of cultural events in the cities, gaining experience of communications, media relations and events planning. 

“It was diplomacy through culture; it was all about attracting people to visit the territory and engage deeply in its cultural offerings.”

Her focus on cultural events eventually blossomed into a career in tourism. First, at the Greek National Tourism Organisation in Paris before she moved to her current role at Paris je t’aime. 

The power of the UCL network

Inès credits much of her career success to the power of networking.

“At university, you don’t necessarily know what you want to do. I only knew I wanted to travel and work on intercultural exchange. I did not think I would work in media relations when I started seeking out work in embassies. My career has grown out of saying ‘yes’ to opportunities that presented themselves to me as I moved into different roles and met different people.”

“This is my top piece of advice for UCL students and alumni. Build your network however you can. Go to events and get to know people. You never know what opportunities or moments of realisation might be waiting for you.”

The power of the UCL alumni network is the driving force behind Inès’ continued connection with UCL. She regularly attends alumni events in Paris and previously served as chair of the UCL French Alumni Association.  

“I like going to alumni events because, over time, you get to know familiar faces. Even though we didn’t study together at the same time, we have so much in common. I feel I am part of a strong UCL community in Paris.”

“My only regret is that I didn’t come to UCL sooner and study there for longer. For me, attending alumni events helps me to stay connected and continue to benefit from the incredible opportunities UCL offers. From the people I meet at events, I learn so much. And I hope to do more in the future. I’d like to be able to give back by mentoring current students or fellow alumni and helping them to expand their own networks.”

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