Executive Education programmes get underway

Global MBA: launch of the Sustainable Impact Challenge

On the Nice campus, participants on the Global MBA (the programme catering to professionals with international profiles who average eight years of career experience) began the year with a presentation of the Sustainable Impact Challenge. During this five-month project (September-February), participants work with companies to solve problems related to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (fighting the climate crisis, preserving ecosystems, reducing gender inequalities, etc.). This year’s challenge involves 14 companies including Caisse d’Epargne, Schneider Electric, Offshore and Astarte Capital Partners. Nine supervisors are also on hand to help participants make a success of their projects, including numerous EDHEC professors (Julia Milner, professor of leadership, Kumar Ranjan, professor of marketing, Gianfranco Gianfrate, professor of climate finance) and ESG experts like Stéphane Canonne, Associate Dean for Executive Education & MBAs at EDHEC.

Executive MBA: immersion on the Lille campus 

Over a six-day period, the manor building on EDHEC’s Lille campus welcomed the 58 participants joining the new class of the Executive MBA (the programme catering to professionals with international profiles who average 15 years of career experience). As well as sessions devoted to making initial contact and creating a group dynamic, participants attended two seminars. The first, “Practical Resilience”, explored their ability to manage change in a professional environment. The seminar had the participants consider their work-life balance and the acquisition of tools for better managing stress and difficulties. The second seminar, “Interpersonal Communication”, which was based on a personality test, enabled them to assess their communication capabilities, by measuring the effectiveness of their verbal and non-verbal communication, assessing their active listening skills, their empathy and their understanding of others.

Executive Master Business & Management: discovering the textile industry 

Participants on the Executive Master Business & Management (the programme catering to professionals with French profiles who average 15 years of career experience) visited La Manufacture, a museum housed in a former factory in Roubaix and devoted to the history of the textile industry and textile creation in the Hauts-de-France region. This immersive experience enabled participants to understand how the textile adventure has evolved in the Lille area, through a focus on human, social, economic and urban issues both past and present.

EDHEC Online MBA: first cohort welcomed by EDHEC  

The very first cohort of the EDHEC Online MBA (international profiles, residing on 3 continents and averaging 11 years of career experience), joined their programme on EDHEC’s Paris campus. Events kicked off with a focus on networking, through discussions with actors operating in innovative sectors and engaged in ESG issues, along with a spotlight on the development of leadership.

Amongst other aspects, participants familiarised themselves with En-ROADS, a climate simulation tool developed by the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative and Ventana Systems, a modelling software specialist. Through this activity, they explored different climate-change mitigation scenarios, while taking account of the political, economic, environmental and societal implications. During their introduction to the programme, participants also visited Station F, the world’s largest start-up campus, where they met start-up founders, investors and mentors. Lastly, they took part in a self-knowledge workshop run by Inge De Clippeleer, Associate Professor and Head of the Faculty of Management & Humanities at EDHEC. Recognised in 2024 as one of the “best 40-under-40” MBA professors by the Poets and Quants digital magazine, Inge De Clippeleer shared tools and methods enabling participants to improve their personal development. 

An account in words and pictures of the start of the   development programme for top managers will be available in January 2025.