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ME, YOU & US

THOMAS

CEO48 YEARS OLD

Bordeaux, Marseille, Paris, Shanghai, Suzhou, Toulon

The merger between Marseille and Bordeaux is akin to a successful cross-pollination. It was conceived with a view to achieve breakthrough innovations. This original big-bang must be followed through with new achievements of a similar nature. Our ambition is to translate this first breakthrough into a wide range of transformative projects. This is how we will breed real talent, explains Thomas Froehlicher, CEO of KEDGE Business School. For Thomas, the human factor is at the centre of everything. When he took office, he made it clear that what matters is not whether you are from Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulon, Shanghai or elsewhere; what matters is to be able to leverage our respective strengths and identify the opportunities for sharing and inventing projects together. In this view, the new CEO initiated a plan of action, based on the strategic roadmap, inviting everyone to fully engage in the process and contribute actively to the fine-tuning of new projects.

He stresses that the future of KEDGE Business School lies in our ability to conduct projects in an integrated and collaborative fashion. Meanwhile, the renewed strategic focus on Back to normal initiated by Thomas pursues a dual objective: On the one hand, we want to enable our students, who will be shaping tomorrows companies, to fulfil their personal and professional potential, and be able to move forward and reinvent themselves throughout their career. On the other hand, we also want to provide businesses with the opportunity to create wealth in all its dimensions, and by this I mean economic of course, but also human, social and more. KEDGE Business was founded with this ambition in mind, he adds. Thomas Froehlicher advocates a societal approach to management, which must be backed by adequate investments, as he is sure of one thing: the happier you are, the more you achieve.

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ME, YOU & US

VANESSA

PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR ACADEMIC AND CAMPUS

OPERATIONS31 YEARS OLD

Bordeaux

The merger brought out a career opportunity for Vanessa. In my new position, I am now in direct contact with students, says the former HR executive. Now in charge of project management for Academic and Campus Operations, Vanessa Doiret is galvanised by the change and excited by her new responsibilities: Its exciting to work on transversal projects that help to remove organisational silos and open up new relationships. Her role is to lead multi-departmental teams put together for customer-centric projects. Her current flagship project is Student Services: 18 people are mobilised from their respective departments for this project aimed at supporting students in their daily life. Students can ask a question, either in person or on the dedicated platform, and the team will seek out all the necessary info for them, Vanessa explains. Of course, as with any new initiative, it takes some time to get the ball rolling.

Another project is the implementation of the Wellness scheme in Bordeaux. In addition to coordination, we also had to recruit a team of volunteers to support students experiencing difficulties, deploy communication tools, organise the Wellness Week... Vanessa is already seeing the first signs of a renewed proximity with students, as well as a new post-merger approach focused on simplification: convergence despite the diversity of our audiences, a common culture despite our multi-campus operation... There are still growth pains to be tackled and it can be pretty challenging, but I definitely appreciate the Schools ability to reinvent itself. And what about the students? Vanessa is full of admiration and describes them as chock-full of energy and creativity, eager to explore a world without borders.

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CLINE

HEAD OF LEARNING-BY-DOING30 YEARS OLD

Marseille

Cline agrees wholeheartedly with the Schools philosophy which sees learning-by-doing as a key component of the pedagogical tool kit. It is definitely through experimentation and action that students learn the most. This allows for a development that is both personal and professional, says Cline Salle, Head of Learning-by-doing at KEDGE Business School. In this capacity, she leads the pedagogical teams in charge of supporting students through their Pro-Act projects. With these projects, as with most of the Schools programmes, interactivity and practicality are highly valued. From the initial phase, where they have to define their project, to the action phase where they implement their defined strategy, students have to focus on achieving tangible outcomes, insists the KEDGE BS alumnus. Pro-Act projects enable students to acquire a quasi-professional experience and thus enhance their employability. The projects benefit students and businesses alike, everybody wins, Cline adds.

She is also in charge of coordinating the Kick Start Weekend, a major event initiated at the time of the merger. It brings together our student associations and project owners. Workshops are organised to enable students to build collectively on concepts and ideas born out of their previous reflections. One year on after the merger, a common multi-campus culture is already in evidence and the exchange of best-practices has already become second-nature, she is pleased to report. This is yet another way to prepare students for the world of tomorrow.

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KATIA

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORENTREPRENEURSHIP & NEW BUSINESS MODELS

44 YEARS OLDMarseille

The key insight, which was to form the core of her research activities, came at the time of her Master thesis on small businesses, where the human factor is at the centre of everything, notably with regards to environmental, social and societal common sense. The challenge, for large corporations, is to come back to this essential truth, asserts Katia Richomme-Huet, associate professor in Marseille, where she combines theoretical knowledge and the study of practical cases to encourage her students to reflect and shine a new light on entrepreneurship. I believe business can also be a facilitator in achieving new environmental and societal models, so I invite my students to add shades of pink and green to their vision of entrepreneurship. This is something you have to learn and develop, she says with great enthusiasm. In fact, this forty-something, in charge of the Entrepreneurship & New Business Models cluster, demonstrates great enthusiasm and deep conviction in everything she does. This is someone who after all did not hesitate to resign, in 2012, from a very safe and comfortable academic position because of incompatible principles.

She communicates this commitment to personal responsibility everyday to her students. For an entrepreneur, personal responsibility means taking ownership of all the consequences and potential risks of your decisions. Katia is not afraid to tackle serious cases to illustrate her point, such as the compensation for employees victims of asbestos exposure in the workplace. One of her trademarks is her collective and collaborative approach to research. Her past sporting achievements undoubtedly played a part in this. She enjoys the confrontation of points of view and likes to come out her comfort zone to move forward. Never one to rest on her laurels, she is also working on digital development for the e-learning platform that will benefit the Grande Ecole Programme and the School as whole.

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JAN

LECTURER-RESEARCHER IN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

51 YEARS OLDBordeaux

Jan knows all about expatriation. He left his native Holland for Lebanon at the age of 20, before embarking on a series on prolonged stays in China and Japan. The simple fact of working abroad changes the way you look at the world, explains Jan Schaaper, who teaches International Management in Bordeaux, mainly on the EBP programme. He is also a researcher, studying the approaches to management of French multinationals in Asia and those of Chinese and Japanese corporations in Europe. He feels very passionate about his subject and this passion informs his whole approach to teaching: The strength of our programme is that we enable our students to travel and learn to adapt to other cultures, other languages, other landscapes... This is a skill that you have to learn young, a bit like cycling! And this will become all the truer in the coming years, he explains. The time when large corporations struggled to find experienced executives ready to emigrate to faraway places like Asia is now behind us. Young executives are now mobile.

How does he view teaching nowadays? We are definitely heading towards a digital culture. Because anyone can check anything in a matter of seconds on Google, we are moving towards a more implicit approach. There is also a renewed focus on action. That is why I strongly believe in the benefits of learning by doing. This is nothing new of course: we are simply getting back to basics. Above all, we must remain focused on behaviour and attitude. The human factor remains at the centre of everything. A rather reassuring statement coming from an expert in management!

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MARIE & ELSA

PROGRAMME GRANDE ECOLE STUDENTS, YEAR 3

23 YEARS OLDBordeaux

India, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Peru, South Africa, Zimbabwe They travelled for a total a six months. Six months during which Programme Grande Ecole students Marie Aub and Elsa Gehanne went to meet women entrepreneurs as part of their final year thesis project. The project was initially sparked by many things: a shared interest for micro-credit, a friendship forged whilst working at the AIESEC student association in Bordeaux, a common single-mindedness... We wanted to dig deeper on the topic of entrepreneurship and explore its concrete impact on certain communities. We were fascinated by the research carried out by Professor Yunus on how women invest their income in health, hygiene and education for their children and thus contribute to the development of their country. So that was the angle we chose to explore for our thesis, says Marie, who also points out that KEDGE Business School offered their full support, both financially and through validating the project as their final graduation thesis.

Back in Bordeaux, Elsa and Marie pursued their work with their Acting for Change Tour association, which promotes womens empowerment through entrepreneurship. One of its key objectives is to raise awareness and demystify entrepreneurship, especially amongst young people and the fairer sex, which accounts for only 30 % of new business creation in France today. The association notably hosted a special evening dedicated to entrepreneurship in Bordeaux on 21 January. Another key objective is to contribute to a wider dynamic in support of female entrepreneurial initiatives. We are in talks with the Solidearth association so that other students can follow this project through with more work on the ground. Let us hope their message is heard loud and clear.

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MARVIN

CeseMED STUDENT, YEAR 2 20 YEARS OLD

Marseille

Marvin says he simply has a knack for always being in the right place at the right time. But surely there is something else at play in his success story: personal merit. Marvin Mendy grew up in Marseille and has an atypical background. My lyce was located in a ZEP [Educational Priority Zone] so I never imagined that I would end up studying in a Grande cole, he says. He explains this initial lack of ambition by the absence of role model and low self-confidence. A mental glass ceiling, in other words. By the time he was 15, however, thanks to the Phoenix Equal Opportunity* project and to the personal intervention of his schools principal who saw his potential, Marvin started to dare imagining a very different future for himself. Thus, after a classe prparatoire IEP, he was awarded a scholarship grant and joined KEDGE Business School in 2013. Even though his study fees were paid up in full by the school, Marvin still worked as a waiter at KFC to make ends meet.

Now in his second year at the CeseMED programme, Marvin appreciates he has come a long way and it is important for him to give back. Thus, he was in charge of educational actions at the Phoenix student association for a whole year. Every Saturday, I hosted debates on current issues with high school pupils on the campus. The idea was to get them out of their neighbourhoods, as someone had once done for me, present them the School and its scholarship scheme, and open their minds up to possible futures for themselves, Marvin enthuses. He is very proud of this work. And so should he. And to help more young people overcome those mental and cultural barriers, KEDGE BS will launch a new scheme in 2015: KAP. The aim of this new initiative is to engage academically gifted youngsters, remove financial constraints, offer bespoke coaching... in other words show them that a higher education institution believes in them.

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JULIE

KEDGE DESIGN SCHOOL STUDENT, YEAR 2

23 YEARS OLDToulon

She wanted to go further. Following a 2-year technical degree (BTS) in Space design, Julie Favier wanted to stand out professionally and expand her knowledge in areas such as graphic design, product design, marketing... She has no regrets from her first two years as a student, but she could see some gaps that needed to be filled. I felt I needed to become proficient or improve my skills in certain areas, such as public speaking, project management, mastering new technologies..., explains Julie, who is currently completing her second year of the Master 1 programme, on the KEDGE Business School campus of Toulon. Another attraction was the Innovation Lab, which opened in March 2014 in partnership with ISEN, and where students can work on uncovering new forms of usage thanks to innovative facilities. 3D printing, laser cutting, latest generation software... Its all there. These workshops, which are designed in collaboration with large corporations, allow you to familiarise yourself with the technologies of tomorrow, and work alongside students from other institutions, she points out.

Julie has also been working part-time at an architect agency since her first year, and she values this opportunity to gain work experience in parallel to her studies. This is yet another way to increase her employability. The move has paid off since Julie has already secured a permanent employment, starting from next summer, with a local real estate developer. I am obviously delighted, but I will miss campus life. Indeed, Julie has forged very close friendships on the campus, a new family, especially with her involvement with the Student Union (BDE).

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HARVEY

MBA STUDENT 30 YEARS OLD

Shanghai

It was the reputation of the programme that tipped the balance. Harvey also wanted to see the bigger picture. Truth be told, Harvey Zhao was starting to feel a little bit frustrated at his Shanghai-based transport company. After seven years of working in logistics, I decided to join this MBA based on its strong reputation in China and Europe and on the top quality of its faculty. Whether in human resources, finance or strategy, all lecturers really know how to broaden your perspective on international trade, he says. For more than a year now, Harvey has been spending two days a week working for his company, and the other three on the permanent KEDGE Business School campus, located in the prestigious Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Indian, French, Malaysian... There is a real cultural mix here. We all share not only our professional experiences, but also our respective customs and traditions. There is a genuine and unique human element to this MBA.

Harvey also points out that the KEDGE Business School MBA has a global alumni network, with more than 1,000 graduates all over the world. And it just keeps progressing in the Financial Times ranking tables, up 16 places this year!. At the end of a very busy semester, Harvey will have officially completed his MBA. What about future plans? Travelling, he responds in a flash, starting with Bordeaux for the graduation ceremony of course!

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ALUMNI, CO-FOUNDER OF BIME ANALYTICS

35 YEARS OLDMontpellier

RACHEL

This cheerful thirty-something has built her career through sheer fearlessness. Dealing with the macho-ness of the high-tech world? Bring it on! Going international when it all felt too cautious in France? No problem! For all the talk of gender parity, stereotypes do have a thick skin but Rachel has just dealt with it. I know how to turn situations to my advantage in order to stand out. Rachel is now CEO of the company she co-founded with her husband in 2009. Bime Analytics, a company which single-handedly rewrote the rulebooks of Business Intelligence, with services delivered all over the world and a solid partnership with Google. More recently, the start-up opened a subsidiary in Kansas City, Missouri. We also have a small office in San Francisco, says the young mother, who lives in Montpellier. The French Ministry of Higher Education and Research recognised their strong potential very early on, awarding them its prestigious Innovation award in 2009. They have won many more awards since, most of them international.

This international aspect is important for this KEDGE Business School graduate, class of 2003: The School opened the doors of large corporations for me. This enabled me to start my career in an international context, which was exactly what I wanted. Rachel keeps fond memories of her student years in Marseille and in Canada. I met my husband and many of my friends there. This ability to build a fantastic and lasting personal and professional network is one of the Schools strengths, says the entrepreneur who was part of the delegation that accompanied President Franois Hollande during his visit to Silicon Valley in 2014.

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MARC

SENIOR CHANNEL ACCOUNT MANAGER, LENOVO

37 YEARS OLDParis

The oral examination was the starting point. They really pushed to see what I was made of. I felt they were genuinely interested in my profile and potential. They did not only look at my school results. They even asked me about my sporting interest, which is rugby, recalls Marc Bringuier, speaking about the oral examination that led him to join KEDGE Business School in Bordeaux. He graduated in 1999, but the impact of his studies is still very much felt to this day. Events management, auditing, actuaries, sales... and today IT. The Schools curriculum enabled me to develop a strong generalist background and a very open-minded approach, which meant I was able to pursue an atypical career as nothing was off-limits for me, he adds. Marc sees international borders not as obstacles, but as opportunities and motivating factors.

I find it so fascinating to see how differently people can interact depending on their cultures and backgrounds. Bordeaux taught me not only how to adapt, but also how to rally a team around a project, regardless of where its various members are located on the planet. Marcs career has taken him to Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and, more recently, Paris, where he now works for a global company: Lenovo. As a senior channel account manager, in charge of the largest retailers accounts for tablets, Marc deals not only with the products themselves, but also with the evolution of their users habits: What interests me, beyond the technology in itself, is to observe how information is consumed and how this is constantly evolving. A job that offers fascinating prospects in a field where things can only get more and more innovative.

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CORPORATE OFFICER, HEAD OF RESOURCES, CAISSE DEPARGNE

PROVENCE-ALPES-CORSE51 YEARS OLD

Marseille

SERGE

There are certain things that become self-evident over time, as relationships mature, affinities emerge and mutual confidence builds up. The agreement signed with KEDGE Business School to create the Work and well-being research chair was basically a natural continuity, building on an ongoing collaboration in other, perhaps more conventional, educational areas. This continuity lies, firstly, in the fact that this chair perfectly fits the spirit of the work we have been doing together since 2010, which is intended to support our commitment to social performance. Secondly, there is full compatibility between our respective core values, says Serge Derick, Corporate Officer and Head of Resources for Caisse dEpargne Provence-Alpes-Corse (CEPAC). When CEPAC says Audacity, KEDGE Business School says Create; when the bank says Professional best practice, the school answers Share; and when CEPAC demands Responsibility, KEDGE BS obliges with Care.

With such a clear compatibility of values, the creation, in June 2014, of the Work and well-being research chair can only be a mutual opportunity, with the banks Working and managing together approach benefiting from our research output, and teaching benefiting from real-world experience and the ability to train practising executives. The ultimate ambition of the chair is the emergence of an innovative managerial approach combining the principles of performance and humanism. Serge Derick understandably feels very passionate about this opportunity to contribute daily to the cultural and social transformation of an organisation that has the means required to meet its ambitions.

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OLIVIER

FOUNDER OF DUVAL & BLANCHET35 YEARS OLD

Bordeaux

When Olivier needed to find a part-time intern for his wine trading house, he immediately knew where to ask. For me, it was almost like a reflex to turn to KEDGE Business School, which I also knew about from family members, says the founder of Duval & Blanchet. Olivier Duval knew about the Wines and Spirits Management (MVS) Specialised Master, like a lot of people in the industry and in my region says the former auditor, whose father graduated from Sup de Co Bordeaux and whose grandfather was the manager of Chteau Lafite Rothschild. The entrepreneur was looking for a postgraduate profile for his intern. Firstly because this profile matched our business needs, but also because you tend to get on better with people whose background is similar to yours, says Olivier who did indeed follow a similar academic path: classe prparatoire HEC, IEP Strasbourg, Masters in Finance.

In 2012, the wine trading house finally recruited a KEDGE Business School student. He is committed, genuine and passionate. It was quickly evident we were going to get on well. I also rather liked his atypical profile, says Olivier. The strength of the MVS programme? It provides a global view on the wine industry: sales techniques, tasting, marketing... This is a significant advantage in a complex sector with an ever-increasing number of actors, many of them highly specialised. Arnaud, who holds a 2-year technical degree (BTS) and a degree in biology, and who already had international work experience under his belt -with an internship in the agri-food sector in San Francisco- was recruited on a permanent basis as sales manager for Duval & Blanchet, where other KEDGE part-time interns are now following in his path.

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MIKE

VICE DEAN & PROFESSOR KOREA UNIVERSITY

BUSINESS SCHOOL50 YEARS OLD

Seoul

The partnership model is unique. By entering into close alliance with the famous Korean University Business School, KEDGE Business School will be the first European school to offer a dual Euro-Asian degree in International Business Management (MSc and MBA). For the Vice-Dean of KUBS, who is in charge -amongst other things- of seven of the best MBAs in Asia, we are the first South Korean university to ever open a branch in France. From September 2015, our first class of 30 students will start their year in Bordeaux. They will then go to Seoul -KUBS- in January and Shanghai -Jiao Tong University- in May.

These young executives are going to experience a genuine initiatory tour of Asia, followed by a series of internships in some of the best Korean corporations, including Hyundai and LG, says Cho Myeong Hyeon (a.k.a. Mike). The strategy professor talks about the benefits of this positive culture shock: We will do everything to make them feel welcome and at home on the KUBS campus.In Seoul, the young executives will benefit from optimal conditions, with three state-of-the-art buildings and a wide range of facilities, including a football/volleyball pitch, a swimming pool... This social dimension is essential since our students are here not only to learn business the Asian way, but also to get a sense of our culture. When asked about the career prospects of the future graduates, Mike Cho has no hesitation: If I was running a company that wants to expand on Asian markets, I would definitely take them on as soon as they graduate!

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