How important are rankings to you and your school? “Rankings are paramount for top business schools today, but they are not an end in themselves; they are a means to an end. The mission of our school is to create and transmit knowledge and support businesses and industries, so the rankings serve as a good reference as to the quality and the relevance of our output. “Of course, we always want to be ranked higher than the previous year and we do our best every day to make sure that everything we do is of the highest quality. But rankings must not be an objective per se , otherwise we risk creating uniformity among schools while each institution must remain true to its own DNA. Our goal should be to serve the diverse needs of the many different types of businesses out there and inspire them to make a difference.”
and industry; statistics becomes a fascinating topic when you understand its potential and the way it can concretely be used to inform the decision-making processes in both the public and private sectors. I then moved to a new stage in my career when I was appointed as dean and president of ESSEC, because even though I am still in academia, my daily life and duties have completely changed compared to when I was a professor. “I’m very proud of having signed agreements and double degrees with top US academic institutions (for instance, Tepper at Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, The University of California at Berkeley and Parsons School of Design in New York) during my tenure. I’m also proud of having turned ESSEC into a
profitable institution, while remaining a not-for‑profit organisation. This is a status to which I am deeply attached because it allows us to reinvest any surplus revenue into our own excellence, into services provided to our programmes’ participants and into cutting‑edge and distinctive research that provides informed solutions to contemporary issues.” In what ways does the MBA need to reinvent itself in order to remain relevant in the 21st century? “As I mentioned earlier, MBA graduates must become T-shaped leaders: capable of mixing a deep expertise in one domain
What has becoming AMBA-accredited meant to your school? “It is a gauge of our global recognition and proof of the quality and relevance of our MBA programmes on the international market. AMBA accreditation has also allowed us to enter the triple-crown club, which brings together the best schools around the world.” What kind of skills do you think are necessary nowadays in order for MBA graduates to become efficient and productive leaders? “Addressing the complex contemporary challenges
ESSEC aims to provide a holistic, transformative and learning- centric experience, cultivating inclusive, multi-cultural leadership
with a broad understanding of the company’s functioning and ecosystem. This type of leader is able to understand the importance of artificial intelligence or the impact of climate change, or take into account geopolitics when making business decisions. “A leader is first and foremost a decision maker; indeed, the MBA programme is all about acquiring the right skills and developing the necessary competencies to adopt cutting-edge knowledge to the professional environment. Leaders need to adapt their expertise in the context of unprecedented situations and also anticipate unforeseen events, so as to come to the right decisions in order to make a difference for the company in the long term.”
facing today’s leaders requires trans‑disciplinarity. The most effective solutions arise from dissolving boundaries not only between disciplines, but also between academia and industry and across diverse cultures and societies. “Additionally, those students who are able to adapt and who possess self‑awareness and emotional intelligence are poised to drive positive change and are the most likely to succeed as inspiring leaders.” How do you think the ongoing global geopolitical unrest has affected the business school sector? “Business schools have been affected by geopolitical unrest like all other sectors. There is an obvious impact on student
14 | Ambition | NOVEMBER 2024
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online