École Supérieure Des Sciences économiques Et Commerciales
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Founded in 1907, ESSEC Business School (École Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) is a French higher education institution specialising in business and management. It is a
grande école A (; ) is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream List of public universities in Franc ...
, a type of institution known for selective admissions and rigorous academic programs. The school’s main campus is located in
Cergy Cergy () is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, to the northwest of Paris. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commun ...
, in the
Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
region near
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. ESSEC also operates campuses in
La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France's Paris metropolitan area, west of the city limits. It is located in Île-de-France region's Departments of France, department of Hauts-de-Seine in the Communes of France, communes of Courbe ...
(
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
),
Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
(
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
), and
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, supporting its values of strong international orientation and diverse student community. These campuses offer programs including the ESSEC Global BBA and the Executive MBA, which have an international focus. Originally established by
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
, ESSEC was created as a response to the formation of
HEC Paris HEC Paris () is a business school and ''grande école'' located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional developm ...
. It operated independently of any chamber of commerce and industry until 1981, when it came under the governance of the Versailles Chamber of Commerce, which later became part of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris Île-de-France in 2013. ESSEC is now a member of the CY Alliance (formerly Université Paris-Seine), a network of academic institutions in the Paris region.


Academic Programs

ESSEC offers a wide range of programs tailored to various stages of academic and professional development, including: * The Grande École Program, a post-preparatory course that awards a master’s degree in management. * The Global BBA Program, delivering a Bachelor of Business Administration with an international focus. * Several Specialised Masters (SM tailored to specific business domains. * A Master of Business Administration (MBA) with various tracks for professionals. * Doctoral programs fostering advanced research in business and economics.


Position in French Business Education

ESSEC is often mentioned alongside HEC Paris and ESCP Business School, forming a trio commonly referred to as the "three Parisians"—a nod to their prominence in French and European business education. This historic group represents some of the most competitive and respected business schools in France.


Foundation (1907–1913)

ESSEC was founded in 1907 under the ''Economic Institute'' by Ferdinand Le Pelletier in Paris. Its creation followed the movement of other private business schools created under Catholic guardianship in the early twentieth century such as HEC Nord (which later became
EDHEC The École des Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord, commonly known as EDHEC Business School or simply EDHEC, is a French business school and ''grande école'' founded in 1906. It has campuses in Lille, Nice, and Paris, as well as in the United Ki ...
) by the Catholic Institute of Lille or ESSCA by the Institute Catholic of Angers. The establishment of
Falloux Laws The Falloux Laws promoted Catholic schools in France in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s. They were voted in during the French Second Republic and promulgated on 15 March 1850 and in 1851, following the presidential election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte ...
in 1854 allowed the development of religious secondary education. Following the Dreyfus affair (1895) and the law of
separation of Church and State The separation of church and state is a philosophical and Jurisprudence, jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the State (polity), state. Conceptually, the term refers to ...
(1905), the
Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
sought to regain influence, in particular by disseminating its moral values in the economic world and by training a new generation of business leaders. ESSEC became the Catholic Church's response to the creation of HEC in the context of the struggle of
religious congregations A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...
, especially between
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
against the
secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
and republican ideology for the state.. The goal of the new institution was to "train leaders for a commercial and economic career, which requires competent men, imbued with Christian and human values". The school was located at the École Sainte Geneviève (created by Jesuits in 1854) in the Latin Quarter. The first class had seven students and studies lasted two years. In 1909, an optional third year was introduced. The original course was structured around general subjects including law, accounting, languages and techniques. With the introduction of Christian moral values, students began to attend the
apologetics Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their f ...
conference every week in the chapel of the École Sainte Geneviève. Technical education (
calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...
, shorthand, drafting of commercial documents) was complemented by scientific education (physics, chemistry, factory visits).


1913–1940

With the application of the law of separation of State and Church of 1905, the school premises were confiscated in 1913, obliging ESSEC to be absorbed by the Catholic Institute of Paris or ICP. As a consequence, the school resources were significantly reduced. For instance, it only had one amphitheatre borrowed from ICP and the elementary section was abolished. During this time, the disciplines taught, which remained the close standard until 1960, including languages, history of trade, commercial geography, political economy, law and accounting. An emphasis was on language teaching 10 hours per week (4 hours of English and German, 1 hour of Italian and Spanish The school experienced difficulty surviving during the First World War. In 1914, it had only four students in the first year and two in the second year. It temporarily closed its doors and only reopened in 1915. The third optional year was dropped, and the school did not regain financial stability until 1920 when it welcomed more than 50 students in the first year. In 1923, the Students' Association was created with a solidarity fund for war widows and orphans. In 1926, the first directory of graduates was published and three years later, the first courses in
business ethics Business ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business c ...
were given. By 1930, the number of students increased to 150 people. Against the crisis of the 1930s, ESSEC had to reduce its tuition fees to attract students who preferred
public service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...
or regular
law studies Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
. Due to the gap from 1914-1918 and the economic crisis, the situation became even more difficult. The school was forced to accept high school graduates, uncertified examiners, and even freelance auditors who took uncertified courses. In 1932, the Student Office was created and in 1937, the first scholarships were distributed, marking the start of a social assistance policy


1940–1960

The reform was done under the effort of Camille Donjon in 1939, with the introduction of selection at the school entrance. A preparatory class for the exam was set up in 1941. During this time, ESSEC refused to join the unified system of '' écoles de commerce'' established by the decree of 3 December 1947 which mentioned that the State now supports the implementation of preparatory classes on the territory. As HEC and ESCP joined this system, ESSEC positioned itself as a challenger and kept its preparatory classes. To level its competition, ESSEC altered its school tenure from two to three years starting from 1947. This lasted until 1951 when ESSEC closed its own preparatory classes and opened to candidates for public preparatory classes. In 1950, the first compulsory internship was set up, lasted for three months at the end of studies.


1960–1970

In 1960, Gilbert Olivier replaced Father Donjon as the dean of ESSEC. His arrival, coupled with developments linked to competition, would sway the Christian identity of the school. He began the transformation by launching a survey for students on the content of courses and the pedagogy. The result showed that only a minority of students were satisfied with the teaching. Teaching was judged "Scholarly, serious and lacking in openness". Given the results of this survey, a gradual reform was put in place. Technical subjects such as chemistry and physics were abandoned, teaching content was adapted to the company demand and the human factor was taken into account with the introduction of courses in sociology and
human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...
. In 1965, marketing classes were introduced. Diverse teaching methods such as conferences were set up, similar to what
HEC Paris HEC Paris () is a business school and ''grande école'' located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional developm ...
and
Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...
offered. During this time, ESSEC introduced teaching methods commonly used in U.S. business schools. Furthermore, the recruitment was diversified with the introduction of the ''Admis on Title'' in 1966, which also marked the opening of the school to women. However, preparatory classes were not yet being open to women students. Associative life also began in the early 1960s with the creation of the ''ESSEC Mardis'' in 1961 and the ''Junior Enterprise'' in 1967. The former is a student forum of ESSEC which occasionally invites speakers from French art, sports, politics and economic spaces every year. It also hosted debates led by two students from the association. The entrance exam was reformatted in 1969, with the elimination of the chemistry and physics test and remodelling of the oral exam which now aimed to test the logical reasoning of the candidates and not only their general knowledge.
Psychometric Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally covers specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and rela ...
tests and personality interviews were also introduced. Gilbert Olivier also tried to reform the program of preparatory classes to bring them closer to commercial education but gave up due to opposition from HEC and other business schools.


1970–1990

With the reform in place, the number of students grew, and the school was starting to run out of space. The school occupied three amphitheatres at the ICP and later, in 1971, administrative services would be moved to Raspail Boulevard. In 1965, a commission was set up to consider moving the school to a new location. Projects were planned in Bagneux or Gentilly, which were ultimately abandoned. On 5 July 1967, a decision was taken by ESSEC to move to a new site in the town of
Cergy-Pontoise Cergy-Pontoise () is a new town and an agglomeration community in France, in the Val-d'Oise and Yvelines departments, northwest of Paris on the river Oise. It owes its name to two of the communes that it covers, Cergy and Pontoise. Its population ...
where the current campus is located.. During this time, ESSEC was able to break free from the ICP. In 1968, the latter recognised the financial and administrative independence of the school. In 1969, the ESSEC group was founded, consisting of the school, CERESSEC, a Research Center and ISSEC, an institute for executives. ICP, however, retained one-third of the seats of the Board of Directors and the appointment of the director of the school must still be approved by the rector of the ICP. The move to Cergy-Pontoise polarised the community. It was less well received by students due to the lack of public transportation to the area. Some teachers fuelled the controversy, aware that such a move would entail a potential replacement of faculty members. The new school extended and included a large amphitheatre of 300 seats, eight small amphitheatres with 80 seats equipped with closed circuit television, a computer centre, a large language laboratory, a library, a sports hall, a restaurant university and 48 classrooms. Its reception areas (foyers, cafeterias, and chapel) were to be available to the public in
Cergy Cergy () is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, to the northwest of Paris. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commun ...
. In exchange, student housing was made available nearby. Before 1971, ESSEC relied mainly on executives working in companies as its teaching staff. However, the school started to set up its permanent faculty. The grants awarded by FNEGE to finance studies of young professors or executives in the United States, who wished to return to teaching to fill the French "management gap", allowed ESSEC to build a pool of qualified teachers. In 1972, 9 out of 20 professors were former ESSECs who completed their training in the United States. The arrival of FNEGE Fellows, who came back from the United States, would stimulate a curriculum reform. A core curriculum was set up in the first year based on fundamentals while a course ''à la carte'' was introduced from the second year. This format is still in effect today. A minimum duration of 12 months of internship was also introduced. Furthermore, the ESSEC selectivity increased significantly when application numbers grew from 700 candidates in 1960, to 2,800 in 1973. The decision to move to
Cergy Cergy () is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, to the northwest of Paris. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commun ...
without the support of public funds resulted in heavy debt to the Caisse d'Epargne and ANFESP (National Association for the Financing of Private School Equipment), the Council General of
Val d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.< ...
. This resulted in an obligation to repay up to 4-5 million francs yearly. These financial expenses represented 11.7% of the ESSEC budget in 1975 (compared to 5% for INSEAD). The operating budget exploded from 6 million francs in 1972 to 28 million in 1979. At one point, tuition fees increased until it doubled that of HEC. In 1979, the financial crisis erupted, exacerbated by an environment of high interest rates and an economic slowdown related to the oil shock. Ultimately, the school hit a deficit of 10.4 million francs that year. The apprenticeship tax, the introduction of continuing education and the donation of student's parents were used for funding. The consideration of the ESSEC's nationalisation and possible attachment to a larger university were considered, with those ideas coming within the field of possibilities with the election of
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
to the presidency of the Republic. Gilbert Olivier strongly opposed the plan, seeing it as a failure of the initial project of the school to emancipate itself from the higher education system. Financial conditions ultimately improved, permitting the school to operate without taking such actions. The rescue was made possible by the Versailles Chamber of Commerce, which injected 10 million francs to cover the deficit of ESSEC, bought 51% of ESSEC's ownership for 12 million francs and committed to pay an annual subsidy of 6 million francs from 1982 to 1989. In exchange, ESSEC retained its legal autonomy (and did not become a part of the chamber like the case of
HEC Paris HEC Paris () is a business school and ''grande école'' located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional developm ...
and ESCP with the
Paris Chamber of Commerce The Paris Chamber of Commerce ( or ''CCIP'') is a chamber of commerce of the Paris region. It defends the interests of companies of the city of Paris, and provides services to these companies. Since 2013 it has been a division of the Paris Île ...
), but had a governance system with a management board and supervisory board. This intrusion of supervision and the absence of representation of the students and professors in the general assembly triggered strikes and the launching of petitions against the plan. The agreement was finally signed on 6 April 1981. The fear of control of the school and its pedagogy ultimately proved unfounded.


2000–present

In 1999, the school decided to rename the
Grande Ecole Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places *Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany * Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas * Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) *Arro ...
program as an MBA (
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
), an
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
standard reserved for executives with many years of experience. ESSEC intended to highlight its accreditation from the
AACSB The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to business ...
(American Accreditation Body) and the mandatory 18 months of internships for its students. The move was followed by other business schools, such as ICN Nancy and ESC Grenoble. ESSEC then reviewed its international agreements to bring the program to the MBA or Master's level. The repositioning of the program was heavily criticised by
HEC Paris HEC Paris () is a business school and ''grande école'' located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional developm ...
,
EM Lyon EM Lyon Business School (styled emlyon) is a business school in Lyon, France, established in 1872, and affiliated with the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A ''grande école, grande école de commerce'', EM Lyon Business School offers a ra ...
and
Université Paris-Dauphine Paris Dauphine University - PSL () is a Grande École and public institution of higher education and research based in Paris, France, constituent college of PSL University. As of 2022, Dauphine has 9,400 students in 8 fields of study (law, econo ...
, so much so that Ali Laïdi in his book” Secrets of the Economic War” (2004) said that HEC Paris would have mounted a destabilization operation toward ESSEC by attacking its MBA position. The case led to the opening of an investigation and resolution by the Paris Chamber of Commerce. In 2005, ESSEC expanded its campus with the inauguration of the Nautile building and further, in 2007, with the multipurpose room, the Dome, which has a capacity of 2,700 people, and the Galion. The buildings were designed by Marc Seifert, son of Ivan Seifert who designed the original campus in 1973. In 2008, the library was expanded. Renovation of the restaurant area followed the following year. In March 2006, ESSEC Business School inaugurated its new campus in Singapore within the
National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...
, the ESSEC Asian Center. In 2010, ESSEC presented its strategic plan for 2010–2015. The program portfolio was repositioned: the EPSCI (post-baccalaureate program) became the
bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...
of ESSEC, and the name of MBA was abandoned and replaced with MSc in Management. The group's communication was unified under the name ESSEC Business School. A fundraising strategy of 150 million euros was announced. The school also aimed to be one of the 20 best Business Schools in the world, to join the 10 best schools in Asia and to make it into the top 5 in Europe. The decision to exclude the MBA name from its Grand Ecole program was a strategy pushback for the school. As a result, this program disappeared from the
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
's rankings of both Masters in Management and MBA because of its hybrid nature. The dean of the time, Pierre Tapie, however, did not regret this decision, because he believed that the school had gained a reputation. In fact, in 2007, the
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
ranked ESSEC Grande École program 7th in the world, ahead of HEC and
INSEAD INSEAD ( ; French: ''Institut européen d'administration des affaires'') is a non-profit business school with locations in Europe (Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and North America (San Francisco, USA ...
. During this time, the school expanded its double-degree agreements with the
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad or IIM-A), is a business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is one of the Indian Institutes of Management and was accorded the status of an Institute of National Impor ...
in 2006, Centrale Paris, University of Keio in 2009, École du Louvre, ENSAE and Saint-Cyr in 2010, ENS in 2011,
University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
, three South Korean institutions in 2014 and
Bocconi University Bocconi University or Università Bocconi (formally known in Italian language, Italian as ''Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi'' – Luigi Bocconi Commercial University) is a private university in Milan, Italy. The university is consistently ...
in 2015. In 2014, Jean-Michel Blanquer, the new dean of the school, announced the strategic plan "ESSEC 3I 2020" (Internationalisation, Innovation and Involvement). The internationalisation went through, a new ESSEC Asia-Pacific campus was established, which opened in 2015, an ESSEC Africa campus was opened in 2017, collaboration through a strategic alliance with
CentraleSupélec CentraleSupélec (, CS) is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France and is a member of the graduate engineering school of Paris-Saclay University in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. It was established on 1 January 2015, as a ...
and involvement of students to create their own courses and mentorship program, among other things. The school also launched its first
MOOC A massive open online course (MOOC ) or an open online course is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the World Wide Web, Web. In addition to traditional course materials, such as filmed lectures, readings, and p ...
s, inaugurated its
startup incubator A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend t ...
, ESSEC Ventures and established an experimental research laboratory, K-Lab.


Grande école degrees

ESSEC Business School is a ''grande école'', a French institution of
higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
that operates independently from, but often in parallel with, the main framework of the French public university system. ''Grandes écoles'' are selective academic institutions that admit students through a highly competitive process, and a significant proportion of their graduates occupy prominent positions in French society. Similar to the
Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...
in the United States,
Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford, Universities of Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collect ...
in the United Kingdom, and
C9 League The C9 League is an inter-university seminar composed of nine public universities in China. It was established on May 4, 1998, at the 100th anniversary of Peking University. These elite universities are associated with academic excellence and ...
in China, graduation from a grande école is often considered a key credential for securing top positions in government, administration and the corporate sector in France.
Monique de Saint-Martin Monique de Saint-Martin (born 1940) is a sociologist born in France. Introduction She is the director of studies at the '' Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)'', Monique de Saint-Martinis is known for her work with Pierre Bour ...
, « Les recherches sociologiques sur les grandes écoles : de la reproduction à la recherche de justice », Éducation et sociétés 1/2008 (No. 21),
lire en ligne
sur Cairn.info
Valérie Albouy et Thomas Wanecq
Les inégalités sociales d'accès aux grandes écoles
(2003), INSEE
The degrees offered are accredited by the '' Conférence des Grandes Écoles'' and awarded by the
French Ministry of National Education The Ministry of National Education and Youth, or simply Ministry of National Education, as the title has changed several times in the course of the Fifth Republic, is the cabinet member in the Government of France who oversees the country's pu ...
. Higher education business degrees in France are organised into three levels to facilitate international mobility: ''Licence'' /
Bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Neo-Latin, Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and university, universities upon completion of a course of study lasting ...
,
Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
degrees and
Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
degrees. The Bachelor's and Master's programs are organized into semesters: 6 for the Bachelor's and 4 for the Master's. These programs include various "parcours" or paths, based on Unités d'enseignement (UE) or modules, each carrying a defined number of European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. Students accumulate these credits, which are generally transferable between programs. A Bachelor's degree is awarded upon completion of 180 ECTS credits (bac + 3), and a Master's degree upon completion of an additional 120 ECTS credits (bac +5). The Programme Grande École (PGE) concludes with the awarding of a Master's in Management (MiM) degree.Ben-David, Joseph and Philip G. Altbach. eds. ''Centers of Learning: Britain, France, Germany, United States'' (2nd ed. 2017).


Research


Departments

The school has eight research departments in different fields of human sciences: Accounting and Management Control; Business Law and Environment; Economy; Finance; Management; Operations Management; Marketing; Information Systems, Decision Sciences and Statistics.


CERESSEC

The ESSEC research centre, or ''Centre de recherche ESSEC business school'' (CERESSEC), created in 1969. Supervised by AERES since 2013, the research focuses on scientific area in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. 2 According to the HCERES report on 13 May 2019, CERESSEC is "a leading research laboratory at the national and international level, it is a leading French centre in the field of management and related disciplines." It supports the school's influence in national and international rankings. The research centre brings together 165 professors, on two sites in
Cergy Cergy () is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, to the northwest of Paris. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commun ...
and Singapore. The professors work on nine research themes: Accounting and management control; Economy; Finance; Information System; Law, Negotiation and Consultation; Management; Marketing; Management of Operations; and Statistics.


ESSEC Iréné

ESSEC Iréné is the Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation in Europe created in 1996. The research focuses on several topics related to negotiation, mediation, stakeholder dialogue, and conflict resolution. The stakeholders involved include academics, senior civil servants, elected representatives, managers and employees of businesses, trade unionists, and social mediators.


ESSEC Behavioural Research Lab

This institute is an interdisciplinary research platform which focusses on the study of human behaviour in a controlled environment. The study is mainly conducted in the fields such as behavioral marketing, behavioural management,
behavioural Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as well as the inanimate ph ...
and
experimental economics Experimental economics is the application of experimental methods to study economic questions. Data collected in experiments are used to estimate effect size, test the validity of economic theories, and illuminate market mechanisms. Economic expe ...
.


Organisation and governance

ESSEC is a non-profit organisation. Its management consists of a Director General (School Dean), assisted by its executive committee, made up in particular of the deans of programs, professors and research body. They report to the board, which administers the association, and is made up of two representatives of the Paris Ile-de-France CCI, a representative of the alumni association, and two qualified professionals. The supervisory board is made up of twenty-eight members, six representatives of the Paris Ile-de-France CCI, two members of the Institute Catholique de Paris, five former students, one member of the Confederation of SMEs, four students, five professors including the dean of the professors, two members of the administrative staff of the school, and three qualified professionals. The general assembly is the guarantor of the stability of the statutes of the association, and it is composed of the president of the CCI of Paris Île-de-France, a representative of the association of graduates, a representative of the Confederation of SMEs, the dean of professors, and the rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP).


Deans of ESSEC Business School


Rankings


Campuses

ESSEC has 4 campuses:
Cergy Cergy () is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, to the northwest of Paris. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commun ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France's Paris metropolitan area, west of the city limits. It is located in Île-de-France region's Departments of France, department of Hauts-de-Seine in the Communes of France, communes of Courbe ...
and
Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
. An Africa-Indian Ocean campus project in
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
was announced in 2016 but was cancelled in 2017.


Cergy campus

The main ESSEC campus is located in
Cergy Cergy () is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, to the northwest of Paris. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commun ...
. Inaugurated in 1973, the site is located in the city and open to the public, mixing students and inhabitants in the area. In 2007, two new buildings were constructed: the Dome and the Galion, both significantly increased Cergy campus grounds. The Dome, which acts as a multipurpose room, can accommodate up to 2,700 people. It is used for business forums (Career Fairs), conferences, exam site, and cultural and social activities. The Galion is an administrative and educational building. It houses 54 offices and meeting rooms, 8 amphitheatres, and 12 classrooms as well as open work spaces. At the end of 2018, the Campus 2020 project was announced, which intends to modernise the Cergy campus by 2023, for a total cost of 35 million euros (private and public funding). Among the main lines of this project are the construction of a sports centre of nearly 2,000m2, the redevelopment of the old gymnasium and the existing administration building into spaces intended for research activities.


La Défense campus

ESSEC has had premises in the CNIT in
La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France's Paris metropolitan area, west of the city limits. It is located in Île-de-France region's Departments of France, department of Hauts-de-Seine in the Communes of France, communes of Courbe ...
since 1989, mainly used for continuing education and the MBA program.


Singapore campus

The ESSEC Asia-Pacific campus in Singapore was announced in October 2012, by Pierre Tapie shortly before his departure. The new campus was inaugurated in May 2015, by Jean-Michel Blanquer. ESSEC has been present in
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
since 1980 with a permanent office in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
since 2005 through the ESSEC Asian Centre located in the National Library Building. After considering
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
and
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, among others, the school finally chose Singapore latter in 2005, in particular for its position as a gateway to Asia. Located in Nepal Hill, the campus spans five levels, 6,500m2, can accommodate 1,500 students per year and cost 24 million euros, fully funded by ESSEC. It was designed by Singaporean architect, Dr. Liu Thai Ker (former architect planning Singapore).


Rabat campus

The creation of this campus was announced in November 2015, by Jean-Michel Blanquer and was inaugurated in April 2017.
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
was chosen for the already effective presence of ESSEC's partner
CentraleSupélec CentraleSupélec (, CS) is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France and is a member of the graduate engineering school of Paris-Saclay University in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. It was established on 1 January 2015, as a ...
, its proximity to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and the large number of Moroccan alumni. Located 15 km from
Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
, the campus covers 6,000 m2 and has a capacity of 480 students. The campus is located right in the
Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
-
Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
-
Kenitra Kenitra (, , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 507,736 as of 2024. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra ...
axis. The campus was built specifically for ESSEC by the Addoha real estate group to which the school pays rent (proportional to the number of students hosted during the first three years, then €360,000 / year beyond), with the possibility of purchasing the premises after nine years. At its first school year, the campus had seventy students, including eighteen Moroccans.


Programs


ESSEC Global BBA

The undergraduate program was initially created in 1975 by ESSEC Group to prepare students to meet the needs of French firms launching operations on the international market. It was formerly known as EPSCI, ''"École des Practiciens du Commerce International"'', and is now referred to as "ESSEC Global BBA". The Global BBA lasts for four years and is designed for candidates graduated from high school (in France "Baccalauréat"). At the end of the program, each student will have completed a minimum of 12 months of coursework abroad (each student will do two exchange programs abroad), a one-month humanitarian project and between 11 and 18 months of professional experience, which may also take place abroad.


Master in Management - ''Grande École'' program

ESSEC's postgraduate programme is its
Master in Management The Master of Management (MM, MiM, MMgt) is a master's degree comprising one or two years graduate level coursework in business management. In terms of content, it is similar to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree as it contain ...
(also called "''Grande École'' program"), designed for students with no professional experience (instead of managers with 3–5 years of experience like US
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
programs). It is the flagship program of the school. The ESSEC MSc in management has been historically designed for candidates who have completed French preparatory classes after getting a
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...
and passing a competitive entrance examination known as the ''concours'', or have a university degree (Bachelor or Master). Applications are now open to non-French students: students with a university degree of three years or more received outside of France can also apply. Students from ''classe préparatoire'' will spend two to three years after
Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
only to prepare for the national entrance examination of
Grandes Ecoles Grandes may refer to: *Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician *Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia * Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...
which includes a written part (lasting three weeks) as well as an oral part (one to four days for each grande école). It is commonly considered the most prestigious path after High School in France (only 5% of a generation will be admitted to a ''prépa'') with Law and Medicine, and consists of intensive courses in
Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
,
History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
and
Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
,
Economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
,
Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
,
Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
, and two foreign languages. In 2015, among more than 20,000 students enrolled in classe préparatoire (business section), 5,614 applied to ESSEC concours (considered one of the most difficult), only 890 were invited to oral examination and 380 were eventually admitted. This means an acceptance rate of 6.77%. Going outside during lesson time is also forbidden on school grounds. ESSEC offer an ''à la carte'' program – whether following courses at ESSEC or at a partner institution, going abroad or focusing on an associative project etc.


Master in Finance

The ''Master in Finance'' replaced the old Master ''Techniques Financières'' since 2016. The Master in Finance is recognized by the French Higher Education and Research Ministry as master's degree. There are three specialised tracks: * Corporate Finance: M&A, Private Equity, ECM, DCM, Equity Research, Leveraged and Project Finance; * Financial Markets: Sales, Trading, Risk Management and Portfolio Management; *FinTech & Analytics: Quantitative Asset and Risk Management, Data-based Market Making and Trading and Quant Hedge Funds (with a solid Math/Physics degree). The Master in Finance has a partnership with the
Chartered Financial Analyst The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program is a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally by the US-based CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research, or AIMR) to investment and financia ...
(CFA).


ESSEC M.S. Advanced Masters

The Advanced master's degrees are accredited by the " Conférence des Grandes Ecoles" in France. These programs are specialised to allow students finishing their studies or young professionals to complete their initial training (usually science or engineering) by acquiring complementary knowledge.


ESSEC Global MBA

The Global MBA at ESSEC Business School is a 12-month, full-time MBA program with an emphasis on emerging markets and experiential learning. It offers two Majors allowing students to specialise in the following areas: Luxury Brand Management, Strategy and Digital Leadership.


PhD in Business Administration

The PhD trains future professors,
researchers Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
and consultants. Before starting their dissertation work, students must follow a two-year program of courses and seminars that ends with preliminary examinations and a dissertation proposal. The curriculum starts with an intensive period of interdisciplinary training common to all students. This is followed by research training for the chosen field of specialisation.


ESSEC Executive Education

More than 5,000 managers participate in ESSEC Exec Ed programs every year, primarily at La Défense campus, located in the heart of Paris' financial district and ESSEC's Singapore campus.


ESSEC & Mannheim Executive MBA

ESSEC and Mannheim Business School launched their joint Executive MBA Program in 2004. Building on the first established Executive MBAs in Europe by ESSEC since 1994, several modules are proposed in Mannheim, Paris, Singapore and various other locations worldwide in partner business schools.


International partnerships

ESSEC has developed partnerships with universities all over the world for exchange and double degree programs, including
UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...
,
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
,
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
,
Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
,
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
,
Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...
,
Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...
,
Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...
,
Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...
,
National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...
,
IIM Ahmedabad The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad or IIM-A), is a business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is one of the Indian Institutes of Management and was accorded the status of an Institute of National Impor ...
,
IE Business School IE Business School is a graduate and undergraduate business school, located in Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1973 under the name Instituto de Empresa (lit. Institute of Business) and is part of IE University since 2007. IE Business School is ...
,
University of Mannheim The University of Mannheim (German: ''Universität Mannheim''), abbreviated UMA, is a public university, public research university in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1967, the university has its origins in the ''Palatine Aca ...
,
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
, Esic Business & Marketing School, Fundação Getúlio Vargas' EAESP, among many others.


ESSEC alumni

The association of graduates of the ESSEC or ESSEC Alumni group was founded in 1923, with the mission of connecting the 60,000+ graduates of ESSEC.. It spans 75 countries and five continents and organises more than a thousand events per year through its two hundred volunteers and employees. The network partners with 60 corporations, consists of 17 regional clubs and 73 chapters around the world. The association also publishes the alumni magazine, Reflets, five times a year. Since 2017, the association has maintained a physical office on the Cergy campus. The same year lifelong ESSEC Alumni membership became included in tuition fees.


Notable alumni

Business *
Nicolas Hieronimus Nicolas Hieronimus (born 3 January 1964), is a French businessman, and the CEO of the L’Oréal Group since May 1, 2021, the sixth CEO in the history of the group, taking the place of Jean-Paul Agon, who remains the chairman of the group. ...
, CEO of
L'Oréal Group L'Oréal S.A. () is a French multinational personal care corporation registered in Paris
* Sue Nabi, CEO of Coty Inc. *
Marc Lelandais Marc Lelandais (born May 8, 1966 in Mayenne, France) is a French business executive in the luxury and textile industry. He became chairman of ST Dupont in 2005 and then Lancel (brand), Lancel from 2006 to 2012. In July 2012, he was made CEO of Fr ...
, Chairman of S. T. Dupont *
Benoît Coquart Benoît Coquart is a French businessman who has been the CEO of Legrand since 2018. History Early life In 1994, Coquart graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Later, in 1995, he graduated from ESSEC Business School F ...
, CEO of Legrand * Olivier Sichel, Deputy CEO of
Caisse des dépôts et consignations Caisse, a French word, may refer to: * Caisse Desjardins, an association of credit unions in Quebec * Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, a road-bicycle racing team *Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Q ...
, former CEO of Wanadoo * Véronique Bédague, CEO of Nexity *
Antoine Bernard de Saint-Affrique Antoine Bernard de Saint-Affrique is a French businessman. He was appointed CEO of the Danone group in May 2021. His family name is ''Bernard de Saint-Affrique'', sometimes abbreviated to ''de Saint-Affrique'', and his given name is Antoine. Fa ...
, CEO of
Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock mark ...
*
Michel Bon Michel Bon (born 5 July 1943) is a French businessman and politician. He is a graduate of the ESSEC Business School, of the Paris Institute of Political Studies, of the École nationale d'administration and of Stanford Business School. In 1981, ...
, CEO of
Carrefour Carrefour Group, S.A. (, ), is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, Essonne, Massy, France. It operates a chain of hypermarkets, grocery stores and convenience stores. By 2024, the group had 14,000 ...
(1985–1992), CEO of
France Telecom Orange S.A. (; formerly , stylised as france telecom) is a French multinational telecommunications corporation founded in 1988 and headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. ''Orange'' has been the corporation's main brand for mobile, ...
(1995–2002) * Patrick Cescau, CEO of
Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...
*
Pierre-André de Chalendar Pierre-André de Chalendar (born 12 April 1958) is a French businessman. He is chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain since 3 June 2010, and CEO since June 2007. Early life Pierre-André de Chalendar was born on 12 April 1958 in Vichy. He graduated f ...
, CEO of
Saint-Gobain Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris as the Manufacture royale de glaces de miroirs, and today headquartered on the outskirts of Paris, at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a ...
* Corinne Vigreux, Co-founder of TomTom N.V. * Nicolas Namias, CEO of Group BPCE *
Pierre Nanterme Pierre Nanterme (7 September 1959 – 31 January 2019) was a French business executive. He was the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Accenture, a global management consulting and professional services firm. Early life Nanterme was bo ...
, CEO of
Accenture Accenture plc is a global multinational professional services company originating in the United States and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, that specializes in information technology (IT) services and management consulting. It was founded in 1 ...
*
Yves Perrier Yves Perrier (born 1954 in Scionzier) is a French financial manager. He served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Amundi from the creation of the company in 2010 to 2021. From 1987 onward, he successively held the roles of Chief Financial Office ...
, CEO of
Amundi Amundi is a French asset management company. With €2.247 trillion of assets under management (AUM) in 2025, it is the largest asset manager in Europe and one of the 10 biggest investment managers in the world. Founded on 1 January 2010, t ...
, former CFO of
Société Générale Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English-speaking countries as SocGen (), is a French multinational universal bank and financial services company founded in 1864. It is registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby i ...
* Pierre Denis, CEO of
Jimmy Choo (fashion house) Jimmy Choo is a British luxury fashion house specialising in shoes, handbags, accessories and fragrances. The company, J. Choo Limited, was founded in 1996 by Malaysian Chinese couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo and British ''Vogue (magazine), V ...
* Marie-Christine Lombard, CEO of
TNT Express TNT Express was an international courier delivery services company with its headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. It was acquired by FedEx. History The namesake Thomas Nationwide Transport grandfather company was originally started in 1946 w ...
* Dominique Reiniche, CEO of Coca-Cola Europe *
Gilles Pélisson Gilles Pélisson (born 26 May 1957) is a French business executive. Early life Gilles Pélisson was born on 26 May 1957.
, CEO of
TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...
, former CEO of
Bouygues Telecom Bouygues Telecom S.A. () is a French mobile phone, Internet service provider and IPTV company, part of the Bouygues group. It is the third oldest mobile network operator in France, after Orange and SFR, and before Free Mobile, and provides 2 ...
(2004–2006) and of Accor Group (2006–2011) * Charles Bouaziz, CEO of Monoprix S.A., Former CEO of
PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...
(Europe) * Élisabeth Moreno, President of
Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, Former President of
Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, trading as Lenovo ( , zh, c=联想, p=Liánxiǎng), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, servers, conv ...
France *
Thierry Peugeot Thierry Peugeot (; born 1957) is a French heir and business executive. Early life Thierry Peugeot was born in 1957. His father, Pierre Peugeot, served as the Chairman of Peugeot. He has a sister, Marie-Hélène Roncoroni. He graduated from the ...
, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of
Peugeot-Citroën Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...
* Jérôme Tafani, CEO of
Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...
France Politics *
Charles Konan Banny Charles Konan Banny (11 November 1942 – 10 September 2021)Biography at BCEAO website
, former Prime Minister of Ivory Coast * Oumar Tatam Ly, former
Prime Minister of Mali This is a list of prime ministers of Mali since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. The prime minister heads the Council of Ministers of Mali, Council of Ministers. A total of seventeen people have served as ...
*
Cécile Duflot Cécile Duflot (; born 1 April 1975) is a French non-governmental organisation ( NGO) leader and former politician. She has been a government minister and political party leader. She was Minister of Territorial Equality and Housing () in the ...
, ex-French Minister of Housing in the Ayrault Cabinet, formerly head of the French Green Party and now head of Oxfam France * Fleur Pellerin, ex-French
Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...
in the First Valls government. *
Emmanuelle Mignon Emmanuelle Mignon (; born 26 April 1968) served as cabinet director for French president Nicolas Sarkozy between May 2007 and July 2008. Education Emmanuelle Mignon graduated from ESSEC business school in 1990. In 1992, she graduated from In ...
, ex-Cabinet secretary of French President
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
from 2008 to 2012 * Alexis Kohler, Chief of Staff of
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
Academics * D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Indian
scientific management Scientific management is a theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows. Its main objective is improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineer ...
researcher Other well-known alumni * Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
*
Marie-José Pérec Marie-José Pérec (; born 9 May 1968) is a retired French track and field sprinter who specialised in the 200 and 400 metres and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. She was born in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and moved to ...
, former sprinter, three times Olympic champion *
Philippe Sollers Philippe Sollers (; born Philippe Joyaux; 28 November 1936 – 5 May 2023) was a French writer and critic. In 1960 he founded the '' avant garde'' literary journal '' Tel Quel'' (along with writer and art critic Marcelin Pleynet), which was pu ...
, French writer


Controversies

In 2020, its campus in Singapore came under intense controversy when one of its students, Louise Pizon-Hébert, made multiple posts on
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
during
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...
by making slit-eyed gestures and using the pejorative term " ching chong" as a caption while wearing the
cheongsam ''Cheongsam'' (, ), also known as the ''qipao'' () and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the , the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people. The cheongsam is most often seen ...
. The school has claimed that its disciplinary committee were currently "looking into the situation". However, to date, the results from the committee have not been made public.


See also

* Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris *
HEC Paris HEC Paris () is a business school and ''grande école'' located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional developm ...
*
ESCP Business School ESCP Business School (; ) is a French business school and ''grande école'' founded in Paris and based across Europe with campuses in Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Turin, and Warsaw. Established in 1819, it is considered the world's oldest busi ...
*
Triple accreditation Triple accreditation (also known as the triple crown) refers to a business school being accredited by all three leading international accreditation organizations: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in the US, the ...


References


External links


Official website
{{Coord, 49, 01, 59, N, 2, 04, 40, E, display=title, region:FR_type:edu_source:dewiki ESSEC Business School Universities and colleges established in 1907 Business schools in Singapore Education in Paris 1907 establishments in France Business schools in France Business schools in Europe