3 Alumni Join the ESSEC Supervisory Board

Did you know? ESSEC Alumni play a substantial role in the governance of the ESSEC group - in particular through the appointment of graduates to the school’s Supervisory Board. Discover the 3 nominees for the 2022-2025 term.

Benoît Coquart (E95) has spent his entire career with the CAC40-listed company Legrand. Following an initial posting in South Korea, he held various management positions in Communication, Strategic Marketing and Corporate Development before becoming CEO in 2018.

Béatrice Kosowski (E87) is General Manager of IBM France, where she has worked for more than 20 years following her experience as an entrepreneur in the marketing field. More specifically, she held management roles in the EMEA zone prior to her positions with IBM Global Financing and IBM Global Technology Services.

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (E02), former French tennis champion, has recently taken over the general management of the French Tennis Federation (FFT). Her previous positions include Director of Marketing, Brand, Service and Digital at AXA, followed by Executive Director of E-commerce, Data and Digital Transformation at Carrefour. Also a graduate of ENA and Sciences Po Paris, she worked briefly for the French Court of Auditors.

Olivier Cantet (E87), President of ESSEC Alumni, remains on the Board of Overseers, and Pierre-André de Chalendar (E79) retains his position as President. Also a graduate of ENA, he began his career at the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Public Action and Accounts, before becoming Managing Director of energy and raw materials at the French Ministry for Industry. In 1989 he joined Saint-Gobain, where he rose to his present position of CEO.  Since 2017, and alongside Louis Gallois, he has co-presided La Fabrique de l’Industrie, a think tank dedicated to industrial issues and their links to society and the economy. “It’s an honour for me to preside over the ESSEC Board of Overseers, a school I hold dear not only because I’m a graduate, but also and more importantly because it upholds strong humanist and entrepreneurial values that I promote on a daily basis in my company. I’m committed to ensuring the proper running of the institution’s governing bodies.” 

How does the governance of the ESSEC Group work?

Affiliated to the Paris-Ile-de-France Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR), ESSEC has a governance structure associating members of the ESSEC community (Alumni, students, professors, staff), as well as representatives of the CCIR and stakeholders from the world of business. ESSEC Alumni plays a key statutory role through membership on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Overseers and the General Assembly. This significant engagement on the part of Alumni in the governance of the school is specific to ESSEC. It demonstrates the important responsibility of the community in supporting the school and its reputation.

The Board of Trustees

The ESSEC Group is administered by a board composed of five members designated for three years:
● 2 representatives from the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR): Annick Schwebig, president of the board, and Pierre-Jean Baudey;
● 1 representative of the ESSEC Alumni Association: Jean-Luc Decornoy (E75) ;
● 2 leading figures from the business world: Frédéric Vernhes and Edward Arkwright (E96).
 The Board of Trustees reports to the Board of Overseers and to the General Assembly in their respective functions.

The Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board is composed of 28 members:
● 6 representatives from the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
● 2 members from the Catholic University of Paris;
● 5 Alumni;
● 1 member from the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME);
● 4 students;
● 5 professors including the Dean of the Faculty;
● 2 administrative staff members;
● 4 leading figures.

The ESSEC Group General Assembly

The General Assembly guarantees the stability of ESSEC Group statutes. It is composed of 5 members:
● 1 representative from the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR);
● 1 representative of the ESSEC Alumni Association;
● 1 representative from the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME);
● 1 representative of ESSEC’s permanent teaching faculty;
● 1 representative of the Catholic University of Paris acting as Chair.

For more information on the governance of ESSEC go to this page.

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