Africa, AI, Gender Equality, Green Nudges, Batman...ESSEC in the News

Business leaders in France and overseas, committed citizens, experts and entrepreneurs... ESSEC is making waves in all fields! Press review

Business Leaders 

The EcoMatin website praised Jules Ngankam (E07) for his career: ‘The Cameroonian at the helm of the African Guarantee Fund has been described by the international magazine New African as one of Africa’s 100 most influential figures. He received particular acclaim for his actions promoting the development of SMEs and the inclusion of women in African growth.
Read the article (in French)

In Les Échos, Béatrice Kosowski (E87), CEO of IBM France, called for a strengthening of female leadership in artificial intelligence. ‘Research led by our departments has revealed that just 26% of women in France feel confidently ready to use AI, compared to 46% of men. Moreover, only 22% of decision-making positions in the AI field are held by women.’ 
Read an extract (in French)

Commitment

In Le Figaro, Antoine de Gabrielli (E83), gender equality expert and author of S'émanciper à deux - le couple, le travail et l'égalité [Emancipation as a Pair - Couples, Work and Equality] published by Éditions du Rocher, warned: ‘The latest birth leave proposed by Emmanuel Macron will have a negative impact on the desire to have children if it is not accompanied by more day care places and facilitated home day care.’
Read the article (in French)
See also our interview (in French)

In Le Dauphiné Libéré, Laura Dos Santos (E12), site manager for Mayoly, the world leader in therapeutic clay, listed the measures she has taken to reduce the environmental impact of activities under her responsibility: natural processing of clay, solar-powered kiln, a modernised waste treatment plant, renovated premises, reduced heating and AC with programmes adapted to weather conditions, planted roofs, and asphalt replaced by permeable surfacing...’Our aim for 2030 is to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions.’ 
Read the article  (in French)

In L’Étudiant, Nora Mathis (E25), president of the Grande École Student Office, described the preventive actions in place for events organised by her team. ‘We have both a legal and a moral responsibility’.
Read the article (in French)

Experts

In Le Monde, Jérôme Barthélémy (E93), Executive Vice-President at ESSEC and Professor of Strategy, commented: ‘Green nudges, i.e. methods using subconscious psychology to encourage responsible consumption, have yet to prove their effectiveness.’ He suggested boosting these techniques with active public policies to obtain real impact.
Read an extract (in French)

In Les Échos, Lucas Thiery (EXEC M21), Director of Strategy at Digital Medical Hub, asserted: ‘France has all the necessary assets to become the market leader in innovative medical devices’. On one condition, however: to lower the cost and simplify the procedures of clinical trial phases.
Read an extract (in French)

On TV5, Nathalie Marchak¹ (E03), film director and Vice President of the civil society organisation Auteurs Réalisateurs Producteurs [Authors, Directors & Producers] explores the issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence in film creation: ‘We have to shake off the fear that regulation will limit the growth of technology flagships. On the contrary, legal stability will ensure uses leading to value creation for the entire cultural sector and, consequently, for the French and European economies.’ 
Watch the video (in French)

Isabelle Rey-Millet (EXEC MBA 00), Director of the consultancy Ethikonsulting, responded to the investigation led by L’Express on ‘the dark side of management training courses’ and criticism for certain bodies over their lack of seriousness, particularly in terms of their training content: ‘I’ve tried numerous psychological or personality tests which reveal how you work. The problem is that they assign a label, which can be counterproductive.’
Read an extract (in French)

In Entreprendre, Michaël Delouis (E99) revealed his unique technique for coaching managers: ‘My approach is based on walking, running or mountain hiking. Creating or managing a business and growing professionally is often like a long-distance mountain race. The trick is to find the right “tempo”. Working on yourself while walking or running produces more fulfilling results.’ 
Read the article (in French)

Entrepreneurship

Les Échos ran a piece on Eclipse, the start-up co-founded by Augustin Derville (E19) which develops a battery storage solution it describes as ‘the antidote to the intermittence of renewable energy.’ A convincing prospect for investors, who have already helped the start-up to raise €5.5 million.
Read an extract (in French)

In Le Parisien, Clémence d’Aligny (E24) described how the ESSEC Ventures incubator helped her to develop UMI, a platform which helps women to manage their gynaecological health. ‘With an average seven-year wait between diagnosis and the implementation of appropriate treatment, women suffering from this pathology are faced with a real lack of specialist care.’ Her solution thus includes a directory of recommended professionals and an informative blog.
Read the article (in French)

On BFM TV, Emmanuel Teboul (E17), co-founder  with David Harari (E16) of Dama Dreams, presented their latest project in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery: Batman Escape, ‘France’s largest escape game, with a 3000m² venue devoted to the superhero world, 3 immersive experiences led by professional actors, a remote control car race, a bar in the heart of Gotham City and a DC Comics-themed souvenir shop! 
Watch the video (in French)

On the EcommerceMag website, Arnaud Vanpoperinghe (E95) shares his strategy for Tikamoon, his brand of wooden furniture which ‘lasts longer than the time it takes to renew trees. Patagonia is our lighthouse. We want to be a guiding light which shows that you can be profitable, human and good for the planet.’ 
Read the article (in French) !

¹ Pseudonym

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