Reflets Magazine #151 | Olivier Cantet (E87), President of ESSEC Alumni: ‘The Time is Right to Reinvent Ourselves’

In Reflets Mag #151, Olivier Cantet (E87) takes stock of his five years as president (and committed volunteer) of ESSEC Alumni, before handing over the keys at the general assembly next spring. Here is a free online translation of the article… subscribe to get the next issues (in French)!

Reflets Magazine: You will be stepping down as president a few months after the Association’s move to 11, Avenue de Friedland (Paris 8^e) and the smart, modern and attractive new premises. But what is the purpose of a Maison des ESSEC?

Olivier Cantet: Defining the purpose of a Maison des ESSEC implies questioning the purpose of the Association itself. ESSEC Alumni, which has just celebrated its centenary anniversary, has operated in phases. The first began with the creation of the school prior to the First World War. A great many of its students were enlisted, killed or wounded in action. This kindled the idea of an association, formed in the aftermath of the slaughter, which would contribute to rebuilding the nation by helping its peers. This is a strong founding element. At the time, the school and the association were housed at the Catholic Institute in Rue Assas, Paris. War marked the history of our association once again, and in 1948, thanks to the generosity of a handful of graduates, a flat was acquired at 10 Rue de Copenhague. We then moved to 34 Rue de Liège, in the same arrondissement (8^th). A new milestone was reached towards the late 1990s. Rallied around Jean-Pierre Scotti (E75), more than 100 alumni raised enough equity to acquire the large and beautiful Maison des ESSEC at 77 Rue Cortambert in the 16^th arrondissement (a whole building, in fact). We stayed at that address for almost 25 years. This latest Maison des ESSEC on Avenue de Friedland heralds the start of a new and ambitious phase, anchored in the future and at the heart of all alumni’s paths.

RM: You opted to rent offices, at a stone’s throw from Place de l’Etoile. Can you tell us why?

O. Cantet: It took four years to ‘do the job well’, to achieve one of our dreams and find ourselves ‘at home’, after discussions, appraisals, sale, rental, moving out and moving in. Urbanism and ways of working evolve a great deal over a generation. We wanted a more federating address to attract young graduates and students, as well as more functional meeting spaces. Having set up a specialist committee within the Association, which included Marc Bokobza (M88) and Jacques Bonafé (M17), in agreement with the founders of the Maison des ESSEC, we opted to sell the Cortambert premises at the end of the COVID epidemic. This first step proceeded very smoothly.

RM: What was the second step? 

O. Cantet: The second step was to look for property to house everyone again. We decided on a more central location on the Cergy-Défense-Étoile-Auber axis to facilitate access from both the business districts and the Parisian campuses. The plan was to rent for purchase. The ESSEC network in the property sector helped us to find a great ‘house’ that was about to open for rental at 11 Avenue de Friedland, with 800m² that fitted our needs perfectly. The aim for 2028-2030 is to be able to buy and own our premises.

RM: How was this venue designed and organised?

O. Cantet: We wanted to provide a meeting and work place, preferably on a single level. A space where people could meet up, get together, party or share a coffee. An atypical venue also, either in volume or location. Avenue de Friedland and its covered garden ticked all the boxes. It was practically love at first sight.

RM: What are the short and medium-term projects for this address?

O. Cantet: It has to be a ‘home’ for all and everyone. We are now open morning, afternoon and evening. A co-working space for all members of the ESSEC ecosystem, this is also a meeting place for our clubs, the school’s chairs, graduates, teachers and students, many of whom stop by, stay to work and feel at ease here. There are still plenty of ideas to be introduced gradually, but it’s really a hospitality profession that we’re developing here.

RM: The definition of alumni has changed significantly with lifelong membership. What is the result at present?

O. Cantet: Last year we had 18,511 contributing members out of 62,000 graduates. Lifelong membership, which is a one-off payment, has led to two changes. The first is that you become an alumnus from the first day you set foot on campus. In 2019-2020, we thus opened an ESSEC Alumni office on the Paris and Singapore campuses. This also implies our very long-term (for life) commitment towards today’s members.

RM: And the second change? 

O. Cantet: Given that we no longer need to chase after contributions as much as in the past, 90% of our time is now devoted to users, i.e. you the alumni. Stéphanie Bouvier Jossermoz (E94), who was the managing director of the Association during this period of change, was able to put a considerable amount of energy into developing existing services, creating new ones and launching initiatives.

RM: This is a positive point, right?

O. Cantet: Yes of course, but beware. We have twice as many members today as in 2017. In 2030, we’ll have between 30,000 and 35,000 lifelong members. At this ever-increasing rate, particularly overseas, we will have to find a way to meet their needs with resources which will remain stable.

RM: How can ESSEC Alumni adapt, given that 20% of graduates are overseas?

O. Cantet: The number of chapters worldwide has grown substantially, to total 90 at present. The Association is there for all alumni, but our efforts must prioritise our volunteers. For the Association to reach out to everyone, especially overseas, we must provide the means to the volunteer alumni in Vietnam, the USA, London or Africa. To this end, we created a permanent team to back Veary Ngy. In the last four years, we’ve also invested heavily in digital technology, in addition to forming a dedicated in-house team. We’ve pooled all our databases and automated a certain number of volunteer services to help organise events more efficiently.

RM: With this change in mindset, how do you create a sense of belonging for alumni?

O. Cantet: That’s an important question and a growing issue owing to an increasingly international graduate profile, or with those on shorter programmes who spend less time at the school. The sense of pride and belonging is nurtured on campus above all, but also through our communication tools – newsletters, website, social networks – and via Reflets ESSEC Magazine. Your career stories are diverse, varied and inspirational. Our team of journalists are skilled in telling these stories, speaking to all generations and surprising us with personalities. Everyone can feel close to ESSEC and happy to be a member.  

RM: What other projects could be envisaged in terms of communication?

O. Cantet: We’ve tried to develop events with greater visibility. The ESSEC Alumni Day around diversity is one such example. For 24 hours running, all the chapters got involved in exploring the theme of diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace, school, and society in general, with some very high-profile speakers, debates and content. It was a wonderful success we’d like to repeat. It is a visibility factor that we’re working on, hand in hand with the school.

RM: Speaking of the school, can you tell us about the ties it maintains with ESSEC Alumni?

O. Cantet: The ESSEC group boasts a highly original form of governance. It is a non-profit organisation in existence for more than a century, which generates more than €130 million in turnover in several countries. The school’s governance is well-balanced between its board of directors presided by Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi, the Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Catholic Institute of Paris and alumni. We thus play a decisive role in governance. The alumni president appoints the president of the overseers’ board, the entity which validates the school’s fundamental decisions. For the last five years, Pierre-André de Chalendar (E79) has fulfilled this task with a great deal of involvement, and pleasure, I think. We are members of the board of directors, presided by Annick Schwebig with Jean-Luc Decornoy (E75). Jean Arvis (E74) manages the financial committee. ESSEC Alumni fulfils a dual mission: to ensure longevity and support ambitious, pioneering, game-changing projects.

RM: Have things changed much in recent years with ESSEC?

O. Cantet: We’ve been perfectly aligned in the last five years. Firstly, the ESSEC Group is in very good shape, both academically and in terms of financial solidity. Major projects are a possibility, such as the magnificent renovation of the Cergy campus, as well as other initiatives we’re working on with Vincenzo Vinzi and his team. I’d also like to point out that the single lifelong contribution could not have existed without that team, nor without my predecessor Charles Bouaziz (E85). The choice was made to co-build that model because it’s a winning one. ESSEC’s reputation is of course linked to the quality of the students, teachers and graduates who represent a promise fulfilled in companies! 

RM: How do you see the student-alumni continuum?

O. Cantet: I mentioned earlier that we become alumni from the first day at ESSEC, but we are also students until the last day of our career. We can easily call on expertise and collective intelligence both during our time at the school and once we’ve left. Historically, there were two separate places: the school in Cergy for students, and the Maison des ESSEC in Paris for graduates. That still exists, but we have added a digital layer. As a student, you can go to Avenue de Friedland and follow a class at ESSEC. You can follow an ESSEC Executive Education class or video from your home. Temporality has changed greatly, but the physical space has also mushroomed. Digital technology helps to foster those situations, free of boundaries and physical barriers.

RM: Is that a successful gambit in your view?

O. Cantet: I sincerely believe that we now have a very solid and effective association which radiates positive energy and the joy of always being together. It fulfils so many tasks with openness. In five years, ESSEC Alumni has managed to adapt to the COVID situation, digitalisation, and a change in business model. With Stéphanie Bouvier Jossermoz and the permanent teams, we began by setting up a diverse range of services around the three pillars ‘Inspire’, ‘Connect’, and ‘Support’. Then projects in the pipeline suddenly came to fruition during COVID. We weren’t working just to maintain links, guide people or promote ESSEC. We were also working for the common good. We rediscovered our ability for collective impact, which we needed to activate. That’s when the last pillar, ‘Together to Act’ came into being, which focuses on accelerating environmental and social transition, including diversity and equal opportunity. This mindset also serves the ESSEC Foundation, presided by Thierry Fritsch (E80), which is growing rapidly and funds the majority of student scholarships.

RM: You are also calling for a collective reflection on the future of the Association, at the same time as ESSEC is calling for co-building.

O. Cantet: Exactly. I believe there is an alignment of schedules. 27,000 alumni use our services annually. We face a pitfall, however, in substantially broadening our range of offers. The risk of spreading ourselves too thinly is very real. Which major projects with strong impact and high visibility should we push forward to develop the individual potential of each ESSEC member, to increase the collective impact of our groups, for the school? We will steer this collaborative task over the next six months to focus on less but better. I think we can go much further, provided we draw on synergies with our community, the school and the Foundation.

RM: What aspect of the last five years are you most proud of?

O. Cantet: It’s been a pleasure first and foremost, the pleasure of giving. Benevolence pays. Collaboration pays. And ESSEC Alumni is precisely a privileged space where benevolence and collaboration have the time to express themselves and bear powerful fruit. It doesn’t contribute to the calculation of GNP and economic growth, but that really doesn’t matter. It’s this pleasure, combined with a great duty, which drives me and numerous ESSEC alumni. If we are to act fast for transition and reinvent our companies, our young generations must rapidly take control in the business, social and political spheres. Thanks to their training and our support, they will develop innovative expertise in addition to positive, humanist values. They will gain the experience and confidence to become pioneers in all fields. ESSEC, with its teachers, management, the Foundation and ESSEC Alumni has all the cards in hand to ensure this generation makes the difference.

RM: How did you balance private life, professional life and your commitment to ESSEC Alumni?

O. Cantet: It’s not always easy, and sometimes makes for very busy evenings and weekends. These are extraordinarily rich moments of encounters for anyone with an interest in human nature, and particularly its ESSEC version. I never had difficult choices to make between each aspect of my life. The desire was naturally there (I think). The energy follows suit and you find the time. I’ve always believed that being able to live several lives in one is a rare opportunity.

RM: To conclude, how do you see the future?

O. Cantet: We’re now settled into the Maison des ESSEC, and in our relations with the school, under our talented new managing director, Marie-Pierre Schickel (E95). We benefit from great organisation and good balance, and share a clear vision. And it’s precisely because we’re settled comfortably that the time is right to reinvent ourselves.

RM: What about your future, in terms of the presidency?

O. Cantet: You commented earlier that I speak a great deal about collaboration and collective intelligence. I believe that the president must serve alumni, the community and the project. The idea is to specify the project first, in order to then steer the change in president with the administration board, the ethical committee and former presidents, who ensure fairness and transparency, and with Marie-Pierre Schickel, of course.

RM: Is there a particular moment you will remember from these five years?

O. Cantet: The inauguration of the Sports & Recreation Center in Cergy, most certainly. It’s a personal memory, because it concerns my career in the sports world, and my involvement in ESSEC Alumni’s Sport Business Club. It was an extremely important moment for the Foundation, which managed to rally the community to fund this campus. It was a relaxed and joyful event combining everything that brings meaning to my commitment: community, diversity and excelling oneself. All generations came together in Foy’s around former Student Office members. Vincenzo Vinzi was there, along with his predecessor Jean-Michel Blanquer and Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (E02), who had recently been appointed Minister for Sport and the Olympic & Paralympic Games. An incredible moment, where business leaders and entrepreneurs, political heads and social innovators, all ‘phenomenal’ in their field, were gathered in our Olympic-level gymnasium, united through sport and its educational value, through belief in open higher education, humanist values and the quest for the common good.

Interview by François de Guillebon, Chief Editor at Reflets Magazine

Translation of an article published in Reflets Magazine #151. Special offer: read the issue (in French). 

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Image : © Christophe Meireis