It’s official: Marie-Pierre Schickel (E95) will take over from Stéphanie Bouvier Jossermoz (E94) as Managing Director of ESSEC Alumni as of September! Profile  

Marie-Pierre Schickel began her career in consulting with Bain & Co. between Paris, Boston and London, where she spent 4 years working in strategy, business development, marketing and M&A for players from the finance, aeronautics, retail and health sectors. She then moved to Club Med and held the successive roles of Director of Strategy to the CEO, member of the Executive Board and Marketing & Communication Director in Italy. Keen as she was to pass on her expertise to future generations, she then founded and managed the Master in Luxury Brand Management at one of Italy’s leading design schools, the Domus Academy. She went on to manage the academy’s Business Cluster, which brings together several programmes devoted to the links between design and business. A firm believer in lifelong learning, she also enrolled for a Master’s at the same institution. At the same time, she founded her own consultancy in education and strategic marketing. She also taught at several universities and undertook numerous significant engagements for entrepreneurship. She is one of the founding members of Angels4Women, Italy’s first female business angels network, which aims to reduce the gender gap in start-ups. In addition, she acted as a mentor for various incubators and boosters, including Impact Hub, the leading worldwide network for social entrepreneurship.

Despite the geographical distance, she has always remained in touch with ESSEC and has fond memories of her time there. ‘I remember in particular the freedom we were given and the opportunities on offer; we could choose our courses as we pleased (which often required some serious juggling with the formidable points system!), design our individual path (I was able to learn Russian, go to Chicago on an exchange programme and Tokyo on a work placement, as well as join the Rowing Club), and, of course, forge steadfast friendships thanks to the Grand Hall evenings and commutes to Cergy Saint-Christophe!’  

She continued to maintain that link after graduation. With her classmates firstly: ‘I had the pleasure of seeing everyone succeed in very different areas, thanks to our course path. It’s highly enriching to be in touch with such a diverse range of both personal and professional profiles.’ She was also active in the network on a wider scale: ‘I participated in the Italy Chapter’s activities, obviously, specifically by co-organising a conference on Italian start-ups and business angels, and attended many of the events on offer, such as the inter-school networking evenings, ESSEC Alumni Day or a biodiversity workshop. I also enjoyed the webinars run by the  Luxury Club. ESSEC Alumni’s Career Service coaching offer was also very helpful.  

She has now returned to Paris to take up the management of the Association. She shares her outlook with us: ‘I’m proud to be an ESSEC member and want to transmit our values. My first wish as part of the ESSEC Alumni team is to serve all our communities, i.e., graduates, students and Executive Education participants in partnership with the School, as well as the association’s volunteers. I’m a firm believer in this ecosystem dynamic; through collective strength we will find the solutions to the numerous and complex challenges of our times. We will pursue ongoing projects together, while boosting action in other priority areas, such as strengthening our inter-generational exchanges, developing our network’s engagement for environmental and social transition, and bolstering our international reach.’ 

A huge thank you to Stéphanie Bouvier-Jossermoz for all her achievements during her 7-year office and a warm welcome to Marie-Pierre Schickel!