The United Kingdom is home to the biggest ESSEC community outside France, with 2,000 graduates living and working across the Channel, and new comers arriving every year. Olivia Verbrugghe (M09), Head of ESSEC Alumni’s UK Chapter, tells us more about our alumni’s life in the land of Queen Elizabeth – and in the aftermath of Brexit.  

ESSEC Alumni: How famous is the ESSEC brand in the UK? 

Olivia Verbrugghe: In 2017, ESSEC implemented an office in London with Professor Geneviève Helleringer (E96) to promote the school within the country through education fair tradeshows, corporate and academic partnerships as well as joint actions with ESSEC Alumni and the ESSEC Foundation. Since Brexit, the office is also monitoring how the new job and immigration regulations impact the visas and sponsorship process, and how to tackle that. 

EA: What are the profiles and backgrounds of our alumni in the UK?

O. Verbrugghe: 91% live in London and 9% all across the country. 60% work in the finance sector: JP Morgan, BNP, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Société Générale and Bank of America are ESSEC’s top 10 recruiters here. The second biggest outlet for our alumni is high technology and digital with 15%. Other industries include retail, luxury, hospitability, consultancy, pharmaceutics, public sector, energy, and start-ups, covering all diplomas (MIM, Masters & MBA, BBA and IMHI) and seniorities.

EA: What opportunities are there in the UK for our alumni? 

O. Verbrugghe: The United Kingdom offers many opportunities for expats as it has a very international state of mind, low taxation on revenue (20% in average), and the lowest unemployment rate since almost 50 years (3.7%). 

EA: What about the impact of Brexit?

O. Verbrugghe: Access to employment has been restricted, however the Home Office is reviewing regularly the list of visas that extend the possibility to access job application, allowing newcomers to work in the country through a skilled worker visa and more recently a startup visa. We recently held a conference about the skilled worker visa to explain the process, the timeline to expect and the cost it implies.

EA: The UK is going through another challenge: the sad passing of Queen Elisabeth II…

O. Verbrugghe: Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II reigned from 1926 to 2022. It was 70 years of remarkable service. The ESSEC UK community wishes to express its deepest condolences and sympathy to the Royal Family and the rest of the nation mourning its loss. ‘London Bridge is down’ : the code phrase in place back to the 1960s for the royal death has sadly been pronounced. A choreographed set of events spread over ten days has now begun and will culminate in the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September. Following the State Funeral, the Coffin will travel to Windsor and then in Procession to St. George’s Chapel, its final destination. 2,000 dignitaries and notable have been invited and millions are expected, posing security challenge bigger than for the Olympic games in 2012. It is in this context that the weight of history and respect to the Queen can be felt in Great Britain and deeply spread through the many documentaries broadcasted all day long on TV, they show all the traditions with personal commitment from British citizen and beyond. Charles III is now the King of the United Kingdom and the 14 Commonwealth realms, acceding to the throne at the age of 73, the longest-serving heir. We send our warmest wishes to King Charles III on his accession to the throne.

EA: What advice do you have for our alumni moving in the UK?

O. Verbrugghe: The first thing a new comer has to do is to register at the French consulate; the second is to contact ESSEC Alumni’s UK Chapter! We have an organisation in place to welcome new comers and we offer many opportunities to connect with other alumni. 

EA: Do you take action for the Ukraine situation?

O. Verbrugghe: The UK government has been very active to help. They implemented schemes to find homes for Ukrainians, set up many donation campaigns and delivered 28,000 visas through dedicated visa schemes. If UK based alumni would like to help, send us an email and we will put you in touch with fellow alumni highly involved in charitable actions. 

EA: What is the offer of ESSEC Alumni’s UK Chapter? 

O. Verbrugghe: We have a fantastic team of 30 ESSEC volunteers composed of 5 boards members and 20 clubs representatives (see the full list). We have 4 categories of clubs. Thematic & Professional Clubs: Finance, Legal, Technology & Entrepreneurship, Sport Media & Entertainment, Hospitality. Exclusive Clubs: Senior Executive & Business Leader Circle, Business Angels, ESSEC Women Club. Leisure Clubs: Art, Golf, Poker. Local Clubs in London: the city being so spread out, it can be nice to meet with people living or working nearby your area – so we have zone ambassadors for Canary Wharf, Swiss Cottage, St John’s Wood, Southwark, the City and North London (Highbury, Finsbury, Park, Holloway). 

EA: What are your upcoming events?

O. Verbrugghe: We’ll have a career boost workshop and coaching session on July 1^st and an inter-chool picnic in Hyde Park on July 16^th. 

EA: Who are the members of your team?

O. Verbrugghe: Our team is a proud representation of ESSEC’s network, with a wide range of seniorities, degrees (Master in Management, Masters, MBA, Global BBA and Executive Education), nationalities and backgrounds. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers, who dedicate their time and effort to animate our amazing communities, having the team’s success at heart.

EA: Do you need more volunteers to get involved?

O. Verbrugghe: Anyone who wants to be involved should reach out to us because the merrier, the better! Some clubs representatives are running the activity alone and will be happy to get some help. We are also open to new ideas and suggestions. There are many ways to be involved within our community. Feel free to contact us at ea.uk@essec.edu.

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni 

Image : © AdobeStock