ESG Projects in the ESSEC Executive MBA: How Real-World Leadership and Societal Impact Are Built Together

At the heart of the ESSEC Executive MBA, ESG projects serve as a powerful catalyst for action. Rather than stopping at ideas, participants are expected to turn a collective ambition into a concrete initiative, working across cultures, functions and perspectives. Through his role as an alumnus and mentor, Eyram Adzra (ESSEC Weekend Executive MBA 2024), working at UNICEF, guides these cohorts in navigating the complexities of leadership, governance, and stakeholder engagement, transforming diverse professional perspectives into a collective force for lasting change.

ESSEC EMBA - Eyram ADZRA

For Eyram, the defining characteristic of ESG Projects is their demand for execution over abstraction.

« They push participants beyond ideas and discussions: cohorts have to organize themselves, align different perspectives, define priorities, manage resources, engage stakeholders, and deliver something concrete together. »

The project lifecycle is entirely participant-led: it starts with idea generation and pitches, followed by a collective cohort vote to select the initiative. Participants then define priorities, allocate resources, engage stakeholders and establish a governance structure. While ESSEC provides initial seed funding, cohorts are responsible for developing a realistic resourcing model, often navigating crowdfunding or partner agreements to keep the project executable even if fundraising targets shift. Dedicated roles — including project, fundraising, communications and partnership leads — help teams maintain accountability and move from ambition to execution.

From the outset, teams must also plan for long-term sustainability, so their impact outlasts their EMBA journey.

« In many ways, these projects reflect the realities of leadership today — working across cultures, functions, and viewpoints to create responsible and sustainable impact. »

The international dimension is equally central. EMBA cohorts bring together executives from across industries, geographies, and professional cultures into Multi-Competency Teams (MCTs), where this collective diversity becomes a driver of innovation.

« Participants bring different perspectives, experiences, and ways of working, and the ESG Projects create a space where these differences become a strength — making the EMBA journey itself more human, collective, and impactful. »

Eyram's mentoring mission is both structural and human. On the project side, he helps cohorts translate ambition into something executable.

« My role is mainly to help cohorts turn ambitious ideas into projects that are realistic, structured, and executable — working on framing, governance, stakeholder alignment, planning, and overall feasibility. »

He also guides participants through the leadership challenges that emerge when diverse, high-achieving professionals must build something together under real constraints.

« The ESG Project becomes as much a practical leadership experience as it is a contribution to the betterment of society. »

What makes his ESG Project mentoring particularly credible is the proximity of his own experience — he has been in the same position, managing the intensity of the EMBA alongside a demanding professional life.

« I still remember clearly what it feels like to be in the participants' shoes: balancing demanding careers and personal responsibilities with the intensity of the EMBA, all while trying to build something meaningful collectively. »

This combination of peer empathy and structural expertise is precisely what the role requires. Beyond an academic assignment, these projects also build something lasting: a shared sense of cohort identity and purpose that continues well after the program ends.

When it comes to outcomes, Eyram points to examples that speak for themselves. In his own cohort, the ESG Project focused on rebuilding a school community following the Morocco earthquake. The scope went far beyond infrastructure.

« Beyond the infrastructure itself, it helped restore a sense of hope and possibility for families and children around education and their future. »

One of the project's leaders subsequently redirected their career entirely toward social impact work — an illustration of how these projects transform not just communities, but participants themselves.

More recently, cohorts have tackled digital access and educational opportunity for underserved rural schools in Madagascar and Southern Africa. In France, another initiative addressed the intersection of inclusion and disability, building vocational training pathways to respond both to the shortage of qualified staff in the food and beverage sector and to the lack of professional development opportunities for people with disabilities.

These projects differ in their objectives and contexts, but share a common requirement: translating a social or environmental ambition into a structured, sustainable initiative.

For Eyram, the deeper lesson of the ESG Projects extends beyond any single initiative.

« Leadership and impact are deeply connected and collective. The ESG Projects create a space where experienced professionals can learn from each other, push themselves outside their usual environments and comfort zones, and try to build something meaningful together. »

This reflects the broader philosophy of the ESSEC Executive MBA, where responsible leadership is developed through both academic learning and practical experience. By working on real-world social and environmental challenges, participants are encouraged to test new ways of collaborating, make decisions under constraints, and turn collective ambition into tangible action.

For professionals seeking an MBA experience that develops their capacity to drive real-world change, the ESG Projects offer something rare: the chance to build, to lead, and to matter all at once.

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ESG Projects in the ESSEC Executive MBA: How Real-World Leadership and Societal Impact Are Built Together

An alumnus and ESG Project Mentor perspective from Eyram Adzra, ESSEC Weekend Executive MBA 2026