INSEP joins the ESSEC Sports Chair

The French National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP) and the ESSEC Sports Chair have signed a partnership agreement to develop education, research and management related to the theme of sport. This partnership reinforces INSEP’s strategy in terms of training and collaboration with renowned academic institutions, with the prospect of eventually offering tailor-made, high-quality and performance-driven solutions designed to foster the sporting and social success of top-level sportsmen and women.

The ESSEC Sports Chair, which was launched in February 2020, has already established partnerships with a number of prestigious institutes, the most recent being Paris Saint-Germain, who has joined Allianz France, EDF and the French Basketball Federation as a founding member. ESSEC Business School has unique experience and expertise in the field of Sports Business, thanks to its former International Sports Marketing Chair, which, from 2001 to 2015, trained many industry stakeholders, including former top athletes.

The ESSEC Sports Chair promotes the development of sport-related education, research and management by emphasising the strong links that exist between sports and management and by providing professional training for future leaders in the sector.

The courses offered by the Chair – headed by Karoline Strauss, Professor in Management, and under the executive direction of Germain Terreaux (ESSEC 05) – will equip students with the knowledge and know-how to become future managers who are familiar both with the challenges of an ever-evolving and rapid-changing sector, as well as with the lessons which sport can provide in making them effective leaders.

Audrey Perusin, Deputy Director General of INSEP, stated: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the ESSEC Sports Chair and are very pleased to join the ESSEC network. ESSEC is one of the best business schools in the world. We share strong values based on excellence, performance and commitment. Together, we will offer new career opportunities to our athletes and help managers develop their skills”.

Professor Karoline Strauss added that “the ESSEC Sports Chair could not be more pleased about counting INSEP amongst its partners, particularly during this crucial run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This iconic institution is a key player in the sports ecosystem, and it shapes the culture of high performance in sport. I particularly look forward to bringing together athletes and ESSEC students and providing a platform for mutual exchange and learning around leadership.”

In addition to strengthening the Chair’s pursuit of high quality and performance, in the long term, this partnership will also provide new prospects for greater synergies to support athletes and sports managers at INSEP.  INSEP provides numerous training courses for top-level sportsmen and women, designed to support their performance projects. These courses range from the last year of collège (middle school) to Baccalaureate level; higher education programmes, either on campus or in partnership with universities or specialised institutions; as well as vocational training in sports professions. INSEP also supports sports executives by offering diploma courses, tailor-made training courses, professional development events, conference cycles and professional coaching.

Ultimately, this partnership with ESSEC will be developed and enhanced so as to enrich the existing offer and bring a high level of excellence to the personalised support offered by INSEP in terms of higher education and vocational training.

INSEP has always had as its core value to support the development and further the success of athletes, both on and off the field, by understanding performance in the broader perspective of a life project. Ensuring balanced personal development and reducing current and future uncertainties are the key to the pursuit of a sporting project ... and success.

Ghani Yalouz, Director General of INSEP concludes:“Today, athletes can no longer afford to wait until the end of their career to imagine the next chapter of their life, which is a very difficult thing to do after having devoted their entire life to sports. INSEP wants to go one step further than traditional professional retraining solutions for athletes, by developing new performance-driven and long-term career models. Athletes possess extraordinary transversal skills, which we want to complement with the broadest possible professional expertise. Our high level of support in service of athletes is achieved through a model centred not only on their athletic success but also their social success, which includes taking account of their overall life project. The prospect of developing a far-reaching partnership with ESSEC strengthens our long-term ambition always to offer the best!”