Pioneers of Transformation: Inside the First Six Months of the Hybrid EMBA

4.2.2026

In June 2025, the doors of our La Défense Campus opened to a new kind of cohort. Coming from 19 different countries and having an average of 15 years of professional experience, 30 inspiring executives gathered in Paris for the start of a transformative 18-month journey.

These executives are part of the ESSEC Hybrid EMBA, a format designed to bridge the gap between digital flexibility and physical immersion. By combining 70% online modules with 30% in-person residencies, it allows executives to navigate critical topics such as AI, ESG, and innovation from anywhere in the world and without pausing their careers.

At the six-month mark, we sat down with four participants - Arliny, Charlotte, Romain, and Ziad - to assess how the program has influenced their personal and professional visions.

The primary purpose of the Hybrid EMBA is to dissolve the walls of the traditional classroom. For our participants, the most valuable takeaway has been the immediate shift from passive learning to an active, strategic restructuring of the mind.

For Ziad, Head of Sales at Viva.com, the experience went far beyond acquiring new facts. He describes it as a fundamental change in his "decision-making methodology." He elaborates:

"This is the best aspect of the Hybrid EMBA - it forced me to essentially redress my cognitive processes, as opposed to passively gathering facts. [...] It is not just an accrual of knowledge but a change in the decision-making methodology."

This sentiment is echoed by Charlotte, Senior Recruitment Business Partner in the Human Capital Services industry, who notes that the hybrid nature of the program turned the world into her classroom. She describes the environment as a "High-Stakes, Global Brain Trust" where theory meets practice.

"In our hybrid environment, the 'ivory tower' of academia is replaced by a global laboratory... I have moved beyond a localized or tactical focus and am now able to think with a truly global vision."

ESSEC EMBA cohorts are renowned for their diversity, but the Hybrid format brings a unique challenge: building trust remotely. With the curriculum split between online and in-person modules, one might expect distance to be a barrier. However, the cohort depicts relationships that built a "community of its own."

Through constant interaction on Slack channels and monthly live sessions, the depth of connection formed in just six months has been remarkable. Arliny, Chief Audit Executive at Financiera Confianza, emphasizes the human element, describing the cohort as a “trusted group where relationships grow progressively, with confidence building each week and stronger connections developing through every residency” supported by the diversity of backgrounds within the cohort.

Charlotte notes that diversity of thought drives the value. During sessions, complex problems are dissected through the lenses of a dozen different cultural and professional backgrounds.

"It is rare to find a space where an aerospace engineer’s precision meets an entrepreneur’s appetite for risk... We have moved quickly past pleasantries into a space of radical candor, serving as a confidential, global sounding board for one another’s real-world professional hurdles."

Ziad adds that the rhythm of the program - the online modules combined with intense project work - have turned these connections into "eternal relationships" that are built on "continuous intellectual and personal interaction."

The Hybrid EMBA is defined by its collaborative approach to learning, notably featuring a Strategic Project and an ESG Project conducted over the 18 months of the program. Participants are also required to work in Multi-Competency Teams (MCTs) – diverse groups spanning industries, functions, and countries – leveraging their cultural and professional perspectives to translate academic knowledge into meaningful initiatives, while preparing them for strategic leadership and board-level roles.

The challenge stands in navigating both logistical and mental shifts. Beyond the practical reality of adjusting to different time zones to collaborate with peers from 19 countries, the true hurdle is context-switching. Charlotte puts a perfect phrase for this challenge: the "Triple Bottom Line" of the executive student.

"The difficulty lies in context-switching. Transitioning from a high-stakes decision at work to the humble, inquisitive state required for deep learning is a mental marathon. It requires a complete overhaul of one's mental agility."

Ziad agrees, noting that the intensity is a feature, not a flaw. He asserts that this very intensity "provides the program with a transformative rather than purely theoretical nature," forcing a level of prioritization that sharpens leadership skills in real-time.

To help navigate this dynamic, the Hybrid EMBA integrates consistent personal and team coaching. Beyond the coursework, participants are able to engage in dedicated individual coaching sessions designed to identify blind spots, refine leadership presence, and align their career trajectories with their personal values. This support structure ensures that the rigor of the program leads to sustainable personal and professional growth.

A cornerstone of the Hybrid EMBA is the commitment to international residencies - a complementary component to the two in-person modules in Paris. These give the cohort dedicated time to bond face-to-face and step beyond the online classroom. The first residency took place last December in Cape Town, South Africa, reuniting the group after five months of digital collaboration.

For the cohort, Cape Town was a lesson in resilience. Arliny describes it as a "powerful, eye-opening experience" that provided a deep sense of real-world context.

Charlotte offers a clear summary of the residency: "Perspective through contrast."

"Cape Town is a city of profound dualities... Witnessing how South African entrepreneurs navigate 'load shedding' (power outages) and complex socio-economic landscapes provided a lesson in adaptive leadership that no textbook could replicate."

For Romain, Director of Industrial Development in the energy sector, the highlight was the open-mindedness within the cohort. Seeing innovation thrive amidst infrastructure challenges forced the group to confront the reality of doing business in volatile environments, shifting their collective focus toward "Responsible Leadership."

Ziad describes an impact that is both immediate and structural. He has successfully moved beyond day-to-day performance to take a systems-oriented position, managing risk and long-term decisions with greater coherence.

On her side, Arliny underlines how the Hybrid EMBA has shaped the way she approaches decisions by exposing her to diverse viewpoints and enriching experiences, both personally and professionally.

For Romain, the journey allowed him to widen the lens. He aims to "cultivate a deeper comprehension of diverse industry landscapes" to refine his professional role.

In some cases, the program has even triggered a full career pivot. Through the Strategic Project, Charlotte has already pitched an original idea and is leading a team to bring it to life, shifting her perspective from "executing a role" to "creating a vision."

When asked to describe the journey in a single word, the cohort chose "Transformative," "Catalytic," "Challenging," and "Invaluable."

As Charlotte concludes:

"The program hasn't just added to my skill set; it has accelerated a total transformation in how I approach the world of business."

We are only one-third into the journey, yet the trajectory is clear. The ESSEC Hybrid EMBA proves that you do not need to pause your career to learn and experiment. By seamlessly blending high-level digital flexibility with intense, on-the-ground immersion, the program fosters enduring growth—permanently expanding our participants' leadership capabilities and strategic vision for the challenges ahead.

Follow our Hybrid EMBA Class of 2026 on LinkedIn with #thephenomenalhybrid2026