Welcome, everyone, to this new academic year!

The end of summer marks the beginning of a new academic year and students are flocking back to our campuses. From the end of August to mid-September, the various ESSEC Business School programs have been welcoming their many students. For some this is the opportunity to discover their new school, for others, a chance to continue their academic journey.

Monday, 29 August – for many the first day of their life at ESSEC on the Cergy Campus – is a day that will be fixed in their memory. That was the case for our Pre-Master students of the Grande Ecole program. A few weeks after passing their oral exams and being admitted, they all gathered in the School’s Grand Amphi to be welcomed by the school’s Dean and President, Professor Vincenzo Vinzi. “In these times marked by unprecedented economic, social, political and environmental changes, we need, now more than ever, /to put people and the environment at the heart of our actions. The path you are embarking on is demanding, built on an academic experience, nourished by the excellence of the research of ESSEC’s faculty. However, it is also experiential, and with opportunities for learning-by-doing, an approach designed to help you develop not only your knowledge, but also your know-how and your interpersonal skills. We will teach you how to learn and to assess and anticipate with confidence the challenges posed by a world which is becoming increasingly complex every day.”

Students from the Master in Finance, Master in Data Sciences and Business Analytics, Master in Strategy and Management of International Business and ISFOGEP met in the Dôme for their first day at ESSEC. Alongside them, there were also the 30 students who are starting one of the School’s new programs: the Msc in Sustainability Transformation. This new course is an important element of Together, the School’s strategic approach to ecological and responsible transition, and is designed to recruit and train “sustainability transformers”, i.e. well-rounded generalists equipped with a systemic vision of all the issues surrounding ecological and social transition.

It was also a first day for Professor Aarti Ramaswami in her new position. After several years as head of our Singapore campus, she has been appointed Executive Vice-President & Dean of Pre-Experience Programs. In her address to the new students, she emphasized her emotion and pride in welcoming these new classes: “The emotions you feel today…the excitement of meeting new people, the butterflies in your stomach about what might be different or new… Let these emotions fuel your curiosity in the coming days and months. I wish that you will have several inspiring conversations at ESSEC. We are so happy you have made the decision to join us. It is you who make us what we are, and we look forward to the fresh ideas and energy you bring to our campus. We are here to support, sustain, and encourage you. Welcome to ESSEC and to the ESSEC Family!”

The students of year’s intake for the ESSEC Global MBA also started their new academic year. They were welcomed by Professor David Sluss, the Academic Director of the program, who has taken over as Head of the Global MBA program as from this year.

ESSEC Business School would like to extend the warmest of welcomes to you all and hope you have an excellent 2022/2023 academic year!