Executive Education that Cultivates Entrepreneurship for All

Executive professionals seeking education to facilitate the next step in their careers will find many similar phrases and ideas when perusing various program offers, with emphasis on cohort, flexibility, earning potential, and growth. While these are absolutely necessary components of any executive education program, ESSEC Executive Education, offers the ESSEC and Mannheim EMBA program, the Global MBA, the ESSEC EMBA, and the EMiLUX (Executive Master in Luxury Management & Design Innovation) program which go further in this mission. Offering an internationally-ranked education, ESSEC pushes both a humanist and socially-aware educational philosophy, while also training students for specific entrepreneurial projects and goals.

ESSEC Executive Education, including the prestigious ESSEC and Mannheim Executive MBA also sets itself apart with its “Entrepreneurship For All” creed, removing any assumptions that leadership and innovation are strictly intangible skills. The program believes that entrepreneurship can be taught, and empowers students to overcome setbacks both in their personal lives and in the business world to pursue and achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

Acknowledging a rapidly changing world.

ESSEC Executive Education programs do not shy away from today’s problems, both socially and business-minded. Curricula are infused with a humanist approach, with an upfront goal to maintain innovation, environmental and social awareness, and business ethics. The ESSEC and Mannheim Executive MBA program in particular wholly believes and implements an entrepreneurial spirit that allows business innovation and globalization to go hand-in-hand with good values.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is at the core of the ESSEC and Mannheim EMBA program.  The school goes beyond merely acknowledging social awareness, but rather, puts this into its educational structure, and in participant testimonials, they explicitly acknowledge. Participants are required to create and implement projects that bring awareness to needs in the market, while also challenging themselves in new areas and personal developments.

Alum Rukayyat Kolawole, with her background in women’s financial empowerment, used the program’s immersion to create a financial company in Germany. Even with a strong financial background before her studies, the ESSEC and Mannheim EMBA program allowed her to strengthen her entrepreneurial skills, while also adhering to her personal values and mission.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only strengthened this mission. A global economy is also a digital economy, and ESSEC has renewed its investment in online programs, not only for safety’s sake, but to give students and teachers more tools to interact not only with each other, but to effectively link with the school’s global partners and sister schools.

Concrete project planning skills.

This educational style also empowers students in their entrepreneurial projects, which often begin as ideas during their studies, and immediately translate into career-advancing innovations. Challenges can arise, and the students meet those challenges head-on.

Executive Master in Luxury Management and Design Innovation (EMiLUX) alum Doli Grace was determined to start new innovations in the luxury industry, and weathered family setbacks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She had her business model in mind before enrolling in the program, and the EMiLUX program introduced her to a new network from her cohort to the industry experts and it was some of her classmates who eventually joined her in her startup. The pandemic also forced her to learn more about the digital and tech benefits of her business model, a direct example of the program giving students the tools to overcome challenges and be ready to face the realities of today’s global market.

Entrepreneurship without limits.

Since ESSEC curricula are based on entrepreneurship as a subject that can be taught, it also allows students to succeed in areas outside their current career expertise. Arnaud Mignucci, an ESSEC and Mannheim EMBA alum and current member of the ESSEC Ventures Incubator, had an extensive background in IT and telecommunications, but used his education to branch out into various entrepreneurial projects and coaching, including a team working on a home wine delivery service. His desire to pursue an EMBA came from his determination to branch out from his previous field and gain more concrete management skills.

Arnaud’s reflections on ESSEC and Mannheim EMBA show an honest look at the challenges of new projects and entrepreneurship: balancing logistics and one’s family life isn’t easy, but with determination, a willingness to put in the work, and anticipation of setbacks, the right mindset for entrepreneurship can be molded and fostered.

Executive growth in all forms.

An executive from any background would directly benefit from an ESSEC Executive Education program. Startups and new business models aren’t always about novelties and trends, but oftentimes, strengthening and branching out to new areas within an established industry.

The ESSEC Executive MBA and in particular fosters innovation for new business models, and also develop leaders who want to start their own projects within fields in which they have already established themselves. Alum David Pereira had spent years in the automotive industry, and wanted to branch out and start his own business. Using his previous experience, along with the education of an ESSEC EMBA, he was able to combine his industry background with the strength of his new degree to immediately sell his new business to the automotive industry leaders. He credits the program for its open-mindedness, and its willingness to help students and leaders break out of their comfort zones for late-career changes.

Meanwhile, the ESSEC Global MBA opens doors for executives in the industries they are most passionate about, even if it means making a change. For Jaeseok Lee, an alum from South Korea, the Global MBA created an opportunity to not just enter, but to become a leader in the luxury retail space. Upon completing the Global MBA, Lee was able to move into a senior-level position at Chanel Korea. The program provided him with a uniquely international understanding of luxury brand management, expanded his personal network, and offered work and study opportunities including a capstone project that allowed him to shine.

A Foundation For Success Beyond the EMBA

With its global outreach and balance of personal entrepreneurship with cohort teamwork, ESSEC Executive Education challenges its students, but prepares them for success and challenges in equal measure. The projects developed within the coursework can be the basis for new business ventures immediately after graduation, and while any venture comes with inherent risk, ESSEC Executive Education alums are open about the challenges they can now face head-on, without being afraid to promote and pitch the projects they are passionate about. Their ability to blend previous career experience with an eagerness to branch out only aids them in successfully navigating a global market and maintaining ethical, socially responsible business models.

To learn more about executive programs at ESSEC Executive Education, connect with them here. You can also follow the ESSEC Executive Education on social media for the latest news: LinkedIn.