GEM/GGSB Alumni Newsletter December 2013

Previous Newsletters / GGSB / Contact / GGSB Alumni Community

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Meet the GGSB Entrepreneurs

Alumni Testimonials

Alumni Contribution

Offer Job Opportunities

Students Alumni Chapter

GEM/GGSB Faculty

Obituary

Rankings:

Financial Times

The Economist

Le Figaro

America Economia

The GGSB Placement Survey

GEM Alumni Careers: Activity and Alumni in Dublin

London

Past Networking Events: • Singapore

• London

• Dubai

• Gala des Réseaux

• GEM Digital Day

Forthcoming Events: • Singapore

• Paris

• Graduation Ceremony & GGSB Gala

• GEM’s 30 Anniversary

• GEM/GGSB Around the World: Singapore

• GEM Globe Trotters

• GEM/GGSB Around the World: London

• GEM Digital Day

• Gala des Réseaux

• GEM/GGSB Around the World: Beijing

• GEM/GGSB Around the World: Shanghai

• GGSB Graduation Ceremony & Gala

• Round Table on Management

CONTACT US We would welcome your

feedback on this issue and your

letters/comments for future

issues.

Please contact us at:

[email protected]

NNNeeewwwsssllleeetttttteeerrr December 2013 GEM/GGSB Alumni Community

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The Dean’s

Editorial

Hazel Jourdin Alumni Director

The Dean’s Editorial

Dear Graduates,

As we approach the holiday season it’s a good time to catch up on the news and I’m sure that you will enjoy reading our Christmas/New Year edition of our alumni newsletter! There have been lots of exciting developments just recently in GEM and in GGSB. First of all I am pleased to inform you that the work is practically finished on our new Paris campus which is located in the 16th arrondissement in Paris. With 2,000 square meters of classrooms and offices this represents a fantastic opportunity for Grenoble Ecole de Management to be close to the head offices of many major French and international companies. We have already begun to run some short Executive programs and in September 2014 we will be extending the portfolio of programs in Paris to include intakes of the MIB, MSc Fashion, Design and

Luxury Management, MSc Business Development and the BIB programs. In January 2015, we will be opening our International Executive MBA and a new revamped MSc in Management Consulting in a part-time format. The Paris campus will enable us to organize events for both students and alumni and we hope to see many of you in the City of Lights!

2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the creation of the school! To better serve all our alumni worldwide we are developing a whole new Alumni Relations Department with the objective of ensuring that our international community of graduates enjoys the benefits of being part of a dynamic network of alumni, many of whom are now experienced managers and hold impressive positions. You will all be receiving more news from us on this subject in the near future.

Grenoble Ecole de Management, in line with our strengths in innovation and technology management, is developing a series of MOOCs* and has also produced a white paper on the “School of the Future”. A short film in English will soon be available on the Web and we would be delighted to get your views and feedback on this topic.

Finally, we have entered into a phase of audits for reaccreditation by our three international accreditation bodies: EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. We have received confirmation that we have been successfully reaccredited by EQUIS for a further five years; this is the third time we have been accredited for five years, which is surely a guarantee of our quest for excellence. In February 2014, we will receive the auditors for the other two accreditations.

I would also like to thank those graduates who have responded to the various surveys that we send out regularly to our alumni. Your responses are very important as they enable us to monitor the career progression of our graduates. Responding to the surveys for the various rankings also ensures that your degree is well recognized in the corporate world.

I hope that wherever you are in the world you look back on your days in Grenoble with fondness and that you remember the good times you enjoyed with such a fantastically diverse student body. Many of you will be taking advantage of the holiday period to enjoy some well-deserved rest with your families. I wish you all the best for this festive period and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year 2014!

Judith Bouvard Dean and Director Grenoble Graduate School of Business

*MOOC: massive open online course

TDE

Alumni Relations: Fresh beginnings in 2014

Our Future is in Our Hands “You will be responsible for a growing population of over 20,000 alumni throughout the world.” That was the phrase that stuck in my mind during my interview with Judith Bouvard and Benoit Aubert in June 2013. Just take a minute to let that number sink in, then imagine you are in a large room with 19,999 strangers – pretty daunting isn’t it? Now think of the same image but this time you are surrounded by 19,999 family members – some whom you have met and know very well, some whose names you are familiar with, and many, many more whom you have yet to meet - who are all excited to meet you. How do you feel now? Energized? Empowered? I am

sure you can’t wait to share stories and adventures, and connect and reconnect with everyone with whom you share an essential common bond. Well that is how I feel after my first 90 days in my new role. I have always recognized the uniqueness of Grenoble Ecole de Management, but since my initial visit in 2006, to my acceptance on the DBA Program, and now to today as your Director of Alumni Relations, I believe it is extremely difficult to describe such a creative, exuberant, committed School for Business to anyone who has not experienced it. How can we capture the “GEM Attitude” that has transformed us all? During 2014, which is the 30th anniversary of the creation of GEM, my team and I will be launching some great new services for all our alumni. We will be inviting you to share your opinions, testimonials and geographic updates, so please do ensure that your contact details are current. At the close of this year, please take a minute to think about our global community of 20,000 alumni, and reflect on ways we can reconnect to record our shared history, and shape our future together. I look forward to seeing you in 2014! Warm regards, Hazel S. Jourdin Director of Alumni Relations Grenoble Ecole de Management

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MMeeeett tthhee GGGGSSBB EEnnttrreepprreenneeuurrss Success Stories

FROM QATAR Faysal Mikati, MBA 2011 “Meet The Lebanese Grenoble MBA With a Booming Events Business in Qatar”

With his home, Lebanon, shrouded in conflict, Faysal Mikati runs a business in Qatar, a booming economy with over 18% growth. His Grenoble MBA helped him switch careers and work with Formula 1.

Faysal chose Grenoble purely for its location. The business elite in Qatar hold London in high regard, and the high-end affluent people have close connections to the city, Faysal says. Two years spent studying in London allows him to "break the ice" with local Qataris. In 2008, Faysal established his own event management, PR and marketing agency, then called SPOT NOW Communications. Although Faysal is Lebanese, he chose to head the company from Qatar, where his father has worked for 35 years. More information about this article

FROM INDIA Abhishek Jacob, MIB 3 London 2010 The start of my IT business

I co-founded Aquire Services (www.aquireservices.com) with two other partners and am presently the CFO. I am responsible for the business side of operations and my role includes business development, finance, strategic planning, client relations and project management. At Aquire Services we are passionate about serving our client’s IT needs to the best of our ability. We offer Web Development, Online Stores, Software Solutions and eBook Conversion Services. I am currently based in India, but we have clients across India, USA, Canada, South Africa, and UK.

Completing a Masters in International Business has added much value to my professional life. I still remember my first day in class where I met students of different nationalities. It gave me a chance to learn with a broader understanding of business in a global sense. Some of my batch mates are now my clients, while others have helped me promote my company in different ways. Do not underestimate the power of networking. Make the most of it!

MIB covered a wide domain of subjects, which has enabled me to better run different areas of my company. My Masters experience was a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun!

The Indian market is flooded with IT companies providing the cheapest possible solutions. We are not these companies, but instead strive for the highest quality in the business. Our team is constantly learning and mastering new technologies. We are also working on corporate social responsibility to identify ways to serve our community in the best way possible, such as: ethical employment, fair wage, supporting charities, and ethical business practices.

We desire to stand out as a business that brings good jobs to our community, hope for the needy, and the best IT services for our clients.

FROM USA Marisol Gomez, MIB London 2009

Nomadista.Co

After working for over seven years in project management and business development roles in the private and not-for-profit sectors in Latin America, Europe and the US, Marisol decided to start her own business in Miami where she now

resides. Nomadista.co is the result of combining her passion for design, sustainability and education. The core of her business is selling beautifully designed products from up-and-coming designers worldwide who use responsible practices, donating days of school to children in vulnerable communities with every purchase. Read more: www.nomadista.co

Marisol is an MIB 2009 graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Javeriana University in Colombia.

FROM COLOMBIA Valentina Botero Marin, MBA 2012 Colombian MBA Dreams of Helping Home Economy Prosper With Marketing Startup

Valentina Botero Marin’s dream is to bring prosperity to her home, Colombia. She is passionate about providing opportunities for her countrymen; to

better the prospects of a nation that has raged in protest and been on strike against its economic policies for the past month. Read more.

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Graduates are doing well

FROM DENMARK Luichi Hara, MBA Grenoble 2012

Inside View: United Nations Grenoble MBA Liuichi Hara gives you an exclusive view inside the world's biggest non-profit organisation. The United Nations gives MBAs many opportunities to take part in projects of major global significance. Liuichi gives you a look in from the other side and tells us why speaking multiple languages helped him land the job he wanted. From Technical Advisers to Management, the UN's diverse range of job roles on offer should satisfy every MBA. This is one not to miss! Read More

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Become an active member of a GGSB jury or program advisory group From Sonia Reed – Academics & Quality Coordinator

There are lots of ways to get or stay involved with GGSB, depending on your interests and the time you have available. Did you know for example that, as a GGSB alumnus/alumna, you can participate as a jury member in our Degree Awarding Boards or Professional Advisory Boards held in Grenoble? Degree Awarding Boards take place four times per year and are the final step in the graduating process that officially confirms the graduation of our students. For example, Pabitra Chatterjee (MBA FT 10 Grenoble) kindly agreed to be a jury member at our most recent Degree Awarding Board. His reward was to contribute to a very important stage in our students’ lives by validating the official graduation of 472 students. Our next Degree Awarding Board will take place in March 2014. As for the Professional Advisory Boards, they are organized annually and are designed to provide a forum for professional feedback about the programs’ content and how they respond to corporate needs. Our alumni feedback is very important to help hone program content that is in line with the requirements of today’s job market. If you are fluent in French, your participation would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to be involved and participate in either event, please contact Sonia Reed, Academics & Quality Coordinator, who will be delighted to hear from you.

Mentoring program

A mentoring program has been successfully launched by the Career Centre for GGSB students this year, a program aiming to connect alumni to current students:

An opportunity for alumni to assist a student in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance their professional and personal growth

An opportunity for all to share their experience and enlarge their professional network The voluntary students and mentors have received guideline documents to lead them in the right direction and set their individual expectations, and all students have now been introduced to their mentor. Depending on their location, some have already met, some have planned to meet between flights and others are getting in touch and sharing via Skype, emails, etc. If you are willing to share your experience with the current students, to act as a coach/mentor for next school year, during a “Meet a Manager” evening in Grenoble, to make a testimonial … do get in touch with Valerie! [email protected]

Sonia Reed

Sonia Reed

Pabitra Chatterjee

Pabitra Chatterjee

In Singapore From Lisa Jane, Corporate Relations and Career Development Manager

A special thanks to two companies and alumni in particular: At Schneider Electric, thanks to Imad Dridi and Pierre Arsonneau who made a company visit and corporate presentation possible for 50 of our students in Singapore as well as inviting these students to apply for opportunities in South East Asia…

Another big thank you and recognition for Jean-Pierre Sedaghat, MSc entrepreneur alumnus (far left) who gave a highly informative presentation on private equity deals and evaluation processes as well as an inspiring view of his career evolution. Jean-Pierre is currently sharing his professional knowledge with a team of four students in an on-going project approach; this is much appreciated.

More alumni interaction to come with Valerie Yam from Amari who is willing to share her experience in business development and “opening” a new country… Guillaume Nagy, has also supported GEM in developing global opportunities for our graduates, putting us in touch with his colleagues in HQ in Barcelona and agreeing to share his expertise, also through a company presentation of one of his companies.

Clement Morin is the alumni rep in Singapore and the GEM students there have proposed their help in organizing events and networking opportunities…a brilliant initiative joining past and present to make GEM links ever stronger.

GEM Digital Day, 5 December

Andre Gruenwald: MSc Marketing Digital Marketing & eCommerce Manager P&G PetCare EMEA

Andre presented a master class about Digital & ecommerce Strategy based on his experience at Procter & Gamble.

Carole Michaud: MSc Marketing 2011 Talent Solutions Account Manager LinkedIN

Carole gave a conference about how social media and data completely change Human Resources practices They were both very inspirational keynote speakers. Thank you to them both for sharing their expertise in this field.

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IN DUBLIN The alumni community in Dublin is dynamic and thanks to Mathias Privat, Lisa Jane Perraud, Corporate Relations and Career Development Manager had the pleasure of meeting our alumni from Oracle, Salesforce and facebook, who are actively helping us to once again reinforce our relationships with their companies to generate potential career opportunities.

GGGGSSBB SSttuuddeennttss AAlluummnnii CChhaapptteerr Launch of the LinkedIn group of GEM Alumni in Fashion, Design and Luxury Management: The dream has come true!

GEM Alumni LinkedIn group in Fashion, Design and Luxury Management has finally been created on Friday, 18 October, by three GEM/GGSB students, Justine Pontvianne, Praskovia Lioubimova and Maxime Plante, in association with GEM Graduate Network and GGSB.

Wait no longer and join us

GGEEMM//GGGGSSBB FFaaccuullttyy Our professors speak in the Press

Loïck Roche, Dean and Director of Grenoble Ecole de Management, was Professor of the Week in the Financial Times on 20 November 2013

As an expert in management, wellbeing at work and in performance of businesses, Loïck chose to define the term slow management for the FT Lexicon.

Read his profile as Professor of the Week here and the definition of his term slow management here .

Judith Bouvard, Dean and Director of Grenoble Graduate School of Business speaks about the MOOCS in the Independent on 7 October 2013

In the early 1990s, Judith Bouvard, now dean of Grenoble Graduate School of Business, took a distance-learning marketing course with Henley Management College. "It came in a beautiful suitcase," she remembers, "and it was nicely packaged and sequenced. There were VHS and audio cassettes, a workbook and a textbook. You sent in your assignment by post and back it came, graded."

Read the whole article here

Moritz Nitzsche Delphine Salicis and Diane Baumüller Mathias Privat

From Professor Hélene Michel

Hélène Michel, professor at Grenoble Ecole de Management, is an expert on "How gaming can encourage business innovation»

Read her article on the Cisco blog "Regional Thinker Series": a forum for exchanging ideas on technological innovations, here.

From Professor Pat Brans

Ethical questions around Big Data

One of the important topics schools around the world are teaching on Big Data is ethics. According to Patrick O'Sullivan, Professor of Ethics at Grenoble Ecole de Management, "Big Data is here to stay simply because computing and the Internet are here to stay. So it becomes a question of drawing lines around what is acceptable". More information about this article.

From Nancy Amstrong, Director of studies

AMBA Gala Dinner - 2013 Awards

GGSB made it to the final of the AMBA Innovation Award 2013 with the Leadership Development Program developed by Nancy Armstrong, called Horseplay. Unfortunately we were beaten in the final by Athens University of Economics and Business who presented an innovative on-line MBA module in e-skills. However, it was great achievement to get to the final and Nancy received a trophy on the stage during the annual AMBA dinner.

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Wendy Zhuoying Wu, Ambassador of the MSc FDLM 2012 Grenoble, who sadly passed away on 7 October

“Her Spirit is always with us: I had the honour to appreciate Zhuoying Wu, her passion for fashion, her creative and joyful spirit and her kindness and engagement in all the activities she was involved in. From being a successful FDLM program student to representing it as an Ambassador. Her spirit is always with us and within our FDLM program, rest in peace.” From Serena Rovai Former MSc FDLM Program Director

“There are no words to describe the grief that many of us felt and we cannot possibly imagine the shock and sorrow that has burdened your family as well. It is with our deepest sympathy that we express our deep condolence to the friends and family of our colleague Zhuoying Wu, who passed away on 7 October, 2013” From the MSc FDLM Newsletter December 2013

In Brief

Rankings

The MSc Finance ranked 7th in the world in the Master’s in Finance Ranking pre-experience category by The Financial Times, June 2013

GGSB ranked 27 Best Business School in Europe by the Financial Times

The Full-Time MBA was also ranked this year by other publications

22 in Europe, 69 in the world and 4 in France

BIB ranked 4

th in France by Le Figaro, February 2013

Executive Education Programs ranked 49th

in the world by The Financial Times, May 2013

MBA is ranked 19 in the world by America Economia, May 2013

The GGSB placement survey From Elodie BAQUE/Julie PERRIN-HALOT - Centre QUID The GGSB placement survey: recognition for your program and greater visibility of our talent pool for recruiters!

Grenoble Ecole de Management conducts systematic graduate surveys for all of its programs. These surveys are carried out over three years for each cohort following graduation. The results provide us with important information concerning employment conditions for the different graduating classes, sectors of activity, job titles, salaries, etc. over a period of three years for each cohort. The surveys also give us indications about job satisfaction and the feeling our graduates have about the pertinence of their degree to the job they currently occupy or its role in any career progression they may have made. There are four main objectives for this survey:

- Ensuring relevance to the job market: One of the main advantages of this survey is that it allows us to verify that our program portfolio and content are coherent with the current job market. If the results show a ‘gap’, the school can put corrective actions into place to re-align with the demands of the professional world. - Rankings: The surveys allow us to provide complete and accurate data to our press office and manage relations with the national and international press responsible for business school rankings. - Certifications/accreditations: A second objective is to respond to the requirements for data of this type for the certifications/accreditations of our degrees by national and international organizations. This ensures that our degrees are recognized by our peers and by the proper authorities and it increases their value and visibility for recruiters. - Being in touch with GEM/GGSB: Last but not least, the surveys allow us to be in touch with you (updating contact details, job qualification, experience…) in order to give you advice on the market, to share job opportunities and to contact you for events. So, effectively, in February/March during the three years following your graduation, you will be invited by email to take a few minutes to complete the survey which then allows us to turn this action into a means of increasing both the quality of your program and the value of your degree. Results are available every year on our website or here.

GEM Alumni Careers From Lisa Jane, Corporate Relations and Career Development Manager

Activity and alumni in Dublin: focus on Google

This year, GEM was kindly invited to attend a career summit with Google at the European HQ in Dublin. This summit regrouped over 50 careers personnel and diversity partners from 22 different countries. I was designated to represent our career service and to ensure that we continue to strengthen this relationship with one of our students’ preferred employers. This was ‘full-on’ workshop on how to ensure that motivated digital sales focused students apply efficiently and at the “right” time to potentially open doors for their first position within Google.

The session ended with a networking event where I met with Stepan Chop who was a key GEM alumnus who has helped us to initiate contact with Google. There is now an active GEM Google group within the company, over 50 “GEMians” worldwide, your support and information sharing with our students wishing to apply is invaluable…Just one thing to say to you all ‘ Thank you ‘. A special mention also for Fouad Howayek (MCSc Business Development) who hosted a group of students in Singapore in their beautiful building on the 17 December

London: Initiatives, discussions and finance opportunities The careers team is engaged more actively this year in supporting off-site students as far as Singapore in creating opportunities for learning and understanding business by meeting with operational managers and companies to have the opportunity to ask their questions first hand and decide if this could be a career or sector of interest to them. To date, thanks to Julien Lamour, an MIB alumnus having worked with Microsoft, Google, YouTube and now Videology as European Business Development Director, who gave our students an interesting overview of the digital industry and its evolution, as well as sharing valuable insights and career tips. Also, thanks to Jeremy Poilleaux and Paul Sanchez from SMBC, GEM alumni, who took the time to meet students interested in project finance and trade finance and to share their expertise and offer their support in the recruitment process to those who were interested. The students who met them posted their report on the GEM Finance Community. For those of you interested in developing links and opportunities in finance, this is a privileged platform through which to post your job/internship opportunities and to share your expertise. Feel free to join. London MSc Finance students are also launching an initiative of a Finance Society and are most interested in developing more interaction with finance alumni in London. If you are willing and motivated to share your expertise and showcase your company, please contact [email protected] Finally, last but not least: a company presentation from the London Stock Exchange where a highly informative discussion of the business linked to implementing a stock exchange was presented, and also a presentation of the graduate program offered by the London Stock Exchange group.

. Networking

Past Networking Events On 5 October, 2013

GGEEMM//GGGGSSBB AArroouunndd tthhee WWoorrlldd iinn SSiinnggaappoorree

On 23

October, 2013

GGEEMM//GGGGSSBB AArroouunndd tthhee WWoorrlldd iinn LLoonnddoonn

More than 90 people attended this event.

On November, 2013

GGeett IInn TToouucchh SSttaayy IInn TToouucchh:: DDuubbaaii Very active GEM community in Dubai! - Testimonial from Farouk Meribout, MIB 2012 Get in Touch Stay in Touch in Dubai allowed me to meet some of very interesting people from GEM in a city I recently moved to. That was my second GIT SIT in Dubai in less than 5 months! This is definitely an interesting opportunity to learn from the wisdom and experience of new GEM friends abroad. Kind of sources of inspiration and motivation who revealed me just how much a GEM graduates can be successful. I encourage all GEM alumni to take full advantage of these events around the world.

On 30 November, 2013

GGAALLAA DDEESS RREESSEEAAUUXX:: PPaarriiss Contact: [email protected]

This year two awards were given to GGSB Alumni: Christina BARTNIKOWSKI, MIB 1999 expressly came over from New York to receive the best Buzz GEM award 2013 and Benjamin AUGROS, MIB 2010 received the GEM Start-Up award 2013 for his start-up Pretachanger.fr

two awards will be given

Agenda

On 5 December, 2013

GGEEMM DDiiggiittaall DDaayy:: GGrreennoobbllee

453 people attended this event; among them were 46 alumni and 13 of them gave conferences. To be continued…

Forthcoming Events A more detailed program of events is coming soon in 2014!

On 19 December, 2013

GGeett IInn TToouucchh SSttaayy IInn TToouucchh:: SSiinnggaappoorree Please contact our Ambassador: [email protected]

GGEEMM//GGGGSSBB AArroouunndd tthhee WWoorrlldd iinn PPaarriiss:: AApprriill –– ddaattee ttoo bbee ccoonnffiirrmmeedd

On 15 March, 2014

GGrraadduuaattiioonn CCeerreemmoonnyy && GGGGSSBB GGaallaa 22001144 This year, the theme of the gala will be Western Antiquity in honour of our neighbours Greece, Egypt and Rome, cradles of civilization, sources of inspiration for centuries.

On 22 and 23 May 2014

GGEEMM’’ss 3300 AAnnnniivveerrssaarryy Save the date – more details to come soon

2014 is fast approaching with very exciting developments and

events coming up.

Meanwhile, enjoy reading the New Year edition of your

newsletter and I hope that everyone has a great holiday

season.

Wherever you may be, I am looking forward to meeting you

and developing a greater vision of our network.

All the best for 2014!

Monique Garnier, GGSB Alumni Manager