ESCP

🏆 ESCP shortlisted for Business School of the Year at the 2026

We are proud to share that ESCP has been shortlisted for Business School of the Year at the 22nd annual Times Higher Education Awards, recognising excellence across the UK and Irish higher education sectors ✨

The recognition follows a transformative 2024/25 academic year for ESCP in London, marked by progress across innovation, entrepreneurship, student experience and engagement with business and the local community.

ESCP became the first business school in Europe to implement ChatGPT Edu, following our partnership with OpenAI. The 1000 AI Champions proof-of-concept generated more than 200 innovation projects, before ChatGPT Edu access expanded to more than 10,500 users across ESCP. In London, an AI-supported feedback model also helped improve student performance and feedback literacy.

Our European business incubator, Blue Factory ESCP, expanded to London, with its launch bringing together more than 150 founders, investors and entrepreneurs. ESCP in London was also granted the UK Small Business Charter accreditation across all 23 dimensions covering small business growth, stakeholder engagement and student enterprise.

🌐 Our students engaged with more than 30 organisations through experiential learning projects, while community initiatives included work on youth wellbeing in Camden and the fourth annual Social Impact & Sustainability Festival. Together, these developments reflect our commitment to connecting education and responsible innovation with meaningful impact for business and society.

This latest recognition also continues ESCP’s history at the THE Awards. We won Business School of the Year in 2018 and were shortlisted for the award again in 2024. In 2025, ESCP was shortlisted for Most Innovative Teacher of the Year and Outstanding Estates Team.

The winners will be announced live at the THE Awards ceremony at The Vox in Birmingham on Thursday 26 November.

🔗 Read more on ESCP’s website: https://escp.eu/news/escp-shortlisted-business-school-year-2026

Can the courage to question shape a more sustainable future? 🌱

At ESCP, our sets out ten principles guiding how we approach education, research, partnerships and our own institutional choices. Grounded in science, these principles position sustainability as central to management education, requiring collective mobilisation, measurable action, governance and accountability.

This commitment is already taking concrete form across the School. From BSc to PhD, 100% of our students engage with ecological and social challenges through the curriculum. Designing Tomorrow encourages students to build more durable visions for the future, while the Sustainability Institute and ESCP RESET connect rigorous research with the sustainability questions facing business and society 🌍

Our approach also extends to how we operate. We calculate our carbon footprint across our European campuses each year, structure improvement actions around eight priority areas, and make progress visible through our Sustainability and Social Impact Report. Our DD&RS label has just been renewed for four years until 2029, following a “strong application”, according to the CIRSES auditors.

Technology is part of this responsibility too. Our Manifesto recognises that AI can amplify sustainability when approached with discernment, frugality and a critical mindset, strengthening human agency while considering environmental and social impact.

Through our Sustainability Advisory Council and our partnership with ChangeNOW, we also connect our community with leaders from science, business, policy and civil society, opening our ambitions to external scrutiny and wider collaboration.

Our recent launch of the NextGen Committee puts students at the center of these decisions and transformations.

For us, sustainability must ultimately be lived. Students, alumni and partners are the multipliers who carry this vision into organisations, policies and ventures, transforming knowledge into action and contributing to a more desirable future.

It all starts with the courage to question.

🔗 Read more on ESCP’s website: https://escp.eu/ethics-responsibility-sustainability/sustainability-manifesto

Download the Sustainability and Social Impact Report 2025:https://escp.eu/sites/default/files/inline-images/Instituts/ESCP_Sustainability/SUSTAINABILITY_AND_SOCIAL_IMPACT_REPORT.pdf

Discover the Sustainability Advisory Council: https://escp.eu/ethics-responsibility-sustainability

“This cohort will be remembered as the one that started it all,” 🌍 the first - Global Master in Management cohort starts in Shanghai

73 students representing 11 nationalities are kicking off a learning experience designed to connect European and Chinese business realities. The 14-month fast-track dual degree takes students across , , and , combining academic learning with cultural and professional immersion. Students also gain access to the alumni networks of both schools, connecting them to a combined community of 130,000+ alumni worldwide.

The journey begins in Shanghai, where students explore Asian markets before continuing to Paris to specialise in their chosen field and then to London and Zurich for applied learning experiences.

At the opening, Prof. Frank Bournois, Co-President of China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), highlighted the importance of developing a deeper understanding of the relationship between the two regions: 💬 “You will be able to not only understand but more importantly be able to explain Sino-European relations and business environment.”

Distinguished Professor Charles Michel, former President of the European Council, encouraged the cohort to go beyond their usual frame of reference, with three messages for the journey ahead: be curious, be innovative and be generous.

For ESCP Secretary General Anaïs RAVET, the programme represents an opportunity to become the bridge builders the world needs, while developing academically, professionally and personally.

And the students themselves are already defining what this first chapter means.

💬 “Thinking global is not only about collecting countries on a map, it’s about how others see the world and why,” said student representative Yutong D.

“This cohort will be remembered as the one that started it all,” said student representative Soltane-Alexandre Touazi.

As the first cohort begins in Shanghai, we look forward to seeing how these students learn across cultures, challenge their perspectives and build connections between Europe and China.

Learn more about the ESCP-CEIBS Global Master in Management: https://escp.eu/programmes/master-in-management/escp-ceibs-global-master-management

, Forward Together ✨

Across our six campuses in , , , , and , we are delighted to welcome our around 11,000+ students for the 2026–2027 academic year 📚

A new academic year brings fresh energy: campuses come alive, lectures begin, friendships are renewed and new connections are formed across cultures and borders. With more than 140 nationalities represented in our , every encounter is an opportunity to discover a different perspective 🌍

Being Bold & United is at the heart of our strategy. It means bringing the strength of our six campuses together while celebrating what makes every member of our community unique.

That shared extends far beyond the classroom. Through more than 50 student associations, our students turn their passions into action: developing professional experience, exchanging ideas, supporting meaningful causes and creating unforgettable moments together.

As this new chapter begins, we look forward to a year filled with learning, discovery, collaboration and lasting memories.

WELCOME and WELCOME BACK to ESCP 💙

To learn more about student life at ESCP, visit: https://escp.eu/student-life

Stay connected with ESCP across our social media channels ⬇️

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/escp-business-school/...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escpbs/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/

“Today, you become the entrepreneurs of your education.”
—Professor Thomas Jeanjean, Dean of ESCP Business School

On Wednesday 26 August, 430 new Master in Management Pre-Master Year students joined us at ESCP’s Paris Champerret Campus for their first day as part of our community.

Coming from preparatory classes across France, this new cohort began their ESCP journey with words of welcome and inspiration from Dominique Restino, President of the CCI Paris Île-de-France; Philippe Houzé, Chairman of the ESCP Board of Directors and Chairman of Galeries Lafayette Group; Professor Thomas Jeanjean, Dean of ESCP Business School; Professor Francesco Rattalino, Senior Executive Vice-President in charge of Academic Affairs; Professor Cécile Kharoubi, Dean of the Paris Campus; and Eva Mollat du Jourdin, representing the ESCP Alumni Association.

And what better way to begin that journey than by hearing from someone who once sat in their place?

Rémy Baume (MiM 2000), CEO of Printemps, returned to ESCP for an inspiring conversation with the new cohort, reflecting on what has stayed with him since his own student years:
💬 “What ESCP gave me has never ever expired. Friends for life, a supportive community, and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself: the European spirit.”

The induction marks only the beginning. Over the coming days, the students will move from the classroom to the playing field and beyond, with sessions dedicated to diversity & inclusion, the Designing Tomorrow sustainability seminar, sports activities and opportunities to connect as a cohort.

Because starting at ESCP is about more than beginning a programme. It is about encountering new perspectives and starting to build a path of your own.

Welcome to ESCP 💙💛 It all starts here.

Be honest… Do you even remember your own thesis topic? 👀📝

At the ESCP Class of 2025 graduation, our graduates turned the tables on their family members and asked them one simple question: “What was my thesis about?”

After months of rigorous learning, international experiences across ESCP’s European campuses and plenty of late nights, the graduates certainly knew their research inside out. But had their family managed to keep up?

😅Their answers may not have been entirely accurate, but they certainly made for some memorable moments.

Congratulations to the MBA Class of 2025, and a special thank you to the families who supported them throughout the journey. You may not remember every thesis title, but you were there for every milestone 💙

Learn about ESCP’s MBA programme: https://escp.eu/programmes/MBA

💼 What makes CEOs attractive for board positions?

This research highlight is brought to you by ESCP Research & Impact— ESCP’s dedicated LinkedIn channel featuring the latest research, insights and expertise from ESCP professors and faculty members.

New research published in the Journal of International Management by Dr. Sebastian Baldermann, Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Stefan Schmid, Full Professor of International Management at ESCP, and Tobias Dauth, Rector and Professor at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, challenges one of the most widely held assumptions in international business.

Analysing the careers of 443 CEOs from Europe’s largest listed companies, the authors reveal that international experience is not always the advantage many expect.

Their findings show that when international experience happens matters just as much as how much of it a CEO has. CEOs with more recent international experience are more likely to gain board appointments. Yet, surprisingly, spending longer periods abroad or accumulating a broader range of international assignments can actually reduce the number of board positions they hold, particularly within their home country.

🤔 Why?

The research suggests that while international experience strengthens opportunities for board roles abroad, extensive time overseas may weaken the domestic networks and local embeddedness that many European boards continue to value. This highlights that the benefits of global careers depend heavily on context, rather than following a simple “more is better” logic 🌐

These insights offer valuable lessons for executives planning international careers, nomination committees selecting board members, and policymakers shaping corporate governance standards. They also encourage organisations to rethink how they evaluate international experience when identifying future board talent.

Curious to discover why international experience can both help and hinder a CEO’s board career?

Read the full research on Science Direct: https://cstu.io/adbe4e

Discover more content on ESCP Research & Impact, ESCP’s official LinkedIn page dedicated to faculty research and insights: https://cstu.io/6f2a44/

⭐ Meet ESCP’s New Academic Leaders

We’re delighted to announce the electionof two new academic leaders, effective 1 September 2026 for a three-year term.

Associate Professor Maria Koutsovoulou has been elected Dean of Faculty. An Associate Professor of Negotiation, Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, Maria brings extensive experience in academic leadership, executive education and supporting organisations through complexity and change. Prof. Koutsovoulou will join ESCP’s Executive and General Management Committees as well as serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.

Associate Professor Alessandro Ghio has been elected Associate Dean for Research and will join ESCP’s Executive Committee. An Associate Professor of Diversity and Social Accounting, Alessandro is an internationally recognised scholar whose work explores diversity in accounting and corporate social media communication. Prof. Ghio’’s research has appeared in leading academic journals and earned recognition including the Aspen Institute’s “Ideas Worth Teaching” award.

We warmly congratulate Professors Koutsovoulou and Ghio and look forward to their leadership in supporting our faculty and strengthening the global reach and impact of ESCP research.

We also extend our deepest gratitude to Prof. Pramuan Bunkanwanicha, who has served ESCP’s Senior Management for nine consecutive years, first for six years as Associate Dean for Research, followed by three years as Dean of Faculty.

Our sincere thanks also go to Prof. Regis Coeurderoy, who has served as Associate Dean for Research for the past three years. His leadership has been instrumental in strengthening the quality, visibility and impact of research at ESCP, notably through his contribution to the launch of the ESCP Institutes and his support for the launch of the ESCP Research & Impact LinkedIn page.

We look forward to this new chapter and to the lasting impact that Prof. Koutsovoulou’s and Prof. Ghio’s leadership will bring to our academic community and beyond.

Discover Maria Koutsovoulou’s ESCP faculty profile: https://escp.eu/faculty-research/faculty-members/koutsovoulou-maria

Discover Alessandro Ghio’s ESCP faculty profile: https://escp.eu/faculty-research/faculty-members/ghio-alessandro

☀️There is no break for knowledge! Over the summer, ESCP professors are sharing their expertise and insights in Les Echos, one of France’s leading business and financial newspapers.

Professors across our campuses and disciplines are taking on the questions shaping today’s conversations.

• Are companies too globalised? Or rather not European enough?
• What happens when challenges our notions of a job well done?
• How is structural uncertainty reshaping business strategies?
• Are creating value with living systems?
• Start-up sold, identity lost: what comes next?
• Why should business leaders not underestimate the benefits of law?
• How is uncertainty redefining the role of business leaders?

And more 👇

Read the full articles in French 🇫🇷 on Les Echos via the links in our press room, and stay tuned as ESCP experts continue to share their takes on hot topics in leadership and management 💡

Check out the articles in ESCP’s : escp.eu/press-room

Thank you to the Editor-in-Chief of Les Echos Leadership & Management Muriel Jasor for her confidence in our experts!