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EDITORIAL / GGSB COMMUNITY / IN BRIEF / NETWORKING

GGSB / Contact / GGSB Alumni Community

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The Dean’s Editorial

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Newsletter GGSB Alumni Community

December 2011

Editorial

Alumni News: Success stories

Young Graduates are doing well

GGSB Alumni Contribution

GGSB Students Alumni Chapter

GGSB Faculty

Matched-Hatched

Ranking…

Gem & MIT ...

GGSB Development in China

MSc ISE Beijing

News Programs & Intakes

Executive Education

2011 ICMCI Biennial Congress

The Careers Office

Latin - MBA

Networking Communities

- GGSB Business Graduates and

International Organizations…

- The MSc Management Consulting

Club

Networking Events

Forthcoming Events

Contact us We would welcome your

feedback on the issue and

your letter/comments for future

publication. Please contact us

at:

monique.garnier@ggsb.com

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The Dean’s Editorial

Dear Alumni,

Here we are already at the end of the first

semester and the Christmas vacation is fast

approaching! Snow has finally arrived! The local

ski resorts are no longer lacking in snow and

GGSB is not lacking in students either! We

currently have 1500 registered students on

GGSB programs and are fast approaching 4000

graduates! I am sure that you have seen the

recent European Business Schools ranking in the

Financial Times at the beginning of December.

GGSB is maintaining its place in the top 30 as we were ranked 29th

and

we have gone up by one place in the category French Business Schools

as we are now number 6. We have lots of new projects in the pipeline for

2012 which is going to be an exciting year. We are launching a new MSc

in Fashion, Design and Luxury Management as well as an MSc in

International HRM, an on-line MBA and a new International Executive

MBA. We are increasing our activities in China as we have opened our

MSc in Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship in Beijing and next

year we plan to open our MIB in Beijing too. We will be planning a

number of alumni reunions in 2012 so I sincerely hope to see some of

you in one of our events around the world. Meanwhile I wish you a very

Happy Christmas and All the Best for the New Year!

Warm Wishes

Judith Bouvard

Dean and Director of GGSB

TDE

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GGSB Community

TTOO BBEE PPAARRTT OOFF TTHHEE FFAABBUULLOOUUSS GGGGSSBB AADDVVEENNTTUURREE!!

This is the time for us to consider and reflect what we should have done better or differently and

equally, on what we did effectively and well.

As 2011 comes to an end, I would like to take this opportunity for us to think about continuous

improvements that are possible, with purposeful and creative collaboration with our Alumni. In the

current economic climate, more than ever, we need to be supportive, contributive and collaborative in

order to both maintain and raise our profile and standing as a leading business school.

We have maintained progress and position in the rankings, but there is still much to do together to

maintain and increase momentum, visibility and reputation. These are key factors in continuing to

strengthen our networks and reputation with employers and within the academic world.

Our school has once again been listed in two international rankings by leading publications – ‘The Financial Times’ and ‘The Economist’.

Rankings are dependent upon graduate responses and your assistance, advice and collaboration are required to maximize

feedback and response rates.

Then, let’s carry on with our key collaboration this coming year: Graduates to be surveyed: Get ready…

2008, 2009 2010 and 2011 MBA graduates will be surveyed for the Which MBA/The Economist, 2009 MSc Finance graduates

will be surveyed for the FT Masters in Finance ranking, 2009 MIB graduates will be surveyed for the Masters in Management FT

ranking, 2009 Part-time MBA graduates will be surveyed for the EMBA FT Ranking, and finally the 2010 MBA graduates will be

surveyed the Business Week ranking.

Actions, Improvements and Challenges for GGSB Alumni

This coming year, we will be reorganizing our website, focusing on finding ambassadors from each GGSB Program to

develop Alumni communities and work to improve the leverage of the GGSB Graduate family, to enhance our capacity to

create, lead and innovate in an ever-changing world.

New GGSB communities are taking off : The MSc Management Consulting Club and a potential GGSB Network for

Graduates in International Organisations and NGOs’. These groups are open to anybody who finds their focus interesting

and PLEASE, don’t hesitate to propose new interest groups, where Alumni and graduates can network, exchange ideas

and assist each other.

We all have a common purpose, to provide more visibility to recruiters and a vibrant network with coherent

communications is a very positive gateway for recruiters to GGSB Graduates.

Improvements and Changes at GGSB campus

An in-school store called GEM STORE has been opened. It serves the whole GEM community but we also have our very

GGSB specific promotional items.

The Dieter Schmidt Library has expanded its service and the library is now open on Sundays

You have all been instrumental contributors to these changes and we thank you.

We will be organizing a number of Alumni events in 2012. Along with your program directors we will keep you posted!

The major event is obviously the GGSB GALA VERSION 2012, A Space Odyssey!

Looking forward to celebrate your success …and stay tuned for further information regarding GEM participation in the GIANT

campus, (Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies) the world class innovation campus…. be proud to be part of GEM

and its unique position in this innovation campus; preparing to take its place amongst the world’s best.

Meanwhile, I wish you a very happy Christmas and All the best for 2012!

Monique Garnier Cormons GGSB International Student Services Manager

MCM

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MMEEEETT TTHHEE GGGGSSBB EENNTTRREEPPRREENNEEUURRSS!! SSUUCCCCEESSSS SSTTOORRIIEESS……

MBA Final Project Sows Seeds of Luxury Design Company

Reinventing luxurious soft furnishings for your exclusive lifestyle, luxury you can touch!

Kristan Leroy used her MBA project to work out a business model for Leroy & Scarpa.

Kristan's luxury goods company is 100% Made in France

Online boutique: Première Avenue

Kristan Leroy had clear plans for her part-time MBA and how it would help her found a luxury design company, since graduating in 2009 how has her company developed? Kristan, 44, is originally from San Francisco and was working as the marketing and admissions manager at Grenoble Ecole de Management. When she decided to study for a part-time MBA it was an obvious choice for her to apply to Grenoble, and the triple-accreditation made it a sure-fire decision.

The decision to study for an MBA was fuelled by a desire to change careers and “have a go at starting my own business in a new field that I felt passionate about: interior design, soft furnishings design & creating around beautiful fabrics". The highlight of the part-time MBA for Kristan was her cohort; 19 students from 12 different nationalities and most had at least ten years working experience in various fields.

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Kristan needed specific skills to start her own company; she had marketing experience from Grenoble and had previously been a marketing manager at Ericsson Hewlett Packard Teleccomunications. But she “needed to master financial management in France and international marketing, accounting, legal issues, raising capital, modern marketing in the web 2.0 arena.” Her final MBA project was to work on her own business plan for her soft furnishings design company. “My company sprouted from my final MBA project where I was researching the ‘home fashion’ industry and the existing competition and go-to-market strategies.” Kristan recreated her luxury label Leroy & Scarpa within the last year in order “to best address my niche clients’ needs and launch an exclusive brand worldwide. We design, assemble and package all our products. We are 100% Made In France.” Leroy and Scarpa "still have many mountains to climb but we will be showing at the Scènes d’Intérieures hall at Maison & Objet in January 2012. This show is key for our future success worldwide in the furniture, giftware and luxury accessories markets". The company is growing rapidly, "the word is starting to spread virally and we now have sales agents in place worldwide, a first round of investors under our belts and a supply chain that can support the future volumes". So in what ways has the part-time MBA helped in the establishment of Kristan's company? “It has given me the courage to totally change careers and run a business from A to Z, which is really, really challenging. The MBA stamp is a recognized asset when looking for investors who are wary of how we are to manage their funds. We have mastered the design in excel spreadsheets (forecasting, cash flow analysis, pricing, etc…..)!!” Kristan hopes that her label will be recognized worldwide within five years and ensure we meet our projections and have 100% customer satisfaction. “We want to continue to design, assemble and package all our products 100% in France so we need financial stability to ensure this quality. In ten years we would like LVMH, PPR or the likes to buy our little company, and then retire!”

Building Dreams in Brazil

How to be your own boss - making more money than some bosses!

From Victor Mazzini - MIB26

I don’t like to say I build houses: I prefer saying I build

dreams. Not only other people’s dreams, like having their

own apartment, starting a new life in a better neighborhood or

just stopping to pay the rent. I also build my own dream.

Since long time ago, my mother has been saying it is really

important to “always keep investing, because tomorrow never

knows”. And so we do. As Real Estate was her preference

since I was a kid, I grew up learning how to build houses, and

how to deal with bricklayers and brokers. Now that she is

retired, I’m the one leading the business.

Of course you need a great amount of money for the initial

investment, but if you can get it, it’s the best way to keep

making money in this unstable scenario. We start buying the

land, and for 55,000 or 60,000 Euros, a 350-400 sqm terrain

can be acquired - where within 7 or 8 months (depending on

the rain), 8 apartments can be built for 220,000 Euros. That’s

the example of my last building, and it can illustrate quite well

the whole business model.

The whole investment takes around 280,000 Euros. From the time we start searching for the land, until the moment we sell the last

apartment, it takes around 12 months. As the apartments are built in a lower-medium class neighborhood, with 75 sqm and 3

bedrooms, the return is naturally higher than luxury apartments and houses. Nowadays, each of these units can be sold for 65,000

Euros, and the price keeps increasing.

I bet by this time you already made the calculation: yes, it’s more than 85% of return in one year. It’s even much more than 85%,

because the expenses are divided for 8 or 9 months. Anyways, it’s not a bad year if you make 240,000 Euros working less than 20

hours per week. Maximum, 4 hours per day, because you don't stay there watching people carrying bricks. The rest of your day,

you can stay at home, on the beach, or you can be the GGSB representative in your country.

That's how I paid my MIB26 and how I live since I was 18 years-old. I also worked for big multinationals, but because I didn't want

to put on my CV something like "I borrowed 100,000 Euros from my mom and then I started to make money building houses". I

needed a big company on my CV, it's still important here in Brazil. However, reading this whole article again, I think it’s not a bad

idea to put this entrepreneur experience on my résumé.

Victor Mazzini in the middle

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A Post-MBA Experience

My life has been divided in three parts: before the MBA, during the MBA and after the MBA

From Beatriz Diez - MBA 9

During the MBA, one realizes everything is possible and the information is there, available for you.

After the MBA, I had enough time to go back to reality. I had to fight with a lot of people to follow the path I had decided; adapting my search, looking into different ways and perspectives, using various methods and getting advice from different people. In the meantime, I lost the comfortable community of complete strangers that became my deepest friends in a year's time. Never before had I experienced this synchronicity with a group of people who fight for something bigger than themselves.

Eventually, I found the right match: a job in marketing where I can use the tools I learned in the MBA to answer to any situation. I can go from the technical side to the strategic now; everything is possible again. The MBA gave me the strength and the ability to find all the information I need and, at the same time, understand it is only the beginning of the path. Knowing what you want and where to find the information leads you to infinite opportunities.

The third part of my life has begun at Fresenius Kabi, with a different group of people fighting for the same purpose and on the right path to reach the goal I was searching for.

Wizbii, Where Students Build Their Careers

Discover one of the hottest startups of 2011, created by 3 GEM/GGSB graduates

From Romain Gentil – MIB 21

To create a professional network for students and

young graduates.

This is the gamble imagined by three graduates

from Grenoble Ecole de Management: a

promising startup named Wizbii. "LinkedIn and

Viadeo do not match the needs of students and

graduates" says Benjamin Ducousso (ESC 09),

founder of Wizbii alongside Emeric Wasson (ESC

09) and Romain Gentil (GGSB 08).

On Wizbii members input their resume, get in

touch with other members, collaborate on projects

and apply to job or internship offers selected

according to their search criteria. The platform

provides a tool for efficient matching: “If a

company needs a marketing intern for six months, starting in March, Wizbii provides a selection of matching profiles corresponding

to the recruiters’ requirements”.

Wizbii was launched in late September 2011, after a capital injection of € 310,000 from investors based in the Rhone-Alpes region.

More than 200 companies have already begun recruiting on Wizbii and, one month after its launch, the number of members has

reached 10000.

With a target of 140000 members at the end of 2012, Wizbii aims to become an essential tool for companies seeking to recruit

interns or junior profiles.

Meet Romain (marketing director, cofounder of Wizbii and MIB 21 Alumni) at the “CEO - Entrepreneurs - Challenge the

Entrepreneurs” lecture for Executive Education at GGSB this Friday afternoon (December 15, 2011).

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Young graduates are doing well!

Analyst at Barclays Capital in the Prime Services Division (Hedge Funds Clients), London

From Alexandre Baudin - ESC 2011 DESMA, “Global Tech”, GGSB MSc in Finance 4

I took the opportunity to intern in Banking and Alternative Asset Management in Paris and Frankfurt

during my gap year before joining the MSc and GGSB.

After specializing in cross-asset trading, risk and Asset Management, and spending 9-month with

Société Générale on a sales desk while writing my dissertation, I have now been hired full-time by

BarCap in London. My job involves dealing with global Hedge Fund client’s, assessing and

optimizing their trading portfolio risk and returns.

My main advice in this current difficult market climate is to broaden you overall experience, and by

that build up a strong versatile CV, preferably before you finish you studies. Also if required, do

spend a lot of time on your dissertation as it will be an asset for your future specialization; use the

many resources offered by your company if you choose to work/intern at the same time.

Alexandre.Baudin@barclayscapital.com

A Job at Bonitasoft – Grenoble!

From Jorge Alejandro Cordero Ramirez - Msc Business Development 2

Hello my name is Alejandro CORDERO.

I am from Mexico and I had the great opportunity to come and study at GGSB. Moreover I always wanted to finish my studies and have the opportunity to work in a leading company in global expansion to be more specific in the development area, which could provide a challenge at international level. Meanwhile I was studying I was assisting to all the recruitment fairs made by career Management, and others recruitments fairs in France, also I was reading about companies and one of them capture my attention which was Bonitasoft a French company and the top BPM vendor solutions company worldwide. Then in February there was the Mock interview challenge, I went to see the companies recruiting and I saw Bonitasoft on the list. Then I had the chance of having the interview by my surprise with one of the cofounders Rodrigue Le Gall. He came and I had the interview directly with him, therefore I had the opportunity to follow more interviews and finally in July of 2011 I was hired with a specific contract and now the company offered me a CDI contract as an Account Manager.

Working Experience in China

From Julien Levet - MIB Singapore 5

I am currently working in Beijing (China) at Schneider-Electric where I have recently been hired as "Transformation & Efficiency Consultant" for the head of our IT department. I have been in charge of supporting IT Operation Excellence initiatives, improving internal processes and developing best practices for our IT teams in China (about 130 people located on 5 different sites across China). The role of IT has significantly evolved over the last 15 years. In fact, nowadays, resources with business profiles/background are needed to develop a customer-oriented approach and generate more business value by providing world-class information services to other company's departments. To do so, skills such as understanding the business needs and processes, managing both financial and human resources, leading global projects, being able to drive change as well as working in multicultural environments are fundamental In the past, after completing my bachelor degree in Grenoble (GEM / EMSI - Promo 2009) and working

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in parallel of my studies for 2 French start-ups as "Business Developer & Marketing Assistant", I moved to Boston (US) where I started working for Schneider-Electric as "Information, Process & Organization Assistant".

In 2010, I started my master degree in Singapore where I joined our off-site campus (GEM / GGSB MIB - Promo 2012). Finally, in 2011, I decided to move to China where I have signed a VIE contract for the next two years.

I know that number of students in France are looking for VIE opportunities across the world. It seems clear that most of the VIE candidates got their positions by using their professional networks (mostly contacts from previous experiences as I did). Only few got their VIE positions by applying directly on the "Civiweb.com" website. Therefore, do not neglect any experiences such as internships and first jobs to show your motivation, professional abilities and present your international project. Actually, once the company selected you for the position, this contract is quite easy to setup especially for French global companies (It may be a bit more challenging and complicated from small firms). It is really important to note that it does not exempt you from getting a work permit in the country you will be working in and due to the current global economic situation, requirements and rules have become stricter in many countries. For instance, it took me about 4/5 months to get my employment license in China. As you are future graduates, I would say that anticipation is key. I wish you good luck for your job research and feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the VIE contract or anything else : julien.levet@grenoble-em.com

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A Case for Immigration: Yes to 70 Million

From Martin Farr – MIB 25

Barely a week goes by without immigration being on the front page of one newspaper or another. In little over a week we have seen Ed Miliband and David Cameron slog it out over who is the toughest on immigration. Home Secretary Theresa May sent the tabloids into overload when she admitted she didn’t know the number of illegal immigrants who had entered the country this summer. There was also an e-petition calling for tighter immigration, which reached 100,000 signatories in just a few days and caused the resignation of UK border chief Brodie Clark, who is now suing the government for ‘constructive dismissal’.

I want to talk about the e-petition. There are so many holes in the concept of a petition that calls for the population not to reach 70 million that it’s hard to know where to begin. Firstly, and most importantly, the petition is based on a false premise. It says that according to official figures the population is predicted to reach 70 million by 2029. However the Office for National Statistics does not make predictions for the future; it makes projections based on current trends. Why is this small nuanced difference important? Well, because previous population predictions, using then current trends, have proved wildly inaccurate. For example, in 1965 the official projection was that the UK would possess a population of 75 million by 2000 when it in fact it was just under 60 million, a not-so-small difference.

Daily Mail readers were spitting out their cornflakes up and down the country back in August when they read the headline “Immigration up 20 %”, with Sky News adopting a similar line. However on closer inspection it becomes apparent that this statistic was patently wrong. In 2010, the number of immigrants coming to the UK was 575,000 and in 2009 it was 567,000 – a measly 1.4 per cent rise which would barely make page 23 of the Daily Express. But why let the truth get in the way of a good headline? And

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where does this mythical 20 per cent figure come from? As the graph from the ONS illustrates, the level of immigration has been relatively stable since 2004. It was net migration (the number of immigrants minus emigrants) that increased by 20 per cent in 2010.

This is a hugely important difference as the government has direct control over the number of people entering the country but litt le influence over the number of people leaving. The fact of the matter is, the rise in net migration is more to do with a fall in emigration, not a rise in immigration. So, really, if David Cameron and the coalition want to lower net migration then they should probably try and encourage more people to leave the country (although with the current economic conditions and austerity measures you’d be forgiven for thinking that that was exactly what they are trying to do!).

This negative press attention contributes to a growing resentment towards immigration. We often read that immigrants are a drain on our resources – ironically, accused of being lazy benefit scroungers and, simultaneously, “coming over here, taking our jobs”. From an economist’s perspective it’s worth pointing out that there is no finite number of jobs in our economy and our economic system is fluid, governed by the laws of supply and demand. One job for an immigrant does not equal one less job for a Briton. That particular migrant is going to pump his or her wages into the economy every month whether to buy food, clothes, pay for dentists or any number of things that people spend money on. A research piece by UCL shows that newcomers from Eastern Europe paid 37 per cent more taxes than they received from public services, compared to the average Briton who paid in 20 per cent less than they received. To put it into simpler terms, immigrants are not a drain on the welfare state – they are helping to pay for it. Not to mention all the migrants who help provide public services be they doctors, nurses, cleaners or other service provider. In a country with such a rapidly ageing population like Britain, we need to grow our workforce to help pay for those who have retired and are living increasingly longer lives. If we stop letting immigrants in, then who is going to make up the numbers?

The UK is undoubtedly one of the richest countries in the world. With every additional worker we will become richer still. If the prediction of 70 million is realised we may well surpass Germany as the largest economy in Europe. Yes, there are certain infrastructure issues with a growing population – more houses have to be built, more schools, hospitals, and so on – but with an increase in working population, there is also an increase in tax revenue to help pay for it. That is the intrinsic nature of development. Surely, we’d prefer building more schools to meet local needs, rather than closing down current ones because there are not enough children being born.

Instead of focusing on an arbitrary population figure, or legislating against factors that really can’t be controlled without strict birth planning policies, a much more constructive debate would be about what criteria we should set for those entering the country.

There are many reasons why I will not sign the No to 70 Million e-petition. Chiefly because I believe that we’re in a much better position as a country, economy and society with immigration than we would be without it. I don’t know what Britain, as a country, would be like with no outside influence and hopefully, I’ll never find out.

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Career Opportunities at PwC Munich

From Patrick Bauer - PwC Consultant · MIB 25

Thanks the support of our Career Office during my time as a MIB 25 student in 2008 getting an internship at PwC Munich was quite easy. And since it was a truly great experience I stayed with PwC as a consultant. I got hired directly after graduation and would like to help other GGSB students (MIB & MSc Finance) to follow the same path. I offer to get our Grenoble Career Office in direct contact with the HR/recruitment responsible here at PwC Munich. Kind regards from Munich, Patrick Telephone: +49 89 5790-6596 Mobile: +49 175 2663887 Fax: +49 69 9585-962830 Email: patrick.bauer@de.pwc.com - www.pwc.de PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

Internship Opportunities in Schneider Electric Grenoble

From Denis Coupé - MBA PT1

Schneider Electric, Power Business, Senior Vice / President, Supply Chain

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GGSB MBA Student Stands Out at World-Class Conference

From Nick Tsokanos – MBA FT4 London

Nick Tsokanos, first-class full time MBA student at Grenoble

Ecole de Management International Campus in London, attended

and participated in the London School of Economics Student

Strategy & Management Consulting Conference (LSE

SSMCC) 2011. LSE SSMCC is one of world’s largest and

foremost consulting focused student-run forums, providing a

unique collaborative platform for students, academics and

professionals. The event was sponsored by world-leading

companies such as Google, Boston Consulting Group (BCG),

Deloitte, Roland Berger, OC&C, Oliver Wyman, Opera

Solutions etc. Prestigious speakers included, amongst others,

Professors from Harvard, LSE, Cambridge, LBS, UCLA and

professionals from PwC, KPMG, Credit Suisse, Financial

Times etc. as well as global leaders from a variety of industries.

The committee selected 220 delegates from almost 10.000

applications from over 45 countries and over 120 international institutions based on excellence demonstrated in both academic

record and other professional achievements. The theme of the 2011 conference was “Succeeding in a Volatile World”. Topics

spanned across the new realities of the post-crisis world, which were characterized by an inherent volatility and elaborated on the

emerging opportunities within the global contestable markets. Nick says: “It was a truly exciting and challenging experience!”.

During the second day of the event, Nick Tsokanos was invited to participate in the Case Competition led by a leading

management consulting firm. He formed a team of six (6) persons including McKensie and Ernst&Young professionals. The

Case was about a global company who wanted to change its ERP - CRM systems. The team was asked to devise cost-efficient

solutions to certain deliverables that entailed different departments and functions of the organization, namely, Marketing & Sales,

IT & IS, HRM, Finance, Operations etc. In addition to that, the team was asked to report recommendations of actions and conduct

a full analysis including a detailed cost benefit analysis, along with product delivery implications. Implementing change in the

organizational structure and corporate culture of the company while aligning with its strategic focus towards efficient operations

and cost reductions were the key issues to be addressed by our team.

“While my fellow members were specialized in a particular function of the case, I was able to see the whole picture and shape the company’s new strategy by effectively combining those different functions in a synergistic way. And that was mainly due to the generic business knowledge I gained from Grenoble Ecole de Management!” he adds. Nick’s presentation was

selected among the five (5) best presentations of the competition! He concludes: “I would like to thank Grenoble’s staff for providing me with excellent academic background which, coupled with my professional experience, led to this success.”

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Future Business Developers Display their Skills to Increase Visibility in the

Job Market

GGSB’s Business Development class blogs about their learnings and provide insights to

the BizDev community - www.WeAreDevelopment.net

From MSc Business Development 3

The MSc in Business Development program at GGSB, composed of 22 students from 13 different countries, has recently

launched a blog about Business Development.

We Are Development focuses on the multiple aspects of Business Development with an emphasis on emerging markets and

innovation. Every week, we publish articles discussing the application of various concepts to the developing business market.

French content is also available, notably an article from GEM professor of Geopolitics, Jean-Marc Huissoud.

We Are Development is an independent blog which enables us to creatively discuss concepts learned in class and freely express

our opinions and views.

You are all welcome to visit and comment on www.WeAreDevelopment.net !

If you wish to contribute to our blog, don’t hesitate to contact us at wearedevelopment2011@gmail.com

Esprit de Corp of MIB 6 Singapore is Becoming the Stuff of Legends

From Nicolas Benichou – MIB 6 Singapore

“We finally put into words our first mission: Fostering a team spirit through the design of our own class T-shirts

For sure, we all will be proud to sport our T shirts at Kopitiam or all around Singapore.

The following link allows you to have a look at some pictures of the distribution: photos”

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MIB Program Update: Time for Creativity, Collaboration and Synergy

From Dr Taran Patel – MIB Program Director

Dear MIB Alumni,

As Benjamin Disraeli has said, “In a progressive country, change is constant, change is …inevitable.”

Although Disraeli refers to countries, the same can also be said about progressive institutions and

programs. The idea that in the face of constant and never-ending change, the most successful

entities are not the ones that are the toughest, but those that are the most flexible and adaptive, has

guided the actions of the MIB team this year. As the current year comes to a close, we look forward

to another exciting year that promises to be full of opportunities and (ever-present) challenges!

One of the challenges we are currently faced with is increased competition as more and more

business schools from different countries have started offering specialized programs in International

Business studies. While we recognize this challenge, we also see this as a tremendous opportunity

for creative thinking, collaboration and synergy, all of which are the outcome of a positive work

culture and an overall environment of good will and support – traits that have long characterized Grenoble Ecole de Management.

The revised MIB program that will be launched in September 2012 is one response from our side to this challenge of increased

global competition.

Another response to this increased global competition is to implement a well-thought and distinctive strategy for international

expansion, especially in rapidly emerging economies. While the MIB program has been running successfully in London and

Singapore for a while now, the next strategic step is to launch the MIB program in developing countries like China and India. In line

with this strategy, we intend to launch an MIB program in Beijing, China in September 2012 with an initial intake of 40 students,

both from China and other countries. In addition to following the standard curriculum of the MIB program, students on the Beijing

campus will also be offered the chance to attend workshops aimed at preparing them for conducting business in Europe and/or

Asia. Additionally, a few students selected from the China campus will be invited to travel to the Grenoble campus for the second

semester and approximately the same number of students will be allowed to go from the Grenoble campus to the China campus.

Thus, this program would allow for more international mobility and more profound interactions between students from the two

campuses. In addition to the MIB Beijing, there are also plans to launch an MIB program in India in 2013. Negotiations are currently

en route with potential partners in India through the efforts of Nishit Jain, GEM’s country manager in India (and proud alumnus of

the MIB program ) and Gaël Fouillard, Associate Director, GGSB.

As we continue on the path of expansion and growth, every now and then we stop to reflect on what we have achieved in past

years. As an academic establishment, our sense of satisfaction is largely derived from the achievements of our current students

and of our alumni. Many of our alumni have excelled in their careers over the years, many continue to write back to us and extend

opportunities for collaboration and career progression to current MIB students. Your success is a continued source of satisfaction

and inspiration to us. As our MIB family grows and flourishes, we request you to stay in touch with the MIB team and keep us

posted on your progress.

MSc Finance

From Stephanie Boyer - MSc Finance Program Director

We have welcomed our new MSc Finance students last September. Over the last few years, the number of students on both campuses (Grenoble and London) has stabilised to around 30. The program has changed since its start in 2006, following your feedback (and professionals’ feedback). Here are the main evolutions:

- For 2007/2008: adoption of the CFA Cbok in our syllabi, banking conference (with P. Fearon) - For 2008/2009: reinforce the finance content in non-finance modules (business law, ethics)

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- For 2009/2010: 2 modules for Derivatives & Fixed income investments (instead of 1), languages are optional, VBA training & personal coaching with P. Fearon in Grenoble - For 2010/2011: 4 electives are offered, Audit and risk management is introduced in the curriculum For 2011/2012, we are introducing a “Serious game”. Competing teams of students will have to manage a company (or a bank), make decisions (strategy, financing, investing…) under tough time constraints on a computer based simulation game. The students have to choose between doing a Banking Serious game in Grenoble or a Strategy Serious game in London. These Serious games should develop the “soft skills” of our graduates such as team work, negotiation, presentation, intercultural management, stress management. It will also provide the opportunity for all students to discover another campus (and city) during 1 week. And we start thinking about 2012/2013, with the opening of the MSc Finance in Singapore, in collaboration with GGSB partner there (MDIS). As you probably have experienced, networking is critical to find a job. We now have more than 200 MSc finance students/alumni.

This network is an asset if you take the time to update the alumni website (graduate network) on http://graduatenetwork.grenoble-em.com I have checked it and only a few of you have registered their latest position, CV, mail address etc... Finally, the MSc Finance has been ranked 6

th best pre-experienced Masters in Finance by the Financial times last May so,

hopefully, we will get more & even better students in the next intakes. Thanks to our first graduates for their positive and active feedback to the Financial Times surveys. It is their answers that have enabled this great success. I would be very happy to keep in contact with you. So please take a few minutes to drop me an email with your latest career changes, your feedback on the program, your analysis of the job market situation etc…

Bringing the Crisis Home

The changing policies and policy priorities in Europe

From Mark Smith - Associate professor in GGSB

Mark Smith, associate professor in GGSB, was recently invited to speak in Athens about the impact of the Europe-wide crisis on policy making and policy makers. Mark’s work, with his colleague, Professor Villa of the University of Trento, shows how the crisis has affected women and men differently. The first phase impacted more upon jobs typically occupied by men while the second phase of restructuring and consolidation is having a greater impact upon women. This can turn out to be a double whammy for women since they lose jobs and also services on which they rely, such as childcare, flexible working arrangements, etc. He argues that while the two staged impact upon men and then women is not necessarily new the change in direction of policy represents a reversal of what many policy makers had been trying to do for the last two decades – raise the proportion of women in the labour market in order to help address medium term demographic, competitiveness and sustainability challenges. The International Symposium on “Women, Gender Equality and Economic Crisis” at the Panteion University brought together speakers from across the EU and USA.

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MMAATTCCHHEEDD--HHAATTCCHHEEDD

Claire Brochand - MIB 20 is now Claire Berthier Married last August!

Andrew Walker – GGSB Teacher - Wedding of the year…

It would be unthinkable to let 2011 come to a close without a quick word about THE wedding of the year. No, not THAT one… the

OTHER one !

A sincere, albeit, belated word of congratulations to Marika and Andrew who married in Bamford, Derbyshire on 28th May. The

best man’s name was MUUMI!

GGSB wishes you all the happiness in the world!

Matched-hathed

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In Brief

RANKINGS

Our school has once again been recognized in two international rankings by leading publications – Financial Times and the Economist! GGSB’s MSc Finance Ranked 6th in the Word by the Prestigious Financial Times

Grenoble Graduate School of Business’s MSc in Finance is ranked 6th best pre-experience Master in Finance program in the world by the Financial Times on 20th June 2011. Grenoble Graduate School of Business (GGSB) is in the top group of pre-experience Masters in Finance providers in the world. Thirty international schools are in the ranking. The Grenoble program is also ranked 1st in international course experience and 2nd in international mobility*. Initially a listing, this is the first time the Financial Times publishes a Masters in Finance ranking.

Our Master in International Business: 9th Best Master in Management in the world by the Financial Times (FT) in October 2011

http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/masters-in-management

The full-time MBA in the Which MBA/The Economist Global Ranking 20rd in Europe this year

The program also improved its standing by 3 places in the European ranking.

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Grenoble Ecole de Management Talks About Innovation at the MIT

GEM, GIANT, Bentley University, the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) & the French Embassy meet the press in Boston GIANT

From Mary Zaccai, GEM International Press Officer

The press office at Grenoble Ecole de Management organised a roundtable discussion with journalists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, Boston, USA, on 6th December 2011. As Thierry Grange, Dean of GEM, was in town to give a presentation on “Management, driving the innovation chain”, during the French American Innovation Day 2011, organized by the Office of Science & Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States the following day, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to meet the press and debate with key actors on how best to foster innovation. Grenoble Ecole de Management has achieved excellence in Management of Technology and Innovation and is one of the founding members of GIANT, Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies, an innovation campus rapidly developing at the heart of Grenoble. As GIANT is similar to the MIT in many ways, it seemed rather appropriate to discuss innovation on the MIT site, and compare what’s being done in the US and in France regarding fostering innovation…

We therefore gathered Thierry Grange, Michael Page, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bentley University, Tim Rowe, Founder and CEO of the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) & MIT Sloan School of Management graduate, Bill Stirling, GIANT scientific coordinator, and Antoine Mynard, Attaché for Science & Technology, French Embassy in Boston, at the CIC, to discuss alongside journalists on this topic: “From science to innovation: teaching and implementing sustainable knowledge transfer” What was discussed: Faced with fresh and fierce competition from Asia and Oceania, US and Europe are heightening their efforts to drive innovation and growth and avoid lagging behind the new comers... These efforts are supported by sustainable but also newly formed Innovation Campuses, similar to the MIT and GIANT, to foster innovation and best compete on the international front. The French government, for instance, is investing billions in innovation & academic hotspots to produce the next generation of innovators capable of competing with the best worldwide and staying ahead of the game. The GIANT innovation campus is dedicated to science, technology, and innovation, is one of these hotspots receiving massive funding from the French government.

How do France and the USA compare in terms of fostering innovation and their models of innovation campuses?

Comparing the French model of innovating with the American one.

Can innovation be taught? How to be more innovative? How should innovation be taught?

Is a multi-disciplinary cluster experience still the best way to foster innovation?

The power of incubators, intellectual capital and proximity between various actors to help drive innovation…

GGSB Development in China

From Serena Rovai

EUROPE - ASIA CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION

Asian regions of the world have long been areas of exploration, trade, and cultural exchange. Their millenary culture has shaped a unique socio-cultural environment until nowadays. Events and programs in Asia and about Asia will offer students and professionals concrete opportunities to gain specialized knowledge in doing business and managing people in Asia. Asia-knowledge significantly enhances professional employment opportunities and career development in an international environment. In particular, in order to meet the challenges and opportunities of globalization, a particular attention is oriented to-wards China, a land of great diversity, the world's most populous and third largest nation.

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WHY A EUROPE - ASIA CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION?

GGSB has been present in Asia and in particular in China and India since 1998 and 2003 respectively. Since then, we have attracted Chinese top talents to join our top ranked programs in France, London, Singapore and China as well as local Chinese government officials. In the same way, international and French students have already benefited from studying in Chinese local universities as exchange students. Our first program in China was an MBA with CAS - Chinese Academy of Science The Europe - Asia Center for Management & Innovation will facilitate contacts between companies, students and academics in France and in Asia. Activities will included the organization of short training programs and degree pro-grams, conferences, research, consultancy, publications, international residencies etc... GGSB BEIHANG UNIVERSITY OFF-SITE CAMPUS IN BEIJING

From this October, GGSB has opened an offsite campus in China at Beihang University in Beijing and started replicating locally the success of other offsite programs with the MSc in Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreurship. Other programs will be opened in the months to come to consolidate our presence and involvement in shaping future Chinese leaders and to increase awareness and knowledge of China for international students. The Europe Asia Centre for Management and Innovation has been and will

continue to support the development of those programs as well as workshops and joint projects. DBA PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN CHINE Our DBA program in China has developed through the years in different locations (Tongji, Shanghai…) with the recent integration

of a new one in Chongqing – one of the fastest growing municipalities in China and with a ―mere‖ population of thirty million. KNOW MORE ABOUT CHINA AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Business and People Management in China! Starting from next semester, ESC English Track students will have the opportunity to specialize on Business and People Management in China with a specific module. It will be an occasion to learn more about China‘s business context and its transition, Chinese management style and the critical issues related to business development in the P.R.C. This module will be offered later as an optional additional module to GGSB students. Customized executive training programs as well as workshops will be also offered soon to start-ups and companies in the Rhone-Alpes region intended to develop their activities in the kingdom of the dragon! For more info: serena.rovai@ggsb.com

MSc Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Intake 1 in Beijing Opened in China - September 2011

From Heidi Collognat

The new MSc Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship program opened in China on September 22, 2011. Now we are focusing on welcoming the Beihang University students who will join the onsite MSc ISE 4 group for the second semester starting in January 2012.

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New Programs and New Intakes at GGSB

From Andrea Doos – Admissions Department

We are excited to announce 2 new innovative programs for the September 2012 intake:

MSc in International Human Resource Management and Organizational Development

Human Resource Management plays a strategic role in most organizations and the program is aimed at those who wish to specialize in this key area of management with a focus on an international context. MSc Fashion, Design and Luxury Management

The Fashion and Luxury market is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and we propose training tomorrow’s leaders in this sector. This program is in its final touches of creation. It is to be offered in conjunction with Bologna University and the London School of Fashion and Design which will involve students going to these schools for part of the program.

We are also expanding our presence at our Asian campuses:

Beijing

After the success of the MSc Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship in September 2011 We can offer the MIB in September 2012

Singapore We’ve been running the MIB in Singapore since 2006 and now we opening the MSc Finance in October 2012

Training Nigerian Faculty in Best Teaching and Research Practices

Executive Education

Training Nigerian faculty in best teaching and research practices Grenoble Graduate School of

Business (GGSB), in association with the Grenoble Institute of Technology, has signed a partnership

with the Nigerian Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to assist in enhancing the skills of

Nigerian university lecturers in the field of oil and gas.

The PTDF is a governmental agency dedicated to petroleum technology and manpower with the

responsibility of developing the skills of Nigerians through research and training in order for them to

effectively operate and manage Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

GGSB has been appointed to offer training to forty Nigerian University lecturers starting from September 2011 as part of the

PTDF’s University Lecturers Skills Enhancement Programme.

The University Lecturers Skills Enhancement Programme lasts six months including three months of overseas training in Grenoble.

The program aimed at improving best teaching and research practices in the areas oil and gas will include training in: GGSB’s

pedagogical innovations techniques, shadowing, supervision methods, assessment and marking procedures, emotional

intelligence, research methodology, presentation skills, leadership, strategic thinking, planning, change management, building

successful industrial partnerships etc. Team-building training is also on the program, teaching faculty to work more effectively

together.

Gael Fouillard, Director of Development & Executive Education, GGSB, said: “There is no shortage of qualified faculty in technical

fields in Nigerian Universities, however no Nigerian University is ranked in the top four hundred universities in the Times Higher

Education University World Ranking. This ranking is based on teaching techniques, research and how research findings are

exploited. This training program is designed to help Nigerian Universities improve their practice and reach international standards in

these areas.”

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2011 ICMCI Biennial Congress in Taipei October 5th - 8th

From Michelle Mielly – Msc Management Consulting Program Director

GGSB maintained its presence at the annual meeting of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) in Taipei, hosted by the Taiwanese National Management Consulting Institute BMCA, where the heads of 50 National

Management Consulting Institutes were present representing the profession and the CMC® brand (Certified Management Consultant) at the international level. Michelle Mielly represented GGSB and the MSc in Management Consulting program at the conference as a representative of the academic community seeking to strengthen its ties to industry practitioners and to the many national institutes represented.

Following last year‘s meeting in Jordan, this year‘s agenda included furthering the development goals of the organization and its breakthrough strategy for maintaining and furthering the highest standards possible for Management Consulting as a profession. The CMC Certification for consultants is a label guaranteeing the level and quality of the consultant hired, thus helping regulate the quality of service for the sec-tor as a whole.

Given the geographic and national diversity of students in GGSB programs, international councils such as the ICMCI offer an excellent opportunity for networking and for furthering the students‘job opportunities upon graduation. In addition, it strengthens the ties between academic practitioners and professionals in the field who necessarily need to be deeply integrated in fast evolving disciplines such as Management Consulting. To this end Michelle gave a brief presentation on GGSB‘s current collaboration with the National Management Consulting Institute in Italy, APCO. Under the aegis of the current

agreement with APCO, students in the MSc Management Consulting program are offered a special student membership status in the institute for a two-year period. Included in this membership is a Management Consultant mentor, mainly senior consultants in Italy who help counsel and guide students in their professional development and job searches. In addition, students have access to a worldwide network of CMCs and the national institutes through their membership to the national institute. In addition, students are in effect placed on a fast track‘towards the CMC certification, with their first year of the program counting as one year of consulting experience. Finally, students will again embark on a Learning Expedition to Milan in the spring of 2012 to focus on specific consulting topics sector by sector as well as attend workshops and presentations by large and SME consultancies.

GGSB hopes to contribute thus to furthering the quality of the management consulting profession and to help gain traction for the future creation of a French institute of Management Consulting which would then represent France at the ICMCI level and could also dispense the CMC certification to individual consultants (to date, most European countries are represented in the ICMCI, but not France). Several distinguished CMCs are professors in the program, including Calvert Markham of the UK (teaching The Consulting Profession Today), Mike Thompson of Canada (teaching Process & Diagnostics), Michele Coletti of Italy (teaching Perspectives on Clients), and Nick Shepherd (teaching Transformations Management).

The MSc in Management Consulting current batch of students is very keen to continue the partnership with APCO and the IC-MCI and is working hard to promote the program, its students, the consulting profession, and all GEM alumni who work in this challenging and exciting field via its Management Consulting Community (MCC) webpages.

Management Consulting Community network: www.grenoble-em.com/mcc

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The Careers Office

Find out more about career opportunities at The Careers Office…

LatinMBA.com http://www.latinMBA.com

Senior Analyst, Hedge Fund, Latin America Investments, New York City

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_CuerpoAviso.ASP?AvisoID={745B3839-CC76-4A9C-A78B-0FC0884E7485}&L=1 Vice President, Latin America Structured Trade Finance, US Bank, Miami, USA

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_CuerpoAviso.ASP?AvisoID={47B36427-89BA-4164-8783-AC27D5163072}&L=1 Operations & Finance Manager, Spanish Required, Organic Food Company, New York City (open to Miami or Los Angeles)

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_cuerpoaviso.asp?AvId={BE811B11-61E2-4D2E-AD92-B5E3498CF0A5}&L=1 Project Finance, Transportation Division, International Company, Sao Paulo, Brazil

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_cuerpoaviso.asp?AvId={B6B5E17F-BE9B-4FC2-A3E2-8744EF776265}&L=1 CEO / Manager Nacional Colombia, Empresa Europea Lider, Consumer Goods / Equipos Tecnicos, Bogota / Colombia

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_cuerpoaviso.asp?AvId={F4BFD164-74AA-4B19-AB0C-23C6E2FE7752}&L=1 Equity Research Analyst, Asset Management, Sao Paulo, Brazil

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_cuerpoaviso.asp?AvisoID={CDC117A3-4DEF-4ECA-9BD3-CF283FBF4C8F}&L=1 Director, Customer Service Operations, Large Healthcare Company, Sao Paulo, Brazil

http://www.latinmba.com/en/mba/body_cuerpoaviso.asp?AvId={834FA4C7-65B3-4F70-A4F2-93AF4F0B8E21}&L=1

Careers

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Networking

NNeettwwoorrkkiinngg CCoommmmuunniittiieess

GGSB Business Graduates and International Organizations –

Is there a group of us out there?

From Nick Sanders

The popular image of the ‘Aid’ worker is often driven by visual imagery in the popular press;

haggard, exhausted and fighting a seemingly losing battle against a wave of want, disaster

and relentless media criticism. Whilst this image is often, at point of service, an accurate

one, the truth is that the world of Development and Humanitarian Assistance is under

serious scrutiny and review and now increasingly looks to the systems and organizational

expertise of the private and commercial sector to both enhance performance and

complement delivery and service to beneficiaries, society, governmental systems, economic

initiatives and vulnerable populations.

The increasing need for both performance and fiduciary accountability and coherent strategies within development and aid

programs provides a rich demand environment for skills and qualities learned in business schools. The idea of the beneficiary as a

client and dramatic changes in funding constructs and increased transparency are making the sector increasingly aware of the

need for efficiency and effectiveness in delivery and management.

Over the past three years GEM has hosted a successful and expanding recruitment and advisory day for students and alumni

seeking positions in the International Organisation sector. This event now includes several major NGOs and UN Agencies and

allows attendees to discuss career options within these organizations with recruiters and veterans from field missions and

headquarters and to familiarize themselves with the working environment of the non-profit Development sector.

As a school, it would be a fitting and beneficial project to create a group or platform, where alumni who have or are serving in this

sector to launch a platform for exchange, discussion and networking. This may also extend into a forum, where alumni can assist or

advise new graduates on career choices and vacancies.

We are calling for all alumni who have had or have positions or experience within the sector and who would be interested in creating a collegial forum to contact Nick Sanders at nick.sanders@grenoble-em .

Nick Sanders is the MIB Program Director for Off-sites and Grenoble January intakes at GGSB and teaches operational

sciences and Health Economics. A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and a career infantry officer, he

subsequently worked in emergency and conflict programming and security sector reform management for The UK Department

for International Development, The World Health Organisation, World Food Program, United Nations Joint Logistics Centre,

Medecins Sans Frontières, and Landmine Action. He joined GGSB in 2009.

The MSc Management Consulting Club

The Management Consulting Club at GEM/GGSB is part of an endeavor to build liaison between students, alumni and

professionals working in management consulting.

The Club aims to build management consulting expertise in GEM/GGSB and support

professionals to develop a network, enrich experience and benefit from the resources

accumulated in the school. The Club was launched by the first batch of students of the

programme in 2010 and pioneered by student Lali Gigashvili from Georgia.

Agenda

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If you are a management consultant or plan to join this sphere in the future, join us. Visit www.grenoble-em.com/mcc.

Contact : chaudhuri.nabanita@gmail.com

Networking Events

On October 20, 2011

GGSB Around the World: Meet the Deans and Directors in

London

51 people attended this event: 23 GGSB graduates, 3 from GEM/ESC French

programs, 14 current students, 3 GGSB staff & 11 LSBF staff!

You are invited to view the photo album

On November 19, 2011

In Paris: “Le Gala des réseaux”

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Global Connections Events

In New Delhi, 26 November 2011 In Singapore, 29 November 2011 In Dubai, 8 December 2011 These events are organized in partnership with the Association of MBAs committed to supporting accredited Business Schools in building relationships with our alumni. More info: http://www.mbaworld.com/networkingeventsbydate

Contact: Kate O'Brien - k.obrien@mbaworld.com

Forthcoming Events

On February 23, 2012

TThhee SSeeccoonndd GGGGSSBB AAnnnnuuaall MMoobbiilliittyy CCoonnffeerreennccee

Mark your calendars! February 23rd

2012 is the Second Annual Mobility Conference hosted at GGSB and organised by the MSc

in Management Consulting students, in partnership with PMI and AmCham Rhône-Alpes. This year’s topic is Optimizing the Supply Chain through Mobile Technology. Keynote Speaker Nicholas McQuire from IDC will be coming from the UK to talk to us about the landscape for mobile technology

as used in enterprises across Europe. Pat Brans, Affiliated Professor at Grenoble Ecole de Management, author of Mobilize Your Enterprise: Achieving Competitive Advantage through Wireless Technology, and columnist on enterprise use of mobile technology for several publications, including Mobile Enterprise Magazine and CIO UK, will talk about some of the ways in which mobile technology has already created vast improvements in supply chain management, and how it might be applied in the future for further benefits. We’ll host a networking cocktail following the conference where you can speed date with consultants, industry players, alumni, and current students. We’d like for any and all GEM Alumni to register for the event by contacting

management.consulting@grenoble-em.com

On February 14, 2012

CChheeeessee && WWiinnee –– NNeettwwoorrkkiinngg EEvveenntt “Cheese and Wine” networking evening: 14 February 2012 during the personal development week in Grenoble for current MBA Students on and offsite. MBA Alumni are invited to share their experiences and

knowledge. Contact: mba.relations@ggsb.com

On March 22, 2012

WWiinnee TTaassttiinngg –– NNeettwwoorrkkiinngg EEvveenntt

The 1st MSc Business Development Alumni meeting!

15h00 at GGSB on March 22, 2012

Contact: Marie France Derderian

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On July 2012

JJooiinn FFeelliixx GGyyaammeerraa

Would you like to join me in Ghana next July? Africa is the cradle of humanity. It all started there. So, for some of us it is time to circle back. Two gentlemen, George Asare and Richard Gyamera, shared an abiding passion – education for the underprivileged. While George was based in Ghana, Richard was in France, ready to move back given half a chance. Education was their common professional background too. Their dream to set up a school in an economically underdeveloped community of Ghana took shape in the form of a couple of single-storied buildings in a wooded expanse of land in the town of Nkawkaw. The Nkawkaw community depends on small trading activities for its livelihood.

George and Richard’s labour of love was christened Petals Education Centre

(www.petalseduc.com) when it opened its doors in late 1987. Its first pupils were school drop-outs aged up to 13 years. Right from the onset, the model was one of giving back to the community – if you completed high school you got to teach the little children to read and write. Today Petals is a centre of learning for more than 400 local children. It is a true community initiative. Every single facility, including the electricity and water connections that the school got last year, is thanks to pooling of resources. Parents who can afford it pay the fee, albeit a small one. The others, for whom Petals is perhaps their children’s only chance at education, pay what they can. Budget is always tight. But human resourcefulness almost always triumphs.

As a French national of Ghanian origin, I cannot help but get involved. So, by July 2012 I will be in Nkawkaw working with the children in a series of projects that are meant to explore their creativity, their interests, and talents. The projects include: making short films with video cameras, football coaching, dance workshop and an art and crafts workshop. My team and I will be creat ing the platform for children to explore their talents and develop skills that could eventually pull them out of poverty. What do I get out of it? An opportunity to explore my roots; it’s also my turn to give back. I bring them my multi-cultural experience of living, studying and working in France, UK and Italy; my organisational skills in engaging with the community and its young people. Would you like to join me? Volunteers are currently being recruited.

All you need is a spirit of adventure. You can creatively inspire our children with your personal experience, individual talents, and in the process, understand a whole new culture that has a lot to offer the world. And maybe, in the bargain, you will also take away an experience that you will cherish forever. Let me know! felix.gyamera@grenoble-em.com | www.petalseduc.com

The author is a student of MSc Management Consulting 2011 at the Grenoble Graduate School of Business.

He is a Business Graduate by training and working towards a career in consulting.

He’ll use his consulting skills to change the world! See his profile

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GGSB Around the World Events

Events will be implemented in our off sites in 2012:

In Moscow, London, Singapore and In Tbilisi,

More details to come soon

Contact: monique.garnier@ggsb.com

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For more GEM Alumni information please visit GEM Graduate Network

linkedin facb

ook Contact us We would welcome your feedback on the issue and

your letter/comments for future publication. Please

contact us at: monique.garnier@grenoble-em.com