Gathering both in person at the Orangerie d’Auteuil and online, HEC Alumni members looked back on the past year, discussed the Association’s priorities for the future, and voted on its resolutions, all of which were approved by an overwhelming majority.

Breaking with tradition, this year’s HEC Alumni Annual General Meeting was held not at the Hôtel Potocki, headquarters of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but at the Orangerie d’Auteuil, in the heart of Roland-Garros Stadium (named after the famed aviator and HEC graduate, Class of 1908). Bathed in summer light and, fortunately, air-conditioned during an early-season heatwave, the elegant glass hall welcomed more than 200 participants.

Another highlight of this year’s AGM was the election of the Association’s new President, Adrien Nussenbaum (H.01). He succeeds Hortense de Roux (H.05), whose vision and commitment have guided the Association’s development over the past two years.

In a conversation with Marguerite Gallant (H.03), the outgoing President reflected on the key achievements of her term, structured around three major priorities: advancing the OneHEC strategy, strengthening the measurement of alumni engagement, and further expanding the international reach of the network.

Strengthening the network and alumni engagement

One of the community’s defining ambitions in recent years has been to bring HEC’s three historically independent institutions—the Association, the School and the Foundation—into closer alignment around a shared vision and common objectives, ensuring that students and alumni benefit from consistent services and a unified voice.
This approach has led the Association to reaffirm its mission: not only to foster connections among alumni, but also to strengthen the bond between alumni and HEC Paris.
More fundamentally, it has broadened the way alumni engagement is understood. Beyond Association membership or participation in volunteer-led events, many alumni contribute to the network as donors, sponsors, mentors, recruiters of HEC graduates, or through other forms of involvement. Taking all these dimensions into account, the Association estimates that around one-third (33%) of HEC alumni are actively engaged with the network. Its objective is to raise that figure to 50% by the end of 2027.
Achieving this ambition also means reaching an increasingly international community. Today, two out of every three HEC students come from outside France, while 30% of alumni live abroad—a proportion expected to reach 50% by 2030.

“This is one of our greatest challenges,” said Hortense de Roux. “How can we ensure that every alumnus or alumna, wherever they may be in the world—and especially those far from Paris—feels genuinely connected, represented and engaged with HEC? That question has shaped much of our action plan: gaining a deeper understanding of our community, particularly through a stronger data strategy; reinforcing the role of class delegates, clubs and international chapters; creating more flagship events that bring alumni together; and building stronger bridges between alumni, the School and the Foundation.”

Advancing data capabilities and expanding the global network

Arnaud de Baynast (H.94), Chair of the Data Committee, took the stage to present the work underway to improve the quality and reliability of the Association’s data. By cross-referencing its records with publicly available LinkedIn data, HEC Alumni has already been able to update more than 30,000 alumni profiles.
The long-term objective is to build a shared data platform for the Association, the School and the Foundation. Achieving this, however, remains a complex undertaking, involving both technical and legal challenges, and will continue to be a key area of focus in the year ahead.

Joining the AGM remotely from Boston, Monique Verrier Mulkhern (MBA.04), President of the Boston Chapter and a member of the Committee, highlighted the importance of fully integrating the international alumni community into the life of the network. She presented the new Regional Connectors initiative, which will bring together Chapters within the same region of the world to foster joint initiatives, encourage greater collaboration and strengthen ties across HEC communities worldwide.

Véronique Ehrhard (H.82), Vice President of the Association, also stressed the importance of strengthening the representativeness of HEC Alumni’s governance, ensuring that the composition of the Committee better reflects the diversity of the alumni community—not only across degree programmes, with MBA graduates still underrepresented, but also in terms of international representation.

For Stéphanie Pfeiffer (H.15), Chair of the HEC Life Project Committee, access to international career opportunities is another key pillar of HEC Alumni’s global relevance. “The true value of the network is revealed at pivotal moments in a professional journey—whether during a career transition, an international move or an entrepreneurial venture,” she said. “As our community becomes increasingly global, it is essential that the Association continues to enhance its alumni job boards, providing relevant career opportunities wherever our graduates are in the world.”

“Creating awareness, building affinity, inspiring engagement”

Hortense de Roux also highlighted the work carried out around the Alumni Journey, an initiative designed to better understand alumni expectations and respond to them through a clear three-step approach: creating awareness, building affinity, and inspiring engagement.
The first step begins on campus, where the affectio societatis—the sense of belonging to the HEC community—is forged. With this in mind, the Association has sought to strengthen the role of class delegates, who accompany their classmates throughout their alumni journey. Recent initiatives include the creation of a dedicated Class Delegates Club, offering opportunities for informal exchanges and networking, as well as encouraging delegates who wish to step back to pass on the role to another member of their class.
To nurture the connection with the School, the Association also organises flagship events on campus, such as the MBA Reunions and the 10-Day Reunion, which brings together classes celebrating milestone anniversaries—10, 20, 30, 40 years and beyond.

“These reunions are extraordinary moments,” said Delphine Colson, Executive Director of the HEC Foundation. “The campus remains one of HEC’s greatest assets—it is where everything begins. These events also give alumni the opportunity to see first-hand how rapidly the School is evolving to meet the expectations of future generations. In that respect, the campus transformation project has become a powerful rallying point for our entire community.”

“The 10-Day Reunion, the MBA Reunions and the HEC Gala brought together thousands of alumni this year, including many who had not attended an HEC event in years,” Hortense de Roux concluded with satisfaction.

Financial results and the association’s structure

As is customary, the Annual General Meeting also provided an opportunity to review the Association’s financial results. David Vaillant (H.98), Treasurer of HEC Alumni, took to the stage to present the financial position in a concise three-minute overview.
Over the years, the Association’s structure has become increasingly sophisticated. Today, it comprises several interconnected entities: HEC Alumni, HEC Éditions, the HEC UK House real estate company (SCI), and the charity that operates HEC UK House in London. Significant work has been undertaken to strengthen the quality of financial reporting and improve the management of these different entities and activities. While this work may be less visible than the Association’s flagship events and initiatives, it is fundamental to ensuring the long-term sustainability and sound governance of HEC Alumni.

A message from the School

Following the presentation of the financial results, HEC Paris Dean and CEO Éloïc Peyrache took the floor to outline the School’s strategic ambitions for the years ahead. Guided by its new motto, “Dare the Impossible,” HEC Paris aims not only to remain a world-class institution for learning and knowledge creation, but also to play a leading role in shaping public debate and developing solutions to today’s major challenges.
To achieve this ambition, the School is building on the strength of its academic research, brought together under the umbrella of the HEC Institutes. By making this work more widely accessible—particularly through the Dare platform on the HEC Paris website—the School seeks to stimulate new ideas and foster meaningful dialogue between businesses, faculty, alumni and public decision-makers.

This commitment to creating real-world impact is also reflected in the HEC Stand Up initiative, which supports vulnerable women in launching their own businesses. When the programme was first introduced in 2019, it supported around 40 participants. This year, nearly 850 women entrepreneurs have graduated from the programme and earned their HEC Stand Up certification. Their inspiring journeys are featured in the documentary Toutes à gagner (Winning Together), broadcast on TV5 Monde. It tells the remarkable stories of women who, in their own way, are daring the impossible by bringing ambitious entrepreneurial projects to life.

Celebrating the network awards

Before the inaugural address of the Association’s new President, Vice President Véronique Ehrhard (H.82) presented the annual Network Awards, recognising the outstanding commitment and dynamism of HEC Alumni’s clubs, class cohorts, chapters and regional communities over the past year.
The evening’s award winners included the Netherlands Chapter, which organised eight major events over the course of the year; the H.75 Class, recognised for fifty years of sustained engagement; the Governance Club and the Consulting & Coaching Club, honoured for the quality of their conference series and publications; the Amateur Piano Club, which organised 14 high-quality events in 2025; and the Toulouse–Occitanie Region, celebrated for the exceptional mobilisation of its members and an annual programme of around twenty events.

Marguerite Gallant (H.03) then took the stage to pay tribute to outgoing President Hortense de Roux, highlighting her long-standing commitment to HEC Alumni as a volunteer and recognising the exemplary role she has played within the community over many years.

 

The new president’s first address

As one chapter came to a close, another began with the election of Adrien Nussenbaum (H.01) as the new President of HEC Alumni. Addressing the General Meeting for the first time in his new role, he opened with a heartfelt message of gratitude: “First of all, dear fellow alumni, I am truly honoured and delighted to take on the role of President of HEC Alumni. Thank you for your trust. My very first thought is for all our volunteers, because without volunteers, there would simply be no Association.” He then spoke about his father, an HEC graduate from the Class of 1966 and a former professor at the School, who passed on to him a deep affection for HEC.

“To me, HEC represents the belief that each generation can pass on more to the next than it received itself. It is also the conviction that together we can build something greater than ourselves. That belief has guided me throughout my entrepreneurial journey and in my commitment to the HEC Foundation, notably through the creation of the HEC Imagine Fellows programme, which enables students from countries affected by war to study on our campus.”
Calling on the community to be even more ambitious and to think boldly at a time when the campus is being transformed and the OneHEC vision is becoming a reality, the new President concluded on an optimistic note: “The world is vast, and we are fortunate to have alumni in every corner of it. That is one of our greatest strengths, and we must continue to nurture it. It matters for the HEC brand, and it matters for every HEC project.”

Once the AGM had formally concluded, many participants gathered outside the Orangerie for the annual Summer Party, while others headed home to follow the latest exploits of the French national football team at the FIFA World Cup.

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