Dear students, dear alumni, do you know the name and the story of the founding father of HEC? His name is Gustave Emmanuel Roy, and here is how it all began.

Born in 1823 into a Protestant family of merchants from Reims, Gustave Emmanuel Roy quickly established himself as a leading figure in commerce and industry. At the head of Roy Frères, he climbed the ranks of a still-closed business world and became one of the staunchest advocates of free trade. His success allowed him to join the Parisian circles where the major economic orientations of his time were being shaped.

His real springboard, however, was the Paris Chamber of Commerce, where he was elected in 1878. In his Memoirs, published in 1906, he looked back on this period with open pride: “The Chamber of Commerce, awakened from its lethargy, had gone to work; I was supported by energetic and capable colleagues.” From the very beginning, Roy made his mark. He vigorously opposed the introduction of a tax on raw materials, argued for the promotion of the gold standard, and pushed for a reform of railway tariffs. His voice carried weight. As he himself recalled: “At the Chamber of Commerce, I was the defender of liberal ideas; I was supported by Lebaudy, Henri Fould, Carlhian, and Pierson, and throughout my tenure, this spirit never ceased to drive me.”

 

The Father of HEC Paris

It was in this context that his most ambitious project emerged: founding a major business school in Paris. In his memoirs, he wrote without ambiguity: “I proposed to create a third school in Paris, offering studies of a higher level than the two schools that already existed (the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, now ESCP, the oldest business school still in operation, and the École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen, which became Neoma Business School in 2013) — and which became the ‘École des Hautes Études Commerciales.’”

With the energy of a builder, he oversaw every step: the acquisition of a 12,000 m² site at 108 Boulevard Malesherbes, the development of programs combining law, political economy, chemistry, and accounting, the recruitment of the best professors, as well as study trips to Lyon and Marseille to draw inspiration from existing models.

On December 3, 1881, it was Gustave Emmanuel Roy, then President of the Chamber of Commerce, who officially inaugurated the school in the grand amphitheater, in the presence of the Minister of Commerce, Mr. Rouvier, and the President of the Senate, Mr. Léon Say. In his speech, he sought to reconcile differences and recalled: “I tried to bring back the dissenters and rally my troops with an opening address that was well received.” The event marked a turning point. From its very beginnings, the École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris established itself as a symbol of modernity and excellence.

This consecration did not erase the intensity of the work involved. Roy himself bore witness to it: “I had not spared myself; I needed rest. During those two years, in addition to the duties of my presidency, there was work all day, and in the evening official visits, dinners I had to accept, speeches I had to prepare.”

But his commitment was recognized. When he was awarded the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honor, he dedicated this distinction to the institution he had served: “It is not me that you wish to reward with this great honor, it is the Chamber of Commerce as a whole.”

Buried at Père Lachaise in 1912, Gustave Emmanuel Roy left behind an institution that, more than 100 years later, continues to embody his ambition.

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