IÉSEG Executive Education team welcomes Canadian managers for a Learning Expedition
06/27/2017
IÉSEG Executive Education welcomes Canadian managers for a Learning Expedition
In May, IÉSEG Executive Education welcomed, at the School’s campus in Lille, a group of 27 Canadian managers who are currently following an Executive MBA/ MBA program at the University of Regina, Levene Graduate School of Business in Canada. The aim of this learning expedition was to analyze how traditional industrial regions can transform themselves into leading innovation hubs in the 21st century.
This 2-day activity, specifically designed for these managers, involved a series of conferences, workshops and company visits. Participants were able to meet members of the Euratechnologies incubator/accelerator (the first company accelerator in France), and visit POCHECO an envelope manufacturing plant that has transformed its activities with the aim of responding to environmental challenges whilst increasing productivity.
They also discussed the REV3 project (the 3rd Industrial Revolution in the Hauts de France) with experts from the regional Chamber of Commerce, and discovered Decathlon’s innovation laboratories.
Dwight Heinrichs, Marketing Professor at the University of Regina, and head of the group, explained that the interventions had been really good and that visiting Euratechnologies had been an excellent opportunity to see how this facility was innovating and carrying out business. “This learning expedition gives participants a hands-on opportunity to see how other people in the world go about solving the same kinds of problems we have back home, ” he added.
The School’s Executive Education experts in economics, strategy and innovation also complemented the different visits with case studies and workshops.
As part of this trip, the participants also discovered French gastronomy during a lunch at the Bloempot restaurant of Florent Ladeyn. This innovative chef, self-taught and a fierce defender of local products, presented participants with his vision of innovation.
More information about IÉSEG Executive Education learning expeditions are available on the IÉSEG website.