IÉSEG’s strength also lies in the power of its network
10/05/2021
Thanks to this network, some students have found their final internship. Others have found a new job through networking events or during exchanges within a Professional or International Club… Others have met and created their company together… Finally, some have found an answer to their questions and have successfully undertaken their professional reorientation… This network is ‘IÉSEG Network’, the association of IÉSEG graduates. The alumni association, founded in 1971, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has a double role: first, to maintain the relationships between the School (the institution and the students) and its graduates. Secondly, to support each of them in the development of his or her career plan and in the accomplishment of his or her professional life.
A friendly atmosphere to get together…
Strengthening the links between the School and its graduates is a fundamental mission, as IÉSEG has grown over the past few years, both in terms of the number of students and the range of programs offered and the variety of nationalities represented.
“Since I graduated in 2008, many things have changed… At that time, there were 200 students per class, everyone knew each other, there was only one campus. Today, there are more than 3,500 students on each campus and nearly 12,000 alumni, all degrees combined,” explains Laëtitia DUGRAIN-NOËL, General Manager of IÉSEG Network.
To maintain the community spirit that is the strength of IÉSEG, more than 150 events are organized throughout the year by IÉSEG Network or by the 20 professional clubs (Entrepreneur, Real Estate, Finance Managers or IÉSEG au féminin), both regional and international (Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, but also India, China or Canada for example).
Friendly events, networking events or professional experience sharing events, all good reasons to meet regularly and to keep in touch. The highlight of the year is the Association’s annual party, #IESEGAlumniForever, which brings together more than 300 people each year in an outstanding venue in Paris, such as the Lido, this year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the association!
A professional dimension to grow and help each other!
“Thanks to IÉSEG, graduates share common values. Thanks to IÉSEG Network, graduates can rely on each other, all generations and all degrees considered, to advance in their professional and personal projects“, summarizes Vincent CUVILLIER, a graduate of the Grande École program 2007 class, President of IÉSEG Network since 2020, and CEO of Cellnex France.
Beyond the social dimension, IÉSEG Network focuses, above all, on the career dimension by supporting all those who need help with their career plans! For Vincent CUVILLIER, “the world in which we live, more and more complex, and the exceptional situation we are going through, trigger for many alumni real fundamental questions about their professional life. We must be there for each of them, whether they are in France or on the other side of the world and accompany them as best we can.” And when the network of 12,000 graduates extends to more than 110 countries, it’s not easy every day!
“For this purpose, IÉSEG Network has developed a Career Center, managed by Elizabeth TOUCAS, also an Executive Coach, which offers services and resources free of charge (or at a very reduced price) to all members. Our offer is aimed at all graduates, because whether they are graduates of the Grande École Program, the Bachelor’s degree, an MSc or an MBA, the issues encountered by our alumni are often similar and we are therefore there to accompany them at all stages of their career, from their integration into the job market to their professional reorientation or to help them face the quarter-life crisis or the midlife crisis“, adds Laëtitia DUGRAIN-NOËL.
Among the services offered, we find individual coaching sessions to help alumni ask themselves the right questions and help them find the right answers; workshops in small groups of about ten people allowing them to work on various subjects such as learning how to make dynamic presentations thanks to the Pecha Kucha method, learning how to manage their career or preparing for a job-out. Finally, training modules (such as the Back to IÉSEG program, which offers some 20 courses in the Master program or a selection of electives offered in the MBA program), conferences and webinars are also offered to open up to the world, to get inspired or to learn about new tools, new methods and new ways of doing things, and to remain at the cutting edge in terms of knowledge and practices.
As Laëtitia DUGRAIN-NOËL likes to remind graduates, “the strength of IÉSEG also comes from the strength of our network. You are our best ambassadors, your best ambassadors, making IÉSEG shine in your companies and organizations on a daily basis“. Humility, authenticity, but also solidarity and ambition: values that IÉSEG Network holds high and that will continue to bring together the School’ s graduates for a long time to come!