Elsa Berry (HEC 80) is Managing Director of BNP Paribas Corporate Finance North America. She is responsible for M&A advisory services in North America and Equity Capital Markets and is a member of the bank's Paris-based Management Committee. Ms Berry is HEC's representative on the Board of the Association des Amis des Grandes Ecoles de France, a member of the Club des Dirigeants, and a founding member of the HEC Business School Alumni Group in the New York tri-state area.

How has your education at HEC influenced your career?
I am a strong believer in entrepreneurship and run my team in a very entrepreneurial manner, even though we are part of a global bank. Back in 1980, HEC was less global than it is today but it was definitely cutting edge in terms of its approach to management. It gave me the leadership and analytical skills that allowed me to strike out on my own very soon after graduating.

Did you always plan to have a transatlantic career?
I would say it came naturally. I was born in the US and came to live in France at the age of nine. After graduating from HEC, I moved back to the States, where I developed the French practice of a Boston firm before starting my own M&A firm, Vendôme & Company, Inc., which was eventually bought by BNP Paribas. My whole world – both private and professional – has always been built around my two great loves: the United States and France.

How did you make the transition from HEC to professional life?
In my case, the transition was remarkably smooth. My graduating thesis, Les Français à la conquête du marché américain, demonstrated how French companies could successfully acquire US firms. At the time, such acquisitions were not considered a normal part of French international growth. My thesis helped convince the consulting firm I joined in Boston that they should develop an advisory service for French companies in the US.

You received the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite from the French government for your contribution to restructuring the Lycée Français de New York. Why is this school important to you?
The Lycée of New York is my pride and joy. We have increased enrollments from 800 to 1,350 and raised funding to nearly $3 million from almost nothing in 1998. Most importantly, we have managed to combine the very best in French and US education and build a brand-new, award-winning facility that provides an excellent learning environment and helps our students become the global citizens of tomorrow.

Can you tell us about your participation in the "Club 600 Entrepreneurship Prize"?
The Club 600, founded in the early 1980s, is sponsoring this prize to recognize young Francophone entrepreneurs working in the US. Potential candidates are invited to visit www.club600award.com and submit their projects before June 30, 2008.