Geopolitics & Public Affairs
What do you want out of life? How do you find your way?
These are the questions Valérie Baudson posed to graduates at the HEC Paris Graduation Ceremony 2026. Speaking to students completing their MBA, Executive Master, MSIE and PhD programs, the CEO of Amundi and HEC Paris alumna delivered a commencement address centered on leadership, purpose, and the choices that shape a career.
Drawing on an unexpected metaphor from the world of gastronomy, Baudson challenged graduates to rethink what success looks like. Business schools teach frameworks, models, and best practices, she said. But the next stage of life requires something different: the courage to move beyond the cookbook and create a signature dish of your own.
Combining personal stories, leadership insights, and reflections on the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence, her message was both reassuring and demanding. The future cannot be planned with certainty, but it can be approached with curiosity, sound judgment, openness to others, and optimism.
- Europe must abandon naïve narratives: the Franco-German “couple” is no longer a given, and unity requires hard political work.
- A two-state solution remains the only viable path to Israeli-Palestinian coexistence—despite shrinking political support on both sides.
- The West no longer dominates the world alone: US-China rivalry defines the century, and Europe must avoid strategic innocence.
- France’s foreign policy goal is simple: remain master of its destiny—through pragmatism, credible defense and strategic clarity.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategy & Leadership
