The Time Has Come : Graduation 2025
The HEC Paris MBA Class of 2025 celebrated their graduation under sunny skies, marking the culmination of a transformative journey. The ceremony featured a keynote speech by France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, and student speaker Nelson Amenya. With 235 graduates representing 49 nationalities and 40% women, the class reflected the program’s international and inclusive spirit.
The sun shone upon our 2025 graduates as they celebrated their many accomplishments this past weekend. Listening to a vibrant speech delivered by France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, the brave survivors of the HEC Paris MBA program were all smiles (and a touch of sweat) under the graduation tent.
"No more training do you require. Already know you, that which you need." - Jean-Noel Barrot quotes Yoda to the class of 2025
Barrot reminded graduates of the importance of being a responsible citizen in an ever-changing world. “Academic freedom,” said Barrot, “is a core pillar of democracy.” He stressed the importance of science and research, only fitting as a graduate himself of both the HEC Paris Masters and PhD programs. His was a speech of inspiration, a touch of nostalgia (Tamagochi, anyone?) and a realistic point of view in increasingly uncertain times. And the Star Wars references were strong with this one.
"Throughout the program, I not only deepened my business knowledge but also discovered something even more valuable: my own style of leadership. As someone who considers themselves an introvert, that realization was incredibly empowering.” - Sumiko Saito, MBA graduate
The Class of 2025 is made up of 235 students with 40% women, a figure of which we are wildly proud. The class is 95% international and amongst the 49 different nationalities, lifelong friendships were formed over these many months, experiences that will forever change each participant. We know we’ll continue seeing photos of MBA participants traveling together, working together, and even getting married with hordes of their HEC friends in the backgrounds of all their pictures. We love it when that happens.
"I owe so much to the professors who challenged my thinking, the study buddies who became lifelong friends, and every teammate who stayed up late refining a pitch deck or cracking a case. You all reminded me: if I dare to try, I’ll find a way." - Yash Tripathi, MBA graduate
The MBA speech was given by Nelson Amenya, a creative young Kenyan who made waves last year as a whistleblower in his home country. “Nothing worthwhile comes for free,” he reminded his classmates. “Courage is never convenient.” Nelson shared some highlights of his time at HEC, from social evenings spent learning about the cultures of his peers to the experience of The Outdoor Leadership Seminar, “where we literally learned to think on our feet. Sometimes on a rope…”
Transformation is key to our MBA program, and everyone leaves changed. One of the ways we hear most talked about is the exposure to and interaction with different cultures, and students attribute their growth not only to the wonderful professors who have accompanied them throughout the program, but to their multicultural peers as well.
So here’s to the Class of 2025! We are so proud of your accomplishments and can’t wait to see how you leave your mark on the world.
2025 Leadership Award Recipients: Mimi Abudu, Nelson Amenya, Pedro Barberis, Ching-Wen Chuang, Abdo El Asmar, Axel Gamero, Mattia Ghisalberti, Victoria Griffith, Anshika Gupta, James Kandalaft, Mennatallah Khalil, Swagat Mohanty, Imanol Mondragon, Jade Petitprés, Sumiko Saito, Houssam Salem, Rene Superville, Jean-Luc Thébert, Giselle T., Smrithi Venkatesan, Jean Weill, Amanda Werth, Kevin Xiang
Academic Award Recipients: Saksham Agarwal, Priyal Choudhary, Nam Anh Dinh Le, Sven Eppler, James Kandalaft, Arjun Shivach, Vishnuwardhan S., , Jean-Luc Thébert, Georgios Valvis, Yvonne(Beilin) Zhang , Shi Yu Zhong
Dean’s List Recipients: James Kandalaft, Jean-Luc Thébert
Watch the 2025 MBA, EMBA EMS, EMS-GEMM, Executive Education and MSIE commencement ceremony here.
Connect with us to learn more about the HEC Paris MBA program.