Conference on smart cities

This year saw the first edition of the HEC Smart Cities career fair and roundtable discussion with worldwide leading companies in technology and sustainability. 

Innovation in the sustainable energy sector is becoming ever more important and companies must find new ways to attract and encourage consumers to use their eco-conscious energy solutions. HEC Paris organized an evening with several different companies in the sector in order to highlight the opportunities available to students here on campus.

The event included a panel discussion with four companies, Veolia, Bouygues Immobilier, GreenFlex, and Procter and Gamble, moderated by Professor Benedicte Faivre-Tavignot, Executive Director of the Society & Organizations Center. Overall, the Smart Cities event was well attended by many HEC students searching for inspiration and taking advantage of this unique opportunity for networking. It was ideal for students who want to find out more about the sector and to understand what companies are doing nowadays to face these energy issues. There they had a chance to chat with the company representatives and get a better understanding of the types of sustainable energy solutions that are being considered. After an insightful afternoon of discussions and interactions, students could continue networking with representatives during an evening of cocktails.

Here’s what some of the students who attended had to say about the event:

“I’m writing my master thesis on Smart Cities so the timing was spot on. I’m actually going to try and find interviews myself […] I need 15 interviews and I could potentially get them all here.” (David McCord, MSc Strategic Management)

 “It’s been very useful just to have these different insights into different industries. […] I took away how seriously some of the companies like Veolia and P&G are taking innovation for more sustainable business models.” (Rob Anderson, MBA)

“I’m looking into going into the specialization of sustainable leadership and disruptive innovation and the Smart Cities subject was something that I was not aware of. So, [I came] to discover what it is about and who the players are…and eventually discuss a little bit more with them about what the job opportunities are and what skills they are looking for.” (Sandy Rasolofondraibe, MBA)

“I was curious because this is not my [area], I’m coming from the telecommunications area, but right now in the telecommunication area we are talking about IOT, 5G and of course Smart Cities. How we are going to improve life sustainably and so on. So, there is a link of course on that, and in my area we are looking for new business cases…” (Marc Rajaobelina, Executive MBA)