From the metaverse to the decarbonization, develop your professional skills with HEC Paris’ certificates

Sponsored by 20 different companies, HEC Paris Certificates are a set of interdisciplinary 100-hour-courses, business projects and exclusive field work related to a given sector. During a 6 week-program in April and May, these certificating programs allow HEC students to become better professionnals: they dig deeper into a job or sector they are attracted to, maximize their working capacities, learn new pro- and soft skills, discover their best practices on the ground and start developing their networks with experienced professionnals to ease their future career.

^{Auteur/Author of this article: Frédéric Voirin}

Students often feel the need to experiment what they’ve learned in class beyond simple exercices and to push their knowledge forward in the professionnal world. HEC Paris Certificates allow them to do so thanks to a proteiform pedagogical approach combining fieldwork and interactions with professionals.  

Should it be a masterclass, a craftmanship workshop, a conference, a case study or discussions with executives and managers, the pedagogical approach of the Certificates is proteiform. And professionally speaking, it is very close to the diverse working environments HEC Students will be evolving in. Let’s discover how and how diversified these student experiences are!  

 

A real combination of theoretical content and real life cases

 “I had the chance to interact with top management executives of La Societe Générale who gave me valuable insights for my master’s thesis”. With these words and starry eyes, Capucine Richemond, Student in the Sustainability and Social Innovation (SASI) Master in Management, indicates indeed her joyful gratitude and satisfaction to have attended the Energy and Finance Certificate of HEC Paris.  

Since its creation in 2005, the Energy & Finance Chair set up by Société Générale and HEC Paris, and headed by HEC Prof. Jean-Michel Gautier, has indeed developed a number of training courses on energy economics and finance, including the HEC Energy & Finance Certificate, an intensive 6-week module dedicated to energy markets and economics, taught by SG professionals and executives.  

 

“The interactions in the certificate with top management executives who gave me valuable insights for my master’s thesis” (Capucine Richemond, HEC Student in Sustainability and Social Innovation)

 

Capucine had the chance to take part in this unique certificate this year and explains that “it was a real combination of theoretical content and real life cases study shared by professionals. I loved working on decarbonization case studies from a business case perspective”. Next year, she will be working for the climate fund of a Private Equity firm that helps companies reduce their CO2 emissions and the skills and knowledge acquired during this HEC certificate will enable her to better communicate the business case of the energy transition. She may also have completed her path and financial aspects of the net zero transition with the HEC Paris Climate & Business Certificate. Once trained and graduated, HEC students can become agents of change to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C as recommended by climate science.

 

“The skills and knowledge acquired during this Energy & Finance Certificate will enable me to better communicate the business case of the energy transition and help companies reduce their CO2 emissions”

 

Gain new working skills with top-level experts

Likewise, HEC Paris has built close ties with the world-renowned Paris and Milan luxury business. Now competing in a global market, luxury brands are facing specific issues which require not only solid groundings in the field but also creativity and dedication to excellence. This is what the Influential Luxury Certificate of HEC Paris brings to our students. The combination of world-class faculty, cutting-edge research, publications in the field of luxury management and the significant number of CEOs from luxury organizations among its alumni enables HEC Paris to offer truly exclusive programs in luxury with 2 major groups in this sector: Kering and LVMH.  

During the Kering x HEC Influential Luxury Certificate, HEC Students have the chance to explore the role of creativity and innovation in luxury, and gain valuable hands-on experience via access to on-site operations and industry processes and products. As part of the program, they hear from Kering senior leaders who shared their own experience. HEC Students also have the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice on a practical case study for one Kering House: the consulting project.  

 

Web3 initiatives and exclusive experiences with luxury brands

Meanwhile the HEC Paris x LVMH Certificate “engagement & commitment towards society inspiring excellence” consists this year in increasing the client’s loyalty with Web3 initiatives and in transforming clients into a community. HEC Students from different backgrounds, nationalities and programs (MBAs and Grande Ecole) shared their self-produced videos under the supervision of HEC HEC Prof. Anne Michaut, digital learning director and associate dean for education track and pedagogy. Benoit Aubas, LVMH Web3 manager, on his side provided this year some feedbacks and judged which project is the best.

In 2023, HEC Students from Master’s in marketing, Master in economics and finance, MBAs switching to the luxury sector but also CEMS joint-degree or Master in Sustainability and Social Innovation have teamed together to propose different innovative case studies focusing on four different hospitality, spirit, beauty and fashion LVMH Maisons : Belmont, Hennessy, Christian Dior Parfums and Louis Vuitton.

How to leverage #blockchaintechnology & #NFTs to increase customer loyalty & create a sense of community via the Influential Luxury Certificate@LVMH
👇From yesterday's impactful session on our campus with Benoit Aubas, LVMH Web3 manager for @HECParisMasters @HECParisMBA students pic.twitter.com/rfEVKcjjb5

— HEC Paris Business School (@HECParis) May 31, 2023

 

And the experience made a strong impression in both directions! “This certificate was really interesting to connect with passionnate workers in the luxury sector. I loved discovering the lacework of fashion designers for LVMH fashion brands. It was also amazing to have the exclusive opportunity to visit the Ruinart Caves in Rouen, which are rarely open to the public, so thank you HEC Paris and LVMH!” said Leyla Tuckler, an MBA soon-to-be-graduated HEC Student. On the other side, the LVMH expert also positively nodes because he “was truly impressed by the HEC Student's proposals. The HEC Students began by exploring the Maisons' heritage and defining clear business objectives. Then, they skillfully leveraged Web3 technologies and tools to create innovative customer experiences."

 

“I was truly impressed by the HEC Student’s proposals: they skillfully leveraged Web3 technologies to create innovative customer experiences” (Benoit Aubas, LVMH Web3 Manager)

 

Energy, Engineering and Finance : a fully immersive experience with a field-oriented approach

During a 3-day experience in a partner-company, the HEC Students of the Energy and Finance Certificate have lived a fully immersive discovery of the entreprise with its experts, specific practices, jobs explorations and they’ve definitely enhanced their working skills by discussing and practicing.  

It was indeed the case for Alexandre Rialet, HEC Paris-ISAE Supaéro double-degree student in M2 Strategy, who is very enthusiastic about the Energy & Finance Certificate co-led by HEC Paris and the bank Societe Generale. This young engineer explains that “this certificate was really insightful because it gives a macro-economic approach of the energy sector but also concrete case studies and specific tips from professionals. For example, our professor shared some tips on how to be a better negotiator when you have to deal with power purchase contracts. Thanks to Société Générale we had the chance to meet their offices and have classes with finance project managers who shared their all-day lives to help us project ourselves. To me, it was really helpful.”

 

“This certificate was really insightful because it gives a macro-economic approach of the energy sector but also concrete case studies and specific tips from professionals.” (Alexandre Rialet, HEC Paris-ISAE Supaéro double-degree student)

 

His camarade, Sebastian Padilla-Berrueta, HECParis-TUM double-degree student in engineering & finance, shares the same point of view: “it was complementary to the M2 strategy program because often as engineers, we know how to handle top technologies but not the business ahead, now with this certificate we have the possibility to know how to finance the project that will change the world!”

 

Fieldwork is also crucial to develop sustainable, social & inclusive businesses

The Fieldwork is an integral part of the HEC Certificates. Participants are expected to work on a field project throughout the six-week-program with a few days earmarked so that participants have time in the field.  

Through the HEC Paris Inclusion and Social Business Certificate for example, HEC Students can either design a social business model to tackle a specific social issue, or they can choose to do an Individual Project—individually or in small groups—as some participants may already have a social business project they would like to develop.  

Bénédicte Faivfre-Tavignot, academic director of this HEC Paris Inclusion and Social Business Certificate, explains the field-oriented pedagogical approach of her specific certificate: “it is unique because it has a strong field dimension. First, all students immerse themselves for 3 days in a social business where they share the day with employees and beneficiaries and discover the dual challenge of economic sustainability and social impact. Then, back on campus, they devote one day a week in small groups to a consultancy mission for a social impact organization.”  

Elisa Jakobsen and Meghan Williams, both HEC Paris students in the Sustainability and Social Innovation Master (SASI) attended this inclusion and social business certificate of HEC Paris. Elisa Jakobsen confirms the real contribution of this field-oriented experience: "The 3-day immersion experience at the reintegration through work organization ENVIE Trappes, which collects, renovates and resells household appliances in an one-hour-from-Paris underpriviledged suburb, provided me with a valuable opportunity to learn about the potential of business to create social and environmental change”. She explains that this certificate has helped her to “gain practical skills and knowledge related to social entrepreneurship, with a clear focus on supporting and upskilling marginalized populations. By thinking about how to combine operational performance and social support, we had to dive into the challenges the company was facing to remain competitive in a profit driven industry.”  

On a more collective approach, Meghan Williams worked with a team of MBA and Master’s students to develop an impact assessment methodology for companies in Gaia Impact Fund’s portfolio. During their one-day-per-week field-project, they focused on the social impact of software companies in the renewable energy industry. Meghan indicates that “there was no widely accepted industry standard, and my team had to speak to multiple industry experts to prepare. The hardest part was narrowing down the indicators to those start-up companies operating in places like rural Africa can track with limited resources.” A very professionalizing task, like any other senior manager would have done in this sector.

 

“The Inclusion and social business certificate has helped me to gain practical skills and knowledge related to social entrepreneurship, with a clear focus on supporting and upskilling marginalized populations” (Elisa Jackobsen, student in the HEC Paris Sustainability and social innovation Master)

 

Exclusive experiences and insights to break the rules of luxury

On the other face of these top-quality certificates, the luxury sector also provided course highlights that include insights to break the rules of marketing to build luxury brands or how to maximize the transformation of e-commerce and retail performance with prestige in the digital age. For LVMH for example the students worked on a case study on Hennessy and for Kering with another one focusing on Gucci’s client experience.  

The Students participating in HEC Paris luxury certificates had the chance to visit several luxury maisons of Bernard Arnault’s and François-Henri Pinault’s groups. Amjaad Al Angari, HEC EMBA Student and Global Brand Development and Marketing Manager for Red Sea, explains that during the HEC Paris x LVMH certification program, she had the opportunity of visiting Maison Lesage, a renowned embroidery atelier in Paris. “I was amazed to see the level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into creating luxury products. The artisans at Maison Lesage work with some of the biggest names in the luxury industry, including Chanel, Christian Dior Couture and Saint Laurent. It was fascinating to see the different techniques they use to bring their designs to life, using a range of materials and colors to create stunning embroidery pieces.”  

 

 

On the other hand, the Kering-certificate students had the opportunity to visit Avenue Montaigne Gucci Store during an afternoon and to listen to an impressive cohort of Gucci Web strategists and Managers : Julio Laria and Alessandro Occhinegro who define the worldwide business web3 strategies, Micael Barilaro VP Metaverse Ventures, Jessie Hauser gaming and collectibles specialist and Giuseppe Grossi Global Head of Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding.  

This latest fully immersive experience has guided our HEC Students to their final exercise into the very immersive world of the Metaverse. Thus, a +50-HEC student-cohort has proposed innovative gaming, metaverse adaptations and potential increase in digital products and NFT purchase via a Digital Lab to maximize Gucci's market opportunity and its influence capacity. The Gucci digital experts did testify that “in Metaverse, it is hard to find the right way to promote or sell products but the HEC students’ projects were very well executed”. The winning project, which charmed a jury of Human Resorces, Press Relations and Digital experts from the milanian and parisian Gucci’s headquarters, was an exclusive digital universe (aka gucci-verse) named “la Meta-Vita” with customizable solutions for bags, shoes and jewelry, but also “Carini” (i.e cute) NFT-accessible statues, to increase the loyalty of potential customers and emphasizes the creativity of the brand.

“in Metaverse, it is hard to find the right way to promote or sell products but the HEC students’ projects were very well executed” (Micael Barilaro, Gucci VP Metaverse Ventures)

 

 

Develop your network with ready-to-recruit professionals

Certificates are among the many ways the HEC Paris Programs afford its students the luxury of customizing their studies for a picture-perfect fit with their career goals.  

Sebastian Padilla-Berrueta, HECParis-TUM double-degree student in engineering & finance, keeps sharing positive feedbacks about the professionalism of the individuals he was working with during this academic experience : “Personally, what I liked the most of the certificate was to interact with professionals, professors, financial and energy experts who have years of professional experiences, who share their knowledge and you can interact in deep conversations. I will definitely keep in touch with these professionnals in my future career. ”

Tony Phan, EMBA student, was also fascinated by the interconnections between his job as Production Manager for natural fragrancies and perfumes and the world of LVMH’s Champagne Ruinart. He confessed “while learning the manufacturing process and feeling the centuries of champagne-making tradition, we had a tasting session that showcased Ruinart's rich heritage and commitment to quality and sustainability. I was fascinated to discover the numerous parallels between the champagne and fragrance industry.”

Meghan Williams confirms that “it was a great opportunity to apply innovative impact assessment methods learned during the certificate to real companies, and allowed us to connect with investors and entrepreneurs in the renewable energy industry, which is great to have them in our network.”

Elham NABIL, HEC Paris Certificate Office Manager, was also very clear on how “it was precious for HEC Students to learn more about what it means to work at Kering and to understand better what is at stake for this luxury group in terms of innovation and sustainability and how this group makes strong plans for the future.” And it was indeed not so innocent when the Gucci Human Resources Manager asked the freshly-designated winning team who was responsible for the concept of the “Meta-Vita"...She had felt the huge potential among the HEC Students for her recruitment campaign!  

 

 

 

 

“What I liked the most of the certificate was to interact with professors and experts who have years of professional experiences, who share their knowledge and you can interact in deep conversations. I will definitely keep in touch with these professionnals in my future career.” (Sebastian Padilla-Berrueta, HEC Paris-TUM double-degree student)

 

 

As a student or as professional, you regularly need to have an increased expertise on a subject, to boost your address book or even to have an exclusive meeting with a top boss. Thanks to the HEC Paris’ certificates you have more opportunities to maximize your professional skills. And this starts with their complementary pedagogical approach. There are numerous certificates at HEC Paris that enable our students to develop specific expertises, meet inspiring people and build a professional network. These elements will help our Students maximize their chance to boost their working- and soft-skills and also to have a stronger start in their future careers.

 

Discover all HEC Paris' Certificates