Annual report
Quickly access our various projects and highlights of the year 2021:
2021 Activites presented by our President
Thank you for making our impact possible.
2021 marked a major milestone for HEC, with much work done to redefine its values and mission statement as the school celebrated its 140th birthday. This included a clear reaffirmation of its identity as an institution committed to the greater good. We now have solid foundations on which we can build the future together, in a spirit of harmony and ambition.President of the HEC Foundation
None of this would be possible without you. Our committee of donors, corporate partners and volunteers continues to grow year after year, and that is a source of great satisfaction; each and every one of you has made a concrete contribution to the projects that we champion in partnership with HEC, through your support, your connections, your expertise, your values and your commitment. You are a great source of motivation for the HEC team and for us all. Many thanks to one and all.Executive Director of the HEC Foundation
2021 highlights
Thank you for your loyalty and unfaltering support for the Impact tomorrow campaign, which has now reached its mid-point and has seen a real surge thanks to your generosity! The first months of 2022 have been marked by the tragic war in Ukraine, but we remain confident that, with your support, HEC’s spirit of progress and societal impact will continue to thrive and grow, not only through our cutting-edge research, but also thanks to our work to promote equal opportunities and our constant commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. By doing so, we can help to build a world that is more peaceful, more inclusive, more prosperous and more sustainable.Dean of HEC Paris
Each in their own way
Since the launch of the Impact tomorrow campaign, the number of collective initiatives led by HEC Paris alumni has multiplied. Alumni class groups, clubs ad hubs are all determined to contribute to the success of this campaign through targeted solidarity efforts, helping to improve the learning experience of students and supporting the creation of the teaching materials of the future. In the meantime, the mobilization of individual donors has gone from strength to strength and the bonds with HEC have never been tighter. A huge thank you to all of you for this show of support; HEC is counting on you to help amplify the positive impact of our beloved institution on our society and on our economy.
A message from the Director of HEC Alumni
It makes us extremely proud to see our alumni community getting involved with these wonderful collective actions; it just goes to show the strength of our connection to our alma mater! A huge thank you to everybody for your dedication and support for HEC Paris and its projects. Executive Director, HEC Alumni Association
2021 PROJECTS FINANCED BY THE HEC FOUNDATION
Thanks the generosity of our donors, the Foundation was able to increase the funding allocated to various programs from €11,3 million in 2019, €12.3 million in 2020 to €14.2 million in 2021.
See all the campaign projectsYour impact on knowledge Production
Thanks to your generosity, we are helping HEC to explore new fields of research and establish a unique knowledge base. HEC continues to expand its expertise, enriching teaching programs with innovative and specialized content which are directly beneficial to students at HEC Paris and elsewhere, and of course to the companies enrolled on HEC’s Executive Education programs. Academic research is about furthering the common good. Thanks to the support you provide to the professors of HEC Paris, our institution continues to expand its capacity to influence management practices and make its voice heard in societal and economic debates. This is how HEC Paris still stands among the world’s leading academic institutions and how it increase its attractiveness to recruit the best students and professors. A virtuous circle!
Founded in 2020 by HEC Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), and made possible by the contributions of 5 corporate partners (L’Oréal, Capgemini, Total Energies, Kering and Rexel, since joined by Vinci),* Hi! PARIS aims to become a leading global center of research and teaching on topics pertaining to data science and artificial intelligence, in the interests of our society and economy as a whole.
The center aims to have 500 students per year at master’s level by 2025, and to double the number of doctoral students writing theses on AI and Data Science. Next year will see the launch of a new option in the X-HEC joint master’s program in "Data Science for Business," and a brand-new degree in "Data Science for Finance".
The center also enabled HEC to further bolster its research capacities in 2021, with the recruitment of 6 new lecturer-researchers at HEC Paris (see below), and research fellowships for 4 doctoral students, who will now receive Hi! PARIS funding at HEC.
New academic collaborations, with partner institutions and corporate patrons, have also been forged; online seminars and study sessions are organized regularly, with the involvement of representatives from the corporate partners.
In March, our inaugural Hi!ckathon on the theme of AI for energy efficiency brought together 187 students from the 6 member schools, with 35 teams competing for 5 Prizes (Technical Excellence, Scientific Approach, Interdisciplinarity, Business Pitch and Innovation).
In July, the first Summer School on the theme of "AI & Applied Data for Science, Business and Society" attracted 180 participants (PhD, professors and teams from corporate partners), followed by a Hi! PARIS Data Bootcamp seminar in late August, designed to raise the profile of Data Science and AI among master’s students at HEC Paris and IP Paris.
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The support of Dieter Schwarz Stiftung has been instrumental in the creation of two new research chairs at HEC Paris; it has also allowed us to further strengthen the academic partnership between HEC Paris and Technische Universität München (TUM), particularly with TUM’s Heilbronn campus and doctoral programs.
In order to promote research collaborations between HEC Paris and TUM and achieve synergies in doctorallevel training, the two institutions have reached a formal agreement wherein PhD students can benefit from course offering at the partnership institution. In 2021 (launch year), 3 TUM students have been enrolled in PhD courses offered at HEC Paris and 3 HEC Paris PhD students have been enrolled in PhD courses offered at TUM.
To further stimulate the intellectual exchange between both institutions, both prof. Goncalo Pacheco de Almeida and prof. Tomasz Obloj have (virtually) visited the Heilbronn TUM campus with research seminars. These visits were coupled with a series of 1:1 meetings with TUM faculty. In line with these initiatives, the DSS chairholders are planning on organizing a major research event in the upcoming months, in Heilbronn - Dieter Schwarz's hometown which has become a "City of Knowledge" with international renown.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the companies who have joined our circle of corporate partners or else reiterated their support and dedication to the work of HEC Paris and the Foundation: Allen & Overy, BCG, BRED, Capgemini, Cartier, EY, FII Institute, Fondation d’Entreprise Michelin, Fonds des Bois, Kering, KPMG, LVMH. We also salute the commitment made by AXA Climate, and thank them for providing our first year students with new course materials focusing on climate issues, as part of the "Purpose & Sustainability" track for first year students, made possible by their philanthropy.
Your impact on talent inclusion
For over 15 years now, HEC Paris and the Foundation have been strongly committed to advancing the cause of diversity and social inclusion. This includes providing scholarships and one-on-one support for many talented young students in high schools and preparatory classes, and once they join us on campus.More than 1000 students benefit from these schemes every year, whether or not they ultimately enrol at HEC Paris.
In February 2021, the Foundation awarded 530 living cost scholarships (452 in 2020) to CROUS scholarship students enrolled in Grande École Preparatory Classes (CPGE). The scheme went national in 2019, and is now present in over 120 establishments with CPGE preparing students for the HEC entrance examination. Above and beyond the financial support on offer, these scholarships provide a great motivation boost to students just a few weeks before their exams, constituting a clear show of support from HEC.
Talent is all around us, but sometimes it needs a little help to fully reveal itself. This is why the Michelin Foundation was so keen to get involved with the deployment of HEC Paris’ Equal Opportunities Mission. The objective is clear: to give everybody the chance to succeed, regardless of their social or geographical origins.
The Michelin Foundation has now signed a three-year partnership with the HEC Foundation, in order to support our work to support high school pupils and students in the Île-de-France and Auvergne Rhône- Alpes regions. The aim of this partnership is to expand the HEC Foundation’s actions in the company’s home region.
For the past 3 years, HEC Paris, HEC Alumni and the HEC Foundation have been running a mentoring scheme for means-tested scholarship students, operating with the help of volunteers. The goal is to offer advice and pointers on starting out in the professional world and developing their network. After launching with 20 mentors in 2019, the program now has a total of 55.
"Thanks to the partnership with the Foundation, our mentors receive support from the Article 1 non-profit organization. Mentors are HEC alumni with at least 5 years ofprofessional experience, working in sectors connected to the students’ areas of interest. We pair them up and they meet once a month for the first 6 months, in person or remotely, in order to forge a lasting connection" explains Andrée Aubert-Theisen (H.77), a member of the coordinating team for the HEC Volunteering program.
Your impact on Society
HEC’s raison d’être is to have a real impact on business and society through its research, teaching and activities, striving to make the world more inclusive, more sustainable and more prosperous. In 2021, the Foundation ramped up its support for two centers of excellence which are emblematic of HEC Paris: the Society & Organizations Institute and the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center.
Incorporated into the Purpose & Sustainability track, this new compulsory module has been designed to encourage 1st-year students to examine and challenge the CSR strategies of major multinationals, imagining ambitious new impact scenarios. The goal is for them to understand the proactive role that businesses can play in reducing negative externalities and generating positive impacts, as well as the importance of innovative business models and organizational models in achieving this goal.
In recent years, growing awareness of the urgent challenges posed by dwindling resources and climate change has highlighted the need to transition from a linear economy to a circular, resilient model. In order to better understand this process, and potential methods available for thoroughly transforming businesses, 28 third-year students have signed up to this brand-new program.
70 businesses with HEC connections, including 14 of the Foundation’s corporate partners, hosted 1st-year students working on their “purpose at work” dissertations as part of the Purposeful Leadership module, giving them the chance to compare their research with the realities of the working world. Thank you to the partners whose teams made this experiment possible, in particular: ACCENTURE - ALLEN & OVERY - BNP PARIBAS – BRED – CARTIER – EY – KERING - L'ORÉAL – LVMH – MICHELIN - NATIXIS – PwC – RENAULT - SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE
HEC Stand Up is the fruit of our institution’s historic commitment to equal opportunities and social mobility, coupled with continuous educational innovation in the interests of local communities and female entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
The mission is clear: to boost the autonomy and financial independence of women through entrepreneurship. Over the course of eight days, participants learn to rethink their approach to entrepreneurship, discovering the key steps to launching a thriving business and putting ideas into action!
With the support of BRED, the Bruno Roux de Bezieux Foundation (under the aegis of the HEC Foundation) and our alumni network, the program has been successfully expanded all over France, including the overseas territories. Our sincere thanks go to the Michelin Foundation, which has made a commitment to support training for 70 female entrepreneurs each year, and to René de Picciotto (H.64), who provided an opportunity to expand this initiative internationally for the first time, with a session in Italy.
Supported by the McCall MacBain Foundation, CDL-Paris is a 9-month program aimed at start-ups developing technologies spun off from research. The lab brings together entrepreneurs, scientists and mentors in a structured support process, providing a unique opportunity for experimentation for the MBA students who also take part. HEC Paris is the first and only business school from mainland Europe to join forces with the Creative Destruction Lab.
CDL-Paris is now particularly focused on innovative sectors such as renewable energies, energy storage, infrastructure, transport, carbon capture and targeted initiatives for water, food and the oceans.
Your impact on Campus
Life on campus is a central pillar of the HEC experience. The pandemic and ensuing lockdowns have served to highlight the importance of making the campus a space devoted to the well-being of students. It is with this goal in mind that HEC and the Foundation have launched the HEC Village campaign, a fund to support projects aimed at renovating and modernizing some of the focal points of student life.
Eloïc Peyrache, Dean of HEC Paris, has made student welfare a strategic priority for the institution. HEC Village is the cornerstone of a campus renovation project which will run for several years, with the close involvement of both the campus teams and the HEC community.
Ever since the project launched last May, a number of donors have come forward with multi-year pledges to get the ball rolling. Thanks to the exemplary work done by Michel Touati (H.05) to rally his classmates, almost €600,000 was raised in just a few weeks through the generous donations and pledges made by alumni – many of them former members of HEC’s sports clubs and student union!
Thanks to this mobilization, some renovation work had already been undertaken by the time students returned for the new academic year in September 2021! In the M building, the cafeteria and some of its associated spaces (Wunder, Xénon) have been renovated, new sports facilities have been installed near the gym, and a new boules court has been added. More work is scheduled to refurbish the changing rooms by the football pitch and install new floodlights for the rugby pitch.
Since graduating in 2005, I have always supported the Foundation and its projects with HEC. HEC Village is aproject which is particularly close to my heart! Like many alumni, I have many fond memories of the cafeteria, where I met people who are still close friends to this day. With those memories in mind, I was able to persuade several of my classmates to get involved too, making a contribution towards the refurbishment of the student facilities. We hit our donation target, which just goes to show that by working collectively we can have a real impact!
Michel Touati (H.05), President, VivaSon
Learn more about the project
HEC PARIS : A STRONG LINK WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS
HEC Paris, via its Corporate & Public Partnerships and career Center teams maintains a tradition of cooperation with the business world, reflected in annual memberships, funding for teaching and research chairs, and support provided for collaboratively defined projects.
Learn more about corporate partners
Projects realized thanks to our corporate partners
News of Sheltered Foundations & scholarships Funds
By creating a scholarship fund or a sheltered foundation under the aegis of HEC Foundation, patrons make an outstanding philanthropic gesture, with a high short-term impact on projects led by the Foundation and an invaluable long-term effect.
Learn moreDo you have a question? Do not hesitate to contact us!
