HEC Paris Commencement Ceremony 2015

1189 candidates from the Grande Ecole, MSc and Specialized Master’s programs attended the HEC Paris Commencement Ceremony, on campus

More than 3200 graduates, family members, friends and alumni gathered under an immense marquee to celebrate the traditional commencement ceremony.
The commencement program began with the academic procession led by the HEC Board of Directors, professors and dignitaries, followed by the students in their gowns.

Michaël Calais and Laura Groebel, both students from the Master in Management-Grande Ecole presented the ceremony and introduced speakers and faculty to the audience. A huge round of applause erupted as students from the Dean’s Lists and each program were called to the stage and congratulated by academic program directors.

This year’s congratulatory speech was given by Mr. Denis Kessler (H 73), CEO of the reinsurance company Scor.
The ceremony also marked the last commencement speech from Dean Ramanantsoa. In a moving speech, he encouraged students to dare and dream big as well as to have the courage to accomplish great things. He also reminded them of their responsibilities towards the society as future business leaders.

Another highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the sum collected from the Class Gift donations, which will help the HEC Foundation to fund scholarships for future HEC Paris students.

The ceremony finished with the showing of a short film, created by the students, which was based this year on a parody of a famous TV show.

Afterwards, the students and their families were able to enjoy the reception organized on the HEC Paris lawns to celebrate this milestone event in their lives.