Already certified as a private higher education institution of public interest, Montpellier Business School joins COMUE LR-Universités, which organises regional coordination for the key actors in research and higher education. This significant recognition of MBS’s impact on the visibility of Montpellier University is part of the management school’s policy of strategic alliances.

First of all, what is COMUE-LRU ?

It’s the Communauté d’Universités et Établissements Languedoc-Roussillon (Languedoc-Roussillon Community of Universities and Establishments), which includes the region’s universities and establishments and organises regional coordination for the main research and higher education actors. With the addition of MBS, it will comprise four universities, two research institutions, and three grandes écoles, for a total of nearly 83,000 students and 4,600 researchers and lecturer-researchers.

On its 120th anniversary, Montpellier Business School thus joins this collection of higher education establishments through a five-year agreement set up along three lines: data policy (sharing, development, digitisation), international (hosting students and researchers), and socio-economic integration.

Gilles Halbout, the president of COMUE Languedoc-Roussillon Universités, attended the MBS master and bachelor degree ceremony on 2 December to announce and launch this collaboration, which will provide MBS with strong roots in its local university.

The example of Pépite LR

Already a founding member of MRM (Montpellier Recherche en Management [Montpellier Management Research]) and Labex Entreprendre, MBS sees this action as a confirmation of some of its past actions, like Pépite LR (Pôle Étudiant pour l’Innovation, le Transfert et l’Entrepreneuriat du Languedoc-Roussillon [Student Hub for Innovation, Transfer, and Entrepreneurship in Languedoc-Roussillon]). The mission of this hub is to promote entrepreneurial culture among all students in the region and to guide them in their own plans to create or assume leadership of a business. It also issues Student-Entrepreneur status, which in 2016 let 99 students and young graduates create their own entrepreneurship project.

After his high school diploma, Nicolas joined the Bachelor programme of Montpellier BS in 2010. Graduated in 2015, he became Business Engineer in the insurance sector in Paris at ACENSI Group.

« Starting to work right after graduating from my Bachelor’s degree was logic for me. My end-of-studies internship was an amazing experience and I liked the company, that is why I didn’t want to continue with a Master’s degree and I think it is better like this », he says. « I have always worked, particularly to finance my studies. During my 4 years at Montpellier BS, I was crew-member and then manager at McDonald’s. At school, I acquired excellent management, financial accounting skills and learned to master negotiation and sales techniques that I use every day and that I could put in practice during my various internships. But it is finally in the IT insurance sector that I got it best! »

Nicolas did his end-of-studies internship in the ACENSI Group. Coached by a manager of the group, he is currently Business Engineer and has a permanent contract with the firm. « I am junior Business Engineer in the insurance department in which I manage a team of consultants. My daily tasks include, prospecting new clients, negotiating contracts until the monitoring of customer satisfaction and of course the management of my team. What I am most proud of today is that I have achieved my goals during my internship period and that I signed a permanent contract. It’s motivating as a beginner that I could achieve my goals despite the huge competition in Paris (over 1000 consulting firms are competing in Paris). That is why, the qualities that I have developed in my work are primarily perseverance and a strong fighting spirit.»

Nicolas is still thinking about maybe building his own business in the future… « Becoming an entrepreneur means taking risks, but also living a great adventure, being in control and taking my own decisions. It is stimulating, no? ».

Meanwhile, Nicolas continues his work at ACENSI’s headquarter in La Défense (PARIS) with different missions and always more and more responsibilities! « The working atmosphere is great. I feel like I am working in Manhattan in the trading platforms of the Roaring Twenties. My colleagues’ average age is 29, the dynamic is crazy and everyone has the same objective which is to succeed. Competition is high even internally, but it allows us to go beyond ourselves and learn from our mistakes. This job is still little known, but really deserves to be experienced. Adrenaline is permanent and getting up in the morning with this desire, it is priceless … »

To know more about the ACENSI group: http://www.acensi.fr/

This year MBS held its 12th World Wide Week, which honours the school’s international dimension and prepares Master students for their international exchange. For the first time, the school took a step further in its cultural and academic sharing by hosting on campus ten teachers from prestigious foreign partner universities.

The international teachers came specifically from India, Colombia, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and the United States for this important week, and each offered a thematic course to our first-year Master Grande École students – in English, Spanish, German or Italian. The MBS Department of International Relations guided them during their stay in Montpellier and on campus, and they could not only meet our students, but also share with MBS teachers and discuss about their research areas.

An opening on new cultures

Among the ten international lecturer-researchers was Dr Farhana Sajjad, from the University of Surrey and Surrey Business School in the United Kingdom, who came to MBS for the first time to give a course on the subject of international retailing. “I really enjoyed my teaching experience at MBS,” Dr Sajjad noted. “The students were very attentive and receptive, and the city itself is also very sunny and beautiful, which is quite pleasant since I am from London! I enjoyed every part of this experience, and I’d definitely come back.” Ignacio von Putlitz, from Mexico’s ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey), also came specially for this important week. “My experience at MBS was incredible. The school really gave us a very nice welcome, and the experience of teaching in a different language, in a different country, and even on a different continent, was extraordinary.”

A strengthened relation with foreign partner universities

All the courses offered during the week were about the discovery of a new culture with a focus on the business field. Ayoub Akil, a first-year student in the Master Grande Ecole programme, chose to take the course Economic Relations between South Africa and Europe & Gender, Sex and Power in Africa, offered by Dr Evert Knoesen from Rhodes University in South Africa: “I found the course really interesting – fascinating, actually. We got to share our opinions, which were sometimes different depending on our own culture of origin, and learn a lot about South Africa. I think there’s nothing better than learning about a country, its history, and evolution through the people who live there and speak passionately about it. This week has allowed us to discover a bit more about the world we live in, and to open ourselves up to it. It’s been a wonderful opportunity.”

Warm thanks to: Dr John Donnellan (New Jersey City University, USA), Dr Sonu Goyal (International Management Institute, India), Dr Farhana Sajjad (University of Surrey and Surrey Business School, United Kingdom), Ignacio Von Putlitz (ITESM, Mexico), Dr Geraldina Silveyra (ITESM, Mexico), Dr Evert Knoesen (Rhodes University, South Africa), Dr Michael K. Herold (Otto Friedrich Universität Bamberg, Germany), Jose Andres Areiza Padilla (Universidad Javeriana, Colombia), Dr Rajeev Anantaram (International Management Institute, India) and Silvia Vicentini (Uni Roma Tre, Italy).

On Monday 11 December, Berklee Morganto was awarded the prestigious and extremely competitive Jane M. Klausman “Women in Business” scholarship from Zonta International. On the Montpellier Business School campus, Morganto, an American student in the Master Grande École programme, has received this annual international prize intended to support young women who excel in their post-secondary studies in the field of business.

Originally from Texas, USA, Morganto chose to study at Montpellier Business School and is currently completing a very selective Master’s degree as part of an academic exchange with the prestigious University of Leuven in Belgium. Long involved in education and corporate social responsibility, she first received the Zonta prize at the district level, and was then selected at the international level as one of only 12 young winners among the many finalists from around the world.

But what is Zonta International’s Jane M. Klausman “Women in Business” scholarship prize? It rewards and supports winners in their post-secondary schooling and in their desire to move into upper executive business positions and in the business world, or to support them if they wish to become heads of companies. “Candidates must show a remarkable academic background in economics and management, and at the same time present a coherent professional project,” explains Katherine Piquet-Gauthier, chair of the Zonta International Prize Committee at the Marie de Montpellier Zonta Club of Montpellier. “Berklee Morganto met these two requirements brilliantly: that’s why in 2017 she was one of the happy few, the 12 candidates worldwide who received the Jane M. Klausman Prize. We’re very happy to have gotten to know Berklee and supported her in her candidacy.

“Proud to represent the values of MBS and the Zonta Club of Montpellier”

As a prizewinner, Berklee came specially from Belgium to be congratulated and officially receive her prize during a ceremony in her honour, held on the MBS campus and attended by representatives of the Marie de Montpellier Zonta Club of Montpellier.

“I’m proud to represent the values of MBS and the Zonta Club of Montpellier,” said Berklee Morganto. “I’m going to work to represent these values in my future professional life, and I’m very grateful for all that. Thanks a lot!” 

And on her recent professional experience at MBS: “My internship at the Montpellier Business School CSR department is a wonderful memory and a great experience that no doubt contributed to this achievement with the Zonta International Prize. During my internship, I worked on managing the Cordées de la Réussite, the Success Rescuers, who come to help young people from priority neighbourhoods. I was involved in this project, but also in this prize, since it corresponds to my values and to my professional goal, which is to work in an NGO or in the social realm.”

The last word goes to Caroline Cazi, MBS Director of Human Resources, Social and Environmental Responsibility and Diversity: “Berklee was very invested in the team, for example organising and taking 75 schoolchildren to Toulouse for the Cordées’ stay, while providing its international touch. I’m very happy that she’s receiving this prize, since she’s an example at the school for her commitment to her studies, her commitment at work, but also her commitment to Montpellier Business School’s diversity and Social and Environmental Responsibility policy.” 

CO-FOUNDER OF INTRASENSE

At 41 years old, Frédéric Banégas is Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Intrasense, a company specialized in medical imaging software solutions. Mr. Banégas holds a Ph.D. degree in computer science and he is currently pursuing the Executive MBA programme and the RNCP Level I Certification at Montpellier Business School, which he joined in 2015. We met him for an interview.

Can you give us an outline of your career path?

In 2000, I received my Ph.D. degree from the Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, in the field of pattern recognition in 3D medical imaging. I joined at later Bionatics, a Montpellier company specialized in 3D support solutions for decision making in territory management. I worked as an R&D Developer until 2004 and then I embarked on the Intrasense adventure as a co-founder. 13 years later, our medical imaging diagnostic software has been sold internationally and the company is listed on the stock exchange. I started working in this company as a developer, then as a technical director and finished as a Chief Operating Officer. This evolution has led me from pure technique to business development and relationships with international partners.

Why did you choose to join the MBS Executive MBA program?

First of all, I wanted to validate my “empirical” knowledge, had to learn as I went along, while opening myself up more to the notions of strategy, marketing, business and innovation. To prove my legitimacy upon these aspects is even more important vis-à-vis our international interlocutors. In this same topic, I was sensitive to the accreditations and the recognized RNCP Level I Certification of the program. This is another guarantee of quality and recognition vis-à-vis our international industrial partners.

In terms of knowledge and expertise, what were you looking for and what have you already found?

On the one hand, I wanted to take a step back and on the other hand I wanted to complete my technical profile with international business and managerial know-how. We talk a lot about “French Tech” but what bothers me is the word “Tech”. In France, we have the reputation around the world as having engineers who set up innovative start-ups, with good ideas, but running a business then grow up can be more complicated! I have found in this programme the essential strategy and the key managerial innovation tools to developing an activity and managing the organisational transformations that go with it.

After a BTS in Business Unit Management and a Business Development Manager Licence obtained through an apprenticeship programme, Emmanuel Esteban wanted to go further by attending a Management Grande École. He chose MBS for its experience with apprenticeship programmes and its ideal rhythm of three weeks on the job for every week of classes. He joined the Master Grande École programme in 2015 through Formation Initiale Alternée 2 admissions (Basic Apprenticeship Training 2), he graduated on 2 December, during the ceremony held at the Zénith in Montpellier and answered our questions a few hours before the event.

You’re just about to get your degree. What was your favourite experience at MBS ?

Overall I’d say the apprenticeship programme. You arrive as a student and leave as a professional, with tools that let you totally enter into professional life once you’ve graduated. You learn to take initiative, to work rigorously, to be organised, and above all you meet a lot of superb people, both at school and at the company. You form strong bonds with the other apprenticeship students, especially by sharing flats every month. It’s a really human experience, and I have a lot of great memories of it.

Tell us more about your two-year apprenticeship programme at LVMH, the worldwide luxury leader ?

I did my apprenticeship as a sector head at Moët Hennessy, the world leader in high-end wines and spirits, and Diageo, the world leader in alcoholic beverages. My duties included preparing and organising commercial operations, ensuring the promotion of our brands to distributors and maintaining good customer relations. It was very educational, and I developed a lot of independence. In two years, you change with amazing speed! Especially when you’re on the job three out of every four weeks. That experience also led me to choose the specialisation in French Luxury and Excellence in my last year. I like challenges, and that’s why at the end of my apprenticeship contract, I decided to set off on a new challenge. The challenge that Dyson offered me as Business Manager was the one that appealed to me most.

So you got your first job in a big company even before graduating !

Yes, and honestly, I was lucky to have found something so quickly. When you come out of a Grande École in management and already have good professional experience, your profile is very attractive. The proof is that I submitted my CV to the well-known job-search platforms and was frequently contacted with job offers. In the end I found the one that fit me at Dyson as a business manager for the East. At my current position, customer relations are central to my responsibilities. I manage tracking on a portfolio of several clients and partners, in a sector that covers 13 French departments. It’s a new stage in my life that’s only just getting started !

We can only congratulate Emmanuel and wish him growth in this new professional adventure. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Emmanuel, and see you at the graduation ceremony !

The Bachelor and Master graduation ceremony held on Saturday 2 December at the Zénith in Montpellier was a particularly powerful event this year as it marked the 120th anniversary of Montpellier Business School. It was a moving moment for all the graduates, but also for their families and loved ones, as well as for their professors, who have supported them throughout their studies and in the last stage of their academic careers.

This year, over 3,800 people gathered to take part in the 2017 year group’s graduation ceremony and celebrate their success. The ceremony lets every Master and Bachelor graduate receive the paper symbolizing the end of their lives as students and the beginning of their professional careers. At the end of the ceremony, with great pride the graduates took part in the traditional tossing of their caps.

As it does every year, MBS gave those who couldn’t be present at the Zénith in Montpellier the chance to follow the ceremony remotely by live video on social networks, in French and in English. And for the first time, everyone could participate by commenting the ceremony using a specific hashtag. Broadcast live over streaming video on and the big screen at the Zénith, the messages scrolled by throughout the ceremony for the graduates to see, and many of them also took part in the live tweet.

> See all the photos

> Watch the replay of the live video

Thanks again to everyone for this spectacular day !

After a baccalaureate in sciences and an attempt at engineering school, Maxime found his path in the MBS Bachelor of International Business Administration programme, which he joined as a first-year. With our specific entrance exam process for High-Level Athletes, and the flexibility it affords them for training and competitions, for the last two years Maxime has been able to proceed with his studies while continuing the sport at which he excels: horse-riding.

When did your passion for horse-riding begin ?

I’ve been on horseback for as long as I can remember! I must have learned to ride before I learned to walk (laughter). Around ten years ago I wanted to go further with my passion, so I started doing jumping competitions. In 2012, I went pro, and two years ago, I joined the French team as a young rider.

How did you make the decision to study in a business school after your baccalaureate ?

At first I was trying to find my path, and I tried first year of engineering school. But it wasn’t for me. Eventually I went toward what inspire me: management, and leadership more specifically. When I found out that MBS had a post-baccalaureate programme, and that it was compatible with being a High-Level Athlete, I didn’t hesitate, especially since it is very well placed on the national and international rankings.

How do you manage to be as much involved in your studies as in your sport ?

All High-Level Athletes in the same situation will tell you it takes a lot of organisation. But above all it takes being passionate about what you’re doing. In the academic realm, it’s easy to tune out if you’re not interested in what you’re learning. But the MBS Bachelor is everything I imagined it would be: lots of practical cases and group projects, which really makes you want to give it your all to succeed. Outside of class, of course I spend every free moment in my stables and at my training. In other words, all morning and night, and all weekend !

What has MBS given you so far ?

MBS has of course let me continue my studies in management without having to miss training or important competitions, which wouldn’t have been the case elsewhere. The school lets me plan and manage my time according to my needs as an athlete. When I’m on the road, I can work remotely on an online platform and avoid getting behind.

What projects are you currently working on, and what do you think is next ?

Currently I’m on a one-year internship before doing my last year in the Bachelor programme. I’m working at the same time on two family projects this year: developing my stables, and founding a business incubator. Two completely different things, but which I’m really invested in! Of course, the goal is to carry out both these projects. In terms of riding, my objective is to be able to finance myself, and – why not? – compete in the 2024 Olympics! Even if it’s an enormous dream.

MBS has no doubt that Maxime will give himself the means to reach his goals. We thank him for this interview.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is something she knows well! Constituent member of the MBS Values and Diversity Committee, Dr Magalie Marais is also part of the research group VOAR (Values, Organisations, Actors, and Responsibility), along with three other MBS lecturer-researchers who specialise in CSR, sustainable development, and diversity practices. That’s why on 19 October, the working group “Sustainable Development in the Administration and Operations of the National Assembly” had Dr Marais speak and share her expertise. A few days later, Dr Marais told us about this unique experience in the splendour of the Republic.

Why did the National Assembly invite you to speak on 19 October ?

The National Assembly wants to implement a sustainable development policy as part of a model investigation. At the international level, the fact that a parliament has decided to take up a sustainable development initiative is itself quite pioneering. I said yes, because I’ve been working for years on bringing sustainable development issues to businesses through CSR initiatives, and I found it very interesting that a public organisation like this would take up this kind of initiative. I’ve already worked in Aix-en-Provence and the Hérault on bringing CSR initiatives to territorial institutions, and I was interested in pursuing this work with an important body like the National Assembly.

How did the hearing before the working group go ?

The hearing itself lasted an hour and a half. I got to give a presentation and respond to questions that citizens had mailed in. But it was a really fascinating, exciting day. It was also impressive to be invited by a working group. There’s a lot of protocol, and not only that, the hearing was filmed. But what’s most significant is that we have a parliament committed to such initiatives, and I’m eager to see what will come of this hearing and the following ones, because they’ll of course hear other experts.

On that topic, what do you think can come of this global initiative ?

The National Assembly has particular strengths. For example, it’s an institution that’s central to the country’s democratic life, with significant stakes in exemplarity and civic action. So my main message was to defend the importance of having a real initiative. That is, if the National Assembly launches this initiative, it should start by addressing the issues that are central to its mission, and not try to do something cosmetic. In my view, this could be a democratic lever, because CSR can strengthen their civic calling and reaffirm their democratic mission. For example, it could translate into a parliament that’s closer to citizens with a new type of governance. Also, they’re taking into account ecological challenges with simple practices, such as reducing the amount of paper used for amendments. That may sound silly, but these are small sustainable development actions that contribute to the process as a whole. Another example: even if we often only see the deputies, the National Assembly is an institution with several professions, and the workplace well-being of all people should be taken into account as part of a sustainable development initiative.

On Monday 11 December, Berklee Morganto was awarded the prestigious and extremely competitive Jane M. Klausman “Women in Business” scholarship from Zonta International. On the Montpellier Business School campus, Morganto, an American student in the Master Grande École programme, has received this annual international prize intended to support young women who excel in their post-secondary studies in the field of business.

Originally from Texas, USA, Morganto chose to study at Montpellier Business School and is currently completing a very selective Master’s degree as part of an academic exchange with the prestigious University of Leuven in Belgium. Long involved in education and corporate social responsibility, she first received the Zonta prize at the district level, and was then selected at the international level as one of only 12 young winners among the many finalists from around the world.

But what is Zonta International’s Jane M. Klausman “Women in Business” scholarship prize? It rewards and supports winners in their post-secondary schooling and in their desire to move into upper executive business positions and in the business world, or to support them if they wish to become heads of companies. “Candidates must show a remarkable academic background in economics and management, and at the same time present a coherent professional project,” explains Katherine Piquet-Gauthier, chair of the Zonta International Prize Committee at the Marie de Montpellier Zonta Club of Montpellier. “Berklee Morganto met these two requirements brilliantly: that’s why in 2017 she was one of the happy few, the 12 candidates worldwide who received the Jane M. Klausman Prize. We’re very happy to have gotten to know Berklee and supported her in her candidacy.

As a prizewinner, Berklee came specially from Belgium to be congratulated and officially receive her prize during a ceremony in her honour, held on the MBS campus and attended by representatives of the Marie de Montpellier Zonta Club of Montpellier.

“I’m proud to represent the values of MBS and the Zonta Club of Montpellier,” said Berklee Morganto. “I’m going to work to represent these values in my future professional life, and I’m very grateful for all that. Thanks a lot!” 

And on her recent professional experience at MBS: “My internship at the Montpellier Business School CSR department is a wonderful memory and a great experience that no doubt contributed to this achievement with the Zonta International Prize. During my internship, I worked on managing the Cordées de la Réussite, the Success Rescuers, who come to help young people from priority neighbourhoods. I was involved in this project, but also in this prize, since it corresponds to my values and to my professional goal, which is to work in an NGO or in the social realm.”

Social and Environmental Responsibility and Diversity: “Berklee was very invested in the team, for example organising and taking 75 schoolchildren to Toulouse for the Cordées’ stay, while providing its international touch. I’m very happy that she’s receiving this prize, since she’s an example at the school for her commitment to her studies, her commitment at work, but also her commitment to Montpellier Business School’s diversity and Social and Environmental Responsibility policy.”