ENPC MBA Alumni Blog

For the first time in History, MBA Students have been elected to represent the students of “College 3″ at the Administration Council / Board of Directors and at the Research and Education Council. Virginie and Olivier will now onwards actively represent Special Masters and MBA students at the Administration Council / Board of Directors and at the Research and Education Council. Patrick Pelata – General Director of Renault is the chairman of this council. We hope our new implication in the Ecole des Ponts life will allow us to increase our recognition and emphasize our interest.

POLOS

In order to symbolize the great synergies we have created between us, we have decided to design our own polo. With the following slogan: “United Colors of ENPC MBA” and our home made logo, our MBA is taking another dimension!

LUNCH with PROF. MICHAEL PAGE

Due to the particular good relation we had with Professor. Mike Page, we all went for a special lunch at Séraphin on November 5th. Such an insignificant event powerfully reinforces relations between students and the faculty.

The AVANT-PREMIÈRE of “IN THE LOOP” in the UGC CINÉ CITÉ les HALLES

On November the 5th, MBA students and part of the staff participated in the Avant-première of “In the Loop” in the UGC Ciné Cité les Halles.
In this film, British director Armando Iannucci took us to a « backstage» during sensitive negotiations between the USA and the UK in preparation of a conflict in the Middle East.
Behind honorific titles, medals and protocol, he showed very average offices and people fighting for their values but most importantly, for their positions, getting out of delicate situations with not such delicate language and manner.
Although artistically the film was very simple (after all it is Ranucci’s debut), it was very delightful to see the actors impersonating powerful men and women who are more human and petty than we usually imagine.
After the end of the movie, we listened to Ianucci’s explanation on how he allegedly got into the US Department of State’s offices without clearance. So as good MBA students, we put the lesson into practice at the private cocktail organized by the film distributor, where about 20 of us managed to get in just by smiling and saying “Yes, we’re invited, and the Americans are with us”. After all, it’s all about appearances. Well done yourselves!

LUNCH with PROF. MCCLENDON

StuCo did the base work, classmates & staff welcomed the idea, Prof John Mc Clendon said “Voila!“ and off we went! We all joined for a memorable Thanksgiving lunch. Fusion and synergies were two key takeaways of those moments.
Lesson: “When everyone is positive it becomes a memorable moment!”
Conclusion: Einstein is a hell of a class manager! “Isn’t he a great dude or what?!”

The ENPC MBA Alumni Association has been working with the ENPC School of International Management to develop an MBA Alumni sponsoring package.

We are happy to announce that starting now if you sponsor a friend, family member or colleague they will enjoy a 10% discount on MBA or Executive MBA tuition fees (a reduction of €3,250-€3,950).

Not only will you help to increase the size and the value of the MBA alumni network but also of our Association as an additional 1% of tuition fees will be allocated to the MBA Alumni Association’s operating budget!

We have decided to organize regular meetings with the Staff to improve daily relations and life at the School and to establish strong synergies between us! During our first meeting on November 5th we dealt with various subjects:

Organization subjects:
• The StuCo role;
• The classroom and the students lounge;
• The facilities;
• The building;
• The professional project;
• The firm visits and conferences.

Academic subjects:
• The elective courses cancellation;
• The graduation ceremony location & sponsorship;
• The Financial Times ranking.

The PARTNERSHIP with ECOLE des PONTS mother school

In order to develop our relation with Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, the StuCo has contacted Pierre-Yves Lagrave, president of the student board. MBA students can now attend all conferences at the Ecole des Ponts. Facilities such as shuttle services will be put in place in case a large number of students making a trip. MBA Students can take part in any activities Ecole des Ponts organize. (Conferences, sport activities, cultural events…)

The PARTNERSHIP with SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE BANK

A partnership between MIB CLUB (official name of your students association) and Société Générale -République area has been established. We met Kevin Guez -Responsible of Students Associations and have negotiated special conditions for accounts opening, student loans and a fixed donation on a yearly basis. Thanks to this partnership StuCo will have the means to strongly participate in diverse financings (Polo shirts purchase, cocktails…). Société Générale will notably be present in major events such as the Gala and our graduation ceremony…
We are trying to build other strong partnerships with major companies, but it takes time!

Dear Fellow Alumni,

Tomorrow is the “Last Tuesday”, our monthly network event.
Join us starting at 7pm @ Bar de l’Hotel Mélia Vendôme 8 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris Métro Concorde.

Looking forward to seeing you there !

« Maîtriser les risques d’un contrat d’affaires »

L’association des anciens du MBA des Ponts vous invite à une conférence le 13 Janvier 2010 à 19h, accueil dés 18h30 à l’Hôtel Mélia Vendôme 8 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris – Métro Concorde.

Sophie Tatot Avocate à Paris et Nathalie Wardé, consultante à Genève-CH sur des opérations de production vous présenteront un aperçu des points essentiels du droit des contrats.

Public concerné

Dirigeants, managers d’équipes qui souhaitent prendre connaissance des principes de base applicables en droit des affaires ainsi que leur application dans l’environnement des affaires

Objectif et sujets clés

Cette conférence identifiera les points clés de la formation du contrat, les principes applicables en matière de validité des contrats ainsi que les éléments déterminants pour la réussite de leur négociation.

Sophie Tatot détaillera les règles applicables en matière de fixation du prix, invalidité, fraude, droits des tiers, rupture du contrat. Elle concentrera son intervention sur les implications juridiques et les solutions pour obtenir réparation d’une fraude ou d’une rupture du contrat.

Nathalie Wardé axera son intervention sur les principes de l’outsourcing, les contrats de fabrications dans le secteur de l’industrie pharmaceutique, de la cosmétique et de la nutrition médicale.

Inscription:

Les inscriptions sont closes.

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The ENPC MBA Alumni are delighted to invite you to a Conference on the 13 of January, 2010 from 6:30pm at Bar de l’Hotel Mélia Vendôme 8 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris Métro Concorde.

Sophie Tatot, Lawyer in Paris and Nathalie Wardé, consultant in Geneva-CH in manufacturing operations  will present an overview of contract law essentials.

Target audience for this conference:
Managers, supervisors or team leaders who want to gain a basic knowledge of Business Law and how to apply it in a working business environment.

Objectives and major topics
This conference will identify the key elements of contract formation and contract strategies applying to validity and successful contract negotiations.

Sophie Tatot will detail rules of consideration, validity, illegality, the statute of frauds, third-party rights, and breach of contract. She will focus on legal implications of and remedies to fraud and breach of contract.

Nathalie Wardé will focus on outsourcing, contract manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industries and other sectors such as cosmetics and medical nutrition.

Limited Subscription !!

Subscription are closed.

NYC event at the French Consulate

Devenez Mécène !

A Sponsorship Opportunity

L’association des Anciens du MBA des Ponts, avec Ponts Alliance, organise une conférence-cocktail le 19 janvier prochain au Consulat de France à New-York, sous le Haut Patronnage de Monsieur le Consul Général Philippe Lalliot.

Le consulat nous héberge gracieusement dans ses salons de la 5^th Avenue, et Monsieur le Consul Général sera notre invité d’honneur.

Le thème de la conférence sera : « Ecole des Ponts – USA : how did ou build your bridge ? », partant du témoignage de trois ou quatre anciens des Ponts, MBA et ingénieurs, pour encourager échanges et retours d’expériences entre anciens expatriés ou américains, autour d’un cocktail.

Ponts Alliance et les anciens du MBA seraient honorés d’associer un partenaire français ou américain à cet événement, qui rassemblera autour de 80 personnes. L’événement pourrait devenir un rdv annuel de début d’année, et le mécénat pérenne. Les modalités du mécénat sont ouvertes, elles impliqueront notamment la communication sur le parrain avant, pendant et après événement, au moyen de logos, citations et présentation, y compris dans les médias de Ponts Alliance.

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The French Consulate in NYC will host the ENPC MBA Alumni association next January 19th 2010 for a conference and a cocktail party in its 5^th avenue salons. Philippe Lalliot, the French Consul, will be our guest of honour.

The theme of the conference will be : Ecole des Ponts – USA, how did you build your bridge ?, where 3 or 4 Alumni engineers and MBAs will present their business and to tell about their experience as business expatriates. Those speeches will be the basis for exchanges and networking around the cocktail party, with around 80 people.

If you are interested by sponsoring the event, Ponts Alliance and the MBA Alumni would be delighted to welcome you as an official sponsor. Hopefully, it will be a success and become an annual meeting in the Big Apple.

Please contact :

Sophie Pellaton-Gaudilllière

sophie.pellaton@ponts.org

Cell : 347 435 7111

I seized the opportunity to be a newyorker for a while in order to gather alumni from ENPC MBA but not only : about 13 alumni-engineers/ MBAs  joined for a musical dinner @ L’orange bleue, a mediterranean restaurant in Soho.

We all decided to make it happen again ! Michel talked about ice-skating at Rockefeller’s plaza…what else ??

The purpose of the Executive Golf Weekends is to provide students, alumni and friends of ENPC EMBA updated information about the current program as well as creating a support for career networking.

Whether you’re a tournament player or weekend warrior, the objective is to host special events throughout the year including lunches, golf games, golf outings. Enhancing the experience of current EMBA Golf players while establishing a strong connection with the alumni community.

For: Students, alumni and friends of ENPC EMBA.

When: Sunday 27th September 2009 / Early Morning until midday

Where: Golf de Saint-Quentin en Yvelines (TBC)
Condition of access: Please bring your 2009 golf license, green card or a game level will be required to access the golf course.

Feel free to swing an early confirmation preferably before 17.09.2009

Contact : Ignacio Villegas / EMBA 08
villegasignacio@hotmail.com

From 2005-2007, I served as a teacher with the Lasallian Volunteers.  That name might ring a bell in France.  I worked with the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes), which were founded by St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, born in Reims, France in 1651.  He once said, “[God] did this in an imperceptible way and over a long period of time so that one commitment led to another in a way that I did not foresee in the beginning.” While I have so very little in common with La Salle, I can certainly agree the same is true in my life.  Let me begin from the beginning, however.

Mount Fuji

I was born into communist Poland in 1982.  When my mother passed suddenly in 1987 and my father in 1990, my world shifted radically as my aunt brought my sisters and me to the United States.  We were adopted together in 1992 and soon thereafter became a U.S. citizen, becoming a part of the melting pot which is America.  I changed my name to Paul Sevcik, another mark of my new identity as a citizen of “The New World.”  With the diligent assistance of my parents, I worked hard to learn English and even skipped a grade in primary school.
A trip to France in 2000 with my French class from secondary school whet my appetite for world travels and I treasured the experience, longing to hop on another jet to expand my horizons.  I graduated secondary school with high marks and went onto university studies at Lewis University, run by the Christian Brothers, choosing Aviation Flight Management as my major.  I was going to become a pilot, but those plans were shaken by the events of September 11th and were ultimately dashed by my interest in working with people rather than machines.  I changed my major to Aviation Administration, keeping the flame of world travels alive with the dream of working at an airport someday.  I became President of the Student Governing Board, received the highest award given to college students from the Governor of the State of Illinois, was the speaker at Commencement, was published in a university fine arts publication and was a well-known figure on campus.  The familiarity of the small campus was met by the opportunity to serve two years as a volunteer teacher in a nationally-recognized program named AmeriCorps.

I moved from my hometown of Aurora, Illinois and began working and living in community with the Christian Brothers in Philadelphia.  I taught computers and physical education to primary school children and enjoyed the experience, but at the end of two years, I was interested in seeing what was beyond the horizon, so I decided to go to graduate school.

As I was choosing an MBA program, I knew there was one aspect on which I would grade heavily: the program had to have an international component. When I was introduced to the IMBA at a networking event, I was immediately hooked. With the opportunity to study on three continents and do it all in about a year, I knew it was just the program I was seeking. I looked forward to beginning my studies in Paris as I was already very comfortable speaking French and had been there previously.

Moving to Paris and experiencing the French life was something beyond description.  Just four months were enough for me to notice large differences between the US and Europe and this can be a whole separate discussion in itself.  I was quite comfortable.

During my IMBA studies and for a month afterward, I did quite a bit of traveling. One highlight was a visit to the birthplace of St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle with a Christian Brother I had lived with in Philadelphia. I visited 14 countries from Spain, to Italy to Poland, Japan, Isreal, Australia and New Zealand.  In the span of a few days I experienced a balmy 30 degrees Celsius in the Northern Hemisphere and the wintery 2 degrees Celsius in the Southern Hemisphere.

This worldwide travel experience helped me greatly in securing a job in the travel industry. While the IMBA’s educational component is at its core, I learned a great deal in my travels and I am happy that I can apply not just my business acumen but my world perspective to work.  I worked at a company which partners with universities to enable them to travel abroad on short-term travel study tours, such as the one the IMBA program has to China for a week. After three months, I resigned from my job at the travel agency, however.  It was a great job description, but the team I worked with was plagued with structural problems resulting from a merger which were not addressed before I began work there.

The above may symbolize the emotional and professional peaks and valleys I have experienced thus far in my life.  As for the highest physical peak I’ve ever climbed, it was Mount Fuji.  I climbed it on an overnight hike with a fellow IMBA.  She, like my other IMBA friends, continues to be a great friend of mine, resulting in a large network of people around the world I can reach out to.  I saw a glorious sunrise that morning after the climb.  Who knew that a boy born into a humble family with small beginnings would be supported and propelled to reach such heights?  And who knows what the future will bring?  Perhaps, as La Salle once said, it will be indiscernable to me for now.  I can guess that with my diversity of experience, worldwide network, and a drive to continue expanding my horizons, my path is sure to lead to more adventure…À bientôt!

Mount Fuji Sunrise