Meet Steven Seggie, the new academic director of the ESSEC Executive MBA

For their recent kick-off, the ESSEC Executive MBA class of 2019 met their new Academic Director, Steven Seggie, a marketing professor at ESSEC with an extensive international experience and a dedication to innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Can you tell us about your career and your expertise before you became the ESSEC EMBA Academic director?

I am a marketing professor with a keen interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. I have worked in the USA, Istanbul and now France. In addition to my academic work, I also mentor startups, occasionally invest in them, and work on helping large companies across multiple industries develop innovation processes in addition to other ad hoc consulting projects. 

Why did you wish to take on this new role?

I have managed programs before and I have always enjoyed the challenge of working with a team to develop and improve program offerings. The weekend EMBA is especially attractive because the participants are very challenging thus ensuring we have to bring our ‘A’ game, but also because the theme of entrepreneurship and innovation runs through the program. 

How can your expertise in entrepreneurship and innovation be an asset for the ESSEC EMBA?

Innovation is a process and this process can be just as easily used to develop educational programs as much as develop new products for companies. As such, my background in innovation will hopefully help us to develop the program further as we move forward.

What inspires you?

I guess I am mostly driven by the desire to leave a footprint and hopefully a positive footprint at that. I am at a stage in my life and career where I am keen to do things with impact. Given that our weekend EMBA students are the future leaders of French and European business, the quality of the offering we give them can be truly impactful.

What are some new ideas and changes on the program that could enable this positive impact?

One important idea is to continue to internationalize the program. This is in line with ESSEC’s overall strategy to become a global business school and a key component of that is the internationalization of executive education programs like the weekend EMBA. This means having international faculty teaching on the program, having even more international students than we have at present and also internationalizing the content through our residencies and also through potential partnerships with universities in other countries.

Do you have any advice for future applicants to the ESSEC EMBA?

I would advise future applicants to think hard about what they want to get from an EMBA program. It is not just about the courses offered in the program but also about the network that can be developed with fellow classmates, alumni, faculty and others. I am sure when they examine our offering then they will see all that we provide. 

About the ESSEC Executive MBA

The ESSEC Executive MBA is a program designed for high-potential executives aiming to become true leaders. Combining in-depth courses on international strategy with group projects, the ESSEC EMBA offers its participants a hands-on approach of business and entrepreneurship.

For an overview of Steven’s recent research, read his articles on ESSEC Knowledge:

From antagonism to partnership: what if corporates and startups decided to work together?

Big Data and the Lean startup approach as tools for innovation in large firms