Centenary events continued apace over the summer and early-autumn period, with entrepreneurialism, academic seminars and international alumni to the fore.

Further student success was crowned at the 2007 edition of Tremplin Entreprises, co-organized by ESSEC and the French Senate. Synthesio, a new business venture created and supported by the ESSEC Ventures business incubator and headed by ESSEC graduates Thibaut Hanin and Loïc Moisand, won first prize in the “Internet and Services” category for their on-line national and international press search engine. Already winners of the “Graines de Boss” prize for new businesses in March of this year, this latest achievement comes as a ringing endorsement of ESSEC’s commitment to entrepreneurship and the talents of the students motivated by business creation.

A vital contribution to the local surroundings

The recently inaugurated Galion hosted its first major conference on August 29 – September 2 in the form of the European Congress for Sustainable Development and Local Governance. Co-organized by Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, the event brought together two heavyweights from the field: the European Regional Science Association and the Association de Science Régionale de Langue Française. Keynote speeches were given by the economist Peter Njjkamp (Free University, Amsterdam) and the sociologist Saskia Sassen (Columbia University, New York). A further highlight was an address by the Minister of Ecology, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. By hosting the event under the umbrella of the Centenary, ESSEC showed its continued commitment to the global issue of sustainable development but also the local concerns of Cergy and the surrounding area.

Events close to home and further afield

Justifiably proud of its campus, ESSEC chose to share it with the general public by participating for the first time in the annual National Heritage Day. The architect responsible for the three latest additions (the Nautile, the Galion and the Dôme) was on hand along with members of personnel to give visitors guided tours of the buildings. The day proved a successful opportunity to share in the growing architecture of ESSEC with the local population.

Further afield, China, Brazil, the United States and Switzerland were among the countries to host international alumni events. A detailed account can be found in a special international alumni feature.

The publication of the official illustrated history of ESSEC coincided with the new academic year. “ESSEC: 100 years of innovation” is available in the on-line Centenary shop.