The ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business establishes its Global Foresight Council

The Council will hold its inaugural plenary session in Paris on July 10th, 2026. This first session will focus on three core themes: 

• The passport of the firm: Does corporate nationality shape market access, trust and competitiveness?

• Future-proofing Europe: How to trust a partner without power?

Weaponization of capital: Is financing the global commons at risk in an era of polycrisis?

Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean & President, ESSEC Business School and Chair of the Global Foresight Council: “Bringing together minds of this calibre, diplomats, business leaders, Nobel laureates, scholars, in the service of ESSEC's mission is a historic step. The Global Foresight Council will become a compass for our Institute for Geopolitics & Business, and thus for companies navigating an era of radical uncertainty. ”

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ESSEC Business School has been a prestigious institution for higher learning since its foundation in 1907, set apart by its humanist approach. In light of current and future economic, environmental, social and geopolitical challenges, ESSEC is committed to transforming its teaching, research, and campuses to train inclusive, influential and multicultural leaders.

With 8534 students in pre-experience programs and 5000 participants in executive education across four campuses in Cergy, La Défense, Rabat and Singapore, ESSEC offers programs recognized as some of the best in the world. ESSEC’s exceptional faculty, composed of 197 professors (including 26 emeritus professors), 240 partnerships with prestigious international universities and an alumni network of over 79 000 members, showcases ESSEC’s commitment to excellence and academic innovation.

Ambassador Dr. Assia Bensalah Alaoui (Morocco)

Ambassador-at-large of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco

H.E. Dr. Assia Bensalah Alaoui has served as the Ambassador-at-Large of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco since 2006 and is a distinguished Member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. She is also Co-Chair of the MALABO Montpellier Forum, Vice President of the Friendship Association Morocco-Japan and a member among others of the Leaders For Peace Association in Paris. A specialist in food security, Mediterranean geopolitics, and sustainable development, she holds a PhD in Law from Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas. Prior to her diplomatic appointment, she was a Professor of International Law at Université Mohammed V in Rabat and Director of Studies at the Centre d'Études Stratégiques de Rabat. Her extensive global expertise includes co-chairing the EU High-Level Panel for the "Prodi Report" on Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, and serving on the advisory boards of the World Bank, the UNDP, and the Club of Rome. A widely published author and a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.

“Business leaders today need what the Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business seeks to offer: honest, cross-continental intelligence, combined with local cultural specificities, transcending borders, and orthodoxies, through hopefully constructive dialogue-

Amine Bouabid (Morocco)

Chairman & CEO, Bank of Africa Group

Amine Bouabid is a prominent financial leader who has driven the pan-African expansion of BANK OF AFRICA, serving as Executive Managing Director in charge of Africa since 2021 and CEO of the holding company of the group since 2015. Managing a network active across 18 African countries and France, he oversees a consolidated balance sheet of €10.2 billion while actively advancing regional integration and corporate social responsibility in education and healthcare. He began his career in 1992 as a financial analyst at Commercial Bank of Morocco before helping launch Casablanca Finance Group, where he rose to Deputy Managing Director and contributed to major national financial market reforms. In 1996, he was entrusted with founding the consumer credit institution SALAFIN, leading it through a successful IPO on the 4 Casablanca Stock Exchange in 2007 and maintaining its position as one of the market's most profitable firms until 2015.

“Fostering long-term regional integration and sustainable development requires structured, collaborative thinking across borders. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business provides an excellent platform for leaders to exchange constructive insights and safely navigate the shifting dynamics of tomorrow's global economy.”

Ambassador Rahul Chhabra (India)

Former Secretary for Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs of India; Independent Board Member

Amb. Rahul Chhabra is a distinguished diplomat with a 40-year career spanning international relations, economic policy, and corporate strategy. An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi School of Economics, and IIM Calcutta, he served India across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the United States, and Africa. His key diplomatic assignments include serving as Ambassador to Hungary, High Commissioner to Kenya, and Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat. At headquarters, he held pivotal positions such as Director in the Foreign Secretary’s Office and Joint Secretary for Central Europe, where he founded the India-Central Europe Business Forum. Prior to his retirement in 2021, he served as Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, spearheading India’s $40 billion Development Partnership Program and coordinating positions in major multilateral bodies like the WTO, G20, and BRICS. Today, Ambassador Chhabra sits on corporate boards, advises international organizations like the UNDP and WFP , and frequently lectures globally on international relations and economic trends.

“In a fragmented global economy, true growth can only be achieved through closer international cooperation and shared strategic foresight. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business provides a platform to navigate more swiftly tomorrow's geoeconomic challenges in a more complex world. ”

Aurélien Colson (France)

Vice-Chair of the Global Foresight Council

Professor at ESSEC Business School

Academic Co-director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business

Aurélien COLSON, PhD is professor of political science at ESSEC, where he also serves as director of the IRENE Centre on Negotiation & Mediation since 2008, co-director of the Centre on Geopolitics, Defense & Leadership since 2021, and head of the Law, Political Science & Society Department. His research on negotiation and international relations is published in peer-reviewed 5 journals. He authored or edited several books, published in 16 languages. He served as Adviser to the French Prime Minister (1998-2002). He has been involved in post-conflict mediations in Africa and served on the boards of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office and of the European Institute of Peace. From 2012-2021 the European Commission appointed him as the Governance Team Leader for the EU’s CBRN Risk Mitigation Initiative, a security partnership aiming at reducing transversal threats in 60+ countries. He has coordinated negotiation training curricula for several institutions, including the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Defense, and several diplomatic academies.

Isabelle Durant (Belgium) 

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium

President of Friends of Europe’s Governing Board

With a distinguished career in Belgian and European politics, Isabelle Durant has held the offices of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Transport and Energy, and Senator in the Belgian Government. She also served as Vice-President of the European Parliament, President of the European Union Council of Ministers of Transport and as Deputy-Secretary General and Acting Secretary General of UNCTAD. She contributed to the UN Human Right Council about Right to Development. With a wealth of experience collaborating with civil society and the private sector, her time as European Parliament Vice-President included responsibility for relations with civil society. Durant has held posts as a senior consultant on the empowerment of women in local government for the UNDP and as a member of Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium.

“Addressing the intricate challenges of global development and geopolitics requires genuine dialogue and an inclusive approach that unites public policy, the private sector, and civil society. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business provides a great space to foster this collaborative mindset and shape a more balanced, sustainable future. ”

Thomas Friang (France)

Secretary-General of the Global Foresight Council

Executive Director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business

Thomas Friang is the Executive Director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, fostering research, graduate, and executive education programs at ESSEC Business School exploring how companies can anticipate and adapt to geopolitical disruptions in the post-globalization era. Before joining ESSEC Business School, he served as Advisor to the French Minister for Development and International Partnerships, contributing to France’s international cooperation agenda. Thomas is also the Founder & CEO of the Open Diplomacy Institute, a non-partisan think tank dedicated to developing policy and leadership solutions to the polycrisis that hinders progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thomas launched and chaired the Y20 Summit in 2011 and the Y7 Summit in 2019, creating global youth engagement platforms, embedded in the G20 and G7 diplomatic processes. His leadership in multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development has been recognized internationally: he was awarded with the Engagement Medal of the French Republic (2021), appointed Laureate of the Giverny Award for Leadership in Sustainability (2022), named as an SDG Goalkeeper by the Gates Foundation (2023) and as an Aspen Young Leader (2024).

Ziad Haider (Singapore)

Partner and Global Director of Geopolitics, McKinsey & Company

Former U.S. Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs

Ziad Haider is a Partner and the Global Director of Geopolitics at McKinsey & Company based in Singapore. He co-leads McKinsey’s Geopolitics Practice and counsels multinational boards and leaders on strategies to navigate geopolitical uncertainty and build resilience. He previously served in several senior roles within the U.S. government, including as the U.S. Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs at the Department of State, a Member of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, and a White House Fellow at the Department of Justice. He serves as a non-resident senior advisor at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and on the board of advisors of the International Rescue Committee. He is a graduate of Yale College, the Harvard Kennedy School, and Georgetown Law.

“The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business is a timely forum and platform to guide current and future business leaders on anticipating and navigating escalating geopolitical uncertainty. ”

Naoko Ishii (Japan)

Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Commons, The University of Tokyo

Former Deputy Vice-Minister of Finance, Japan

Naoko Ishii has dedicated her career to safeguarding the global commons – our stable and resilient Earth system that serves as the bedrock of human prosperity and yet is under threat by the current economic system. In her efforts to bring about a transformation in this system, she became the inaugural director for the Center for Global Commons at the University of Tokyo in 2020, with the aim of building a multi-stakeholder coalition in Japan and forging partnerships with international allies for systemic change. Prior to joining the University of Tokyo, she served as CEO and Chairperson for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) from 2012 to 2020. She brings her expertise to global discourse by joining the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW), and Planetary Guardians, among others. Her earlier roles include Deputy Vice Minister of Finance in Japan, as well as senior positions at the World Bank and the IMF.

“Transforming our economic systems to safeguard the global commons requires true systemic change and deep international partnership. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business offers a space where leaders from finance, policy, and academia can bridge their perspectives and collaboratively build a resilient future for our planet. ”

Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan (Singapore)

Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore

Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan has spent his entire 37-year career within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. He shaped the country's foreign policy tradition through major appointments, notably as Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and ultimately as Permanent Secretary until his retirement in 2013, followed by a tenure as Ambassador-at-Large until 2018. Former Chairman and current Distinguished Fellow of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, he has written extensively on geopolitics, including his recent books Singapore Is Still Not An Island (2023) and The Myth of the Asian Century (2025). Today, he continues to lecture globally on great-power competition, regional developments, and their strategic implications for educational, corporate, and financial institutions.

“The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business is a timely initiative. It offers a valuable space to step back, share perspectives, and better understand the long-term trends shaping our global environment. ”

Yann Le Pallec (France)

President, S&P Global Ratings

Yann Le Pallec is the President of S&P Global Ratings and a member of S&P Global’s Executive Leadership Team. Based in Paris, he has ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the global ratings business and chairs the Board of Crisil Ltd, a leading global benchmarks and analytics provider listed in India. Since joining S&P Global in 1999, after nine years at the financial services firm Salustro Reydel, he has held numerous high-level leadership roles, including Head of Global Ratings Services and Head of Global Corporate Ratings, managing thousands of analysts across dozens of countries. An ESSEC graduate, Mr. Le Pallec also served as the Executive Sponsor for S&P Global’s PRIDE People Resource Group, demonstrating a strong commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive corporate environment.

“Navigating today’s complex macroeconomic landscape requires clarity, rigorous analysis, and a transparent approach to risk. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business serves as a premier forum for financial and policy leaders to exchange the objective insights necessary to build long-term market confidence and resilience. ”

Oleksandra Matviichuk (Ukraine)

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2022)

Director, Center for Civil Liberties

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer who has been defending freedom and human dignity in the OSCE region. In 2022, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for the work of her organization, the Center for Civil Liberties. During the Revolution of Dignity, Oleksandra initiated the Euromaidan SOS initiative to protect persecuted protesters. Since 2014, she has focused her efforts on documenting war crimes in Crimea and Donbas, as well as fighting for the release of illegally detained civilians by Russia. Following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Oleksandra co-founded the “Tribunal for Putin” initiative, which has documented tens of thousands of war crimes to hold the aggressor accountable. She is a leading global voice advocating for the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression. While this war turns people into numbers, the work of Oleksandra is aimed at returning people their names. Her contribution to the development of democracy and international legal order has been recognized by the Right Livelihood Award and her inclusion in the lists of the world's most influential people by Time and the Financial Times.

“A stable and prosperous global order cannot exist without a firm commitment to human dignity and the rule of law. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business provides a platform to remind us that strategic foresight and economic development must always be guided by justice, accountability, and the protection of shared human values. ”

Prof. Cédomir Nestorovic (France)

Vice-Chair of the Global Foresight Council

Professor at ESSEC Business School

Academic Co-director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business

Cedomir NESTOROVIC, PhD is a professor of geopolitics and Islamic business at ESSEC, where he also serves as academic co-director of the Institute for Geopolitics and Business. He is the founder and co-academic director of the MBA program at the Arabian Gulf University (Bahrain). His research on geopolitics and international markets includes the book Geopolitics and Business, Relevance and Resonance, published by Springer in 2023. Awarded "Professor of the Week" by The Financial Times (2012) and Best Teacher at ESSEC (2017, 2025), he regularly teaches in world-class hubs, including Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, and Seoul, for multinational corporations like Danone, Thales, and Takeda. Based on the ESSEC Singapore campus since 2011, he cooperates closely with foreign services and diplomatic academies globally, including those of Italy, Indonesia, and Mexico. He is a regular media commentator, appearing on CNBC and Channel NewsAsia, and contributing to Le Monde and the South China Morning Post.

Geoffroy Roux De Bézieux (France)

Former President, MEDEF (French Business Federation)

President & Founder, Notus Technologies

Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux is a prominent French entrepreneur, investor, and the Honorary President of MEDEF (the French Employers' Organization), which he chaired from 2018 to 2023. An ESSEC and Paris-Dauphine graduate and former Marine Commando officer, he spent a decade at L'Oréal before launching several highly successful ventures. Notably, he founded the retail chain The Phone House in 1996 and the alternative mobile operator Virgin Mobile France in 2004, later co-founding the €1 billion venture fund ISAI in 2009 and establishing his family office, Notus Technologies, in 2015. Alongside his entrepreneurial success, he served as Chairman of the French-speaking employers’ organization (2022–2026), was a board member for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and currently sits on the boards of major corporations including Saint-Gobain and Bureau Veritas.

“French and European companies must think geopolitically or fall behind — the Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business offers an essential space to foster the collaborative stability needed for businesses to grow confidently on a global scale. ”

Prof. Vincenzo Vinzi (Italy)

Chair of the Global Foresight Council

Dean & President, ESSEC Business School

Vincenzo Vinzi is the Dean and President of ESSEC Business School, a position he has held since December 2017, where he oversees the institution's academic, legal, and financial governance. A professor and researcher within the Information Systems, Decision Sciences, and Statistics department, he holds a PhD in Statistics and Informatics from the University of Naples Federico II. His research focuses on multivariate analysis, predictive statistical modeling, and Big Data analytics, with over 80 scientific articles and several specialized books published. A former president of the International Society for Business and Industrial Statistics (ISBIS), he has lectured extensively worldwide and serves on the boards of multiple prestigious organizations, including CentraleSupélec, the AmCham, the Conference of Grandes Écoles (CGE), and the OECD’s "Business for Inclusive Growth" initiative. He also chairs the European Advisory Council for AACSB and serves on the international advisory boards of several leading global business schools.

Prof. Amb. Judi Wakhungu (Kenya)

Former Minister of Environment, Kenya

Former Ambassador of Kenya to France

Professor Ambassador Judi W. Wakhungu is a distinguished environmental scientist and diplomat who has long bridged the gap between science, policy, and global governance. A pioneer woman in Geology with a PhD in Energy Resources Management, she built a rich background in academia before entering high-level public service. From 2013 to 2018, she served as Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Environment, Water, and Natural Resources, where she led unmatched legislative milestones, including Kenya's historic 2017 ban on single-use plastic bags. She later expanded her impact to diplomacy, serving as Kenya’s Ambassador to France, the Holy See, Portugal, Serbia, Monaco, and to UNESCO. Globally recognized for her leadership in climate governance, Professor Wakhungu has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General and as Vice-President of the United Nations Environment Assembly. Recipient of the Oceans Award (2018) and the Clark R. Bavin Award (2016), she remains deeply dedicated to sustainable development and mentoring STEM professionals.

“The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business provides a vital platform for forward-thinking dialogue. By connecting diverse global perspectives, it allows us to anticipate complex challenges and foster sustainable paths for the future in a fragmented world. ”

Isabelle Xoual (France)

Managing Director, Lazard

Isabelle Xoual is a Managing Director at Lazard, where she has served since 1998, currently co-leading Industrials coverage for Europe and sitting on the Financial Advisory Operating Committee in France. An ESSEC Business School MBA graduate, she began her career in strategy consulting at Oliver Wyman in London before spending seven years at Rothschild in Paris as Vice President. Over nearly four decades in investment banking, she has advised major international clients and private equity sponsors on complex cross-border deals, playing a central role in over 100 M&A transactions exceeding €100 billion in aggregate value. At Lazard, she also led key internal transformations, including monitoring all HR matters and expanding the European private equity franchise. Her corporate governance experience includes board roles at ANF Immobilier, Lazard Frères Banque, and Kearney, and she actively mentors young female leaders through the Women’s Forum’s Rising Talent initiative.

“For Lazard, geopolitics has always been part of every deal. The Global Foresight Council of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business formalises what the best business minds have known for years: corporate strategy and statecraft are inseparable. ”