The Metalab Institute becomes the ESSEC Institute for AI & Business and announces new leadership

Cergy, November 13th, 2026 - ESSEC Business School's Metalab Institute, created in 2020 to support the rise of artificial intelligence and its societal impact, is expanding its scope and becoming the ESSEC Institute for AI & Business.

The Institute is designed to be a hub for ethical AI that creates value for both business and society. It is part of the Department of Institutes, Development and Impact led by Felix Papier. ESSEC has also announced three new leadership appointments for the Institute: Constance Mickiewicz as Executive Director, Raoul Kübler as Academic Director, and Christoph Mueller-Bloch as Associate Academic Director.

Constance Mickiewicz

Constance joins ESSEC with expertise in multilateral diplomacy, international development, and AI policy coordination within major global forums. Previously, she was the Special Advisor of Anne Bouverot during the latter’s mandate as France’s Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence.

In 2025, she was in charge of the diplomatic track of the AI Action Summit under the patronage of the French president, where she was the Lead negotiator for France of the declaration of Heads of State. Prior to that, she served as digital policy advisor for the G7 and G20 international summits at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Her international career also includes roles as public partnership officer at the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome and as an analyst at Palladium, an international development consulting firm based in London. Constance holds a Master's in International Development from University College London and a Master's degree from NEOMA Business School.

“My ambition for the ESSEC Institute for AI & Business is to make it the control tower for ethical, responsible, and value-creating AI for organizations. In a highly competitive AI landscape between China and the United States, Europe must make its voice heard. ESSEC aims to be at the heart of this challenge by promoting an ethical approach. Situated at the crossroads of academic research, real economic impact, and public debate on governance and ethics, the ESSEC Institute for AI & Business will provide keys to understanding the societal and geopolitical challenges of AI to today's and tomorrow's leaders,” said Constance Mickiewicz.

Raoul Kubler

Raoul V. Kübler is Professor of Marketing at ESSEC and an expert in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, data analytics, and digital marketing.

Since 2018, he has consistently ranked among the top 10% of business administration researchers in the German-speaking area. His research on AI transformation, user-generated content, and natural language processing has been published in major journals in his field and has received several awards, notably from the Academy of Marketing Science, the Marketing Science Institute, and the European Marketing Academy. His current work examines how generative AI and agentic AI are redefining business and society.

He holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Kiel, Germany, obtained in 2012. Before joining ESSEC in 2022, he was Assistant Professor of Marketing at Özyeğin University in Istanbul, then Junior Professor at the University of Münster. Prior to his academic career, he worked for over ten years in the advertising industry.

“We are witnessing a new wave of digital transformation. Generative AI is challenging, transforming, and enriching long-standing business practices. Unlike the first wave, this one comes with immense public expectations; how society and businesses react when these expectations hit inevitable setbacks will shape the future. Within the ESSEC Institute for AI & Business, our goal is to help decision-makers navigate this transition: distinguishing media hype from factual evidence, building sustainable, value-creating business models, and managing disruptions so that our partners position themselves as leaders rather than followers - or worse, as passive subjects of these changes,” said Raoul V. Kübler.

Christoph Mueller-Bloch

Christoph Mueller-Bloch holds a PhD in Information Systems from the IT University of Copenhagen, a Master of Science in Business Administration and Information Systems from Copenhagen Business School, and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Göttingen.

He joined ESSEC in 2021 as Assistant Professor in the Information Systems, Data Analytics and Operations Department. His research and teaching focus on the management of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and social media.

“I am delighted to take on my new role within the Institute. Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the most transformative technology since the advent of the Internet, and we have the opportunity to guide its impact on business and society. I look forward to continuing to develop the institute as a platform for value co-creation with our stakeholders - whether by offering learning pathways that enable students to achieve their full potential, or by creating an environment conducive for faculty researchers to conduct projects with real-world impact,” said Christoph Mueller-Bloch.

Julia Smith, International Media Relations Officer - 01 34 43 98 25 – smith@essec.edu

Marie Caroline Saro, External Communications Manager - 06 99 09 82 25 – saro@essec.edu

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 171 professors and 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.