On 11 September, top European Business School ESCP and Schneider Electric, a French multinational specialized in sustainable energy management and automation, celebrated the renewal of their partnership in support of the Chair “Digital Transformation for Sustainable Impact”.
In its third edition, the joint Chair between ESCP Business School and Schneider Electric focuses on analyzing digital levers that foster responsible economic performance, drawing on applied research, teaching, and dialogue with companies.
Through this commitment, Schneider Electric and ESCP promote exchanges between academia and business to train a new generation of international leaders, including Indian talents, capable of putting technology at the service of positive impact for the economy, society, and the environment. Schneider Electric is strongly established in India, with more than 37,000 employees and 30 factories, while ESCP already hosts more than 600 Indian students across its campuses. ESCP also maintains active partnerships with eight Indian universities, reinforcing its close ties with India’s academic and business landscape.
Co-founded with Schneider Electric in 2016, the pioneering IoT (Internet of Things) Chair enabled ESCP to establish itself as a leading player on issues of digital transformation and sustainable development.
Since its creation, the Chair has supported students, researchers, and companies in exploring the opportunities offered by the Internet of Things (IoT), a major lever for value creation and new business models. Through dedicated courses, study trips, scientific publications, teaching cases, conferences, and collaborations with the professional world, the Chair has enabled more than 300 students to be trained on these issues, closely connected to the realities of organisations.
The new edition, “Digital Transformation for Sustainable Impact,” broadens its scope to examine more deeply the role of digital technologies in advancing corporate sustainability. It will also diversify its pedagogical formats in France and across Europe, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning and immersive initiatives such as learning expeditions.
On this occasion, Léon Laulusa, Dean and Executive President of ESCP, emphasized the alignment of this partnership and ESCP’s mission: “We are proud to continue this shared adventure, launched in 2016. Schneider Electric and ESCP follow the same compass and share the same convictions, summarized by these key words: Innovation. Internationalization. Inclusion. Diversity. Sustainability. Digitalization. Excellence.”
Xavier Demilly, VP Business Transformation at Schneider Electric, reaffirmed the Group’s ambition to make digital transformation an accelerator towards more resource-efficient and resilient business models, in line with its values and concrete actions in favour of sustainability: “We are honored to partner with ESCP, a school recognized for its academic excellence and its commitment to responsible leadership. This partnership brings together academic knowledge and business expertise to train the leaders of tomorrow.”
Emmanuelle Le Merrer, VP Recruitment and Employment Strategy, Schneider Electric France, underlined: “As a company committed to sustainable transformation, we have the responsibility to prepare young talents to meet the challenges of tomorrow. This Chair embodies our determination to share our expertise, to foster dialogue with younger generations and to develop leaders capable of combining technological innovation and positive impact.”
Sandrine Macé, Scientific Director of the Chair and Professor at ESCP, presented the ambitions of this 3rd edition, dedicated to impactful digital transformation and international openness: “The adventure began in 2016 with the first IoT Chair. Since then, we have multiplied initiatives: conferences, white papers, student interventions, the launch of a new course option… Our objective remains the same: to generate strong impact and place digital innovation at the heart of the sustainable transition. Today, a new chapter opens with the Chair Digital Transformation for Sustainable Impact, which will offer our students rich and fruitful exchanges. We share essential values: to learn, to transmit, to grow, and to contribute to a better world.”