Creation of a new Professional Christian Club

Jean Thierry d’Argenlieu (future Class of 2010) and Cyril Pélier (1991), MD of Talner, are the founders of the Edhec Alumni Christian Club, a new style of professional club... We met the two alumni who invite you to join them to develop new meaning and greater commitment in your working life.

You are the founder of the Club for Christian alumni …where did the idea come from?
Jean Thierry d’Argenlieu: During my study programme in Lille, I belonged to the Christian student association, Melkisedhec. This chaplaincy organises a number of events throughout the year: conferences and Christian student gatherings when we can meet up and consolidate our faith. Over the course of my 3 years at EDHEC, I realised how much it had helped me in my personal development. Our idea is simple: to continue to provide this opportunity for exchange, as the Christian faith doesn’t stop when you graduate but continues throughout your professional life!

Cyril Pélier: Personally, I was never a member of the chaplaincy. Marina Robert, Executive Director of the Edhec Association, put me in touch with Jean...and the network spirit did the rest! We decided to launch the Club together.

How does the Club fit in with alumni needs today?
JTA:
1/ During my work placements, I noticed that company strategies are often at odds with Christian values: there’s pressure to get results, management tension, layoff plans, etc.  As a Christian, it’s not always easy to find your place in all of this…
2/ Then, I was surprised to see the extent to which talking about your faith is frowned upon: many people prefer to keep a very low profile in this respect.
We just want to change this state of affairs: create a place for Christian-based discussion to show that it’s possible to reconcile your work and your faith.

CP: I meet a lot of people from Edhec who, at some point, want to take a career break: they ask themselves if they are going in the right direction, if their work is compatible with their deep-seated beliefs, etc. I also noticed that the further you get in your career, the more frequent these questions become …so it’s really important to find answers!

How does the Club operate?
CP: It will be open to the whole Edhec community, whether they’re Christian or not: the main thing is to want to give meaning to the way you work! People can come and discuss their opinions, share their personal experience, start a debate about new ideas… we’re very open-minded!

JTA: We’ll be launching the club next Tuesday, on March 16. The programme will simply be based on meetings and discussions. We hope that a lot of you will come and join us there!

Practical information
First Evening of the Edhec Alumni Christian Club: Tuesday 16/03 at 7 pm
EDHEC, 12 bis rue de la Victoire, 75 009 Paris (Le Peletier underground station)

Want to know more?  
http://edhecalumni.com/agenda.php?id=MjIxfHxmcg==

Interview by Sophie Baqué (2004)
rnd.sbaque@gmail.com