Focus on EDHEC Rendez-Vous Geneva

EDHEC ambassador in Switzerland, Francis Seban, organised an exceptional EDHEC Rendez-Vous, inviting prestigious guests to a magnificent setting at the Grand Hotel Kempinski just beside Lake Geneva. Consequently, he achieved a turnout of 118 guests, making the Geneva event the biggest EDHEC Rendez-Vous after Paris. Well done Francis, and well done to all the Swiss alumni!
Karine Dumont-Nectoux (Edhec 1994) was there…

"It was incredibly sunny on the evening of the Edhec Rendez-Vous 2012 after days and days of rain.

For me, the bright interval certainly reflected the few hours spent with the different generations of Edhec people on this special evening. I had the impression of a short cut and an acceleration; a short cut as, with our names pinned to our jackets, the conversation flowed so easily between us; and an acceleration as the evening also allowed us to hear about the experiences of many different people, covering a range of topics as we are all far from our home base, all "expatriates", happy to meet up for the evening and, perhaps later, to spend more time with these alumni who share the common background of Edhec in the past and Switzerland today.   
The speeches by Paul-Georges Despature, Dominique Bach, and Fabrice Lelouvier were well received for their rich content and interest regarding their different environments. Paul-Georges Despature shared his professional successes from Damart to Somfy with us, helping us understand that his vibrant career path is also basically down to his talent. Fabrice Lelouvier spoke about his international and national career for Ubifrance and his deeply ingrained love of travelling, while Dominique Bach told us that Mr Mars could have decided to deprive us of his chocolate due to some evaluation errors...if he hadn’t agreed to start again with other versions. Saved!

At this time of major economic crisis, there’s also a tendency to take stock, with greater awareness of the crucial role and moral obligations of being in the front management line with respect to the next generations. We ask questions, ask for advice, discuss how the world is doing and the whys and wherefore of some behaviours. We also talk about human adventures, interlocking destinies and of friendship.

The speakers called for Respect and Solidarity to generate the trust needed for career development, a call readily understood by the public, namely us.

One thing’s for sure, the different generations weer in full agreement in front of the buffet and the superb night-time views over the lake lit up by its thousands of advertising lights, shining out from the building facades.

And now we’re all looking forward to the upcoming academic year when we’ll celebrate the success of Philippe Léopold-Metzger, our Swiss winner of Edhec of the Year 2012, in his prestigious boutique in rue du Rhône on 20 September later this year. We’d all like to congratulate him for his talent and, in the meantime, we wish all of you an excellent summer."

Follow this link to view all the photos of the EDHEC Rendez-Vous