Inauguration of the new foyer thanks to Stéphane LAGUT (GE 1990)

On 4 September, a small ceremony was organised at 6.30 pm on the Lille campus to coincide with a business trip made by Stéphane LAGUT (GE 1990), currently based in Tokyo. The ceremony was to officially open the student Foyer that has been fitted out thanks to his personal donation.

Around one hundred 1st year students attended the ceremony. Introducing Stéphane, Olivier Oger explained that the donation had been made within the context of the Rising Talents fundraising campaign, launched in 2010, that involves alumni and business organisations. The campaign was designed to help fund the School’s new projects and to increase the number of scholarships that could be awarded to students. The goal is to raise 30 million euros. Olivier Oger also emphasised the important role of the different generations of students and alumni in extending the reach and reputation of the EDHEC brand. Anne Zuccarelli then spoke about Stéphane Lagut’s career and the personal and professional ties that he’s kept with the school since leaving, illustrating his attachment to EDHEC.
The audience raised two questions: 

Why did you make a donation to EDHEC?
"99% of the reason is to do with my affection for EDHEC:
               - I loved the 3 years I spent at EDHEC,
               - I’m very attached to the school and I was really impressed by its development when I visited the campus in Lille. 
               - I’ve always tried to promote EDHEC at Ernst & Young: I started the first partnership with the CCE, 
         following this, 3 EDHEC graduates successively took charge of recruitment at Ernst & Young
               - and naturally, I became an EDHEC ambassador in Japan.
The rational aspect is a deep-seated conviction of how important the link between the different generations is: EDHEC’s reputation is conveyed not only by the alumni who lead brilliant careers but also by the new generations of students who today add value to the school and the degree through their qualities and skills.

Why make a donation to the Foyer?
"After supporting EDHEC’s development in a professional manner, it was even more satisfying to make a personal donation.
I gave the donation for the foyer because of my affection for the school and the pleasure of doing something for the students. I’m really happy to see how the foyer has developed since the campus opened.
The President of the Student Union closed the ceremony with a reminder of the importance of the foyer to all students as it’s at the heart of student life on the campus. He then thanked Stéphane on behalf of all the students.