The 2021 ranking of the prestigious British media, The Economist, places the EDHEC Alumni network in second place worldwide for the 'Potential to network' criterion - during training and after graduation. This ranking is based on a survey conducted with recent graduates of EDHEC's Master in Management on the efficiency of the EDHEC Alumni network. We talked to Martin Barbier, Executive Director of EDHEC Alumni about The Economist's latest ranking.

WHAT DOES THIS RANKING ASSESS?

The EDHEC Alumni network is neither the largest nor the oldest network, but it possesses significant assets that result from key strategic decisions. We are convinced that access to the EDHEC Alumni professional network is essential for students. EDHEC Alumni network must meet the same level of excellence as the pedagogy, the student experience, and the services offered by our Career Centre. The first decision - the most emblematic one I shall say, was to move well ahead of other schools to lifetime membership. Whereas other Alumni associations spend a lot of energy looking for members, the EDHEC Alumni team, its permanent staff, and volunteers focus entirely on the management of its community and the quality of the services offered.

The second strategic decision was to bring together all students and graduates within a single association. Whatever the program (Bachelor, Master, MBA, Executive Education...), each EDHEC student or graduate benefits from a rich and international network. To date, there are 50,000 Alumni in 130 countries around the world, which offers multiple networking opportunities in many companies and sectors. All services are offered in French and in English to meet the needs of our 23% international membership.

Finally, our network has adopted the EDHEC motto. Share, Care and Dare are the three pillars on which all our actions are based. Sharing and team spirit are part of the school's DNA, whether it be through the associative life - very powerful at EDHEC - or the hands-on and collaborative approach in the teaching. These values are embodied in all the exchanges within our network. Being an EDHEC student also means getting involved where it is useful, in a concrete way, and being strongly determined to have a real impact on society. The EDHEC network's response to the Covid-19 crisis and the growing number of mentors and donors are the perfect illustrations of our motto. Finally, EDHEC likes to challenge established models. It does not hesitate to innovate whenever necessary. Thus, the quality of the services and events that we build with the support of our graduates is constantly increasing.

IN CONCLUSION?

I would like to salute the 5,000 alumni who are each involved in their own way as mentors, donors, recruiters, resources... and enable our Alumni network and our School to offer excellent support to our students and recent graduates. I would like to thank our 360 EDHEC Ambassadors who work closely with the EDHEC Alumni staff and administrators to organise nearly 500 events per year, welcome newcomers, guide them, and advise them in their professional choices... Their involvement in the EDHEC Alumni community is central to its success and this 2^nd place ranking is great recognition for their commitment.