ESSEC Business School management professor David Sluss teaches a class in the Global MBA program. As academic director, Sluss led a redesign of the program which launched this September. Courtesy photo
In 2022, when David Sluss stepped up to become academic director of the Global MBA of ESSEC Business School, he figured he’d be shepherding an already strong, boutique program ideally located in Paris’ La Défense, the top business district in Europe.
But as he dug in, he realized that while the program had strong bones, it lacked a unifying narrative. He asked himself: What is the true purpose of the MBA?
“It’s not just to train students for corporate roles – every business degree does that. Historically, MBAs were about transforming general managers into executives,” Sluss tells Poets&Quants.
“While we were equipping students with the knowledge and competencies to become executives, we weren’t socializing them into that role.”
Sluss spent a year analyzing the ESSEC MBA, looking at what the market offered, what industries demanded, and what students needed. This September, just two years into Sluss’ tenure, ESSEC launched a reimagined Global MBA – an integrated program with three distinct concentrations: strategic sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship, and as the French would say, digital savoir faire.
The redesign gives MBAs flexibility to chart their own career paths, rooted in ESSEC’s philosophy of “learning by doing.” A key component is the four Career Learning Labs focused on luxury, finance, consulting and product management. Led by industry professionals, these labs feature dedicated workshops, learning expeditions, networking, and mentorship, and hands-on learning experiences. Students will also complete either an internship, global consulting project, or venture project, and have a dedicated Talent Center to connect students to career opportunities.
“For us at ESSEC, employability is the capacity for the MBA participant to develop themselves to the point where they are ‘world-class’ for roles or jobs that align with their long-term career goals,” Sluss says.
“Employability is where ESSEC’s program and the participant become completely integrated. The better the employability, the better the role the MBA secures, the better the financial return, the better the career trajectory, the more satisfied the alumni, the more engaged the alumni will be with our current participants. It is a virtuous cycle.”
This fall, the first cohort of 49 students embarked on ESSEC’s redesigned one-year Global MBA program. Representing 20 countries across six continents, the cohort boasts diverse professional backgrounds ranging from law and international business to agriculture and engineering. Women make up 57% of the class, and students bring an average of seven years of work experience.
The program’s relaunch coincides with the rollout of ESSEC’s new Transcend Strategy, which outlines four overarching ambitions: transformative education, multicultural leadership, reinvented management, and large-scale impact. The redesigned MBA helps drive these ambitions forward, blending rigorous academics with hands-on experiences to produce global-ready leaders.
This fall, Poets&Quants had the opportunity to visit ESSEC’s Paris-La Défense campus. We sat down with Sluss to discuss the Global MBA’s reimagined design, its unique features, and how ESSEC is equipping graduates to thrive in an increasingly complex world.
Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
When they approached me and asked to lead the MBA, I first told myself, “This program seems to be doing well. I’ll just come in, help maintain it, and keep it growing.” But as I got more involved, I started to ask, “What’s the story of this MBA? What are we really offering?”
We had a strong MBA in parts, but it lacked a coherent narrative. So, I spent the first year analyzing it – talking with partners, employers, and students, and reviewing GMAC survey data. One key finding was that applicants increasingly value MBAs that focus on sustainability, digital transformation, innovation, and entrepreneurship. These areas align with our strategic pillars.
We already had courses covering these topics, but the program needed to be reimagined from the participant’s perspective. Previously, students chose from separate tracks, like luxury or digital leadership. Now, we have reorganized the program into three concentrations – sustainability, digital, and innovation/entrepreneurship – within a single, integrated MBA.
Even with that structure, I felt something was still missing. My research on occupational socialization and new employee onboarding came into play. I asked myself, “What’s the real purpose of an MBA?” It’s not just to train students for corporate roles – every business degree does that. Historically, MBAs were about transforming general managers into executives.
We were equipping students with the knowledge and competencies to become executives, but we weren’t socializing them into that role. This led to the creation of Career Learning Labs. Instead of offering additional specialization courses, we created a matrix where students choose one of three concentrations and at least one Career Learning Lab.
These labs focus on specific industries or roles – luxury, finance, consulting, or product management – and teach students what it means to be an executive in those fields. Each lab is led by an experienced professional or former executive. For example, one leader is a former CEO in the spirits industry. Another is a PhD product manager who has worked for Google and Spotify. Another is a rising star in sustainable finance and venture capital.
These leaders curate immersive experiences with alumni-led workshops. Students gain practical knowledge, but these aren’t traditional, graded courses. Instead, the labs are hands-on experiences designed to prepare students for real-world executive roles.
Yes, every student must choose at least one Career Learning Lab and one concentration. The scheduling varies depending on the lab. For example, the luxury lab spans the full year, while others are structured differently.
Most people come here for luxury—that’s what they’re looking for. But you can mix and match with finance, consulting, or product management. With the concentrations, students officially claim one, but technically, they could complete two if they take enough electives. This flexibility allows students to customize their experience.
What we experienced this past year was really encouraging. We saw an opening up of the types of applicants applying to ESSEC because they felt the program matched their goals. As a result, our applications increased by about 30%.
We’re still a boutique program, though. We grew from 39 to 49 students, which is significant for us. We’re not like INSEAD with hundreds and hundreds of students.
The Global MBA cohort at ESSEC is nearly 98% international. This year’s class comes from 20 countries across six continents. Courtesy photo
For us, there’s growth in quality and then growth in numbers. As we continue to grow in quality, a sweet spot for size is really around 55 to 60 students. At that point, you need to make a step-function increase. Pedagogically, you reach a point where it becomes necessary to split into two sections. That’s what we’ll face as we grow.
First and foremost, it’s the Career Learning Labs and how they integrate with the concentrations.
Within the competitive set I’ve reviewed, I know the U.S. market well, and I haven’t seen anything quite like it there either. That’s the essence of ESSEC – not just defining the body of knowledge students should acquire, but also making it actionable through application and a learn-by-doing approach.
Another unique aspect is the inclusion of the innovation and entrepreneurship concentration, which adds a distinct layer to the program. After roughly 10 months of intense work, students transition into their career-accelerating experience, which could either be an internship or a field consulting project.
For the field consulting projects, students work in groups with partner organizations that have specific, big-picture challenges they need help solving. The groups act as external consultants but work closely with the organization. For example, one group worked with Mercedes in Germany this past quarter. They spent four months on the project and recently presented their findings and recommendations to the board, which were very well received.
For internships, they’re more traditional and typically paid. Since we’re a one-year program, we’re not bringing in “barely-baked” professionals. Our students have an average of seven years of experience, with a minimum of three years—unlike some other programs that require only two.
ESSEC Business School’s Paris-La Défense campus is located in Europe’s largest business district. Courtesy photo
Some do, but traditionally, most one-year programs have relied on capstone projects. Capstones are controlled – you source all the projects, complete them, and then move on to finding a job after graduation.
What we’re doing integrates a more global MBA perspective. An internship gets students’ feet in the door with companies, which is invaluable. About three or four years ago, we began incorporating internships into the program. When I came in, we had also just launched a dedicated MBA Talent Center, separate from the talent center used by other programs. This was a significant step in recognizing internships as a key part of the MBA experience.
Yes, this is new as of this year. It’s designed for students – usually a bit older – who come in with a strong background and the goal of starting their own companies. They use the MBA to launch their ventures, working through ESSEC Ventures and the Center for Entrepreneurship.
For example, this past cohort included two students who acted as guinea pigs for the venturing project. One of them, a student from China, had worked in manufacturing and built a network of global contacts. She developed a prototype for a pet carrier targeted at millennials. The carrier doubles as a bed and is designed for smaller dogs, making it ideal for hikes and other activities. It’s a really innovative product.
The other participant is from India. He had a background in consulting and was very successful. His father even runs a consulting company. However, he wants to move into a different sector. He’s back in his home country now, using his network to build up his own consulting agency. We matched him with ESSEC Ventures, which is housed on our Cergy campus. The center provides resources and coaches who meet with participants weekly or biweekly.
They use processes like the Lean Startup methodology and others to guide students through the venture creation process. The goal is that by the end of four to five months, they have a prototype, a business plan, and maybe even conversations with investors.
The tech ecosystem is thriving in France. You can look no further than Station F – one of Europe’s largest startup incubators. France is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing AI power players – Mistral. ESSEC has a significant presence at Station F.
ESSEC Global MBA students in a classroom at the school’s Paris-La Défense campus. Courtesy photo
More importantly, our MBA participants that are in “start-up” mode benefit from personalized coaching from our ESSEC Ventures team. ESSEC Ventures has over 20 years’ experience incubating and coaching startups and startup teams.
For the non-startups, our GMBA participants are provided access to French tech events such as VivaTech Paris. Our concentration on Digital Leadership connects us directly with the business-end of the French and more broadly the European tech ecosystem.
The program is cohort-based, but there’s flexibility. Students are put into teams of four—sometimes five—and they stay in those teams throughout the fall semester. Then, we switch up the teams to keep things dynamic.
The core curriculum runs through the end of March. After that, the final six weeks are dedicated to electives. Along the way, everyone takes the core classes in areas like sustainability, digital leadership, and entrepreneurship, in addition to the standard core curriculum. Then, in the final phase, students select electives to tailor the program to their interests.
Students take a minimum of six and a maximum of eight electives during that period.
Yes, the electives align with the three specializations: sustainability, digital transformation, and innovation/entrepreneurship.
Students choose three electives within their concentration, and then they can pick three more from the others. Each specialization offers four electives, so there’s enough choice to cover the core topics while allowing students some flexibility.
Since we’re a boutique program, we carefully balance offering enough options while avoiding classes with too few students. We cap the number of electives at 12, which works perfectly because we have three time slots.
There are two main ways we approach this. One, and I think this is pretty characteristic of ESSEC, is that we’re tied more to the course title and a short description than to a rigid syllabus. This allows a lot of flexibility. For about 80% of courses, the title stays the same, but the content evolves to reflect cutting-edge trends and innovations.
For the other 20%, there’s more immediate flexibility. For example, with the electives we introduced this year, I created ad hoc committees. I gathered professors focused on digital, sustainability, and innovation and asked them, “What courses do you think should be included in the MBA? What’s your suggestion?”
We compared their recommendations with input from employers, and that’s how we built the current list. In the future, we’ll revisit and adjust, likely after a couple of years, based on feedback and emerging trends.
What’s fortunate is that we’re building this now rather than two or three years ago. For example, AI is front and center in our digital leadership electives. If we had chosen these courses three years ago—pre-ChatGPT—we’d be revamping them right now.
One of ESSEC’s strengths is that we’ve been focused on sustainability long before it was trendy. It’s been a core focus of ESSEC’s strategy since 2020, now strengthened by the launch of the TRANSCEND strategy.
We offer courses like Sustainable Transformation, Circular Economy, Sustainable Marketing, and Sustainable Finance to prepare leaders for these challenges. Also, our “Toward Responsible Innovation” project fosters collaboration with sustainable companies and emphasizes leadership development in sustainability.
The same applies to AI. When I joined ESSEC three years ago, AI was already part of the conversation, even though it seemed a bit farther out at the time.
For example, we have a strategy professor who created a course on strategizing with AI even before the introduction of ChatGPT. Around the same time, we hired an AI expert, and his work has also been instrumental in shaping our approach. So, AI has already been integrated into what we teach for quite some time.
An MBA classroom at Essec Business School in Paris. Courtesy photo
During the MBA, there’s a significant international component. First, many of our students—most, actually—come from outside of France, and a large percentage are from outside Europe. Simply coming to France already gives them international exposure. Beyond that, we have structured international experiences. One key component is the London Learning Expedition, where students network and learn from companies in London across all three concentrations and Career Learning Labs.
There’s also a second field trip that varies. For example, luxury students go to Milan and Florence to visit companies and immerse themselves in one of the world’s hubs for luxury. This year, the rest of the cohort will visit Munich in Germany; last year, they went to Berlin.
Additionally, during Term 3, which focuses on electives, students can choose to go to Singapore or Manhattan. In Singapore, they take their electives at our campus, and they also have opportunities for internships or networking. For example, the Indian student working on the venturing project chose the Singapore option to build consulting contacts and lay the groundwork for their company.
Singapore is a vibrant hub for the range of sectors that represent our concentrations well. Singapore is a crown jewel within the APAC region for roles that align also with our career learning labs – consulting, finance, luxury, and product management. ESSEC has a strong campus based in Singapore with top faculty. Thus, the participant is able to continue their ESSEC personalized experience while being in such a vibrant location.
Let me preface my answer by saying this is my perspective as an Academic Director, not a dean overseeing all programs. My focus here is purely on the MBA.
Within Europe, the MBA is the program for those with post-experience backgrounds. These are people who’ve worked three or four years and are now looking for a career-accelerating experience. Some may already have a Master’s in Management (MiM) from another institution but want this next step to push their careers forward. It’s not quite at their career midpoint, but more of a pre-midpoint phase.
France, however, is unique because of the prevalence of the grande école system, which produces strong management programs. Here, the MBA serves as a way to help professionals advance post-experience while also providing a global perspective.
The MiM, of course, gives a solid foundation, but after you’ve worked for a while, you can reflect more deeply on your experiences. That’s where the MBA stands out. For example, ESSEC emphasizes a “learn-by-doing” approach, but with MBAs, it’s more about “doing, reflecting, and learning.” You’ve already done the work, and now the courses focus on bringing that experience into the classroom—learning to reflect on it and grow for the future. This reflective process is something you don’t get in a Master’s in Management.
Of course, another critical part of the MBA is the network. The grande école system has a strong alumni network, but ESSEC’s MBA adds another layer. Our MBA is 98% international. Last year, we had a “bumper crop” of French nationals—four people.
We bring in an incredibly diverse group of students who then integrate into our global alumni network, which also has deep roots in France. For many of these students, coming to Europe represents a significant regional shift in their careers, and this program helps them transition and thrive in that context.
I’d say most stay in Europe, not just France. We track our graduates using what we call single, double, and triple jumps—whether they’re changing their industry, role, or region. We see a high number of graduates making at least one of these jumps, with many transitioning within Europe.
Roughly 50–60% of our graduates remain in Europe after graduation. That’s a significant share. If I recall correctly, our alumni are spread across about 20 European countries, with the majority concentrated in a handful of them.
For context, around 60% of our students come from outside Europe. Of those, approximately 70–80% stay in Europe after completing the program. Others make regional jumps—for example, moving from Latin America to Asia—but the majority leverage the program to establish themselves professionally in Europe.
As someone from North America, I think our program offers a globally expansive view of business – something that is difficult to replicate within North America. It is globally expansive not only in providing “front step” door access to the European market, but also access to the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. We also can’t overlook that most programs in the USA are two-year programs. We offer a one-year career accelerating – “intense but fun” – experience.
