On January 15, SKEMA Business School’s Sophia Antipolis campus hosted the 2010 “General State of Industry” meeting presided by the French minister for industry, Christian Estrosi. The hosting of this highly publicized event is considered a privilege, and the fact that SKEMA was selected as the venue confirms its reputation as one of the premiere business schools in France.

The minister for industry, Christian Estrosi began his address by making reference to the recent Financial Times ranking, which placed SKEMA’s founding schools (CERAM and ESC Lille) in the top 25 business schools worldwide. He also congratulated SKEMA’s directors for successfully negotiating the amalgamation of CERAM Business School and Group ESC Lille, an unprecedented merger within the French education system.

The content of the General State of Industry address focussed on the Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur region. This region of France is the second largest by population, and boasts a vibrant and diverse economy based in IT, tourism, cosmetics, aeronautics, and microelectronics.

The minister stressed that, given these competences, the French Riviera’s region is full of resources with the potential to be a global leader in the ongoing economic revolution spanning the emerging fields of nanotechnology, ICT, new materials, and biotechnology.

Another central theme of the minister’s speech was that of ‘Green Growth’. This concept, synonymous with environmentally responsible development, is expected to be a driving force of economic growth within the region.

The minister also discussed Renault’s intention to move a production facility to Turkey; this is a controversial issue in France due to the large amount of state funding the car-maker received following the financial crisis of 2008.

The event, attended by the most prominent business leaders in the region, also featured a panel of experts who discussed pragmatic policy issues, and the opportunities available to businesses. These focus groups were designed to give the local businesses an opportunity to:

• Showcase their growth and innovation.
• Express their views to the minister regarding what conditions, they believe, must be in place to create a suessful business environment in the region. 
• To ask questions related to the policies being imposed by the state and the EU.

Following the address by Mr. Estrosi, the event reached a successful conclusion. SKEMA proved to be a suitable venue for such an affair, and the minister praised the school’s representatives for their organizational efforts. SKEMA’s hosting of such a prominent public figure, and important regional event, was an excellent debut on the national stage for the newly merged business school, and bodes well for the future.