François Villeroy de Galhau Opens the New Academic Year for SKEMA’s Master in Management (MiM)

On their very first day at SKEMA, students joining the Master in Management (MiM) will hear from one of the leading figures in French economic life. François Villeroy de Galhau, former Governor of the Banque de France and now President of the Apprentis d’Auteuil Foundation, will address the new cohorts on Tuesday 1 September at 6.00 pm. The event will be broadcast simultaneously across SKEMA’s Lille, Grand Paris and Sophia Antipolis campuses.

The keynote address will be delivered from the Grand Paris campus, where François Villeroy de Galhau will be welcomed by Sylvie Jean, Director of the Master in Management programme, and Rodolphe Desbordes, Professor of Economics, Director of the SKEMA Centre for Global Risks and Director of the MSc International Business. Drawing on his experience, he will reflect on how the future is taking shape in a world marked by geopolitical tensions, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and climate change.

Excellence, adaptability and a commitment to the common good: François Villeroy de Galhau’s career embodies the values that SKEMA seeks to pass on to its students and that are at the heart of UNVEIL, the School’s 2025–2030 strategic plan dedicated to revealing and nurturing talent.

“Joining SKEMA is, of course, about acquiring knowledge and skills, but it is also about learning more about oneself, broadening one’s horizons and finding one’s place in a rapidly changing world. Meeting François Villeroy de Galhau brings an immediate dimension of reflection, engagement and knowledge sharing to the start of this academic year,” says Sylvie Jean, Director of SKEMA’s Master in Management programme.

“His career, first in the service of the economy and now as President of Apprentis d’Auteuil, shows our students that professional success can evolve into a broader commitment to society,” adds Rodolphe Desbordes, Director of the SKEMA Centre for Global Risks.

Three Generations Brought Together

The event’s intergenerational dimension will also be embodied by Yasmine Amrioui, a recent graduate of the Master in Management programme. Having completed the transdisciplinary Consilience track and served as President of the student association Pourparlers, she is now a Government & Public Sector Consultant at BearingPoint. She will open the session by reflecting on her own experience at SKEMA before introducing the guest speaker.

François Villeroy de Galhau will then have 45 minutes to combine economic analysis, personal experience and reflections on the future. In particular, he will address the need to restore balance between generations, a theme explored in his latest Letter to the President of the Republic. A 15-minute question-and-answer session will then give students the opportunity to engage with him directly.

From their very first day at SKEMA, new students will gain insight, through the perspective of a leading public figure, into the major transformations they will one day help to shape.