News
SKEMA Finance strengthens ties between students and finance professionals in Paris and Dubai
Across the Grand Paris and Dubai campuses, SKEMA Finance, the student association dedicated to careers in finance and supported by MSc Financial Markets & Investments (MSc FMI) students, is intensifying high-level engagements between students and industry specialists. These meetings reflect SKEMA Business School’s strong commitment to bridging academic learning with professional practice, with faculty members playing an active role in shaping these initiatives.
On the Grand Paris campus, SKEMA Finance hosted a session with Adrien de La Grange (SKEMA 2006), former Head of FIG France, Belgium and Luxembourg at BlackRock, joined by Christophe Dispas, director of MSc programmes at SKEMA. Discussions focused on shifts across the financial sector, the evolution of asset management, the influence of new technologies, and the skills required to enter leading institutions.
A workshop and an afterwork extended the conversation with practitioners. “Events of this kind offer students direct exposure to the realities of today’s financial industry. Listening to leaders such as Adrien de La Grange and Professor Christophe Dispas helps narrow the gap between academic learning and the expectations of major institutions. Through SKEMA Finance Paris, our goal is to give students a clear understanding of how the sector is evolving, the skills that matter, and how to position themselves for success,” said Alessandro Olivetti, second-year MSc FMI student and event organiser for SKEMA Finance Paris.
A growing momentum in Dubai
In Dubai, the association is expanding its reach. Members were welcomed at Crédit Agricole CIB’s MENA offices for an immersion day led by campus director Arnaud Lacheret. Students explored the bank’s internal organisation, teams and regional priorities. The visit reflects a shared ambition between the association and SKEMA: building strong partnerships with financial institutions across the region to give students direct exposure to the market.
A forthcoming conference on the Grand Paris campus
SKEMA Finance is preparing its next major event: a conference bringing together Sara Berujon (SKEMA 2005), COO at J.P. Morgan Mobility Payments Solutions, and Laurent-Emmanuel Calvet, professor of finance at SKEMA and president-elect of the European Finance Association (EFA). The session will examine the forces reshaping finance, from fintech to BNPL models and the rise of the “YOLO economy”. The event, open to all SKEMA students, will take place on 4 December 2025 on the Grand Paris campus.
