Meet The HEC Paris MBA Class Of 2026

A LEADERSHIP LABORATORY

It isn’t just the student body who fashion a global experience. In the latest Financial Times MBA ranking, where HEC Paris finished 12th, the school earned the 2nd-hightest score for its international course experience. You’ll also find HEC Paris ranking among the world’s Top 10 programs in the Executive Education, Master’s in Finance, Master’s in Management, and Executive MBA segment. That doesn’t count finishing as the #6 global MBA program in September’s QS ranking.

One reason is HEC Paris’ reputation for excellence in management training. Tracing its roots back to the 19th century, the school has sometimes been dubbed the “cradle of leadership” for its distinguished alumni (who number over 80,000 graduates across 152 countries). Notable alumni include business superstars like François-Henri Pinault, Jean-Yves Fillion, Fidji Simo, and Pierre-Yves Cros. One reason for HEC Paris’ leadership success is its historical team-driven, learning-by-doing programing where students learn leadership by living it.

One example is the school’s famed two-day Outdoor Leadership Seminar. Here, under the guidance of French military leaders, student teams engage in exercises such as crossing waterways, to help them learn to communicate, develop and sell a plan, allocate resources, and take feedback in pressure-packed situations. Another example of HEC Paris’ leadership prowess is The Executive Club, known on campus as TEC. Operating in 12-member groups, the program is predicated on self-questioning, with students examining their goals and experiences to gain the self-awareness needed to make better decisions. Along with reflection exercises and one-on-one coaching, the course also includes executive speakers, who share how their life choices ultimately guided their career paths. Among the Class of 2026, Cen Chen is eager to participate in the TEC program.

“I will have the special privilege of receiving an exceptional peer-advisory experience and mentorship from business leaders who honestly share the personal and professional challenges they have faced,” she explains. “In confidential group discussions, I can gain invaluable advice and support from other participants. TEC can help me establish a goal-oriented, long-term vision and life plan more quickly, inspiring me to become an exemplary business leader in the future.”

THE MBA OLYMPICS

MBAT – or the MBA Olympics – exemplifies HEC Paris’ hands-on approach to leadership. Each May, the school hosts over 1,500 students from over a dozen business schools, who compete in sports ranging from soccer to running to video gaming. To conclude, students enjoy a dance contest and a battle of the bands at a gala ball. The event requires HEC Paris MBAs to take on a variety of roles, be it logistics, hospitality, or budgeting, enabling them to put their leadership skills into practice. Along with learning and fun, MBAT is also an avenue for students to gain life-long connections.

“I can’t wait to be a part of the MBA Tournament,” says Riley Ettinger. “It combines three of my favorite things: event planning, sports and meeting new people. I’ve hosted smaller versions of multi-sport competitions for my friends and would love to get involved in planning an event of this scale. As a lifelong long athlete who participated in many different sports over the years, I’m excited to let my competitive side out to play, then to put that side away for a friendly gala in the evening.”

Beyond leadership, you’ll hear MBAs highlight other strengths at HEC Paris: deep resources in sustainability and luxury, strong reputation among employers, and a Creative Destruction Lab where MBAs can advise cutting edge science- and space-driven startups. Not to mention, HEC Paris has increasingly become a player in the entrepreneurship, providing space and services through Station F, the world’s largest startup campus.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

You’ll find Station F located in downtown Paris, which is ironically a 50 -minute drive from campus in Jouy-en-Josas. Not surprisingly, the campus has been “HEC Almost Paris” by students. However, the distance creates a host of advantages. Paris is a hub of art and culture, home to 39 Fortune 500 companies and a $150 billion dollar startup ecosystem. It is the style and fashion capital of the world, home to landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and Sacre Coeur. There are romantic walks along the Seine River, relaxing cafes across Montmartre, and luxury shopping at Champs-Élysées, Of course, there is the food: crepes, croissants, escargots, macarons, and onion soup. Let’s not forget the city’s unforgettable cheeses and wines: Camembert and Roquefort, Pinot Noir and Merlot.

For Cen Chen, Paris translates to “networking with international business leaders, attending industry conferences, and accessing numerous global companies.” Beyond the opportunities in Paris, Jouy-en-Josas creates a ‘best-of-both-worlds’ situation according to students and alumni alike. Away from the City of Lights, students can “switch on and off”, says Mariko Nakata. For Eri Takahashi, that means going on nature walks and spending time with classmates who live on campus. Fostering these two distinct experiences was a deliberate choice made by HEC Paris, says Victor Heaulme, a 2024 graduate.

“This campus is one of the things that differentiates us the most from other top MBA schools. Dorms, a forest, a lake, three football fields, a rugby field, an actual French Chateau… these are all things few other schools can boast. During MBAT 2023, countless students came up to us to tell us how lucky we were to have such a beautiful, green campus, etc… things we take for granted on a daily basis!”

Heaulme likens it to a weekday-weekend dynamic. With the former, students enjoy ‘quaint” small town life, with the weekends reserved for big city fun to “unwind from the classroom.” Heaulme’s classmate, Arthur Castelo Branco, adds that the duality brings the class together.

“The fact that HEC is located in a small town makes the relationships between the students stronger. Most people live on campus, and all the parties and events also happen there. This creates a very special bond between everyone in the cohort, hence the famous collaborative aspect of the HEC community.”

A Q&A WITH BRAD HARRIS, ASSOCIATE DEAN

This summer, P&Q reached out to Brad Harris, associate dean of MBA programs, to learn more about the unique benefits of HEC Paris. Here are his thoughts on areas ranging from leadership and global business programming to new courses and faculty at the school.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Harris: “After several pilot cycles, we’ve formally introduced a 12-month accelerated option that gives students even more flexibility without compromising on quality. This option is great for students who are being sponsored by their current employer, already have a related business degree (we encourage this option for students that have a top-ranked MiM), or just simply need to prioritize timing.

We continue to revamp the curriculum, with the most recent updates being added: leadership courses in our core offering, new intensive electives, an expanded “Creative Destruction Lab” (CDL program) and, perhaps most notably, a completely new capstone-like experience (i.e., the “New Horizons” project).

Here are three more additions:

* CDL has a new Space Stream offering.

* Our redesigned and newly launched New Horizons MBA Capstone allows students to apply classroom-taught knowledge and research to develop their own analytical toolbox, to peer into possible futures and to determine what realities are changing faster than businesses and industries may realize. The New Horizons Capstone is made up of three timely workshops, designed to help participants connect what they learned throughout their MBA to produce groundbreaking and impactful insights for businesses. It will explore how companies are doing business in an increasingly polarized world and help participants broaden their horizons by exposing them to newer trends and question their way of doing business and leading in this polycrisis world. During the workshop, students will connect with a broad community of experts with similar interests.

* In the past year, we have also introduced intensive courses (3-day courses) and certifications (1-2 days) for our MBA and EMBA students. These address professional and industry specific skills and cover a range of topics, from blockchain and fundraising to leadership and investing. Afterskills Certifications cover topics such as data & AI. The latest intensive courses included Design, Management & Strategy, Family Business, Search Funds & Entrepreneurial Acquisitions, and Industrial Decarbonization.

P&Q: Every year, P&Q publishes a “10 Business Schools to Watch” feature that highlights how schools are raising the bar and enhancing the student experience through innovations or expansions in programming or resources. What is one innovation that sets your school apart from your peer programs and makes you a business school to watch? Why is it so groundbreaking?

Harris: “HEC Paris has always been an institution that can earnestly boast a wide range of expertise, which is represented by the faculty it hires, the research it produces, and the varying customization options it offers to students, including the MBA students. In addition to this breadth, however, there has long been a common thread around innovation and entrepreneurship featured in the school’s DNA. In the past year, we’ve expanded and enriched MBA student access to the “Creative Destruction Lab” (CDL) program, which allows students to learn about disruptive deep technologies in biotechnologies, AI, quantum, climate, and space alongside in-the-field mentors and numerous seed-stage startups. With more students, new topical streams, and a greater number of mentors than ever, this is becoming an increasingly unique aspect of HEC’s value proposition. To be sure, this is about more than just allowing students to access an elite program—it’s about giving them access to an entire ecosystem that includes world-class faculty, a dedicated Innovation and Entrepreneurship institute, the Hi! Paris AI initiative, institutional partnerships with the world’s best engineering and science programs, and Station F, which is the world’s largest startup campus.

P&Q: What types of programs do you offer to sharpen your students’ soft skills? What areas do you emphasize and how do you instill these skills in your students? 

Harris: “Every year, HEC Talents, our career center, revamps an average 50% of its career development workshops based on each cohort’s preferences, strengths, and areas for improvement as part of an ongoing process of continuous improvement.

Know Your Skills and Public Speaking are two examples of new or updated career development workshops.  Through workshops, coaching, and tools, we emphasize the importance of knowing yourself in order for our students to make informed decisions about their career moves.

TEC on Campus, a part of HEC Talents’ career offering, is a unique program. It provides students a sounding board of trusted peers who offer them diverse perspectives to help them make better decisions in their personal and professional lives while discussing key topics such as leadership, diversity or emotional intelligence. That experience is deepened by two other activities:

* One-on-one personalized mentorship sessions with TEC on Campus Co-Chairs Bernard Bismuth, Marie France George and Thierry Voiriot to help students reflect on and develop their life and career choices, as well as their personal purpose and philosophy.

* Guest speaker meetings with business leaders from all business horizons, who share professional advice and who open up about the personal challenges they have faced.

Core classes such as Problem Solving and Communications and Leadership Communication enable participants to develop their understanding of Leadership as, in part, a conversation with the people who work with and for us. The focus is on two kinds of conversations which take place in a professional setting, that of developmental feedback and conversations which can be at the same time difficult and conflictual.

In the customized phase we propose dedicated electives such as Power and Influence, Becoming an Impactful Leader with ‘Savoir-Relier’ and Leading in a Diverse World.

In the first course, our faculty challenge the negative connotations around the word ‘power’ and argue that power and influence are indispensable in the context of organizational and individual advancement. The course encourages participants to delve into and apply concepts that facilitate the understanding and construction of a powerbase.

In Becoming an Impactful Leader with ‘Savoir-Relier’, participants reflect on a relational approach to leadership, that is growing their capacity to build self-confidence and trust, the founding pillars of people and team development to exercise a leadership that creates value and sense.

Finally, the elective Leading in a Diverse World enables participants to navigate diverse organizational settings more effectively and improve their ability to work within and lead diverse teams and organizations. It also offers participants the opportunity to develop their critical thinking on topics such as identity, relationships across difference, and organizational issues of inclusion and leadership effectiveness.

We are also offering increased alumni partnerships in targeted industries (e.g., strategy consulting) that help students learn the music between the notes.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 Members of the Class of 2026

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