The P&Q Interview: Thomas Jeanjean On Taking The Helm At ESCP As It Becomes A University

“It’s very intense,” says Thomas Jeanjean ten days into his new job. Arguably, the new head of ESCP Business School has more on his plate than the average B-school leader fresh in the role.

With six campuses outside of its main location in Paris, ESCP can rightfully claim to be truly “European” in a way few institutions can. And it’s growing in another way.

“We’d like to become the first EU university of management,” Jeanjean tells Poets&Quants. “Expanding is not unique, but we’re doing that with our European multi-campus model.”

Currently a standalone business school, by September 2027 ESCP will admit the first undergraduates into its School of Technology, with an initial cohort of 27 students, and a master’s to follow in 2028. Next, it’ll open a School of Governance.

A RETURN TO ACADEMIA

Jeanjean, who has taken over from outgoing dean Léon Laulusa, seems undaunted, if rather busy. The move to ESCP brings him from an academia-adjacent role to working within an institution again.

The first decade of his career, spent at HEC Paris, exposed Jeanjean to the pleasures – and pains – of research. “I know the pressure that any faculty members face to get tenure and review,” he says. Later, at ESSEC Business School, he rose into leadership, managing faculty – a task that’s “quite different from writing papers,” he notes wryly – and building relationships with corporations.

In his most recent post, at the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce, where he’s spent the last five years, he has interacted with many types of schools, including management, engineering, design, culinary arts and technology – the ideal gig for someone about to transform a business school into a fully-fledged, multi-school university.

TOP PRIORITIES

As is customary, Jeanjean began his tenure with a listening tour. Having come up with five key priorities during the recruitment process, he’s refining and prioritizing them based on feedback from his directors.

“So the first objective by end of the year is to have a few priorities that are absolutely key,” he says. “The second element is to have a strong ability to collaborate across the ESCP ecosystem.”

He says teams from ESCP’s campuses are “already talking” to one another – but underlines the “very complex” nature of working across campuses in different countries. Jeanjean concedes that if there’s anything he’s underestimated about the current gig, it is this.

“I knew it’s a complex institution, but it’s even more complex than what I expected,” he notes. “Higher education is still very fragmented. I thought level of fragmentation is not so high, so maybe I was a bit naïve about the recognition of diplomas.”

Still, Jeanjean isn’t starting from scratch; he inherits an award-winning business school with 11,500 students and a budget of €235 million, plus the blueprint set by his predecessor: the Bold&United roadmap for 2026-30. By 2030, the aim is to grow to 12,000 students with an annual budget of €300 million.

REGULATIONS, REAL ESTATE & OTHER HEADACHES

Of course, there’s more than a few headaches involved. Chief among them, ESCP must contend with different legal constraints in each of the countries it operates in – France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and the UK.

“Europe is a nice idea but the ‘European degree’ does not exist. Meaning that we have to abide by different regulations in different countries,” says Jeanjean.

Like many of his peers, Jeanjean worries about geopolitical tension. In some ways, his school is both more vulnerable and more adaptable than many.

“It’s a risk because our model relies on student mobility – we offer them the opportunity to circulate within Europe. That relies on the assumption that students are attracted to Europe and our graduate proposition. There’s a risk side, but I see also a strong opportunity.”

With the latter, the proof is in the pudding: “In terms of applications, we just reviewed 2026 intake and it’s record numbers. So we don’t feel the drop, and that’s probably due to multicampus model. We’re very rooted into each specific country.”

But there are more immediate logistical hurdles to ESCP’s expansion plans. Namely, limited space. “We have to accommodate the students and faculty,” he says. Already underway, this involves “many real estate projects” across its various campuses.

He notes especially high demand for its locations in Madrid and Torino, but space is an issue across the board. “Basically, all our campuses are fully saturated so we’re at a limit in terms of capacity,” says Jeanjean.

ON BUSINESS SCHOOLS’ ROLE IN THE FUTURE

He’s confident about the future of business education – and not just because ESCP’s programs are oversubscribed. “I truly do not buy that education is no longer a good investment,” says Jeanjean. “That’s complete nonsense and it’s completely irresponsible to give this advice to young people.”

He believes his school’s offer is even more valuable today than before, as early career employees look to set themselves apart. “What will make the difference is your ability to be creative – you’re creative because you’ve worked, you’ve had experience with others. That’s what makes you able to make the most of AI.”

Jeanjean also defends ESCPs cost-value proposition: “Our tuition fees are very reasonable, compared to the US but also to the European landscape. We are a non-profit school and take zero Euros of any public subsidy.”

MEASURING SUCCESS

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he says he’s not too fussed about chasing rankings.

“Rankings are obviously important. But that’s not an objective in life,” Jeanjean says. “Our goal is to do a good job that is recognized…if we’re an European university in management, we have to be recognized as good in what we deliver.”

To him, the most important measure of success is student outcomes. “What’s the future of our graduates – do they find their dream job?” Next comes ESCP’s ability to create an ecosystem. Having done so for its business school, can it replicate its success in the technology and governance? Or, as Jeanjean puts it, “Do Google, Microsoft and Apple go see what we’re doing in tech and want to hire our graduates?”

DON’T MISS LÉON LAULUSA TAKES OVER AS CEIBS DEAN, WITH AI & CHINA-EUROPE TIES ON HIS AGENDA

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.