Shaping the Future of Finance Chair

The “Shaping the future of Finance“ Chair is a new educational project that aims to complement the offer of the Finance Department. The chair seeks to have a transversal view on the forces that are shaping the future financial industry. The chair will give a particular look at the sustainable finance issues and responsible leadership that are in the core of ESSEC values and pioneering spirit.

Goals

To attract the outstanding ESSEC students in Finance with personal links through common activities, experiences and exposures, via

•       To reinforce the competitiveness of the best ESSEC Finance track students in the international job market

•       To develop advanced skills in partnership with banks and financial institutions

•       To improve ESSEC students’ visibility for an international career

•       To engage students on responsible finance and train them as responsible leaders

Partners

AXA IM Alternatives

AXA IM Alts is one of the global leaders in alternative investments with €153 billion of assets under management as at 30 September 2020(1), across real estate, infrastructure, private debt, structured finance and hedge funds. AXA IM Alts employs over 700 people located in 16 offices around the world and serve the needs of more than 350 clients from Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Middle East. We are a global leader in real assets investment with €102 bn of assets under management, the number one property portfolio and asset manager in Europe(2), and one of the largest worldwide.

Learn more about our deals, here (Media Centre - AXA IM - Real Assets (axa-im.com))

Learn more about our Real Assets professions, here (Talents & Perspectives - AXA IM - Real Assets (axa-im.com))

AXA IM Alts is structured around three investment platforms

AXA IM - Real Assets offers a 360° approach to investing in real assets, with opportunities in equity and debt, spanning different geographies and sectors, via private or listed instruments. With €103 billion in assets under management, including €73 billion in direct property & infrastructure and €27 billion in real asset finance, it is a global leader in real assets investment, the number one property portfolio and asset manager in Europe, and one of the largest worldwide.

 AXA IM - Structured Finance provides non-traditional investments solutions across the alternative credit spectrum. This includes bespoke fund investment solutions for institutional clients looking for diversification, as well as stable and predictable returns. With €50bn in assets under management, it is a recognised leader in its field, and, together with the private debt expertise of AXA IM - Real Assets, is the 5th largest capital raiser in private debt worldwide.

 AXA IM - Chorus is a hedge fund platform investing in liquid assets aiming to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns, un-correlated with markets.

1 Source: AXA IM data (unaudited). All figures as at 30 September 2020.

2 Source: INREV Fund Manager Survey, June 2020. #1 Real estate manager headquartered in Europe based on total assets under management.

EIFFEL IG

Debt and equity: Eiffel Investment Group finances companies and their assets through four main strategies: private debt, energy transition infrastructure, private equity, and listed equities and credit. Eiffel Investment Group cultivates a strong industrial expertise, particularly in the field of energy transition, but also in health, agri-food, digital, etc.

Investing for a sustainable finance: Eiffel Investment Group’s mission is to invest for a sustainable world. Its investment strategies aim to generate not only a strong financial performance but also positive impacts on the environment and society.

4 billion €: Eiffel Investment Group is an asset manager with €4 billion under management (early 2022). Eiffel Investment Group’s clients are primarily large institutional investors (insurers, mutual funds, pension funds, banks).

Visit EIFFEL IG's website: www.eiffel-ig.com

SOCIETE GENERALE CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANKING

Societe Generale, one of Europe's leading financial services groups and a major player in the economy for over 150 years, supports 30 million clients every day with 133,000 staff in 61 countries.

Our Group draws on our European roots to develop our business internationally. Our unique geographic positioning enables us to connect Europe, Russia, and Africa with major global financial centres in Asia and the Americas.

The Group combines financial strength, proven expertise in innovation and a sustainable growth strategy with the objective of creating value for all our stakeholders. We seek to be a trusted partner in the projects of those building tomorrow's world today.

This commitment guides our mission: to protect and manage assets and savings, finance projects, protect clients in their both their day-to-day lives and in their professional activities, ensure secure transactions and offer the best technological solutions.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL

In light of these aims and ambitions, Societe Generale group has renewed our corporate purpose. An in-depth review was carried out following extensive consultation with staff worldwide and with respect to the expectations of our stakeholders. Our corporate purpose now firmly reflects the Group's ambition to remain a driving force behind positive transformations accross the globe.

A POSITIVE ROLE TO PLAY

Societe Generale group aims to be a trusted partner for our clients and is resolutely committed to the positive transformations taking place in the world. Whether working in Europe, contributing to sustainable development in Africa or supporting the global ecological transition, we address the challenges of our time by seeing them as opportunities.

FOUR SHARED VALUES

Team Spirit, Innovation, Responsibility, Commitment: Societe Generale group's core values are reflected in all our commercial activities for every one of our stakeholders. Societe Generale acts with integrity in accordance with the Group's Code of Conduct.

Visit SGCIB's website: https://wholesale.banking.societegenerale.com/en/

Watch the video of the launch of the Chair

Shaping the Future of Finance Chair Seminar

Finance Chair Seminar “Shaping the Future of Finance” in T3, to the 35 students selected by the Chair:

1 course (lectures and a field project) in partnership with AXA IM Alts

Supervision by the 2 Chair Professors holders (Sofia Ramos and Francis Declerck)

Duration of the course: 10 sessions of 2.5 hours per session = 25h

Sessions on Wednesday from 09:00 to 12:00 from January to March 2023.

Chair Partners present major challenges, cases studies and research projects to be solved by students.

Topics for group research projects carried out by students supervised by both an ESSEC tutor and a corporate partner tutor. Students present their results to the whole class, the Prof. and Chair partners.

Goals

1/ To address transversal advanced topics in Finance

The courses aims to address major challenges caused by:

●      New geopolitical order: Transfer of wealth from the West to the East, rise of protectionism, new power of equilibrium and their impact on corporations (restructuring, M&A…)

●      Demographics: the rise of African youth and elderly people everywhere else

●      Urbanization pressure: smart sustainable real estate

●      Environment Social and Governance (ESG) issues: climate change, waste and pollution affecting natural resources and health, reduction in biodiversity, ethics

●      Technology: Digital economics, block chain, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, energy transition…

2/ To design solutions for regulators, banks, PE, asset managers… for a better world

3/ To work as a think tank about the challenges that the financial industry faces

Students enrolled in the chair will have training for job interviews at investment banks and financial institutions.

Admission process

Students must have successfully completed the following requirements:

●      The course “FINE31214 Fondements de la Finance / FINE31123 Principles of Finance” with a minimum grade of 12/20 (the first time enrolled in class) 

●      Two other compulsory courses of the Corporate or Financial Markets Track

●      Be registered in the Finance track

●      The course FINM31217 ESG Investing & Green Finance before starting the Chair

Students must apply to the Chair

Send to finance-chair@essec.edu the following information:

·     Motivation letter

·     CV

·     transcript of grades at ESSEC

Applications will be open in September 2023

Validation: Students must validate the Chair seminar, attend the conference workshop and fulfill the requirements of the Finance track

Contact: Questions should be sent to finance-chair@essec.edu

Chair Co-holders

Francis Declerck, Professor Department of Finance

Sofia Ramos, Professor Department of Finance