ESCP Executive Education will be present in Luxembourg on April 4th for a masterclass on innovation to present its leading programs to the Luxembourg community. In this interview, Frédéric Fréry, the academic director of the Global Executive Ph.D. program discussed the program's origins, the diverse profile of its participants, the importance of innovation in the curriculum, and the program's impact in Luxembourg.

1 - As part of your event, you will present the Global Executive Ph.D. programme to the Luxembourg public. What is the need that made you create this somewhat innovative training?

FF: We created this programme in order to bridge the gap between seasoned professionals and academic research. This was a challenge, since some professors doubted it was possible to convert executives into credible researchers. However, after three years, some or our participants are now publishing in well-known journals, teaching, and presenting their research in academic conferences. This proves our intuition was right.

2 - You are currently recruiting the 4th cohort. With hindsight, what is the executive population that participates in this programme in terms of profile and objectives?

FF: The profile of our participants is very diverse, with more than 40 nationalities represented in over 30 countries and from various professional backgrounds (finance, consulting, entrepreneurs, energy healthcare, non-profits, etc.). Our participants are executives at prestigious institutions and companies such as McKinsey & Company, EY, BNP Paribas, Astrazeneca and USAID, to name just a few. In addition to being successful executives, they are graduates from top-tier business schools (i.e. INSEAD, Oxford Said, HEC, LSE, HBS and ESCP), looking for a novel intellectual challenge. What best characterises our participants is a passion for lifelong learning and the belief that creating new knowledge can solve complex problems at their organisations and for society. 

3 - The topic of your masterclass is innovation. To what extent is this a theme at the heart of your curriculum?

FF: Our programme is about training executives to do research. By definition, research is about creating new knowledge, which is part of the innovation process. Of course, our participants are encouraged to leverage their professional experience to generate this new knowledge. Moreover, innovation is by itself a research topic, with dedicated journals, specialised conferences and a considerable number of books.

4 - Despite the fact that you launched the programme quite recently, you seem to already have participants in Luxembourg. What brought this public to join the programme?

FF: Indeed, we do have participants from Luxembourg who draw from their unique perspectives to enrich their research. Luxembourg has a high concentration of highly educated senior professionals willing to challenge themselves and their organisations through research. We are looking forward to meeting them on April 4th at the ESCP masterclass “Innovation: It’s Not What You Think”.

5 - On April 4th you are hosting a Master class - what can people interested in being involved in a PHD process expect from your session?

FF: This session is designed to provide the audience with a better understanding of the philosophy of our programme. We are convinced participants who are interested in an Executive PhD will obtain useful answers to their questions. An Executive PhD is not for everyone. It is as demanding as it is rewarding, and candidates must be fully convinced they have the required motivation. This session will be an opportunity for attendees to confirm this