The CEMS Philippe Louvet Grant 2024 sponsored by L'Oréal, was awarded to Kay von Mérey (CEMS Alumni HSG/RSM, President of the Circle of Young Humanitarians) and Lea Vetsch (CEMS Student HSG/ESADE, Member of the Circle of Young Humanitarians), alongside the CEMS HSG team—Andreas Wittmer, Sybille Gmünder, Jacqueline Meier, and Marion Schönenberger—for the idea of the CEMS course Bridging the Humanitarian World to the International Management Context. With the support of the grant, humanitarian principles are being integrated into the future of business leadership.
Bridging the Humanitarian World to the International Management Context, The Objective
The project responds to an increasingly complex global landscape, where conflicts, crises, and humanitarian challenges can leave many feeling powerless. The two CEMS students, as active members of the Circle of Young Humanitarians, drew inspiration from their involvement to develop this course. The CYH, co-founded by Kay von Mérey and the only youth-led initiative supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), seeks to counteract this sense of helplessness by fostering agency, responsibility, and global awareness among the next generation.
With the creation of the course “Bridging the Humanitarian World to the International Management Context”, this project aims to equip CEMS students with the knowledge, mindset, and tools needed to integrate humanitarian values into global business environments. Following the CYH Theory of Change, the course takes students on a transformative journey—from awareness and understanding to trust and self-agency—preparing them to lead with empathy, ethical responsibility, and systemic impact.
Why International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Matters in Business
In today’s interconnected world, businesses often find themselves operating in or connected to regions affected by conflict, political instability, or humanitarian crises. International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which regulates conduct during armed conflicts, plays a crucial role in these contexts. Companies need to understand how their operations can be directly or indirectly affected by IHL, as well as the legal and ethical responsibilities that come with it.
This course helps future business leaders:
- Recognize the impact of IHL on global operations: When operating in conflict zones, companies must ensure compliance with international laws, whether managing supply chains, investments, or partnerships.
- Understand corporate responsibility in conflict areas: From due diligence to human rights obligations, managers will learn how to navigate complex ethical dilemmas where business intersects with humanitarian crises.
- Develop risk management strategies: Integrating IHL considerations into corporate governance helps mitigate legal, reputational, and operational risks in volatile environments.
- Ensure ethical leadership: Businesses can play a proactive role in upholding humanitarian values, even when profit-driven pressures dominate. This course empowers students to lead with integrity in challenging situations.
The CEMS Philippe Louvet Grant gives us the chance to bring humanitarian principles into the heart of international management education. It’s not just about teaching business skills—it’s about equipping future leaders to make decisions with humanity, responsibility, and purpose. As the founder and president of the Circle of Young Humanitarians, I’m excited to contribute to this journey and see how our collaboration can inspire responsible leadership in global business
Value to the Community
The humanitarian sector and the business world have traditionally operated in separate spheres. However, in today’s interconnected landscape, businesses increasingly play an essential role in social responsibility, sustainability, and crisis response. This course addresses that gap by:
- Building a sense of responsibility among students to engage in meaningful, value-driven leadership.
- Empowering future corporate leaders to integrate humanitarian perspectives into business strategies, especially in high-risk regions.
- Fostering cross-sector collaboration between management professionals and humanitarian actors to create more resilient and ethical business practices.
By offering CEMS students the tools to understand and engage with humanitarian challenges, the initiative helps prepare responsible leaders who contribute to a more open, sustainable, and inclusive world.
Impact on the Future of the CEMS MIM Experience
The long-term vision of this initiative is to embed humanitarian dialogue across all CEMS schools, shaping the CEMS curriculum for future generations. By piloting the course at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), the team aims to gain valuable insights for expansion to CEMS schools overseas.
The Humanitarian Challenge, as an integral component of the course, provides CEMS students with direct, hands-on experience in the humanitarian world. Students will work on real-world projects, simulating scenarios where they must apply IHL principles to business decisions—whether addressing supply chain issues in conflict zones, managing corporate responsibility in humanitarian crises, or navigating ethical dilemmas in global operations.
The team envisions a CEMS network where the leaders of tomorrow embrace humane values in every business sector, across every country, and in every decision they make.
By pioneering this course, the project not only reinforces the CEMS spirit of global citizenship, collaboration, and responsible leadership, but also ensures that CEMS students are equipped to drive change in an increasingly complex world. This initiative marks a significant step toward a future where humanitarian values are not just complementary to international management but an essential part of how global leaders shape the world for the better.
It is one of the main goals of CEMS to train students about how they can deliver value to the society in an inclusive way during their careers in the corporate world. As global citizens they should take responsibility. The course Humanitarian Principles in the Corporate Context focuses exactly on this core goal of the CEMS Programme.