Latest news

Recognizing Changemakers with our new CEMS Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award

shamasha — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:46:04 +0000

Recognizing Changemakers with our new CEMS Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award shamasha Wed, 10/29/2025 - 15:46 Sustainability and social responsibility are often used interchangeably - yet they stem from different traditions and reflect complementary dimensions of responsible leadership. As CEMS launches its new Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award, we take a closer look at what distinguishes these concepts, and why both are essential to shaping the future of responsible business education. News

Bringing Ethics and Sustainability to the Heart of Business Education

In today’s global business environment, discussions on sustainability and social responsibility have become mandatory rather than optional. These principles form the ethical foundation of contemporary business education, particularly within CEMS, where upcoming leaders are prepared to create a fairer and more sustainable world.

Through the new CEMS Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award, these two dimensions of responsible leadership come together - recognising schools that make sustainability and ethics part of everyday learning.

“I am delighted to reflect on the launch of the new CEMS Sustainability Award, celebrating CEMS schools which most demonstrate outstanding contributions to a more responsible and sustainable future. This award highlights the vital role that our community plays in addressing today’s most pressing global challenges.”
Christine Côté , Co-Chair of the CEMS Academic Committee, Academic Director of CEMS MIM @LSE

Different Paths, Shared Purpose: How Sustainability and Responsibility Evolved

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) emerged in the 1950s, focusing on a company’s moral obligations to its employees, communities, and stakeholders. It involved acting ethically by providing fair wages, ensuring safe working environments, engaging with local communities, and maintaining transparency. CSR introduced the idea that businesses are responsible not just to shareholders but also to society as a whole, redefining what it means to be a responsible corporate citizen.

Sustainability, on the other hand, gained prominence in the 1980s amid increasing environmental awareness. It emphasized balancing needs—how businesses could fulfill current demands without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to do the same. This outlook broadened the discussion to include issues like climate change, resource conservation, waste reduction, and eco-friendly manufacturing. Sustainability encouraged companies to look beyond quarterly profits and recognize that long-term success relies on the health of our planet and ecosystems.

While their origins differ, sustainability and social responsibility share a vision: aligning business with the greater good. Their boundaries have blurred, as responsible companies see human well-being and environmental care as linked. This evolving relationship is key to modern responsible management and is central to CEMS’s mission.

From Principles to Practice: CEMS’s Vision for Responsible Management

CEMS has historically been a leader in incorporating responsible management principles into business education. Its dedication to “advancing sustainable business solutions that benefit both humanity and our shared planet' closely aligns with the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a United Nations initiative that promotes integrating sustainability and responsibility into academic curricula.

In its 2023 PRME report, CEMS emphasized that responsible management education is about transforming mindsets, not just knowledge. The six PRME principles guide schools in preparing future leaders to balance economic, ethical, and sustainability goals. By aligning with the UN Global Compact and SDGs, CEMS promotes purpose-driven leadership.

CEMS’s curriculum embodies this vision through initiatives like the Global Citizenship Seminar and the acclaimed “Climate Change Strategy/Model UNFCCC” elective, enabling students to address real-world challenges, debate global issues, and develop sustainability strategies. CEMS schools are also encouraged to innovate with electives in stakeholder management, SDGs linkage, and partnerships with NGOs or social ventures to carry out sustainability projects.

The goal is clear: to ensure that every CEMS graduates not only understands the complexities of global business but also embodies the values of stewardship, equity, and responsibility.

Celebrating Impact Across the Alliance: The CEMS Sustainability and Responsibility Award

In recognition of the growing importance of these principles, CEMS has introduced the Sustainability and Responsibility Award — a new initiative to highlight and honor schools making exceptional contributions to sustainability and social responsibility within the CEMS network.

The objectives of the award are threefold:

Fostering knowledge exchange among CEMS schools, allowing best practices to be shared and adapted across borders.
Inspiring innovation by recognizing creative approaches to teaching and learning that amplify social and environmental awareness.
Elevating visibility of sustainability and responsibility within the alliance, ensuring these values remain at the forefront of academic and institutional priorities.

Sustainability and social responsibility are interconnected goals. Sustainability keeps the planet habitable; social responsibility promotes justice and community growth. Together, they underpin ethical, long-term business success. The award recognizes the dual focus of responsible management, highlighting that progress requires social and environmental integration. It honors schools that embed these themes in curricula and activities—promoting change, community, and responsible leadership. The award also motivates schools to deepen their commitments and innovate in teaching, research, and responsibility. By showcasing initiatives like climate programs, stakeholder dialogues, and community partnerships, CEMS affirms its leadership in transformative education.

The recipients of the inaugural CEMS Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award will be revealed in December 2025, during the CEMS Annual Events in Rio de Janeiro.

Discover more about the CEMS Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award.

Thumbnail

Copy of CEMS.org article banner - 1920 X 1080_0.jpg

CEMS DACH Forum 2025: Leadership and Management Beyond Today

shamasha — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:59:52 +0000

CEMS DACH Forum 2025: Leadership and Management Beyond Today shamasha Wed, 10/15/2025 - 13:59 From September 17–20, WU Vienna hosted this year’s CEMS DACH Forum, bringing together 60 students from leading CEMS universities across Germany (University of Cologne), Austria (WU Vienna) and Switzerland (HSG) for four days of academic exchange, professional networking and cross-cultural collaboration. News

The event offered participants a unique blend of academic learning and corporate engagement. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Schramm (WU Vienna), students explored the topic of Sustainable Global Supply Chains, combining theoretical insights with practical applications. Complementing the academic component were skill seminars and company workshops led by prestigious corporate partners including Deloitte, Kearney, Hilti, Accenture, Simon-Kucher, and Gartner.

Throughout the week, students engaged in interactive sessions, one-on-one interviews, and networking events, strengthening ties between academia and the business world. Social highlights such as the Welcome Evening at Kolarik, the International Dinner at Heuriger Wolf, and a festive Closing Gala created opportunities for informal exchange and lasting memories.

One of the most memorable highlights was the Company Fair, where corporate partners had the opportunity to share insights about their organizations, while students were able to connect in a more personal setting and engage in meaningful conversations. The fair concluded with a relaxed aperitivo, creating the perfect atmosphere for informal networking and exchange. Feedback from both corporate partners and participants was overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing the Forum’s strong organization, its diverse mix of learning formats, and its role in fostering meaningful connections within the CEMS community.

In the words of one participant: “The DACH Forum perfectly captured what CEMS stands for - collaboration, internationalism, and professional growth.”

The CEMS DACH Forum 2025 once again proved to be a flagship event for the region, demonstrating the strength of the CEMS network and the spirit of its students.

The next CEMS DACH Forum 2026 will take place in Germany at the University of Cologne.

Turning the world around: financing positive change, and changing finance

shamasha — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:19:22 +0000

Turning the world around: financing positive change, and changing finance shamasha Mon, 10/13/2025 - 13:19 Having an impact, making changes – it resonates with an increasing number of young professionals, seeking purpose in and beyond their careers. But making an impact often feels overwhelming: Where to start? Volunteering? Funding? Which issue to prioritise? Am I doing too much? Am I not doing enough?
In this series of interviews, we’ll meet different people working for NGOs and discover how they turn the world around, one step at a time, and their main advice to CEMSies who wish to get involved. For this second interview, we meet with James Niven, Chief Operations and Programmes Officer at Global Alliance for Banking on Values.
Corporate Insights

James Niven: Chief Operations and Programmes Officer

Organization: Global Alliance for Banking on Values

Remit: James is responsible for the GABV’s operations, including the Netherlands-based Secretariat, and supports the effective delivery of programmes.

WHAT IS THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR BANKING ON VALUES, JAMES?

The GABV is a global network of values-based banks that use money to deliver social and environmental change. These are banks that place positive impact at the heart of what they do, not at the fringes; lending and investing in the real economy, working with real people who are doing real things to drive change. Positive impact is in their DNA.

There are 70 banks in the network, headquartered in different parts of the world. Our work is focused on supporting CEOs, non-executive directors and senior practitioners who are the principal agents of change.

We build communities of practice, share best practices, roll out programmes and deliver research and resources to support and engage with our members and the broader financial community. We organize around three key pillars: expanding as a network to grow our influence; strengthening our member institutions through programmes and events; and working to influence and help transform the wider banking system. We think of it a bit like this: we’re financing positive change and changing finance.

BANKING IS THE SINGLE-LARGEST PROFIT-GENERATING SECTOR IN THE WORLD. HOW DO YOU BALANCE DOING WELL WITH DOING GOOD?

Our members are for profit institutions. They are banks and they exist in the real world where they have to generate a profit to survive. The difference is that for us, profit is a means to an end and not an end in itself. So while we function just like other banks – we work efficiently to manage risk, make good decisions, lend well and pay interest rates to our depositors – our raison d’être isn’t profit but positive change. And being financial resilient is an important prerequisite to making that happen.

Our banks only invest in and lend to organisations that have a positive societal and environmental impact – organisations that are fighting against things like social inequity and climate change – often in parts of the world most vulnerable to it - and building prosperity for everyone. And each member is wholly committed to be transparent around its investments and loans in the real economy.

BANKING IS A COMPETITIVE, REGULATED AND DISRUPTED INDUSTRY. WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOUR BANKS FACE?

Well, for a start, our members are typically smaller than conventional banks. So we have to drive efficiency and profitability without the same economies of scale. That said, most of our banks are growing as more and more people want to see their money invested in ways that align with their values; with the way they feel about rising inequality in the world or the need for a low carbon future, for instance.

Awareness remains a challenge, as our members don’t have the budgets and often don’t have the scale to become household names. But when customers bank with us, they get to know us much, much better. Say you bank with Triodos Bank, one of our founders. You can use your Triodos app to see precisely which enterprises the bank lends to and funds in your local area. And you can do that in real time. You can see the impact of your money and you can even further support the businesses your money helps to finance if you want. So transparency is a huge advantage and opportunity for us.

And where fintech and digital disruption is a challenge to many traditional banks, we see opportunities. Some of our members are already working with AI across a range of areas, including using it to reach communities they previously didn’t, increasing their impact in a profitable way.

WHAT’S YOUR ROLE IN THE ORGANISATION, JAMES?

It’s varied! We are a very small secretariat and there’s a lot to do. There are just eight of us, each doing quite varied roles. I run day-to-day operations which can range from overseeing the income we receive from membership fees to managing day-to-day HR issues. I also work with colleagues to deliver our suite of programmes that range from leadership development through to providing greenhouse gas accounting support to our members to how we engage with, and influence, mainstream financial institutions interested in moving in a more sustainable direction. So I wear different hats.

One of the joys of working in a small organisation, especially a Foundation like ours, is that you get to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in wherever needed. On the same day you can spend time approving salaries, working with colleagues to host our network’s annual meeting in Latin America, and contribute to work with an African Central Bank looking to build inclusive finance in the region. There is a breadth of activity, a variety and a dynamism that feel quite unique. That said, in my view working in an NGO setting doesn’t imply less professionalism or efficiency than working in the for-profit sector. Ultimately you need to be just as effective, making the most of limited resources, to deliver impact. It’s a privilege to be in that position.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU PERSONALLY TO WORK IN THIS SPACE, AND NOT IN TRADITIONAL BANKING?

Well, let me just start by saying there’s nothing wrong with pursuing a career in sustainability and finance in a conventional financial institution. There are brilliant intrapreneurs working in the big organisations all over the world making incremental but crucial positive changes.

Personally, I was encouraged to look beyond my home country by my late uncle, who ran the Africa Centre in London among other things. This impacted how I thought about the world at a very young age and made me curious about how other people lived and keen to experience other places.

Given you spend a third of your waking life working(!), it also seemed logical to try to do something I would enjoy and find meaning in. Pretty early on I realised that meant to work with purpose in some way. To be fulfilled in your work I think it’s important to align what you do with what matters to you.

The first part of my career was spent working for the UK government information services with a view to working in a UK development NGO, Voluntary Service Overseas. Having spent some time working for the British Council in New Zealand I returned to the UK where I saw a role advertised at Triodos Bank – an iconic and one of the world’s leading progressive banks. It felt like the perfect marriage of commercial discipline and mission. The GABV was co-founded by Triodos and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to make the shift and support the GABV’s founding team in the Netherlands, and later move to work for the network full-time.

AND OF COURSE, DURING YOUR TENURE, THE GABV HAS PARTNERED WITH CEMS?

Yes, and it’s a fantastic synergy. We’ve been able to work with brilliant CEMSies on fascinating projects such as assessing the value creation of using the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials, or PCAF, an industry-leading greenhouse gas accounting methodology – we are the beneficiaries of their knowledge, their talent, energy and dynamism. At the same time, it’s hugely gratifying to know that we are connecting with young people – with a future generation of leaders and decisionmakers. It’s a win-win for us.

TALKING OF CEMS, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD SAY TO OUR COMMUNITY OF FUTURE LEADERS READING THIS INTERVIEW?

Well, my advice would be start by thinking about what aligns best to you and to your values when you are thinking about your career.

You will spend a lot of your life working, and you might find it more fulfilling to do something that you feel really matters. If you do choose to work for an NGO, you may not make as much money as at another institution – though you should ask for a fair reward for your work and talent.

It’s important to be curious and to be bold about what you can achieve. So, ask for things. If you want to work in different areas, say so; be courteous of course, but don’t worry about appearing to be ambitious.

And finally, be prepared to work hard but remember that hard work is a leveller not a differentiator. Working in purpose-driven organisations is not an easy option. And it’s not for everyone. But for many, it’s a fabulous way to spend your time. If you are contributing to the sort of change you want to see, the hours you put in will feel more than worth it.

AND WHAT ABOUT THE GENERAL PUBLIC? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? HOW CAN WE SUPPORT THE WORK YOU DO?

That’s easy. As a consumer, I would just say: bank with a values-based bank. It should be very easy to find and identify one near you. You won’t simply have a transactional relationship. You will join a community that is focused on the sort of change you care about.

And if you don’t make this relatively small effort you may find the money you entrust to your bank, is actually financing industries and businesses that you don’t approve of – from arms to fossil fuels.

When you bank with a values-based institution, you have a chance to connect directly with entrepreneurs and businesses making a real difference.

Why not be part of that story?

Ranked #4 worldwide: CEMS makes a leap in the QS 2026 MIM ranking

filliong — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:36:21 +0000

Ranked #4 worldwide: CEMS makes a leap in the QS 2026 MIM ranking filliong Tue, 09/16/2025 - 12:36 Stronger together. Greater in impact - and ranked among the very best! News

A world-class performance

Climbing six places to reach 4th place globally, the CEMS Master in International Management (MIM) has achieved an excellent result in the QS MiM Ranking 2026- a moment of pride for the entire CEMS community, with an impressive overall score of 92.7/100.

Among 235 programmes assessed, the CEMS MIM stood out for its exceptional return on investment and career outcomes:

Tied #1 worldwide in value for money (outstanding 100/100 vs global average 61.3)
#9 worldwide in employability (89.5/100 vs global average 48.4)

The CEMS MIM also scored well above global averages across all other indicators: Thought Leadership (89.1 vs 48.9), Alumni Outcomes (87 vs 48.4), and Diversity (85.1 vs 64).

By uniting 33 world-class academic institutions, multinational companies and NGOs within a truly diverse and values-driven community, CEMS helps students grow into responsible leaders - aligned with our distinctive graduate profile, equipped to navigate complexity and make a positive difference worldwide.

The QS ranking recognises the collective strength and global relevance of our unique Alliance of leading business schools and corporate partners. Together, we reach higher, offering students a vibrant community and outstanding employment opportunities.
Nicole de Fontaines, Executive Director of CEMS Global Office

Excellence recognised across impact and diversity

The programme achieved a perfect 100/100 in several sub-indicators, including Research impact, Payback, International student ratio and Gender balance, and 99.9 for both Return on Investment and International faculty ratio.

This reflects not only academic excellence, but also the diversity and global outlook that shape the student experience at the core of CEMS.

Ready to reach higher? Join a community that is shaping the next generation of responsible global leaders.

Learn more about the CEM MIM

Thumbnail

QS ranking cems.org carrousel.jpg

Next-level leadership - CEMS expertise in the global spotlight

filliong — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 14:43:30 +0000

Next-level leadership - CEMS expertise in the global spotlight filliong Thu, 09/11/2025 - 16:43 What will it take to become a next-level leader in 2030 and beyond?
In the press

Two major international publications - Forbes and the European Business Review - recently featured the insights of Nicole de Fontaines, Executive Director of CEMS Global Office, on the future skills leaders will need to thrive in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world.

To better understand this changing landscape, CEMS worked with 20 of our multinational corporate partners to explore what skillsets will be required of business leaders by 2030. The findings were striking: analytical capabilities and business acumen remain essential, but they must now be embedded in a broader, more adaptable leadership framework
Nicole de Fontaines, Executive Director of CEMS Global Office

What skillsets will be required of business leaders by 2030?

Based on this exploration, five core competencies stand out as critical for the next generation of leaders:

Analytical rigour with creativity - going beyond data to generate innovative, value-driven insights
An entrepreneurial mindset - challenging the status quo, taking smart risks and building new pathways
Cultural intelligence (CQ) - leading diverse global teams with empathy, curiosity and collaboration
Specialisation meets management expertise - combining deep technical knowledge with strategic vision
Digital fluency - understanding digital transformation and translating it into concrete business strategies

Alongside these skills, Nicole highlights the enduring human qualities that will define successful leaders: resilience, empathy, humility and a strong commitment to sustainability - for people and planet alike.

Read the full articles:

European Business Review — The next-level leadership skillset: Preparing business leaders for 2030 and beyond
Forbes — Tomorrow’s leaders: Critical skills to succeed in 2050 and beyond

Discover how CEMS shapes future-ready leaders

Explore the CEMS MIM

Thumbnail

Cems_coverageForbes-EBR_1.png

Financial Times 2025 Ranking: CEMS alumni raise the bar again in earnings and impact

shamasha — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:51:19 +0000

Financial Times 2025 Ranking: CEMS alumni raise the bar again in earnings and impact shamasha Mon, 09/08/2025 - 14:51 In the newly released Financial Times Global Masters in Management (MIM) ranking 2025, CEMS alumni stand out with average earnings of US$123,488 three years after graduation, further widening the salary gap. Excellence confirmed: five CEMS schools in the top 10 worldwide, including four in the top 5. News

Alumni earnings outpace the global average

The Financial Times confirms that CEMS alumni have “higher average earnings three years after the programme than graduates across all business schools.” This year’s results show that the salary advantage continues to grow. They also report stronger salary progression and are more likely to achieve their study aims compared with the global average. CEMS schools also have a higher proportion of faculty with doctorates than the average among all ranked institutions.

“Alumni of CEMS reported higher average earnings three years after the programme than graduates across all business schools taking part in the FT Ranking.”
Financial Times

Member schools among the world’s best

CEMS’ strength is also reflected in the school ranking itself: five member schools are placed among the global top 10, including first, second, joint fourth and ninth positions. This concentration underscores the alliance’s academic excellence and international impact. “Huge congratulations to all CEMS Academic Member schools featured in FT Global MiM 2025 ranking. We are delighted that so many of them have performed outstandingly - this is a collective success”, says Nicole de Fontaines, Executive Director of CEMS Global Office.

Excellence built on a distinctive model

The Financial Times also highlighted the distinctive quality assurance system that unites CEMS schools. Students must meet rigorous requirements - including proficiency in three languages, and participation in both a consultancy project and an international internship offered by one of more than 70 corporate partners.

Spotlight on a CEMS Alumna

Meet Melusine Bliesener, one of our outstanding CEMS graduates from Nova School of Business and Economics featured in the Financial Times. During her CEMS journey, she spent a semester at the American University in Cairo, enriching her international experience. From business studies to a career in impact investing, her path shows how global education drives meaningful change. Reflecting on her journey, she says:

“It was the perfect place for me to start.”

Read her story in the Financial Times!

Leadership perspective

Nicole de Fontaines, Executive Director of CEMS, commented:

“Together, CEMS continues to raise the bar worldwide: not only in terms of graduate salaries, but also through the strength of our graduate profile and the excellence of the student experience. This achievement underlines the unique power of our global community of schools and corporate partners. Together we work to educate the next generation of responsible business leaders.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ready to take the next step? Discover how to apply to the CEMS MIM

The CEMS Master in International Management (MIM) is delivered through a global network of 33 of the world’s top business schools in collaboration with more than 70 corporate partners (multinational companies) and 8 social partners.

Due to the nature of its delivery across 33 business schools the FT does not include the CEMS MIM in its ranking. However, a separate analysis within the ranking focuses on CEMS alumni career progression and school diversity.

Thumbnail

new cems.org carrousel visuals.jpg

Benjamine Felgine-Micheron of BNP Parisbas talks serious career pivot and the impact of digital technology in the banking sector

shamasha — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:43:40 +0000

Benjamine Felgine-Micheron of BNP Parisbas talks serious career pivot and the impact of digital technology in the banking sector shamasha Fri, 09/05/2025 - 12:43 Many CEMS alumni have chosen to build their careers with CEMS Corporate Partners. In this interview series, we explore the diverse career paths CEMS alumni have embarked on at these companies. Today we meet Benjamine Felgine-Micheron, CFO for BNP Paribas Factoring, who tells us about her evolution in the company, pivotal changes and the importance of leadership under disruptive digital technology. Corporate Insights

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Benjamine Felgine-Micheron: CFO for BNP Paribas Factoring.

Tenure with BNP: 17 years+

Previous experience: Consulting with Accenture, SG Consulting and project management with AbnAmro Bank.

CEMSie? Yes! Graduate of HEC.

WHY BNP?

I’ve always been drawn to working in the banking sector and BNP is a leader in this space, which was a huge draw card. When you’re working for a leading organisation, it’s always going to be interesting. You’ll have exposure to a very broad range of activities and you’re going to be working in a high-performing environment, with talented people – experts and leaders. And that’s true of BNP. This is what I’d call a universal bank: we’re present in corporate and investment banking, in commercial banking in insurance and asset management, so it’s a very dynamic organisation.

I wasn’t a finance specialist when I started out in banking, but I was able to bring in my experience in product management and make that work. Over the years, I’ve moved around and upwards within the organisation, building my expertise in corporate finance. This is a world that is prone to so much change – both regulatory and in terms of innovation—that there’s a lot to learn. It’s super interesting and attractive to me.

YOU’VE BEEN WITH BNP FOR 18 YEARS. WHAT IS THAT HAS KEPT YOU HERE?

The last 18 years have flowed very fast indeed for me.

The first tranche of my tenure with the bank was spent in finance, dealing principally with financial reporting to top management or investors. In this area of banking, you’re hyper focused on the numbers and your exposure to the business and its clients can be quite limited.

Then, three years ago, I hit something of an inflection point. I was ready to move on, to try something new – whether that was a different bank or a wholly new sector. Talking to the company, I decided to make the switch internally, moving to the factoring part of the business. Here we work directly with the business which deals with clients to help finance and fund growth, and for me this has been a huge change and a significant transition, with its own learning curve and personal and professional challenges. It’s a completely different way of working.

The point is, the bank has given me the opportunity to grow, to evolve, and to develop completely different competencies and expertise, both in my years in finance and in terms of making a serious career pivot. Simply put, I don’t need to go elsewhere to make a big change and have new impact.

HOW HAS BNP SUPPORTED YOU IN MAKING THIS KIND OF CAREER AND LEADERSHIP PROGRESSION?

We have well-structured leadership programmes within the organisation that help you carve out a path to senior management. And there’s also plenty of room to define your own path and make your own choices about where you want to go, and the kinds of competencies you choose to develop, be that in operations, sales, finance, developing the business, client management and beyond.

Then as you progress and define your trajectory, there’s a lot of support both from HR but also from management. As leaders, we have that responsibility to interact with our team members, to find out how they want to learn and evolve and to support them in their progression journey. Over my own tenure, I’ve received plenty of this kind of support.

IS THAT HOW YOU SEE LEADERSHIP? SUPPORTING OTHERS?

My team is already quite experienced. They enjoy a great deal of autonomy within their positions. So, what’s interesting is that I’m there to bring support to them and to give them the advice that will help them achieve their own individual mission. Leadership, to me, isn’t about expressing authority necessarily. It’s more about helping each other evolve; it’s more about achieving a kind of win-win collaboration. In our day to day, my team and I will have a ton of discussions. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don’t. But it’s never about control and command or top-down orders. It’s about helping others to progress in their leadership, and sharing experience and advice when it’s needed.

YOU MENTION DAY TO DAY. WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE?

Banking is a heavily regulated industry, and every banking entity is prone to complex and often changing requirements – from the European Central Bank and other bodies. We have to work hard as teams to meet these requirements and to be transparent in our accounting processes and performance management.

This calls for a lot of collaborative teamwork and team meetings to ensure we are all aligned and working the right way. My own team is pretty dispersed. I have team members here in Paris and others in Brussels, for instance. So, every day we will have meetings and moments to connect. I think it’s important to meet physically too, so there’s a degree of travel and moving around to ensure we are in constant contact and working smoothly across the many different and diverse topics that fall under my responsibility.

BANKING IS HIGHLY REGULATED. BUT IS IT ALSO HIGHLY DISRUPTED?

Yes. And one of the biggest disruptors in our space is digital technology, which is bringing a whole slew of new players into the sector. One of the biggest challenges ahead of traditional banks is the need to cope with both newcomers and new technology: to be really on top of change, and to have the agility to pivot and to integrate new technologies and actors. And this is moving very fast.

One of the real advantages we have is that we are a large company, so we have the capacity to invest, to bring in the best talent and to integrate new players where there are synergies and opportunities.

I think for us a real priority is also responding in real time to the changes that technology is effecting in the way that we manage, care for and respond to our clients.

IS BANKING A SECTOR THAT WOULD APPEAL TO CEMSIES IN YOUR VIEW?

Absolutely! And as employers, we are constantly looking for talented people who are really structured in their thinking, and who have the adaptive capabilities to learn and progress. Of course, some interest in financial topics will help too!

I think CEMS is a fantastic base for banking and any other sector that requires you to live and work in a dynamic context. I joined the programme right at the beginning. Mine was one of the first cohorts in this exciting new programme that let you switch and study between countries. For me, it was the most incredible preparation to work in an open, cross-border European environment. It taught me to embrace difference and become more comfortable with change.

ANY ADVICE YOU WOULD SHARE WITH YOUNG PEOPLE EMBARKING ON THEIR CAREERS?

I think one of the best things you can do is go overseas and study abroad, like I did with CEMS. It’s just such a great way of expanding your thinking and opening your eyes – that and keeping you curious.

To me, curiosity is the key thing. If you are curious, you are more adept at managing changes in your environment, and you are much more open to the opportunities that emerge with change. Our world is evolving so fast, and we don’t know how we will organise or what our job markets will look like even in the near future. So my advice is to stay curious. Get out there and discover new contexts, new countries, new languages and technologies. Open your mind.

Thumbnail

social media Benjamine Felgines Micheron_0.png

Turning the world around: Maria Sangder, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Finland, CEMS alumnus and Chairman of the Board of Fairtrade Finland

shamasha — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 09:44:28 +0000

Turning the world around: Maria Sangder, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Finland, CEMS alumnus and Chairman of the Board of Fairtrade Finland shamasha Mon, 09/29/2025 - 11:44 Having an impact, making changes – it resonates with an increasing number of young professionals, seeking purpose in and beyond their careers. But making an impact often feels overwhelming: Where to start? Volunteering? Funding? Which issue to prioritise? Am I doing too much? Am I not doing enough?
In this series of interviews, we’ll meet different people working for NGOs and discover how they turn the world around, one step at a time, and their main advice to CEMSies who wish to get involved. For this first interview, we meet with Maria Sangder, Executive Director of UN Global Network Finland, Chairman of the Board of Fairtrade Finland and CEMSie of 2009 (NHH/AALTO).
Corporate Insights

A living wage is the minimum hourly, weekly or monthly amount a worker needs to earn, during normal working hours, to support the essential needs of their family: things like food, water, sanitation, clothing, housing – the core necessities of life. Yet according to Amnesty International, just shy 242 million people around the world don’t make enough money to enjoy a decent standard of living. What’s more, in 2025 there are still no countries in the world that legally oblige employers to pay a real living wage—a wage that is formally pegged to the real cost of living.

Working poverty is a human rights issue.

And it is the issue that sits at the core of the Fairtrade organisation, says Maria Sangder, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Finland, CEMS alumnus and Chairman of the Board of Fairtrade Finland.

In Finland, Fairtrade is piloting a new approach to addressing human rights risks in the country’s seasonal berry industry, she explains: “Berries grow freely in the forests of Finland, and local companies typically hire seasonal workers from Thailand and elsewhere, to pick them. We are rolling out a nationwide pilot, collaborating with the whole supply chain, to support fair and decent conditions for these people.”

Fairtrade Finland’s core mission is to support producers in low- and middle-income countries by promoting sustainable livelihoods and decent working conditions through certification. It offers local retailers and manufacturers the chance to opt in to purchasing and selling certified products and ingredients—Fairtrade cocoa, coffee, flowers, sugar, cotton as well as wine, spices, and fruits. In exchange, these manufactures are entitled to use Fairtrade certification mark.

“This is a brand with real clout,” says Maria. “We operate and insist on super strict criteria for farmers in overseas markets, so that Finnish manufactures that opt in know they are working to make trade fairer for the people who grow our food. We own our certification programme which means we can ensure that farmers and producers conform to our standards. And when local manufactures partner with us to purchase from Fairtrade suppliers, they can be confident that the farmers have received at least the Fairtrade Minimum Price and the Fairtrade Premium for their products—ensuring a more equitable trade...”

It’s easy to find time to commit to your passion

Fairtrade Finland punches above its weight in the global Fairtrade network: despite being a small market, it is one of the most significant branches—known for its ambitious and innovative approach, she adds. Here there are plans afoot to roll out a slew of development cooperation programmes in tandem with the Finnish government, to build capabilities for suppliers in Africa among other priorities. But while they work with government, it is end-consumers who provide the bulk of Fairtrade’s finance, says Maria.

“The biggest impact for certified farmers comes from high-volume products purchased by households and customers, and so customer awareness is a major priority for the organisation. We have a real mission to get people thinking about the supply chain and asking critical questions about where food comes from and if it’s grown locally, is it grown fairly. It’s a message that we want to promulgate as loudly and broadly as possible.”

Maria took up her role as Chairman of Fairtrade Finland in January 2025, and was nominated for the position on the back of her consolidated experience as CEO of Gaia Consulting, and Finnish-based consultancy focused on sustainable business and development.

“I was invited to give a talk on renewing and transforming value-based organisations at a business breakfast event, where I met the Executive Director at Solidarisuus, a NGO launched in 1970. Solidarisuus works for women’s rights in East Africa, against gender-based violence, and promoting sustainable livelihoods. They then invited me to speak at one their events and then referred me to the selection committee for the Fairtrade Board. When the position was offered to me, I could see the instant synergies and possibilities; I could see the alignment. I felt an immediate sense of curiosity and I wanted to see what I could do to support this challenging work.”

Being a non-executive Chairman does imply a certain degree of juggling, that said. And although the role does not require her to get involved in the day-to-day management of the organisation, there is still a significant commitment required of Maria to plan a monthly one-to-one with her CEO and chair a minimum of five yearly meetings.

“For me, the timing has been great as I’ve taken a sabbatical to transition from my last job into a new position with the United Nations as Executive Director of UN Global Impact. Even so, you have to organise and dedicate your time responsibly. It falls to me, for instance, to ensure that the organisation is doing what it is supposed to do—which is not difficult in the case of Fairtrade Finland as they are exceptionally well structured and efficient. I do lend my support to certain issues as they arise. But I believe it’s easy to find time for something when you are passionate about it and you feel the desire to commit to it.”

Who am I doing this for?

Having impact—doing something “different” – is a motivating principle that has underscored Maria’s career. From her earliest experiences as a student, working in FMCG, sales and marketing through to her undergraduate placement “immersed in FMCGs,” on to her decision to pursue her CEMS Masters and into her first serious position working for Nielsen in the grocery sector, she has been driven by a love of learning and delivering meaningful change. Her actual pivot into sustainable work was the product of a conversation with a friend over brunch, she says.

“We were talking about management consultancy and I just asked myself the question: am I locked into FMCGs or is there something else for me? And on the basis of that hunch, I got a job with a consultancy in my native Finland and spent a good 10 years really getting into strategy. After I had a baby, I was approached by a partner of a smaller firm specialising in sustainable business and everything just clicked into place. The business was doing terrific things in operational sustainability and asked me to come in to help build the strategic sustainability practice.”

It was an opportunity to connect the dots between her undergraduate interests in foreign direct investment, fair-for-all commerce and a flair for working with diverse stakeholders—the latter something that she was able to develop during her time as a CEMSie.

“CEMS is just so well designed to create a sense of community both within your home university and across nations. It’s built to expose you to and help you understand perspectives different to your own. That and the challenge that CEMS gives us to ask yourself the really big, really important questions: who am I doing this for? Why am I doing this? And who can I work with? These are the core elements of the CEMS experience that ground you – and that ground you within a remarkable, lifelong international community.”

Give yourself space

Giving back is a sentiment that Maria connected with during her time at CEMS, an experience that gave her “so much,” she says. And in the spirit of giving back, she is keen to share insights with younger generations pondering their first or next professional move in a turbulent point in history.

“You can’t know in your 20s what is going to help you through to the next stage of life or not, so it’s really about finding what interests you, doing your best and the rest will follow. And to do that you need to have ambition for sure, but you also need to give yourself space. Enjoy it and do what you love doing.”

If anyone had asked a 20-year-old Maria if she saw herself as a future Chairman of Fairtrade, or Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Finland she would “very likely have laughed!” But her personal trajectory has been the product of mapping passion to opportunity and grasping both firmly.

“My latest transition professionally will be going from CEO of an organisation of 80 employees and senior executives in a corporation, to leading a network of just eight people. It’s a pivot, but it’s also a huge opportunity to learn, to grow and to deliver extraordinary impact. And just like the time that I donate to Fairtrade, these are the experiences that shape me, and that that keep me optimistic and moving forward.”

If optimism feels like it could be in short supply right now, the best option is to focus on channelling our efforts into actions, says Maria; by concentrating on the small steps forward and supporting those organisations that are fighting the right fight and moving in the right direction.

“Optimism is built into me. It’s what keeps me going. And I’d encourage others to simply focus on what you can do and make the best choices. Focus on the options or the solutions that simply are the next best steps, knowing that there are no perfect choices in this life. Young people in particular should seek out reasons to feel optimistic, and perhaps this is the way to think about it: You have power in your choices and you do have choices in front of you. You can be the generation that turns our world around.”

Maria’s top 3 practical advice to CEMSies:

Build networks and collaborate. The best and most impactful changes have been achieved through cooperation between companies, political actors, civil society organizations, and other actors
Gather information as broadly as possible from different perspectives and sources. From our own tools, we particularly recommend the Fairtrade Risk Map - a supply chain risk mapping tool aligned with UNGP's, including information also on impactful ways to address and remediate human rights abuses
Focus and choose. No one can save the whole world. Choosing Fairtrade products is an easy, small act of responsibility in everyday life.

Thumbnail

Maria Sangder - LinkedIn.png

Building Bridges Between Talent and Opportunity

shamasha — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 16:58:08 +0000

Building Bridges Between Talent and Opportunity shamasha Wed, 08/20/2025 - 18:58 At CEMS, shaping the leaders of tomorrow goes beyond the classroom. Students, alumni, and Corporate Partners benefit from exclusive networking opportunities that open doors and spark connections. Two events exemplify this: Career Connect, the dynamic and engaging online event and CEMS Career Forum, the headline in-person networking event of the year. Together, these events create year-round opportunities for the CEMS community to build lasting, impactful careers and opportunities. News

A Look Back: Career Connect 2025

The CEMS Career Connect 2025, held online from 3rd to 7th March, demonstrated how technology can connect talent and opportunity across borders. This year’s edition attracted over 505 students, 255 corporate representatives, and 35 Corporate Partners, resulting in 820 booked appointments—a testament to the power of online recruitment in shaping careers globally.

For students, Career Connect is both accessible and dynamic. Austrian CEMS student Max Kilian (WU / University of Sydney) appreciated how simple the platform made it to apply and connect, while also noting the unique twist: companies could reach out to students directly, making the process more engaging. His key advice: “You only miss the chances that you don’t take.”

Corporate Partners also recognised its impact. Gartner described the event as “a crucial component of our engagement strategy with CEMS students,” highlighting both the quality of candidates and the global reach the online format provides.

Looking Ahead: The CEMS Career Forum 2025 in Barcelona

While Career Connect proves the value of online engagement, the CEMS Career Forum remains the flagship event of the year, offering the irreplaceable experience of in-person networking and recruitment. Taking place on November 7–8, 2025, at Esade Business School in Barcelona, the Career Forum is expected to gather over 1000 CEMS students and young graduates from over + 70 nationalities, along with a wide array of CEMS Corporate Partners.

The Career Forum is much more than a job fair. It is a two-day immersive recruitment and networking experience, packed with opportunities tailored to the CEMS community. Highlights include: Job Fair, pre-scheduled 1-1 interviews, Skill Seminars, Corporate Coffee Talks.

CEMS Career Forum is a truly international career fair and offers a wide variety of formats beyond a traditional recruitment fair, which creates more space for us to transmit our innovative spirit, values and culture at Henkel. It is therefore the perfect place for us. We are eager to connect with international students and young professionals of diverse nationalities, who possess the skills we are looking to attract: entrepreneurial mindset, a team player spirit, and the courage to dare to make an impact. As a global company, Henkel is looking forward to joining CEMS Career Forum every year.
Additionally, the Career Forum allow us to assess the talent, and it also facilitates meaningful engagements between talents, universities and companies for more impactful connections. What motivates us to continue our partnership with CEMS is the high quality of its students and how well they align with our culture at Henkel. CEMS students are global-minded, with entrepreneurial mindset and eager to dare to make an impact, whether through innovation building, growing our brands, or driving our sustainability and digital strategy at Henkel
Petra Bochnovicova Senior Manager Global Employer Reputation at Henkel

This event is designed exclusively for CEMS Corporate Partners, CEMS MIM students, and recent alumni with up to four years of professional experience. Since 2009, its dedicated two-day structure has created a rhythm that balances professional interactions with community networking. The event also serves as a key gathering for Corporate Relations Managers and Program Managers from across the CEMS network, who convene in parallel meetings to discuss strategy, share best practices, and strengthen partnerships. This creates an environment where every corner of the CEMS ecosystem is engaged.

Watch the video to get a glimpse of what's to come!

Marie Boon-Falleur of Bain talks culture, work-life balance, and the imperative for consultancy to reinvent itself in the Age of AI

shamasha — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:15:01 +0000

Marie Boon-Falleur of Bain talks culture, work-life balance, and the imperative for consultancy to reinvent itself in the Age of AI shamasha Fri, 07/18/2025 - 11:15 Many CEMS alumni have chosen to build their careers with CEMS Corporate Partners. In this interview series, we explore the diverse career paths CEMS alumni have embarked on at
these companies. Today we meet Marie Boon-Falleur, Partner at Bain & Company. Marie shares more about the company culture, work-life balance and the imperative for consultancy to reinvent itself in the Age of AI.
Corporate Insights

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Marie Boon-Falleur: Partner at Bain & Company in Healthcare & Life Science Practices in New York City.

Tenure with Bain: 15 years+

Previous experience: Internship with Procter & Gamble in Product Supply, Finance and Accounting.

CEMSie? Yes! Graduated in 2010.

WHY BAIN?

Coming into the company, I was looking to be challenged and I wanted a vigorous pace of learning, which is precisely what Bain has delivered. Then there was the culture. You know when you meet people and you click? It felt right in the interview process and it has felt right for the last 15 years. I still just love Bain as a place to work. And partly that’s because of the impact that I can have with different clients, and partly it’s the sheer quality of the teams I’m working with on a day-to-day basis. In my tenure here, I’ve also experienced extraordinary mentorship and career growth, which makes for a pretty incredible combination.

And you see it in employee satisfaction feedback. Bain is rated #1 on Glassdoor for instance!

BAIN STILL “FEELS RIGHT” AFTER 15 YEARS. WHAT IS THAT HAS KEPT YOU HERE?

It’s the culture. And you really feel it inside the teams that you work with here. There is a strong learning and coaching culture which is the polar opposite of a “sink or swim” kind of culture. The work is super challenging – no one here will tell you it’s an easy path at all—but you feel challenged and supported at the same time.

We are a feedback culture. At Bain, there are structures in place that support you continuously: you have a mentor, a professional development advisor—someone senior in the company, a senior manager or a partner, who you can talk to and who can advise you. And that person is not your direct boss. They are more of a sounding board to talk to every couple of weeks, so you always know where you’re at. And I personally think that’s great.

We’re also a work hard, play hard culture. We have fun and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Humility is also a really strong value here.

HUMILITY IN WHAT SENSE?

Well, we take care to prioritise humility working with our clients. We don’t go into engagements talking down to our clients, or assuming we have all the answers. We have great respect for their expertise and we understand the importance of listening to them.

WHAT KINDS OF CLIENT ENGAGEMENTS DO YOU HAVE?

For the last five years, I’ve been part of our healthcare practice working with corporate clients in the sector. The types of engagements that I lead are mostly around transformation – companies that are looking to pursue meaningful change programmes that are cross-functional in nature. These can be growth oriented where you might be looking at changing your go-to-market strategy for example. They can also be around performance improvement.

That might sound quite broad, but it’s one of the things I love about my job. I’m never cornered in a specific topic or a specific part of the industry.

HOW DOES BAIN WORK?

A typical Bain team is four to six members, a senior manager and then you will have two or three partners who are involved in the engagement. My role would be one of the partners leading these teams.

My teams will change for each engagement. There will be a number of senior managers that I work with on a regular basis within our healthcare practice and I get to know them well, but consultancy is a model where people want to see a variety of clients and sectors, so I change team members all the time. Again this is something I like about the job. An engagement can be anything from a high-octane three-week diligence piece with investors or a longer, six-month or 12-month integration project for instance. So, I’m getting to meet new people within the organisation all the time, which is great. Often we work with the same clients on different engagements, and although the teams will change, my engagement with the client remains continuous.

WHAT’S LEADERSHIP TO YOU?

I think it’s inspiring others. When I start a new engagement with a team, I’d love for everyone to feel more enthusiasm to stay at Bain once they’ve worked with me versus when they started. I want them to feel they’re learning, they’re stretched and supported. And when they see what I’m doing, it feels like something they want to do too.

ANY MYTHS ABOUT CONSULTING YOU’D LIKE TO DEBUNK?

A lot of people think there’s no work-life balance in consulting. But I have two kids, I spend time with my family, and I take eight weeks of vacation each year. Yes, we want to do great work for our clients, but if we’re not happy as human beings, we can’t be good advisors to our clients or good leaders to our teams.

Going into consulting is like running a marathon. There will be hard moments for sure, but you power through them. And at the end of the day, the learning and the satisfaction that you get are so rewarding.

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A TYPICAL CONSULTANT?

I don’t know if there’s a typical consultant. But if you want to excel in consultancy, I’d say you should be a fast learner because you’ll be thrown into different contexts and industries all the time. You need to be like a sponge! Your expertise should be: I’m really good at learning!

Then at Bain, I’d say there are a set of cross-sectional qualities that matter and that remain the same wherever you work. What makes you a great Bainie in Brussels is the same that makes you a great Bainie in Hong Kong or New York. We value rigour in thinking, business judgement, empathy, feeling a cause in your work and being a good team member wherever you are. And that’s great, because if you want to relocate to a different geography within Bain, it’s understood that your credit or credibility will travel with you.

HOW IS THE WORLD OF CONSULTANCY CHANGING IN 2025? ANYTHING YOU CAN SHARE AS AN “INSIDER?”

Two things. First, gone are the days of building a five-year strategic plan. Your plan will be stale within 12 months.

The pace of change is so fast it’s rewriting the rules of the game. So too is AI. Ten years ago you might have looked to a consultancy team to do your market research. Today, GenAI can do that for you. So, as consultants we have to constantly reinvent ourselves. The challenge ahead of us now is to keep raising the bar on the value we can deliver to our clients. Continuing to do the work in the old ways, thinking we are better than AI at the same tasks, is delusional. We need to leverage AI to do those tasks faster and learn how to work differently, from analyst to partner.

Thumbnail

Marie Boon Falleur - social media_0.png