A group of HEC Paris MBA students
At a time when many MBA applicants are rethinking what they want from business school, HEC Paris is rolling out a new branding campaign built around a simple message: “Dare the impossible.”
The campaign marks an evolution of the school’s longtime slogan, “Learn to dare,” and reflects what Dean Eloïc Peyrachedescribes as a broader shift in how students define ambition and success.
“‘Learn to dare’ is powerful – but for what purpose?” Peyrache tells Poets&Quants. “What do you actually do with that mindset?”
A NEW MESSAGE FOR A DIFFERENT MBA MARKET
HEC Paris Business School Dean Eloïc Peyrache
The new campaign arrives as business schools face growing pressure to show prospective students that an MBA is about more than prestige or salary outcomes. Increasingly, schools are emphasizing entrepreneurship, social impact, technological change, and purpose-driven careers alongside traditional measures of success.
For Peyrache, the updated slogan is meant to reflect the type of activity already happening on campus.
“The number of entrepreneurs here has gone through the roof recently,” he says.
FROM BUSINESS SCHOOL TO ‘LAUNCHPAD’
As part of the campaign, HEC Paris is spotlighting a group of alumni, faculty members, and public figures tied to entrepreneurship, technology, sustainability, and social impact.
Among them is Fidji Simo, who leads AGI Deployment at OpenAI, along with Stanislas Niox-Chateau, founder of Doctolib, and sailor Clarisse Crémer, a two-time finisher of the Vendée Globe. The campaign also includes A’Salfo, frontman of the group Magic System.
Faculty members featured include finance professor Christophe Pérignon, whose research focuses on financial systems and algorithms, along with Marieke Huysentruyt and climate expert François Gemenne.
FROM BUSINESS SCHOOL TO ‘LAUNCHPAD’
Peyrache says the campaign reflects how HEC increasingly sees itself not only as a teaching institution or research center, but also as a convening hub for solving large-scale problems.
“We have teaching, and we have a tremendous amount of research,” he says. “But we are also a launchpad.”
That includes initiatives around artificial intelligence and the future of work, where Peyrache says the school is trying to bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, students, engineers, and policymakers.
“We talk about the future of work and AI, and we also go deeply into the organizational challenges these technologies create,” he says.
HEC Paris students outdoors on campus
ROLE MODELS AND RISK-TAKING
Peyrache says another goal of the campaign is to highlight alumni and faculty whose careers may encourage students to pursue less conventional paths.
“Role models matter enormously, and it’s important to highlight them,” he says.
The underlying message, he adds, is that students should feel comfortable attempting ambitious ideas even when success is uncertain.
“Even when something feels impossible, we want students to dare to try,” Peyrache says.
DON’T MISS MEET THE HEC PARIS ALUMNI AND HEC PARIS REVAMPS ITS MBA TO MEET THE TECH & SUSTAINABILITY MOVEMENT
The post ‘Dare The Impossible’: An Elite European B-School’s Outlook Changes As A New Era Begins appeared first on Poets&Quants.