ESSEC Alumni Take Part in the Flame Rekindling Ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe

[Automatically generated translation]

On Tuesday 7 October, ESSEC Alumni took part for the second consecutive year in the ceremony of rekindling the flame under the Arc de Triomphe. Nearly forty alumni, including around twenty students from the Cergy campus, gathered to honour the memory of soldiers who died for France.

A ceremony filled with reflection

After walking up part of the Champs-Élysées, the ESSEC Alumni procession gathered around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a solemn and moving moment, marked by readings, the Last Post, La Marseillaise and the Hymn to the Unknown Soldier.

The ceremony was highlighted by the laying of a wreath by Marie-Pierre Schickel (E95), Managing Director of ESSEC Alumni, Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President of ESSEC Business School, and Andréi Kouznetsov (BBA 27), President of the BBA Student Union (BDE).

Alumni testimonials

Participants shared heartfelt reflections on what this experience meant to them:

“To be pioneers and innovators means knowing how to look ahead without fear, but also how to respect and cherish our past, our heritage, and to remember those who made the present possible, sometimes at the cost of great sacrifice.”
— Marie-Pierre Schickel (E95), Managing Director of ESSEC Alumni

“As a reserve officer committed to the armed forces–nation bond, I was honoured to take part in this ceremony with ESSEC Alumni. Since its founding in 1907, ESSEC has given much to France, with 62 alumni fallen in the line of duty. Rekindling the flame therefore felt like a natural gesture to pay tribute to our fellow alumni who gave their lives for our country.”
— Pierre Auberger (E83)

“It was an honour to take part in this ceremony that honours the memory of those who came before us, to have been among the wreath bearers with Vincenzo Vinzi and Marie-Pierre Schickel, and to share this moment with everyone present. I felt a genuine pride in being French and an ESSEC student.”
— Andréi Kouznetsov (BBA 27)

“It was a deeply moving ceremony. I was delighted to take part, as it’s the kind of event one experiences only once in a lifetime.”
— Tsiky Ramonjavelo (M25)

A time for sharing at the Maison des ESSEC

Following the ceremony, participants gathered at the Maison des ESSEC for a friendly cocktail reception. It was an opportunity for warm exchanges and speeches, notably from Pierre Auberger (E83) and Cédric Curtil (E95), who shared their civic engagement.

This translation was generated automatically and may contain inaccuracies.