Isabelle Frappat: “We are the incubator, the engine and the catalyst of the ESSEC network in France.”
[Cette traduction a été générée automatiquement]
Reflets Magazine: How did your career path lead you to ESSEC Alumni?
Isabelle Frappat: After 10 years in FMCG marketing, I steered my career towards business, entrepreneurial and association networks in the social and solidarity economy. I notably headed the development & CSR division at the Federation of French Businesses and Entrepreneurs, which brings together 1,000 companies as well as the PME+ label community. I also managed CSR projects for ESSEC’s Consumer Goods Chair alongside its Executive Director Rémy Gerin (E84), with whom we launched the ESSEC Grand Prizes for Responsible Consumption and Retail, awarded each year at the Ministry of the Economy. ESSEC Alumni is a natural continuation of these experiences: it is still about bringing communities together and driving impact-led projects. I enjoy building connections, nurturing synergies, watching talent grow together and turning ideas into concrete projects.
RM: What are your responsibilities at ESSEC Alumni?
I. Frappat: Our team aims to be the incubator of engagement — the engine and catalyst of connections within the ESSEC network in France. Our role is to support, guide and develop alumni communities across the country. And there are many of them: among the 69,000 graduates and 7,500 students in our ranks, 76% live in France. In total, we offer them 84 clubs and groups: 22 sector clubs (Industry, Health, Luxury, Digital & Technology, Sport Business, Transition, etc.) which are not reserved for professionals but open to any interested student or graduate, 10 leisure clubs (Wine & Spirits, Theatre, Contemporary Art…), 16 regional clubs (Provence, Hauts-de-France, Rhône-Alpes, etc.), as well as year-group communities and certain programme networks (IMHI, EXEC MBA, etc.) and corporate correspondents networks (Capgemini, Onepoint, Wavestone, etc.). Not to mention the entrepreneurial ecosystem we are developing with the ESSEC Alumni Clubs Entrepreneurs and Business Angels, and the ESSEC incubator at Station F for ESSEC graduates. The incubator was launched two years ago by ESSEC Alumni and ESSEC. With our support, all these alumni communities organise around 500 meet-ups and conferences each year, some in partnership with the school’s chairs, institutes and student associations — including 300 at the Maison des ESSEC, in a welcoming “home-like” atmosphere that has been a great success for nearly two years.
RM: Practically speaking, how do ESSEC Alumni clubs and groups operate?
I. Frappat: Manon Verjat leads this division with the support of her three colleagues Jeanne Métraud, Mathilde Failler and Céline Lévêque. I would like to commend their tireless commitment: each serves as the contact point for around twenty clubs, providing tools and materials to set roadmaps, develop services and organise events… Of course, we must also highlight the essential and admirable commitment of our 500 alumni volunteers, both graduates and students, who bring this offer to life.
RM: Speaking of students, you also provide them with dedicated support…
I. Frappat: Students become alumni from their very first day at the school, and we are their gateway to the community. Our mission is to introduce them to networking, connect them with graduates and embed their engagement within the ESSEC community for the future, across the three campuses of Cergy, Rabat and Singapore. Each year, 2,700 students benefit from our support. We also ensure continuity through tailored support for recent graduates. This involves dedicated services and sector-based networking opportunities to support early careers and to foster new generations of ambassadors. The entire division is coordinated by Chloé Guilbert (E09) with the support of her colleague Hannane Nebie and Ian Ong on the Singapore campus. Chloé and Hannane are both based at the Cergy campus and do a tremendous job supporting the student community and recent graduates.
RM: What new initiatives have your teams launched in recent months?
I. Frappat: We are in a growth dynamic: in 2024, the number of events increased by 10%, as did attendance, reaching 16,000 participants. We have accelerated the organisation of major highlights, both at the Maison des ESSEC and in the regions: evenings of discussion with the Minister for Industry Marc Ferracci at the Industry Club, with film director Claude Lelouch at the Cinema Club, and with High Commissioner Clément Beaune at the Public Affairs Club; an inter-school summit on AI in Aix-en-Provence led by the Provence Club; the 10th anniversary of the EWA Boost' mentoring programme for ESSEC women… We have also strengthened the integration of recent graduates and students with new event formats, such as a “Boost your career in finance” networking evening with the Finance, Banking & Insurance Club, and a “Meet ESSEC Alumni Clubs” forum dedicated to recent graduates. As a result, the new generations of alumni now account for 15% of the volunteers running the sector clubs. Still with the goal of broadening the network, we have launched an Industry Club and five regional clubs (Bourgogne–Franche-Comté, Champagne–Ardenne, etc.) and continued to develop synergies with the school, notably by connecting club leaders with the directors and professors of ESSEC’s chairs and institutes. Finally, we celebrated the second anniversary of the ESSEC incubator at Station F for graduate entrepreneurs: already 100 entrepreneurs supported, for a total of 50 start-ups, 86% of which are still active!
RM: What are your projects and objectives for the coming months and years?
I. Frappat: The priority issues for the France communities, students and recent graduates division align with the ambitions set by the association in its new strategic plan. Our first ambition is to offer a five-star, lifelong experience to students and graduates. In practical terms, this means, for example, strengthening graduates’ engagement with students so that every student enjoys a successful alumni experience during their time at ESSEC. So we aim to offer all students (all programmes, all profiles, all campuses) a core package built around the services most valued by students. It will also mean developing sector-based networking evenings for young professionals, in collaboration with the sector clubs. This is the first expectation of ESSEC graduates with three to five years’ experience.
RM: And what about the association’s second ambition: showcasing ESSEC?
I. Frappat: It’s about giving a voice to the ESSEC identity that characterises and unites us, and increasing our influence. We will therefore organise major ESSEC gatherings and celebrations, such as the 50th anniversary of the BBA (formerly EPSCI) on Saturday 15 November next, and the first edition of the Class Reunions on Saturday 14 March 2026, which will bring together, for an exceptional day and evening on the Cergy campus, all graduates from years ending in 1 or 6. These flagship events for the ESSEC community are of course co-organised with the School and the Foundation. We are also working — again with the communities — to make the Maison des ESSEC “the place to be”, notably by encouraging high-profile events in our premises led by clubs, student associations and our partner schools. All this with the aim of increasing the impact of everything we do. And this will happen thanks both to our alumni communities and to stronger synergies with the School and the Foundation.
Read the interview in the issue of our Reflets magazine dedicated to ESSEC young talents:
Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10)
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