The Alsace Club goes cross-border

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As soon as he arrived in the region five years ago, Marc Coustet (E88) joined the Alsace Club. In early 2025, he took over its presidency and set about growing the Club, which now numbers 750 alumni. Together with his committee, he organises networking evenings, company visits and cultural outings. He has also devised a new format bringing together alumni from France, Switzerland and Germany. An interview.

Could you tell us about the alumni community in Alsace? 

There are around 750 of us alumni in the region, 90 of whom are very active through the WhatsApp group. In terms of profiles, we mainly have people in the second half of their careers, aged 40 and over. We also have some very recent graduates, who choose Alsace for the first stage of their careers. To my mind, the least represented age bracket is the 25-to-45 group. The club is fairly stable: the number of departures is similar to the number of arrivals.

Which sectors are the most represented? 

Alsace has a highly developed industrial base. As a result, you find a great many SMEs, mid-cap companies and large groups here. Moreover, for obvious reasons of geographical proximity, many large German companies have a presence here through subsidiaries.

What are the various events organised by the Alsace Club? 

When I arrived, the Club was organising monthly outings to restaurants. I created the WhatsApp group and changed the format. We now hold gatherings in a dinner-cocktail format, so as to encourage conversation. With the participants' agreement, at each evening I circulate the list of those present, so that they can carry on networking after the event. We also organise company visits, often to local SMEs where alumni work. Finally, there are the cultural outings: for these, I am fortunate to have alongside me on the committee Benoît Ghestem (MBA03), who runs Magnific Escapades, an events company. He opens the doors of his partners' museums and estates to us.

Why did you choose to get involved? 

I got involved with the Club five years ago, when I arrived in the region. I fairly quickly took charge of the monthly meetings, then changed the format. I created the WhatsApp group and began opening our events up to other schools: HEC Alsace and ESCP. Our aim is to bring together as many people as possible. An ESSEC-only event generally gathers between 10 and 25 people, whereas with several schools we easily reach 40 people or more. Whenever possible, we add a theme: for instance, we organised an event on "the joyful ecological transition", with volunteer speakers.

Could you tell us more about the international events? 

It all started with an event on artificial intelligence held in Strasbourg with the three schools. We had brought together 70 people and some excellent speakers. As Alsace is very close to Germany and Switzerland, we thought it would make sense to organise events with alumni from the neighbouring countries. After several working meetings, we put together a first cross-border event in Colmar: a tour of the town, a museum visit, drinks and then a gourmet dinner. This day, reserved for ESSEC alumni, was a resounding success, very warmly received by participants and speakers alike.

What is the next major event?

The next major event is set for 5 September: a swim in the Rhine, using dry bags as floats, followed by museum visits in Basel. We are expecting participants from Switzerland and southern Germany. This event is organised by the Alsace and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Clubs, the Switzerland Chapter and the Germany Chapter. We have also planned a networking event in Alsace in late September. Finally, on 14 October, we will be hosted by the law firm Fidal on the theme of ecology, in partnership with the other schools.

Would you like to join the Alsace Club? It's here.