The Global MBA’s Sustainable Impact Challenge at EDHEC Business School is ideal for future leaders seeking to develop a deeper understanding of real-world sustainability issues with practical, hands-on experience.
The 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report (GDSR) highlights the urgent need for transformative actions for a sustainable world. It reveals that only two out of 36 Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track to be achieved. The United Nations (UN) calls for enhanced global cooperation, innovative financing, and the integration of sustainability into policy-making to address these pressing challenges.
Inspired by these SDGs, the Sustainable Impact Challenge is crucial to EDHEC Business School’s Global MBA curriculum. During this five-month project, international students collaborate with companies to find solutions for real-world sustainability issues.
EDHEC Business School, located in France, ranks highly among business schools. The Financial Times recently ranked the EDHEC Global MBA as number 3 worldwide for ESG and net zero teaching.
For Global MBA Class of 2024 alum, Akshay Raje, the program’s strong focus on sustainability was a highly influential factor in his decision to enroll.
“This is the only program that I saw in research that places so much emphasis on sustainability,” Akshay says. “It’s incredible, I think, that we get to work with a real company for six months on something that is so dear to them.” (03:25)
For students passionate about sustainability, this program offers a platform to share their research, network with established companies, and make a real-world impact that extends beyond the classroom.
The Sustainable Impact Challenge emphasizes the school’s dedication to cultivating leaders who can positively impact the world.
A key learning objective of the program is gaining perspective on different business approaches to sustainability. Students identify and tackle the most important social and environmental challenges. Topics range from reducing carbon emissions in corporations to addressing gender inequality in the workspace.
The program helps students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
EDHEC’s Global MBA program and the sustainability project challenge students to engage in action learning. Students apply theory through hands-on learning by engaging with real-world cases and collaborating with established companies. This lends a sense of urgency to the students’ projects and empowers them to take action beyond the classroom.
In addition to the Sustainability Impact Challenge, students are presented with numerous opportunities inside and outside of their programs. They can join student clubs such as the Global MBA Social Impact & Diversity Club, among many others. These clubs help them create meaningful relationships and develop leadership skills.
Students also go on a global business trip where they learn from experts and innovators within their field. This enhances their global business perspective, networking opportunities, and overall program experience. Let’s take a closer look at the program with reflections from the Global MBA class of 2024.
The MBA program requires students to embark on a 5-month integrated learning journey during which they assist companies with finding creative solutions to various sustainability issues. This process involves extensive research and a deep understanding of each company’s environmental impact and specific challenges.
Prachi Ranka, a Global MBA Class of 2024 alum, says she appreciates the opportunity to glean insight from professionals in the real world.
“We were fortunate enough to interact with the top management at banks and understand how they function, what are the challenges they are facing, and we could devise strategies for them,” Prachi says. “So it’s really a lot of action learning, practical learning.” (00:23)
In teams, students are tasked with defining the scope of their project, researching, and pitching their final proposal.
Anunya Sakunpanitcharoen, another Global MBA Class of 2024 alum, reflects on how she learned to collaborate effectively in a team with her classmates.
“What I learned about this project is actually, first of all, how to work with a team because we are all from different backgrounds, and we all have different ideas,” Anuya says. “ Just to agree on one idea and try to work the project out together.” (02:12)
While each student has their main takeaway from the project, the program helps students build essential skills, such as collaboration and networking. These skills are invaluable for their careers after graduation.
To complete the project, students develop CSR and sustainability recommendations for the company based on gathered data and the project deliverables. At the end of the five months, the students condense their research into a seven-minute pitch. They present to an audience of their peers, industry professionals, and a special jury.
Éléonore Gueit, a member of the 2024 Jury and a Sustainable Engineering Advocate at Amadeus, says the quality of the students’ work was admirable.
“I am extremely impressed by the quality of what I have seen so far, the presentation skills obviously, but also the nature of the work they did in such a limited period of time,” Eleonore says. “How they managed to understand the specific challenge of the company that we’re partnered with is really, really impressive.” (02:44)
Vincent Simard, a local EMS lead at SAP Labs France, was impressed by how deeply the students delved into delivering a successful and practical pitch.
“They really went precisely looking for information, locally and globally, so that they could have the best view possible,” Vincent says. “ So we’re really proud of them, we’re proud of what they achieved, and we’re really proud that they can also help a few different companies as well.” (01:08)
The program strives to leave a sustainable impact on local and global businesses, yet it also leaves a strong impression on its students.
“I’m going to take this experience with me for a very long time to come,” Akshay says. “This was one of the highlights of my MBA experience.” (03:58)
This experience has prepared Akshay and his peers to make a positive impact on real-world sustainability issues. Equipped with new knowledge, industry connections, and hands-on skills, they take their first steps toward becoming tomorrow’s leaders in sustainability.
Learn more about how you can make a difference with EDHEC Business School‘s programs.
