Valerie GAUTHIER

Valérie Gauthier was educated in France and the United States, with a BS in Psychology (University Paris V), Masters in Modern Literature (University of Paris III) and English (University of Oklahoma), a PhD in Comparative Literature (Sorbonne) and Stanford’s Graduate Business School’s Executive Program (EPSO). She has taught relational leadership and business communication courses at NYU Stern and MIT Sloan as Visiting Professor since 2011.

Her leadership experience was gained as Dean of the HEC MBA program in training 200 MBA participants per year during 8 years while leading the HEC Paris MBA (2002-2010) where she redesigned the MBA curriculum and restructured the program with a view towards future societal and educational shifts. Under her two mandates, the program underwent a fundamental transformation that has placed the HEC MBA among the top MBA programs worldwide (FT MBA ranking – 18th in 2011 vs 67th in 2002. She has taught relational leadership and business communication courses at NYU Stern and MIT Sloan as Visiting Professor since 2011.

The programs and seminars she developed on relational leadership with her approach have positively impacted thousands of individuals and companies by crafting individual and interpersonal trust to grow a common sense of purpose for innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2019, she launched a new web application, Within (www.savoir-relier.com), to scale and disseminate the practice of Savoir-Relier and exercise relational leadership and mindful innovation sustainably.

She held the HEC-Pernod Ricard Leadership Chair and designed and directed a “Leadership certificate” Program for HEC Paris from 2014 to 2018. Elected best HEC Professor of the year, she received in 2001 the HEC Vernimmen award. In 2010 she was decorated as Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor and that same year was selected as Visionary by Fortune “Global Visionaries Forum”.

She was Professional Athlete (won Gold Medal in French Ski Open Master 2 category in 2004 and 4th place in US NAIA Tennis Championship in 1983). Her passions include poetry, painting, education and technology. 

Her research includes the following publications:

• “Leading with Sense: The Intuitive Power of savoir-relier”, book published by Stanford University Press and Eyrolles under the Title: Le Savoir-Relier. Le Savoir-Relier, chapter in Les Sept Clés du Leadership, Edition L’Archipel, 2010 ;
• "Repenser l’éducation des futurs leaders" in La Tribune, September 2009;
• "Pour un apprentissage du leadership" in Les Echos, May 2008; “Intuitive intelligence and leadership” in L’art du management, 2008;
• "Le leadership, une construction de soi" in La Tribune, April 2007;
• "La lente mais irrésistible montée des femmes" in Les Echos, October 2005;
• "Le "savoir-relier" et son importance dans la formation au management" in Les Echos, September 2004, “savoir-relier” (with JP Larçon et J. Lendrevie) in L’Ecole des managers de demain, 1994, in Economica.