Cartier, ESCP and HEC Paris kick off new research Chair: “Turning Points - Aspiration to Inspiration”

Cartier brings together for the first time two leading business schools to advance research on emerging business and societal challenges.

The ambition of this Chair is to share a research culture to inspire a unique organisation to tackle current and future turning points in its business practice and societal impact.

“Turning Points - Aspiration to Inspiration” will be co-directed by ESCP and HEC Paris Professors Ben Voyer and Anne Laure Sellier.

This chair is a unique example of a win-win partnership, with two of the leading business schools in Europe joining forces and offering their complementary research expertise, cultural reach, and distinct programmes offering to seal a partnership of a new kind.

It marks an unprecedented collaboration of this scale between two of France's leading Business Schools and the Maison Cartier.

The Chair will deal with research questions raised by current turning points such as sustainability, new relations to consumption, generation Z behaviours, as well as preparing for upcoming challenges. It will open the door to exciting debates that will nourish, inspire and enlighten the communities of both students and managers.

Beyond its academic research focus, enabling the chair-holders to conduct cutting-edge academic research in their area of expertise, the Turning Points chair will provide a learning lab for Cartier and the two school’s student ecosystems, by:

• Providing food for thought and inspirational learnings to Cartier community worldwide
• Engaging in a dialogue through live case studies, to capture different cultural and generational perspective on specific business and societal issues
• Creating an observatory of generational and cultural changes, with the help of a student team of community managers
• Capturing best practices on sustainability with the writing of a case study at Cartier, highlighting and challenges ahead

Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO, Cartier

“Research and education play a fundamental role in helping change existing practices and models within the luxury sector. As an international luxury Maison, we remain committed to actively support those who are addressing these challenges to inspire the next generation”, says Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International. “This means further fostering dialogues between business and education, for a concrete and durable impact.”

Prof. Ben Voyer at ESCP, co-chair holder of the Turning Points chair declares "Cartier has a unique culture and heritage that makes it stand out among other craftsmanship-focused Maisons. Having the opportunity to inspire such a distinctive Maison is a privilege. I look forward to fostering creative discussions with Cartier employees around the world, sharing cutting-edge academic research and insights, and bringing a different take on current business and societal issues, from sustainability to circular consumption and from cultural to generational differences".

Prof. Anne Laure Sellier at HEC Paris, co-chair holder of the Turning Points Chair adds "With its remarkable culture, leadership and resources, Cartier has the best ingredients to continue developing as a magnificent organization in terms of its societal impact, beyond its business activity. My hope is that the Chair will provide yet another lens to Cartier employees, through which to view the social world a little differently, exchange, and generate ideas and solutions to the challenges ahead.”

A first Turning Points: sustainability

One of the first research projects the chair-holders will launch is a reflection on the words and language used to discuss sustainability, which is, arguably, one of the most pressing turning points societies are facing. Following the launch of the Chair, a challenge will be initiated to collect data on the words that are used in French by businesswomen and businessmen to talk about sustainability and human actions related to it, and to capture how the complexity of the word “sustainability” in English is translated into French.

Press contact: 

Julie Dobiecki - dobiecki@hec.fr - +33 6 37 39 62 99