Shape the Future of Energy at the HEC Paris Executive MBA
Specializations enable you to expand your knowledge of a specific industry, identify strategic opportunities, and fine-tune your analytical and decision-making skills. Shape the Future of Energy is aimed at executives and senior managers working or planning to work in industries and services where energy production and consumption can have significant consequences on the corporate bottom line.
This Specialization is geared towards executives working or planning to work energy production and consumption. It also attracts those for whom greenhouse gas reduction policies could significantly impact corporate bottom lines.
The resulting need to define and implement a corporate energy and climate strategy means this specialization equips leaders to deal with operational challenges and the emergence of a growing renewable energy industry.
Getting the inside track to the future
“The specialization offers participants a unique perspective on the energy industry, its ongoing transformation and the many opportunities it offers to both incumbents and new entrants,” says Dean of Faculty and Research Andrea Masini, who wears the hat of an instructor in the Specialization. “By giving participants a holistic view of the sector-- from the production of primary energy to the generation and distribution of electricity, to the delivery of services to end users-- the specialization equips our participants with state-of-the-art knowledge, helping them understand where and how value will be created in this complex industry that plays a major role in the economy.”
Helmed by Academic Director and energy industry legend Jean-Michel Gautier, the specialization tends, more often than not, to leave an indelible mark on the professional lives of participants—past and present. The extent of pressure-packed, hands-on experiential learning opportunities is a particular strength that the program offers.
Participant impressions
Szilvia Nagy, EMBA '22, an Amsterdam-based lawyer at Dutch law firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, summed up her experience thus far with gusto. “After learning about climate change developments, the geo-economics and -politics of energy, the ins and outs of the oil and gas business from Jean-Michel Gauthier and a virtual visit to Qatargas, my team and I were subjected to a stress test handling a crisis simulation-- successfully!”, she said.
Financial Markets expert Fatima Roudani, EMBA '22, who categorized the most recent energy specialization week as “absolutely enriching,” took care to note the “intervention of exceptional and impressive professors and guests Andrea Masini, Joseph Nehme, Patrick Romeo, Pierre Andurand, Serge Besanger, and Chalres Matar.”
The need for leaders to develop a comprehensive and strategic view of energy issues, including climate impact on the global economy, is part and parcel of the training on offer at the Specialization, which comes at a torrid pace. Indeed, reflecting on the extent to which climate change will affect corporate strategies worldwide is a key driver in the training.
“What struck me the most is how fast we have to act to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels,” said Zakaria Hami, EMBA '22, a manager at Schlumberger, who is among the cohort that recently completed its first week of the specialization. “We are at about 1.2°C right now which calls for drastic changes to be made, not only by government and big corporations but also on an individual behavioral level. I am very glad to see big companies in the oil and gas industry such as Schlumberger taking the pledge to NET Zero by 2050 to align with Paris Agreement.”
Catherine Mushi, EMBA '22, Production Geoscientist at Shell, was deeply impressed with the depth in hands-on learning opportunities.
"The energy crisis simulation was instrumental to me," said the March 2022 track participant. "Working with the team to find energy solutions that will be profitable to the business enabled me to have real-life experience of the complexity of the business that CEOs, CFOs, and government officials face. The exercises provided a deep focus on leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork during the Specialization was essential. Identifying opportunities for energy solutions in each continent and country in the challenging business world was remarkable."
An alum's thoughts
"The change of title to this major to ‘Shaping the Future of Energy’ has happened at the right time”, says alum Kannan Kasilingam, EMBA ’20, Sub-Category Lead at TechnipFMC, reflecting on how the program content adapts to the state of affairs at a given point in time. “Increased focus on renewables, electrification, and hydrogen production equipped with carbon capture has become the nucleus of energy companies' vision. I am so glad to be part of this industry.”
Energetic growth
Associate Dean Masini summed up the potential growth made possible by professionals who choose this specialization aptly.
“The two intensive weeks of training in Doha and Berlin, the multiple opportunities for networking and the numerous field visits help participants understand how the imperative to address climate change is transforming the industry. This, and that it obliges all players to embrace innovation, to look for alternative sources of energy and to develop new business models. As such the specialization is suited for both energy professionals who want to obtain a comprehensive view of the industry to target c-level positions, but also to participants willing to radically transform their careers and propose new products and services in a decarbonized and decentralized energy world.”