HEC Paris Business School appoints Executive Education heavyweight Prof. Anne-Valerie Corboz as new Associate Dean of Executive Education

Paris: Professor Anne-Valérie Corboz joins HEC Paris as its new Associate Dean of Executive Education. Prof. Corboz, who has enjoyed a long and international professional trajectory in the business school arena, joins the school from Duke Corporate Education in Singapore, where she oversaw Duke’s executive education operations in Asia, India and the Middle East. Prior to joining Duke CE, Professor Corboz held faculty and executive roles at IMD, Insead, Singapore Management University and the Boston Consulting Group, among others.

With a PhD in entrepreneurship and social innovation from RMIT University in Australia, Prof. Corboz takes over from Nathalie Lugagne, who after four years spent as Associate Dean of Executive Education, has become Senior Academic Advisor for HEC Paris in China.

“The richness of Anne-Valérie Corboz’s international career and her strong expertise in the world of Education and Executive Education in particular are key assets in carrying out her mission. I have no doubt that she will continue to position HEC Paris’ Executive Education programs at the highest international standards” says Prof. Eloïc Peyrache, Interim Dean of HEC Paris.

According to Professor Corboz, “HEC Paris has a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and tradition, excellence and experimentation, alongside a culture of loyalty to the school and what it stands for.”

Professor Corboz was also attracted to the school’s focus on purposeful leadership and inclusive growth. “I believe that education in general, and business education specifically, have a particularly important and meaningful role to play in shaping the world. We want to work with leaders on their transformational missions and priorities, whether it is by looking at innovations in the circular economy arena or changing the fabric of society through meaning and purpose,” she says.

Anne Valérie Corboz joins HEC Paris at a time of profound change and disruption, for both executive education and for the business world in general. “Although the Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the adoption of digital transformation in the education sector, it has also highlighted the need for human interaction,” Corboz says.

She argues that we can translate this into a growing demand, and offering, of blended programs. “We have found that we can facilitate the learning and sharing of a far broader set of skills online than initially presumed, but some degree of face-to-face interaction is still critical”.

“My experience with companies around the globe, across industries and size, has taught me that the ones which keep investing in education in times of crisis are the ones who thrive in the long term,” she adds.

In addition, Corboz wants to further develop areas which, in her view, will be especially relevant in the near future: entrepreneurship and innovation obviously, but also nurturing resilience and motivation in the new working environment, developing trust and purpose.