Scientific Council
ESSCA’s Scientific Council is an external committee composed of research directors and scholars recognised for the quality of their research both in France and internationally.
The objective of ESSCA’s Scientific Council is to provide a critical review of the previous year’s academic performance and to put forward to ESSCA’s Governance those scientific orientations it deems appropriate in the light of the School’s strategy and competitive context. This committee not only guarantees the continuous improvement of our activities, but also provides a source of inspiration and legitimacy for our fields of research.
Members of the Scientific Council
Our Scientific Council is made up of 5 permanent members from renowned international higher education institutions. They all have very strong academic credentials.
Professor Alessandra Colombelli
Full Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
She is the Head of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre (EIC) at the Politecnico di Torino and a Research Associate at CNRS-GREDEG, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (France), and at BRICK, Collegio Carlo Alberto (Italy). She serves as a Technical Assessor at the I3P incubator.
She is President of the Equal Opportunity Committee (CUG), and member of the Gender Observatory Working Group and Scientific Coordinator of the Gender Research Coordination Group (GReG) at the Politecnico di Torino. She has served as an elected member on the Board of the Italian Association of Management Engineering (AiIG). She has served in editorial boards of international journals like Associate Editor of Regional Studies, The Journal of Technology Transfer, and Eurasian Business Review, member of the Editorial Review Board of Small Business Economics, and a member of the Editorial Board of Climate and Economics. She was formerly a Marie Curie Fellow at Manchester Business School, and a research fellow at the University Lumière Lyon 2 and the University of Nice Côte d’Azur.
She has been involved in several national and international research projects promoted by both public and private institutions such as the European Commission and national authorities including the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, Invitalia, the Bank of Italy, and CNRS (France).
Her publications cover a range of topics in the fields of entrepreneurship, the economics of innovation, and regional economics. She has published articles in international scientific journals and acted as an editor for journal special issues like, among others, Economic Geography, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Industrial and Corporate Change, Industry and Innovation, Journal Of Small Business Management, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Regional Studies, Research Policy, and Small Business Economics.
Professor Alain Decrop
Professor of Marketing at the Faculty of Economics, Social Sciences and Management, University of Namur
Professor Decrop has a degree in Modern History and Economics and a PhD in Management Science. He is the director of CeRCLe (Centre de Recherche sur la Consommation et les Loisirs) and co-director of CCMS (Center on Consumers and Marketing Strategy).
His research interests focus on consumer decision making, postmodern consumer phenomena, qualitative methods, and tourism and leisure marketing.
He is the author of many works in these fields, published in several books and in leading scientific international journals. Since May 2019, Alain Decrop is also the 1st vice-president of the French Marketing Association (AFM).
Professor Helen Drake
Professor of French and European Studies and Director of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London.
Professor Helen Drake is a graduate of Aston University with a PhD in European Studies. She has an international reputation and specialises in contemporary French politics and European studies. Helen was President of the UK’s leading academic association for contemporary European studies (UACES) from 2012 to 2018. Since 2016, Helen has undertaken a series of research projects on the topic of the UK’s departure from the European Union (Brexit).
Her research and professional interests also include French politics and society, EU governance issues, and the history of European studies in the UK.
Among many honours, Helen has been named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, a title awarded by the French government for services to French culture and language.
Professor Michel Magnan
Ph.D., FRSC, FCPA auditor, FCA, ASC, V. Dir.
Michel Magnan is Professor and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Corporate Governance at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business. He is also a member of the scientific committee of the Desjardins Centre for Innovation in Corporate Finance at Concordia University and a CIRANO Fellow. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Washington (Seattle). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Distinguished Member of the “Ordre de l’Excellence en Education du Québec”.
His academic career spans over 30 years. His research and professional interests include financial statement analysis, governance, executive compensation, ethics, corporate social responsibility, and corporate disclosure. He is currently editor of three journals and serves on several editorial boards. He is currently a consulting editor for Contemporary Accounting Research, having served as its editor-in-chief from 2007 to 2010. He serves on the boards of several organisations.
Professor Maurice Thévenet
Professor of Human Resources Management, Cnam - Professor at the Management Department, ESSEC Business School.
A graduate of Essec, with a degree in law and theology, Professor Maurice Thévenet holds a PhD in Management Sciences from Aix-Marseille III University and a Higher Doctorate. He is also Professeur agrégé des universités (Management Sciences, 1991).
Co-founder of Holodis, he is an international consultant to companies regarding management and development of people.
He is the author of numerous books and articles on corporate culture, management and leadership.
A former holder of the HRM chair at the Cnam, Maurice Thévenet was Director of the ESSEC business school and President of the AGRH (Association Francophone de Gestion des Ressources Humaines).