Fromarsac CEO Jean-Baptiste van Elslande is the new class sponsor of Chinese students at KEDGE

PRESS RELEASE - 24.10.17

Fromarsac CEO Jean-Baptiste van Elslande is the new class sponsor of Chinese students at KEDGE Business School’s Franco-Chinese Institute

Jean-Baptiste van Elslande is the new patron of the 2017-2018 class of Chinese students at the KEDGE French-Chinese Institute, who are about to start their new term at the Bordeaux campus. The CEO of Fromarsac (part of the Savencia Groupe) succeeds Daniel Harari and Jean-Claude Fayat in this role, and will open the new class at the training session for internship in France after 2 years of study in China.

Part of the Savencia Groupe, Fromarsac is a member of the KEDGE Foundation and is highly committed to supporting students both in their job search and educational support, specifically through the use of marketing case studies under the supervision of Bernard Cova, professor and researcher of consumer theory at KEDGE.

“Fromarsac is based in Marsac-sur l’Isle in Dordogne and is a leading figure in the French soft cheese market with brands such as St Moret, Tartare, Chavroux and P’tit Louis,” explains Jean-Baptiste van Elslande. “Over the past 4 years we have set up on site open days for students and invited them to work with company case studies, and in doing so we have developed a unique relationship with KEDGE Business School. Many students and alumni have joined our Groupe as interns, trainees and fully-fledged professionals, both in France and abroad. Some of them have accomplished excellent careers here and joined the Board of Directors. I am proud to sponsor this third class of students. After an international career of 20 years, I see great value in holding exchanges with students from foreign universities, which are essential to improving our understanding of business and its development outside of France. This commitment is consistent with the expansion of our activities in China, where the consumption of soft cheese is quickly becoming more widespread. We will be seeing job opportunities open up there within the next few years.”

As part of their course, which includes two years of study in France in third and fifth year, the Chinese students at KEDGE are given assignments for French-based businesses who also operate on the Chinese market. The businesses value these assignments as an opportunity to tackle issues to do with marketing, supply chains, commercial development, etc. The assignments, which the students work on in groups, start in January and last for 5 months.

“We are very proud of the fact that companies such as Fromarsac see students from the Suzhou Franco-Chinese Institute as a strategic resource,” says José Milano, Director General at KEDGE. “This year our sponsor is once again the director of a large company within the region that not only has international reach, but also a growing market in Asia.”

The Franco-Chinese Institute aims to train high-potential, trilingual Chinese specialists in the fields of finance, economics, management, applied foreign languages and humanities. During the first two years of their studies, completed in China, the Chinese students follow an intensive French language training programme and improve their English in preparation for their third year in France.

Companies interested in submitting an assignment for these students can get in touch with the Business Relations Department at KEDGE BS: Isabelle Blombou, Business Relations Manager - Aquitaine region, tel. +33 7 88 22 76 31 - isabelle.blombou@kedgebs.com

About Savencia Fromage & Dairy

The Savencia Group operates in the cow, goat and ewe’s-milk cheese markets, as well as producing speciallyprocessed fats, creams, serum-based powders and special butters. It employs 20,000 people worldwide and a reported turnover of €4.4 billion (2016). Over 2,000 of these workers are employed in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France.

savencia-fromagedairy.com