PRESS RELEASE - 09.11.2020
Airbus Helicopters Sponsors KEDGE’s Master of Science Innovation, Transformation, Entrepreneurship Graduating Class.
Airbus Helicopters, a KEDGE partner, has officially agreed to sponsor the inaugural graduating class in the Master of Science Innovation, Transformation, Entrepreneurship (MSc ITE). Christophe Prior, Digital Transformation Office Leader, spoke to the students entering the program about this momentous step at the Marseille campus on Wednesday 14 October 2020.
Paul Gimet, Director for the MSc Innovation, Transformation, Entrepreneurship (MSc ITE) and Strategy and Innovation professor explains, “Christophe Prior highlighted the need to train experts who will drive transformation and help companies navigate technological evolutions and health crises”. He adds, “as the transformation leader at a large aerospace firm, he was able to provide a great deal of educational information to our students.”
The next step in the collaboration between Airbus Helicopters and KEDGE will take the form of a common theme case study presented by Christophe Prior. The students in the MSc Innovation, Transformation, Entrepreneurship programme will be tasked with designing an innovation platform that can help large companies innovate alongside start-ups, resulting in cross-pollination. Before that happens, benchmarks will be created and other innovation platform models will be studied.
Christophe Prior states that “In the face of a major unprecedented crisis for the aeronautics industry, Airbus Helicopters must adapt and accelerate our digital transformation to further our corporate strategy and satisfy our customers. We must develop frugal innovation and promote collective intelligence within our ecosystems. The skills that the KEDGE Master of Science students will be learning will play a vital role in making this transformation a reality.”
Most of the MSc ITE students are concentrating on intrapreneurship, proving that the content of the programme aligns with the needs of companies. Upon graduation, these students will be sought-after employees. As for our future entrepreneurs, they will be managing their start-ups during the common theme case study. Given the high-quality content of this case study, some have chosen to pursue both educational tracks.
This brand-new programme got off to an intense start in the form of a business incubator, where a newly invented start-up had to be launched on the market in less than a week. The purpose of this educational experiment was to measure the students’ ability to put their knowledge to work in as little time as possible. This project was overseen by Christophe Guion, Director of Innovative Projects for Orange, and Evelyne Lombardo, Professor of Operations Management, Supply Chain and Information at KEDGE.
About Airbus Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters is a division of Airbus Group, a world leader in aeronautics, aerospace and related services.
The company’s mission is to deliver the most efficient civil and military helicopter solutions to the clients who serve, protect, save lives and transport passengers safely even in the most challenging conditions. Through a series of mergers, Airbus Helicopters has become the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, with a turnover of 6.8 billion euros in 2015. Airbus Helicopters’ international presence includes 29 centres and locations at customer sites, and a global network of service centres, training centres, distributors and authorised agents. The company employs 22,000 people around the globe.
KEDGE press contact
Titiane LUGAND titiane.lugand@kedgebs.com
