From 25 August to 13 October, across the Bordeaux, Marseille, Paris and Toulon campuses, more than 5,000 new French and international students will discover their academic environment through workshops, challenges, serious games and inspiring lectures. Each activity has been designed to encourage reflection, collective engagement and the adoption of KEDGE’s values from the very first steps within the School.
A programme designed to fit every course
• Programme Grande École (Bordeaux and Marseille campuses)
Students entering the Pre-Master year will take part in SimONU, a simulation of negotiations typically conducted by the United Nations. The 650 students will step into the role of UN ambassadors, defending the interests of an assigned country on the theme of equitable and sustainable access to healthcare in humanitarian crises.
Students enrolled in the 24-month work-study track of the PGE will take part in an experiential workshop on the appropriate behaviours of an apprentice. The aim is to stage real-life scenarios they may encounter either in the workplace or at school. Through these simulations, guided by coach Sébastien MEI – Founder of the Marseille Comedy Club – students will learn to highlight the School’s values and identify attitudes to adopt (or avoid) in a professional context.
Students entering the M1 year of the PGE will, with the support of the MakeSense association, work to solve a concrete challenge around the theme of well-being. During a three-hour workshop, they will be tasked with developing proposals in response to issues raised by local associations, including the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, screen addiction, gender equality, and mental health.
• KEDGE Bachelor
On the Paris and Toulon campuses, with the support of MakeSense, students will take part in Impact Odyssey, a collaborative urban challenge focused on the Sustainable Development Goals. Its objective is to inform, persuade and mobilise around major societal issues such as supporting people in difficulty.
On the Marseille and Bordeaux campuses, students will step into the shoes of entrepreneurs to explore new forms of enterprise, tackle concrete challenges in their fields of study (marketing, communications, finance, etc.), and draw on their ability to collaborate, experiment and take action. They will work alongside local entrepreneurs facing challenges linked to civic engagement, environmental awareness, the circular economy or supporting vulnerable young people
• International BBA (Marseille et Paris campuses)
Students will take part in TOONS, an activity designed by KEDGE coaches and faculty. This experience enables them to tackle major management issues through card draws, active listening sessions, public speaking exercises, inter-team duels and a series of challenges.
• EBP International (Bordeaux campus)
Students will participate in three fun workshops aimed at building connections among them while discovering their programme. They will take part in quiz-style activities, a campus rally, and the creation of a visual piece inspired by one of the School’s values.
• Business Engineer Programme (Toulon campus)
Students entering the M1 year will take part in a team-building exercise called “4 Colours”, based on the DISC method (a tool for analysing individual personality traits). This workshop, held on Mourillon beach, will focus on developing cohesion, leadership and communication while discovering the local environment.
Students entering M2 will take part in a serious game designed to foster an entrepreneurial mindset. The objective is to help them understand the key stages of the entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial process, along with the roles and responsibilities associated with each function.
• Specialised MS / MSc programmes (Bordeaux, Marseille and Paris campuses)
Students in M1 or work-study formats will engage in activities such as treasure hunts, role-playing games or a climate fresco workshop.
Full-time students will attend a conference by General Vincent ALEXANDRE, who will draw parallels between military leadership and management. He will particularly emphasise humility (accepting the role of a beginner and learning from others), rigour (demanding excellence of oneself and others), and open-mindedness (embracing global perspectives and adopting others’ ways of thinking). He will also share insights for understanding today’s strategic disruptions.
On the Marseille campus, students will also attend a conference hosted by corporate partner Pernod Ricard.
Alumni and corporate partner engagements: linking academic training with career perspectives
In line with its values and its experiential learning approach, KEDGE will offer students opportunities to meet and exchange with distinguished alumni and partner companies. These sessions are designed to guide students in their academic and career choices, encourage reflection on possible pathways, and help them project themselves into future responsibilities.
Highlights include:
EBP International students will benefit from the experience of alumnus David PIBAROT (Class of 2001), who built an international career in banking (Paris, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong) as a treasury and commodities trader. Returning to France in 2015, he joined the Intermarché Group to manage several supermarkets in the Bordeaux region, and since 2020 has run his own store in Bordeaux Lac.
Programme Grande École students will have the opportunity to hear from Martin Casassus (Recruitment Consultant, Team.is), Maëlle Kolz (apprentice at Pernod Ricard), Nadine Abotsi (graduate of the MS MAI programme in International Purchasing Management), Thibault Magri (Strategic Buyer, Dassault Aviation) and Matthieu Ruzzante (Consultant, Willing).
The Programme Grande École will welcome Jean-Emmanuel CASALTA, President of the television channel Public Sénat and KEDGE alumnus (Marseille campus, Class of 1993), as patron of the Pré-Master students.
With more than 20 years of experience in the media sector, Jean-Emmanuel Casalta has held senior leadership positions at the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA), France 3 Corse Via Stella, France Médias Monde (RFI, France 24) and, more recently, at Radio France, where he served as Director of France Bleu from 2018 to 2023.
Since 24 January 2025, Jean-Emmanuel Casalta has been the new President of Public Sénat.
As patron of the new PGE intake, he will be present on 2 September at the Marseille campus for a round-table discussion moderated by Céline Hay, Director of the PGE. He will address key topics such as the transition from preparatory classes to business school and the choices students will face throughout their professional journey.
