Message of the president
Chers camarades, chers amis, Dear GSB Fellows, Dear Friends,
Following our general meeting on June 30, we are kicking off our new term for 2026–2027
Building on the past to prepare for the future.
During the period that has just ended, some events are worth mentioning since July 2024:
– Florence, Italy, June 26-28, 2026, SIAW, Stanford International Alumni Weekend
A big thank you to the Italy Chapter for making this SIAW in Florence such a success, with more than 300 participants, mainly from Europe and the Middle East, as well as from the USA and around the world.
Together with Philippe Cases (SLO ’97, SBC VP European Affairs), this provided the opportunity to strengthen ties with the Chapters in Europe and the Middle East to undertake new joint initiatives.
– April 8-12, Art Paris 2026. This 28th edition brought together 170 galleries from 25 countries in the fully renovated spaces of the nave and balconies of the Grand Palais. Our members enjoyed free access to the exhibition for its entire duration, as well as a guided tour on Saturday, April 5, for a small group.
– March 25, 2026, the 18 MBAS’06 students of the ‘luxury trek’ in Paris received a warm welcome from alumni at the traditionnal dinner organized under the leadership of Frances Hsieh (MBA ’03).
– March 19, 2026, Rehearsal in “Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, Paris, Orchestre National de France”. Under the direction of Grammy-award-winning conductor Cristian Macelaru, we had the rare opportunity to watch the orchestra prepare for Tan Dun’s world premiere of his new Concerto for Clarinet.
– The December “Alumni Gala” organized with our friends from other American universities at France Amériques raffirmed its success to become the flagship event of the year-end season, bringing together more than 400 participants from around the world with alumni flying from 60 different countries ! Don’t miss the next one. Save the date: December 6, 2026
– On July 4, 2025, Centennial Celebration in Paris of the founding of the Stanford GSB. With more Cthan 100 attendees, (Cercle de l’Union Interalliée). Event organised under the leadership of Martine Liautaud, SEP 1989, President of the Stanford Business Club (France Chapter) 2000–2009, and GSB Alumni Association Board Member since 2022. Featuring a presentation by GSB Dean Sarah A. Soule with David Kennedy (MBA’98) and discussions with participants. Testimonials from alumni, including Didier Liautaud, MBA’06. Closing dinner.
– A very special “LearnFast Serie” breakfast meeting on May 20, 2025, with Rob Kaplan, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs and a member of the Management Committee.
Previously Mr. Kaplan served as President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. At Harvard Business School he was Professor of Management Practice and Senior Associate Dean.
Rob shared his unique perspectives on the current economic landscape, global markets, and leadership in times of uncertainty. This was a rare opportunity to engage with one of the foremost voices in finance and public policy.
– The roundtable discussion “China-France: Art, a Bridge Between Civilizations—But What Else?” was held on January 21, 2025. Ms. Xuemei TAN (Sciences Po Paris, residing in Beijing) and Mr. Julien ANFRUNS (ENA) shared with the audience—including Nicolas Idier, currently President Macron’s Cultural Counselor, their professional experiences regarding the dynamism of Franco-Chinese exchanges in the museum sector and the challenges of “soft power.”
– The “Alumni Gala American Universities” held in December 2024 at France Amériques (where our SBC is registered) with our friends from other American universities, were once again very successul, attracting more than 350 participants from around the world
– The event held on August 5, 2024, to celebrate the Paris Olympics, in honor of Stanford’s Olympic medalists and attended by all those who were able to come, was a great success with over 100 participants. The stunning salons and gardens of the Cercle de l’Union Interalliée hosted this gathering, which was followed by a dance party.
We are facing a challenge that was already evident several years before the pandemic (2014–2019): attracting a sufficient number of participants to our events, despite their high quality.
This challenge is also faced by our friends at the Stanford Club of France. Therefore, we have agreed with them to pool our invitations to the events we organize for the entire Stanford community in France.
Combining our events with theirs was not enough to significantly increase attendance. As we have seen from past successes, it seems necessary to open our events to alumni from other American universities.
GUIDELINES AND OBJECTIVES FOR for 2026–27
Some ideas we’re considering for our upcoming activities
– Host webinars on current topics and explore how we position ourselves as Stanford alumni.
– Reach out to Stanford professors visiting France to invite them to share their insights.
– Explore the challenges faced by French and European startups compared to the United States, where it is easier to start a business. How can AI agents today enable a single person to create and manage a “multinational corporation”? In keeping with the GSB’s entrepreneurial spirit, inviting startups to present their projects, challenges, and results could attract many of us, depending on our interests in the relevant fields.
– Defense in France and Europe has taken center stage in the news. France’s strengths and weaknesses. How is the use of AI changing the game? What kind of roundtable discussion should we organize on this topic? Major defense companies and decision-makers.
– The development of nuclear energy is less of a taboo within the broader context of climate change, renewable energy, and energy supply security. It remains a prominent issue, though still subject to controversy. What does France’s energy future look like in a mix that includes “renewables”? What does the future hold for EPRs, SMRs, and fast breeder reactors? Does France still possess the expertise and capacity for innovation to compete with China or the U.S., among other competitors? We must be able to generate broad interest in this topic, enabling us to bring in high-level figures capable of providing objective analysis, free from controversy.
– The automotive sector is under pressure in France, as it is throughout Europe (see Volkswagen just now), due to competition from China. Why does the electric car, by its very nature, pose such a challenge compared to China’s strengths? Is Europe still able to respond, and how?-
– Organize an event focused on human longevity, a major current topic involving fundraising and preventive medicine.
– Continue the “LearnFast Series” breakfasts hosted by our Secretary General, Yazid.
– An example of a practical application of AI: the development of the “Smart City.”
– Invitations to CEOs of major companies to present their strategies and visions for the future in light of current economic and political conditions during Q&A lunches or breakfasts.
– Undertake joint initiatives with other European Chapters, for instance resume weekend meetups on a specific topic and/or a specific location, like those previously organized in France, Italy, Portugal, and England.
– Invitation to our recent graduates from the classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 to gather for a cocktail or a buffet so we can get to know one another and encourage them to get involved in developing our activities based on their interests and availability.
– And, of course, organizing social gatherings and “festive” events, as the joy of getting together and keeping the Stanford spirit alive remains a primary motivation for participating in our activities.
There is no shortage of ideas, but putting them into practice (“to deliver”) is another matter. This requires broadening participation in the life of our association.
I’d like us to keep in mind that we have more than 600 French alumni from the Stanford GSB (of these, 47% hold MBAs, SLOAN and PhDs degrees, and 49% SEPs) — which makes us the largest group in Europe, after, of course, our friends from the United Kingdom. We are also one of the largest groups of alumni from top U.S. business schools in France, second only to Harvard.
We’ve made a point of maintaining the continuous updating of our database. It currently lists just over 600 French alumni, including their degree, graduation year, and as much contact information as possible, such as phone number, email, address, and occupation. However, our email list is limited to 280 verified addresses despite recent efforts to update it. This limits the reach of our messages, whether they are invitations to events or offers to join as a member.
Searching for and updating these email addresses would be a worthwhile effort to boost membership and participation in organized events, but it would require dedicating all the necessary time to it…
It should be noted here that the GSB directory is very incomplete for the France Chapter and, furthermore, contains numerous errors. A long time ago, we had considered organizing a file exchange to keep our directories as up-to-date as possible. Data protection laws forced us to abandon this project. We are able to update the France Chapter section of the directory ourselves, but this requires personal authorization following training. Since this is very time-consuming, we have not be able to continue with it.
According to our bylaws, any GSB alumn, upon verification, may become an active member of the SBC (Stanford Business Club), the GSB’s France Chapter. The annual membership fee is set by the board. Any active member may apply to join the board, subject to the board members’ review and the president’s approval.
Membership fee
Some may ask: why should I pay a membership fee? Do the benefits I receive (participation in events, preferential terms, etc.) actually offset the cost?
Should we even be asking the question this way?
Like any association, we have fixed costs: bank fees, membership dues to France-Amériques (where the SBC is registered), insurance, archiving and mailing costs.
The sponsorship we once received from large companies for publishing a directory featuring their ads has disappeared. Membership dues are our only permanent source of income.
Beyond covering our fixed costs, these dues provide the financial flexibility needed to cover event-organizing expenses that would not be covered by the participation fees charged, as our events are not intended to be profitable.
Being an active member of the SBC also means demonstrating a commitment to developing its activities, fostering friendships and mutual support, and promoting the GSB in France, particularly among businesses, universities, and schools.
Special thanks to all those who support our SBC as active members—some continuously since graduation, and especially during the three years of the pandemic.
Founded in 1979, the SBC (GSB France Chapter) has a long history.
Without going back that far, the average number of active members was 86 over the 10-year period from 2004 to 2013, with a peak of around 120—a truly remarkable figure for an alumni association.
That number declined sharply over the following 10 years, averaging just 20.
It’s worth noting that a total of 263 alumni have been active members for varying lengths of time over the past twenty years.
Wouldn’t a reasonable goal be to return to an average of 40–50?
The SBC needs you.
You are very welcome to become or remain an active member from today for the 2026–2027 season:
2026-27 Stanford-Business-Club membership=> Click HERE
For the weeks and months ahead, I’m counting on your talents. Your participation would be invaluable, for example, in :
– suggesting and organizing an event,
– taking charge of updating the database, searching for missing email addresses, reaching out to those we may have missed (by contacting alumni from different graduating classes, exploring networks such as LinkedIn, etc.)
– managing the maintenance of our website and providing regular updates: the GSB kindly allowed us to use the university’s “Lagunita” template to build it (on WordPress). Stanford Business Club
– serving as community manager to reactivate or create our social media accounts (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), develop them, and create content
– sharing any ideas you may have to make the France Chapter what it deserves to be.
Of course, your help is always appreciated, even if you have chosen not to become an active member.
Please contact :
Jean Idier : jidier@idjc.eu, jeanidier@yahoo.fr
Yazid Aksas : yaksas@gmail.com
Ksénia Delaittre : ksenia.delaittre@gmail.com
Philippe Cases : philippe.cases@gmail.com
Dear Friends, like any association, the Stanford Business Club will be what we make of it. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Having served as president for the four years following the pandemic, I will be stepping down from this role at the end of the year.
Our next General Meeting will elect a new president and board.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best for our 2026-2027 season.
Jean Idier
