For Claire Gouzouli MBA’85D, INSEAD changed the course of her life. “Without INSEAD, I would probably never have left Germany,” she says.
The experience opened her horizons far beyond what she had imagined. Claire went on to build an international career in management consulting, working across several European countries. Over the years, she lived in seven countries and worked in nearly 30. Along the way, she encountered very different cultures and societies – and met her late husband, Norman Bernard.
Those experiences helped shape a conviction that has stayed with her: education can transform lives, and empowering women can create change far beyond the individual.
Claire has now established The Norman Bernard Endowed Scholarship in memory of her husband. The scholarship will support women pursuing the INSEAD MBA, with a particular focus on candidates from countries where access to such opportunities remains limited.
For Claire, the gift is a natural conduit of values that she and Norman shared.
“INSEAD opened my horizons. It gave me a different perspective on the world and the opportunity to engage with people, cultures and ideas I might never otherwise have encountered.”
Claire’s belief in the importance of women’s empowerment deepened over time. Hearing James D. Wolfensohn, then President of the World Bank, speak at INSEAD in 1999 reinforced that conviction. His message — that educating and empowering women is not only a matter of equality, but a powerful driver of economic and social development — strongly resonated with what Claire had witnessed through her own experiences.
“It confirmed for me that if we want to achieve meaningful societal change, we need to empower women,” Claire says. “Education is one of the most powerful ways to do that.”
The Norman Bernard Endowed Scholarship extends that commitment to another stage of life: helping talented women access leadership education and the opportunities that come with an INSEAD MBA.
“Norman and I believed in supporting girls through education. Today, I want to continue that commitment at MBA level. Giving women access to education, networks and leadership opportunities can multiply their impact even further. Beyond the benefit to the individual the INSEAD MBA empowers these young women to transform the societies where they will live and work.”
Naming the scholarship after Norman also gives the gift a deeply personal meaning. It is a way for Claire to honour their shared values and transform part of the legacy they built together into opportunities for future generations.
For Claire, INSEAD is uniquely placed to make that possible. Its global outlook and belief in business as a force for good strongly reflect her own.
“The INSEAD education can help people change the world for the better,” she says. “I want to help make that opportunity accessible to women who have the talent and ambition to lead, but who may not otherwise have the means to come here.”
Through the Norman Bernard Endowed Scholarship, Claire is carrying forward both a personal legacy and a lifelong belief: that investing in women’s education is one of the most powerful ways to create lasting change.
For more information on Claire and the Norman Bernard Endowed Scholarship, read the press release here: Claire Gouzouli MBA’85D supports INSEAD with €1.2 million gift to expand access for women to the MBA.
