The 2024/25 season of Les Conférences de l’INSEAD, comprising 5 sessions, has wrapped. This season was the first with Katell Le Goulven, Hoffmann Institute Executive Director, taking the helm as Director of the Conferences from Henri Claude after over 30 years.
Through the INSEAD Hoffmann Institute, INSEAD has placed sustainable development, energy transition, social and environmental responsibility at the heart of its concerns, teaching and research. Since 1987, Professor Henri-Claude de Bettignies has organised "Les Conférences de l’INSEAD", a free series in French which welcomes the local community. Les Conférences creates a space to reflect on current topics, always with an eye on the future. Over 36 years, Professor de Bettignies organized 171 conferences, giving the floor to 70 speakers—including philosophers, economists, musicians, and 25 INSEAD professors.
Professor Henri-Claude de Bettignies attending a session.
This year, the 2024-25 season was a little different. Katell Le Goulven, Executive Director of the Hoffmann Institute, took over as Director of Les Conférences. During this season, Le Goulven moderated five conversations. The conversations hosted included INSEAD professors, alumni and fellows ranging from the mental health crisis in young people, greening the Paris 2024 Olympics and a visit from an Astronaut.
Session Highlights
"Can a leader be just? From Napoleon Bonaparte to the present day." with Professor Ludo Van der Heyden, INSEAD Emeritus Professor of Technology and Operations Management and The INSEAD Chaired Professor of Corporate Governance (26 September)
The season opened with INSEAD Professor Ludo Van der Heyden. He explained "France is a country where equity occupies a central place. The motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” and the information relayed by the media illustrate this every day. As a professor of management, I asked myself the following question: can a leader, whether in the world of business or in politics, be fair?” This is the question that Professor Van der Heyden unpacked. He focused on the case of Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as on other more current leaders. He spoke about justice through virtue, personal justice, and justice through fair process. He also spoke on how most people view justice through a personal lens, thinking about their own share.
‘The contribution of Paris 2024 on sustainability, social and urban development” with Georgina Grenon (MBA’99J), Director of Environmental Excellence Paris 2024, Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympics 2024 (10 October)
INSEAD alumna Georgina Grenon gave a presentation highlighting the impact of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Under her leadership, the Games followed a unique and eco-responsible organisational model, meeting environmental and societal challenges while demonstrating unprecedented results. The results included 98.4% of Paris 2024's needs were covered by electricity from the grid, all of which was produced in France and certified as being of renewable origin (solar and wind) by EDF, Premium Partner of the Games of Paris 2024. They also included achieving 90% circularity for the 6 million items that were needed to run the games.
You can read the case study about the games by Professors Atalay Atasu and Luk Van Wassenhove here.
You can read the Paris 2024 Sustainability and Legacy report here.
“The new chapter of globalisation: the role of emerging economies” with Marcos Troyjo PhD, Economist, diplomat and Hoffmann Institute Distinguished Fellow (21 November)
Former Director of the New Development Bank and Hoffmann Institute Distinguished Fellow Marcos Troyjo spoke about the crucial role of emerging economies in shaping the next chapter of globalisation, to an audience full of students from local schools. As global dynamics shift, due to demographic change and economic growth he spoke about these economies are driving the future of growth and development.
Discover more content by Troyjo, such as him explaining what his definition of an emerging economy is, what the key trends are, and why we should pay attention on the free INSEAD Learning Hub App.
“Facing the mental health crisis in young people” with Professor Marie- Rose Moro, child and adolescent psychiatrist and Professor at Université Paris Cité (12 December)
The conference opened with shocking statistics shared by Le Goulven: in France, 25% of young people (ages 11-21) have thought about suicide, 50% have experienced anxiety, and 20% are depressed. Dr. Moro noted that while these statistics reflect self-reported diagnoses, the official figures—based only on clinically diagnosed cases—are lower, at around 12% of all adolescents.
Dr. Moro then gave a presentation examining the mental health crisis among young people in France, discussing her work as a clinical psychiatrist treating adolescents in hospitals. She highlighted that girls are less likely to be taken seriously when expressing a mental health crisis, as they tend to verbalise their struggles more than boys. Moro also outlined potential solutions to address this crisis, emphasizing that it is not just a national issue but a global one.
Katell Le Goulven PhD and Professor Marie-Rose Moro
“Can space teach us how to live better together on Earth?” with Thomas Pesquet (GEMBA’25) Astronaut for European Space Agency and veteran of two missions to the International Space Agency (6 February)
We welcomed French astronaut and recent GEMBA alumnus Thomas Pesquet for a historic event. This session was the largest in INSEAD history. We received over 1,200 registrations, broadcast the conference across multiple amphitheatres, and had over 1,000 participants join live. Pesquet shared his space adventures during the 200-day Alpha mission. Demonstrating extraordinary ingenuity, technical expertise, and adaptability. He recounted his experience through a narrated video, highlighting incredible life aboard the space station, photos of Earth as seen from space and him working as astronaut suspended on a 17-meter robotic arm with 400 kilometres of emptiness below him. Pesquet took questions from the local community who attended. The conference provided a forward-looking perspective on the next phase of lunar exploration and, in the near future, the exploration of Mars. We were fortunate to collaborate with many colleagues, including over 50 volunteers, to whom we extend our thanks.
The next cycle of Les Conférences de l’INSEAD will resume in September 2025, and we look forward to seeing you again for more engaging discussions on current affairs. We want to warmly thank all those who joined us for this season as participants but also those that volunteered. In the meantime, we invite you to read the INSEAD Conference Retrospective by Professor Henri-Claude de Bettignies taken from his conference celebrating the history of the Conferences held at INSEAD on 02/29/2024, which you can also watch on INSEAD's YouTube channel.
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