EuroTrek Paris

For the first time, on January 9th and 10th 2001, EuroTrek crossed the channel between London and Paris. Registered participants were attracted by top speakers and the prospects of partying in “Gai Paris” before coming back to snowy New England… They were not to be disappointed. Among other top senior executives were the CEO of France Telecom, Michel Bon, his counterpart from Bouygues Telecom, Patrick Leleu and former Morgan Stanley Paris office chief (HBS MBA’84), Andre-Francois Poncet, who came to tell current HBS students about exciting and rewarding business careers in France.
Awaiting the 40 US and international HBS students, were a group of 80 alumni, panelists and speakers who were eager to discuss with the EuroTrekers about the business challenges posed by the local deregulation of telecommunications, new technologies in interactive Media, e-commerce models on the old continent and the European landscape in Venture Capital. Thanks to the HBS club of Paris and to the three sponsors McKinsey&Co, Nomos and Goldman Sachs, the whole event took a highly professional note, which we hope will pave the way for future editions.
What was also particularly interesting in this Trek was the strong involvement of the Paris alumni. The HBS community in France exceeds 1000 registered members. Their involvement ranged from sponsoring the cocktail, to the participation of a diverse group of alumni, who graduated from 1971 to 2000. Among them were entrepreneurs who had started ventures in France or abroad, headhunters, consultants, bankers and venture capitalists. They came to learn about the latest business issues from CEOs and top executives, but their interest was also very genuine to meet the new group of graduates and help them network within the French business community.
The central location of EuroTrek Paris near the Champs Elysees in the prestigious “France-Ameriques” venue added to the excitement and opened a wide range of entertainment opportunities during these two days. Dinner at the trendy B*Fly restaurant and nightlife between the Champs Elysees and the “Quartier Latin” were among many options for those who still had the stamina.
EuroTrek Paris is born in 2001! It could easily grow into a continental Europe event over the next years! The good prospects for the European economy, the growing integration of markets and the wide community of HBS alumni in major continental Europe capitals are all positive factors to organize a large scale HBS networking and career development event in the future. For 2002 graduates willing to get involved and capitalize on this year’s experience, please contact the 2001 team! Check them out on the EuroTrek 2001 web site: www.hbs-eurotrek.com/Paris.htm