Understanding Risks to Lead Better: Cybersecurity as a Key Issue
At a time when cyber, geopolitical and environmental risks are reshaping business competitiveness, the MSc in Strategic Intelligence & Global Risks trains future decision-makers to confront the unexpected.
Led by Professor Jean-Louis Magakian and Philippe Hoddé, the MSc in Strategic Intelligence & Global Risks (SIGR) prepares students to face external threats in order to lead more effectively. The programme is built around three pillars: geopolitics, the environment and cybersecurity, with cybersecurity placed at the core.
“It is impossible to discuss corporate strategy without considering cyber risk: organisations must learn to protect their information and to respond to digital crises. We therefore train managers who can identify threats, oversee crisis management and understand the organisational impacts of an attack.” — Philippe Hoddé
“Cybersecurity has become a condition for competitiveness. The economic world is experiencing a strategic moment where speed and surprise prevail. A competitor can disrupt a market within weeks through digital technology or artificial intelligence. Leaders must therefore be able to imagine the unexpected.” — Jean-Louis Magakian
Concrete Applications of Cybersecurity
The programme includes practical applications through courses on cyber strategy and cyber protection in the context of economic warfare. These advanced modules are designed to explore the operational and strategic dimensions of cyberattacks and information warfare from a crisis management perspective. Beyond raising awareness of risks, students experience cyber crises from the inside, learning to respond, coordinate and communicate under pressure. The guiding principle is hybridisation, encouraging students to understand how a technology “thinks” in order to better protect against it.
“Students begin with theoretical foundations, then take part in cyber crisis simulations led by practitioners. They learn to coordinate teams, manage internal communication and maintain business continuity. A crisis is not always immediate: we work on long-term scenarios to develop decision-making over time.” — Philippe Hoddé
International Experience at the Heart of the Programme
In addition to theoretical and practical training, the programme includes an international experience in Oulu, Finland, chosen to immerse students in the core issues of the curriculum.
“Finland is a relevant choice; it is a country at the forefront of digital security and resilience. Students discover how a national history shaped by proximity to Russia integrates risk management into daily life. They also meet actors such as Nokia to understand the industrial reality of cybersecurity.” — Jean-Louis Magakian
A learning trip to Turin, within the United Nations System Staff College, is also part of the programme, offering students the opportunity to explore risk management at a global level.
“Our goal is not to train ‘cyber combatants’ but to develop responsible managers capable of building trusted relationships in an unstable world.” — Philippe Hoddé
From Cybersecurity to Leadership
The programme’s multidisciplinary approach enables students to acquire diverse skills and become managers able to make informed decisions by anticipating and understanding global risks.
“The programme primarily develops a culture of risk and anticipation: knowing how to monitor one’s environment and identify weak signals. We are not training code engineers, but decision-makers able to organise a structure’s defence and resilience.” — Philippe Hoddé
“Our main objective is to build collective awareness of risk. Strategic intelligence involves both gathering relevant information and understanding how to connect elements in order to act in time. The manager of tomorrow will need to foster this shared awareness at all levels of the organisation.” — Jean-Louis Magakian