emlyon partners with the Diplomatic and Consular Academy to promote interdisciplinary learning
emlyon business school becomes the first French business school to sign a strategic partnership with the Diplomatic and Consular Academy (DCA), created in 2024 by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. This partnership aims to strengthen the teaching of geopolitics across the School’s programs, as part of emlyon's interdisciplinary knowledge strategy.
A strategic partnership to strengthen education in geopolitics
In a world increasingly shaped by the complexity of international issues and major geopolitical challenges, the partnership between emlyon and the DCA addresses the need to train responsible decision-makers capable of understanding diplomatic and strategic dynamics. Beyond economic issues, it is now essential for management schools like emlyon to incorporate these themes into their academic courses.
Launched by Isabelle Huault, President of the Executive Board and Dean of emlyon, and Didier Le Bret, Director of the DCA, the main goal of the partnership is to help emlyon students understand geopolitical and diplomatic realities. This will be achieved through guest lectures across emlyon's programs, co-designed seminars and workshops, promotion of diplomatic careers, joint event participation, recognition of professional experience, and student mobility in these fields. emlyon and the DCA commit to working together on several key initiatives:
Guest lectures by diplomats from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in emlyon’s academic programs — especially the em-politique track of the Master in Management and the upcoming MSc in Global Risks and Strategic Intelligence
Career exploration opportunities related to diplomacy, through the Career Center — including internship offers and networking events
Participation of diplomats in emlyon Executive Education programs
Conferences co-organized with the Diplo'Mates student association and the Public Affairs Club
Contributions from emlyon Faculty members to DCA-led conferences and academic events
Participation of scholarship students from the emlyon Foundation in the ADC’s summer program
Co-organization of public events such as “La Fabrique de la Diplomatie” and the DCA’s “Petits et Grands Séminaires”
This collaboration reinforces emlyon’s role as a key player in educating leaders who can understand and act within a complex global environment. By opening new channels of cooperation with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, emlyon business school further commits to delivering cutting-edge expertise in diplomacy and strategic affairs — while contributing to the international visibility of French diplomacy.
At a time when diplomacy is a key concern for decision-makers, we are delighted with this partnership that enriches our pedagogy and contributes to French soft power.
Blending management and diplomacy: the distinctive pedagogical approach at emlyon
Interdisciplinarity is a core pillar of emlyon’s pedagogical model. The School’s strategy of knowledge hybridization is further enriched through this agreement with the Diplomatic and Consular Academy. Already embodied by other world-class academic partnerships, this approach fosters the integration of disciplines, the breaking down of barriers, and the enhancement of student capabilities to better address societal transformations.
By embedding diplomacy and geopolitics into its programs, emlyon deepens the interconnections between economics, politics, technology, and global affairs. Students benefit from cross-disciplinary input from diplomats, faculty members, partner institutions, and alumni — helping them develop analytical reflexes, critical thinking, a sharp understanding of international dynamics, and the ability to engage with all types of stakeholders.
This new partnership exemplifies one of the two major pillars of emlyon’s hybridization strategy, as outlined in its Résonances 2028 strategic plan: enhancing openness and interdisciplinarity. It also contributes to the School’s global reach, with over 230 academic partnerships in 60 countries, spanning complementary disciplines to management. By linking management and diplomacy, this partnership embodies the School’s mission: to shape enlightened, responsible leaders capable of navigating an unstable, multicultural, and interconnected world.