On the occasion of the start of the new school year, Lionel SITZ, the new EMBA Program Director, took part in a Q&A session.

Lionel, can you tell us more about your background?

I have been a marketing teacher at emlyon for fifteen years. During these years, I held different positions and responsibilities within the school and became Academic Director of the Executive MBA in July 2022.

How can senior executives reconcile their daily professional life and their journey within the Executive MBA?

The Executive MBA program is designed from the outset to allow a balance between the training and the responsibilities of the participants. The sequencing of courses and training activities is designed to minimize the impact on the professional life of participants while optimizing learning.

The program offers two modalities: face-to-face or an online version. Both modalities have been designed to offer the same skills, but allow adaptation to the specific needs of the participants.

In addition, the face-to-face format is available in two rhythms: a so-called "long track" version, particularly suitable for active participants and a so-called "fast track" version for participants in professional retraining

How is recruiting an Executive MBA graduate (or offering the diploma to its employees) profitable for companies?

Any company wishing to promote the development of talent among its employees may be interested in the Executive MBA offered by emlyon business school.

Historically, large groups have been the main promoters of such training, but smaller companies (from ETIs to SMEs) can also benefit from the contribution that this training can have for their employees.

Beyond the personal development of the participants, the program allows them to develop their ability to think differently, to think boldly, to propose innovative solutions. So many things that the company can benefit from to grow and meet the challenges of tomorrow.

What does the Executive MBA bring to participants' careers?

The interest of following an Executive MBA (face-to-face or online) is to broaden the horizon of the participants, to allow them to develop bold new ideas, to build and expand a network. In addition, the training helps participants adopt and/or strengthen their leadership and reflexivity. All of these skills are increasingly needed in a world that is changing ever faster.

Finally, if you had to name 3 major reasons why a company should sponsor an Executive EMBA/O degree?

There are of course many reasons to sponsor an Executive MBA (face-to-face or online) for its employees. If I have to remember three:

  1. Develop its talents in the long term without losing efficiency in the short term, while increasing the satisfaction of its employees;
  2. Find immediate solutions to existing questions, allowing employees to discover new frameworks, meet people from different backgrounds and confront new ideas;
  3. Increase the efficiency of the company by allowing its employees to strengthen their leadership.