• The Chair can be validated in one term (T2)

• The Chair has fewer requirements to be certified (see here)

• The Chair Seminar "Digital Disruption" is taught during the intensive week at the beginning of January

• The group project is done during T2, with a possible extension during T3

• There will be no trips organized by the Chair. But we will still plan to have company visits, guest speakers, and social events.

Not at all. The Chair takes a strategy and innovation perspective on the digital economy and business models. There will be no coding or any use of computer tools beyond the normal productivity software to produce content (i.e., Word, Powerpoint, ...).

The Digital Disruption Chair is now officially a teaching and research Chair. It means that the Chair will not only focus on the development of pedagogical content and experiences for the students but also on the discovery and dissemination of knowledge to a larger audience.

The objective is to be grounded in practice, conduct relevant applied research, and pursue thought-leadership activities.

The research project done by students remains quite comparable to a consulting mission on a cutting-edge topic. In other words, it is not an academic research project.

Students will also have the opportunity to work on thought-leadership pieces that will be made publicly available. The idea is to make the Chair more visible outside ESSEC by demonstrating the work of the students and the professors affiliated with the Chair.

We can summarize by saying that the Chair takes an active approach to develop and promote the digital expertise we have at ESSEC.

The Accenture Strategic Business Analytics Chair focuses on training data leaders. The content is mainly related to data analytics to create business value. The Chair is designed to train data translators by preparing the students for business analytics functions. The focus is on practical applications of business analytics techniques and Big Data.

The Digital Disruption Chair focuses on digital business model innovation and strategy. The Chair provides a holistic perspective on how digital is impacting organizations and society. The objective is to train digital leaders who should be capable of leading digital projects and transformations within traditional organizations, pure tech players, digital transformation consultancies, startups, scale-ups, or VC funds.

We might talk about similar topics (e.g., AI, Big Data) in both Chairs but we would do it from very different perspectives.

In principle, the two Chairs remain good complementors to each other. They do not substitute for one another.

The Chair will remain one of the most selective Chairs at ESSEC. The quality of the program will depend on the motivation and fit of the applicants to learn and to actively contribute to the Chair.

Therefore, we are looking for students who clearly want to deepen their knowledge and expertise about current digital topics such as blockchain, AI, crypto, NFT, Web3, digital platforms, super-apps, or even digital sustainability.

There is not one kind of profile that we are looking for. All the applicants will be evaluated for their true merits. The selection process will take into account prior personal and professional experiences related to digital.

Be yourself! We want to get to know you, not someone else...

Be honest about your goals and the reasons you are applying to the Chair.

Do not invent stuff. It is obvious when you do not know what you are talking about.

Focus on demonstrating your "digital" expertise, motivation, and interests.

Think about what you can bring to the Chair.

Of course! By demonstrating that you are motivated to join and that you have used one year to improve your application, you will have more chances to get selected.

Please contact the assistant of the Chair, Emilie De Stefano (digitaldisruption@essec.edu).