ESSEC Business School has announced the opening of a hub in Mumbai, positioning the move as the first step in a long-term plan to build a stronger institutional presence in India. The school said the hub will support international development by strengthening local partnerships, enhancing student recruitment, and boosting mobility.
ESSEC said the hub was inaugurated in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, and that the announcement coincides with the French President’s visit to India in honour of the Indo-French Year of Innovation.
“For years, ESSEC Business School has embodied academic excellence and truly global reach,” said Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President of ESSEC. “Today, that enduring legacy takes an essential step forward into a dynamic country of incredible growth and potential: India. This move is the first step in our long-term plan for a significant institutional presence in the country.”
The Mumbai hub will be led by Sophie Collet Khanna. ESSEC described her as a higher-education specialist who has spent nearly 20 years working between India and France, supporting French and international institutions in their expansion into the Indian market. ESSEC added that she is a graduate of Sciences Po and has been a Foreign Trade Advisor of France since 2022.
In a statement, ESSEC characterised the Mumbai hub as a strategic base — a “strong foothold” intended to build deeper ties with Indian higher education institutions, corporate partners, and its alumni network. The school said the hub will act as a catalyst for its academic roadmap in the region.
A cornerstone of that plan is a partnership with French engineering school CentraleSupélec. ESSEC said the institutions are promoting a hybrid “STEM-B” approach, which fuses business, engineering, technology, and science. The school framed the approach as a way to respond to modern industry needs, with an emphasis on solution-building and employability.
ESSEC and CentraleSupélec are already long-standing partners in France. ESSEC said their joint-degree programmes include the MSc CentraleSupélec-ESSEC Entrepreneurs, the Master in Data Sciences & Business Analytics (DSBA), the BSc in Artificial Intelligence, Data and Management Sciences, and the Bachelor HEPTA programme for high-level athletes seeking to study while continuing to train.
ESSEC also said it is expanding activity with two of India’s best-known management schools. With IIM Bangalore, ESSEC said it is in the process of establishing a double degree programme in which students would be awarded an ESSEC Master in Management (MiM) and an IIM Bangalore MBA. With the Indian School of Business, ESSEC said it is enhancing student mobility initiatives, aiming to strengthen the exchange of “global talent and perspectives”.
“These partnerships will allow ESSEC students to have a new multicultural student experience and enhance their understanding of global business practices,” the school said.
“The Mumbai Hub is where the next chapter of ESSEC’s global story begins,” Vinzi added. “Together, we are ready to shape the future of management education in India.”
ESSEC described the Mumbai hub as its third international hub — after London and New York City — acting as an “embassy” designed to build networks with local alumni, academic institutions, and corporate partners.
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