Alumni event at the French Consulate in New York, with community involvement taking centre stage

More than 90 people attended the SKEMA Alumni New York event held at the French Consulate on the evening of 2 March in the presence of Damien Laban, Deputy Consul General. It was a wonderful opportunity for networking and professional discussions with Anthony Ledru (SKEMA 1995), CEO of Tiffany & Co. Anthony shared his experience and vision of the luxury industry in an interview conducted by Madeleine Martins, Director of SKEMA Alumni and Fundraising.

After a complex public health situation, this event was a chance for our alumni to renew ties with the SKEMA community and get to know new arrivals to the Big Apple.

In an international context fraught with an ever-growing number of individual and collective challenges, the evening was an opportunity to talk about community involvement and its impact on the transformation of our world. As Madeleine Martins, Director of SKEMA Alumni & Fundraising, underlined: “Community involvement can look like sharing experiences, offering support or guidance, transmitting values such as contribution, whether financial or practical. Community involvement is, for example, the contribution of alumni members of SKEMA’s Board of Directors […], or of those part of SKEMA Foundation US, but it is also helping to organise an event.”

The power of the network comes from its members, from the virtuous cycle of give and take. Every member plays an active role and is an ambassador of the brand. A big thank you to our two ambassadors for this event, Emilie Crouzet (SKEMA 2016) and Aela Andre (SKEMA 2013), who mobilised to help run this networking event. Thanks also to the four Raleigh campus students who greeted the attendees.

A warm thank you also to Anthony Ledru for sharing his experience – it was most enlightening – and for organising an exceptional moment during the reception: the show, held in the consulate’s reception rooms, featuring models wearing stunning Tiffany & Co creations that dazzled our guests. We got front-row seats to admire exceptional craftsmanship! Clemence Perez (SKEMA 2021) felt it was “A really great event! It was very well organised, the location was sublime, and I also really enjoyed the presentation of Tiffany & Co jewellery.”

Emilie echoed her enthusiasm: “The consulate, a setting that is as sumptuous as it is symbolic, was the ideal location to mark the return of alumni events. The watchword of the event was “prestige”, with the presence of personalities like Anthony Ledru, CEO of Tiffany & Co, Damien Laban, Deputy Consul General at the French Consulate in New York, and Patrice Houdayer, Executive Vice President and Vice Dean of SKEMA Business School. The presentation of iconic pieces by Tiffany & Co. was also highly appreciated. [...] I am thrilled to have helped organise the event through my role as mistress of ceremonies; it was a unique experience!”

The evening ended with a cocktail reception during which the SKEMA alumni were able to continue their discussions. A warm thank you to the SKEMA Canada and Raleigh teams for having facilitated the hosting of this event.

“Thank you for the quite remarkable New York Alumni event yesterday. Very inspiring and motivational to learn from so many success stories and appreciate the diversity of the alumni community from all over the word. Very SKEMA, very New York, all together at the magnificent French landmark that is the consulate. A huge thank you and see you at the next one, friends!” said David Rak (SKEMA 2006) enthusiastically.

This wonderful event reveals a SKEMA community skilled at bringing together those of its alumni ready to be actively involved with the school.