HEC Paris, one of the leading providers of executive education in the world, has successfully completed its fourth Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia (AMECA) Mid-Management (M3) custom program for Alstom. The program offers selected participants access to the renowned faculty and learning methods of HEC Paris and reinforces the exceptional management skills of Alstom’s key talent in the region.

HECTailored to the participants’ needs and designed in conjunction with Alstom, a total of 25 candidates from the AMECA region were chosen for the M3 program. The first module of the program ‘My World, My Company’ was organised in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3–7 November 2019. The second module ‘Me and My Leadership’, which was specially adapted to be delivered online, took place in October and November 2020 and focused on experiential learning that included a series of simulations, exercises and role play activities.

Featuring talks by Professor Charles Matar, Dr Thierry Coudurier and Dr Olivier Tabatoni, the first module provided participants with an opportunity to know their company better and learn about geopolitics, macroeconomics, business strategy, operational excellence, finance and value creation. The objective was to prepare participants for future challenges, increase their capacities to act as change agents and empower them to deliver the performance objectives of Alstom in the AMECA region.

The second module spread over eight days from 7 October– 2 November 2020 and featured talks by HEC Paris professors Simon Elliott, Christian Monjou, Veronique Nguyen and Patrick Delamaire.

While Professor Elliot discussed intercultural management and teamwork, Professor Monjou reflected on leadership in times of crisis. Meanwhile, Dr Nguyen, the third speaker of the session, enlightened attendees about overcoming resistance to change. The module concluded with Professor Delamaire providing valuable insights on leading, working and contributing in teams.

The objectives of the second module were to enable participants to get to know themselves better; to learn how to effectively work in teams in a cross-cultural environment and to apprehend and analyse their communication style and relation to others. Dr Pablo Martin de Holan, Dean of HEC Paris in Qatar said:

HEC Paris’ M3 program has been designed specifically for Alstom and brings to the fore the phenomenal management skills within the company… It’s yet another testament of how we are able to gauge particular requirements of companies and address them accurately with the help of our custom programs.

Meanwhile, Walfa CHOUKI, our VP Human Resources AMECA at Alstom said:

We are pleased to have successfully completed our 4th M3 cohort. Alstom employees and the HEC Paris team have demonstrated the true essence of agility during those unprecedented times. Our partnership with HEC Paris continues to blossom, and I am happy to see how our collaboration is playing a major role in enhancing our teams’ management and leadership skills in the region and beyond.

The M3 program is designed to develop mid-level managers’ skills and core competencies in line with the objectives of Alstom in the Africa, Middle East and Central Africa. It is also intended to alleviate participants’ capacity to become influential change agents in their work environment and to build a network of colleagues and partners who share the same culture and experience.

HEC Paris’ custom-designed programs were ranked #2 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2020. They are fully customised leadership development programs that enable participants to reflect upon themselves, their organisation, their role within their industry and the position their company occupies on the national and global stage. The programs incorporate blended solutions including case studies, business simulations and bespoke digital portals and are further accentuated by elements like professional and executive coaching, projects tackling real-life challenges, and international study tours, for a lasting transformational impact.