On 8 November, NEOMA inaugurated its “Inspiring Meetings” series with Pascal Demurger, managing director of MAIF and co-president of Mouvement Impact France. He was interview by two students from our business school, Ilona Deschamps and Titouan Falc’hun, and by the NEOMA president, Michel-Edouard Leclerc. He talked about Impact, the social and ecological transition of companies and sustainable prosperity and he also shared his beliefs for how to protect the planet from being depleted while holding onto a market economy. He also discussed his four personal values in front of the amphitheatre’s audience:

• Companies have a political role. They are affected by societal and ecological problems and they must now contribute to solving them.
• Commitment creates performance. Ecological commitment and economic performance are not at odds, as seen in the “ecological dividend” created by MAIF.
• The power of kindness. There is nothing more powerful for effecting change in a company than the attention and kindness shown to others.
• The alignment of his personal convictions and professional activity. “Never give up what is meaningful to you”, he told the students.

Pascal Demurger is also author of the book “Companies of the 21^st century will be political or will cease to be” and the report “The urgency of the long term. A new government/corporate report for sustainable prosperity”, published by the Fondation Jean-Jaurès.

The “Inspiring Meetings” series are moments of sharing among the school’s students and figures from the economic, political and cultural world. The guests of honour come to one of the three campuses to meet our students in a spontaneous and authentic atmosphere. These discussions, hosted by NEOMA students, offer them the opportunity to grasp current news and contemporary social issues, look more deeply into these subjects and hear different opinions about them.