Amandine DELAUNAY
Competitive Exams and Admissions Manager
The new Commercial and Admissions Department (for France and internationally) has been set up to achieve Audencia’s ambitious goals, within the framework of a clarified and optimized internal organization. The challenges faced are commensurate with the commitment and mobilization of our teams to achieve our objectives!
Marc GIBIAT
Commercial & Admissions Director
2 350
the institution’s target number of integrated students for all programs in France and abroad (excluding China)
How would you assess 2023?
In all transparency, our institution’s recruitment targets for 2023 were not met. These overall results, which were lower than expected, were partly due to a specific market context, and in particular to a level of competition, both in France and internationally, that has never been seen before. These results also highlight the need to develop the commercial organization in-house in order to create a culture and methods that are equal to the challenge.
What are the CSR commitments that guide your actions?
We have a number of cross-functional CSR commitments within the department. Firstly, regarding competitive entrance exams, we have decided to stop handing out goodies at trade fairs and during the reception of our applicants at their oral exams, in order to limit our environmental impact. It is a deliberate choice that is in keeping with our responsible vision. Instead of distributing goodies, we have chosen to support two charities through the distribution of logo wristbands. For each bracelet selected by our applicants, 3 euros are donated to the chosen charity (this year, one in support of women entrepreneurs and the other for the preservation of the oceans). At the same time, we have a real opportunity to rationalize our journeys, both in France and abroad, and to optimize our travel to limit our carbon footprint in this area.
What are your objectives for 2024?
Our objectives for 2024 are extremely ambitious: we are aiming for growth of 18% in student recruitment for all of our domestic and international markets. To reach this goal, we have reorganized our department in conjunction with the Marketing & Communication Department, to optimize our relations and streamline our marketing and commercial actions. Indeed, we are seeking to implement a business approach: our aim is to develop our employees’ capacity to be results-oriented. Achieving these objectives will also involve close collaboration with the Programs Department’s teams.
What is the one word that defines the strategic direction of your actions between now and the end of the ECOS 2025 strategic plan?
I would say “Results”, in connection with the need to shake up our historical in-house culture and move from a “promotional” to “results” oriented approach! Today, the competitive and market context is so complex and delicate that the only choice we have is to change our approach, while maintaining the excellence and daring which we are renowned for. The stakes are high! This is why we carry out in-depth work on all our programs to ensure the product positioning is relevant to needs in the field and to the competition. We have many strengths: the strong international dimension of our programmes and a program of continuous improvement based on targeted market and sector developments, to name but two. Feedback from the field proves this, and our aim is to spread the word as widely as possible.
The Bracelets Operation: € 18,300 donated to the two chosen charities
“Every year, approximately 6,000 applicants and eligible candidates come to sit oral exams at Audencia! Traditionally, the school offered goodies to these applicants and eligible candidates who visited one of our campuses. This historical practice was no longer in line with the CSR policy being promoted by our institution, even though, over the years, our goodies nonetheless took on an increasingly CSR orientation, in terms of materials chosen, the usefulness of the products, etc. We wanted to go further to meet the ambitious targets set out in our low-carbon strategy and have chosen to completely stop giving out goodies. This project has also made it possible to align practices, which were not the same between the Grande Ecole and post-high school leaving as well as SciencesCom competitive entrance exams. Instead, we have opted for a donation to a charity represented by a charitable object. In concrete terms, we now support 2 charities each year. Our student admission representatives in charge of welcoming applicants have chosen the charities from a range of possible proposals. For the first edition in 2023, they chose the French women’s rights charity La Fondation des Femmes and Coral Guardian. As a result, on the day they sit their oral exams, the applicants chose a bracelet embodying the charity they wish to support. These bracelets are made in France by people with disabilities, and the materials chosen meet ecologically responsible criteria. For each bracelet, three euros are donated to the chosen charity. Consequently, in 2023, Audencia donated a total of € 18,300 to these two charities. This initiative was very well received by our applicants and eligible candidates. This is why we are continuing the operation for the competitive exams in 2024, with 2 new causes supported: “Project Rescue Ocean”, which contributes to depolluting oceans and beaches, and “Les Audacieuses”, which supports women entrepreneurs who create high-impact projects. The project is also attracting interest from other divisions at the school, and it’s not impossible that we’ll see similar initiatives spring up around other events!”
