Back to class at ESCP: alumni reconnect at the first edition of Knowledge Day

There is a particular energy in returning to school years after graduation. The surroundings may feel familiar, but the questions have changed. What once may have been about preparing for a career becomes an opportunity to step back, test one's assumptions and reconnect with the discipline of learning.

This is the idea behind the first edition of Knowledge Day, taking place on Friday, 12 June 2026 at ESCP's Champerret Campus in Paris as part of Reconnection Days 2026, a two-day class reunion organised by ESCP Alumni with the support of the School and the ESCP Foundation.

Designed as a day of upskilling in the spirit of excellence, knowledge and positive impact, Knowledge Day will bring alumni back to campus for four masterclasses led by ESCP professors, experts and alumni. The programme addresses some of the major issues shaping business and society today, from artificial intelligence and geopolitics to innovation and optimism.

For ESCP Executive MBA alumnus Nabil Behloul, returning to ESCP is not only about reconnecting with a place or a community. It is also about maintaining the intellectual curiosity and human exchange that remain essential throughout a career.

Lifelong learning as a leadership responsibility

For many alumni, the meaning of learning changes with experience. Earlier in a career, education may be associated with credentials, technical knowledge or access to new opportunities. Later, it can become something more reflective: a way to gain perspective, challenge assumptions and stay open to change.

"My perspective on lifelong learning evolved profoundly when I decided to return to ESCP to pursue the Executive MBA, at a stage of my career where I already had significant professional and entrepreneurial experience," says Behloul.

For him, the Executive MBA was both intellectually stimulating and personally transformative. "At that point, learning was no longer simply about acquiring knowledge or credentials. It became a way to gain perspective, challenge my own assumptions, reconnect with curiosity, and evolve alongside exceptional people from diverse industries, cultures, and backgrounds."

That perspective is central to the first edition of Knowledge Day, which will explore four major themes through the voices of ESCP professors, experts and alumni:
 

• Artificial Intelligence with Louis-David Benyayer (ESCP 2000), Nicolas Guyon (MiM 05) and Marjolaine Catil (MiM 15)
• Geopolitics with Maxime Lefebvre and Caroline Ferrari (ESCP 89)
• Innovation with Prof. Frédéric Fréry and Justine Lecallier (MiM 21)
• Optimism with Prof. Philippe Gabilliet

For Behloul, these subjects reflect the realities leaders now face. "Today, continued learning feels more important than ever," he says. "We are living through a period shaped by AI, uncertainty, sustainability challenges, and profound transformations in leadership and society."

In that context, learning cannot be reduced to technical upskilling. Leaders must continue to develop their judgement, emotional intelligence, adaptability and understanding of the world around them. Knowledge Day responds to that need by creating space for alumni to revisit major questions with academic depth, professional experience and cross-generational perspective.

Growing knowledge, building lasting relationships

Reconnection Days is built around community, but the desire to return is not only nostalgic. Alumni also come back because the ESCP network offers something increasingly valuable: a trusted space for thoughtful exchange.

"What I value most is the quality of the conversations, the diversity of viewpoints, and the generosity that naturally exists within the network," says Behloul. "Some exchanges can genuinely change the trajectory of a career, a project, or even a way of thinking."

His own relationship with ESCP has continued well beyond graduation. He is now actively involved within the ESCP alumni community, helping to nurture the long-term relationships and intellectual exchange that define the community.

"In many ways, I feel that learning at ESCP never truly ends," he says. "It simply evolves into new forms of dialogue, collaboration, and mutual growth."

This belief has also shaped his recent work with the alumni community. Behloul has begun facilitating masterclasses on strategic and intentional networking, leadership, and the evolving role of human relationships in a world increasingly influenced by technology and AI.

What he finds most interesting is that these conversations are rarely limited to business development or career advancement. They often touch on identity, transition, confidence, meaning and transformation.

A first edition with a wider purpose

The first edition of Knowledge Day is a reminder that learning does not end at graduation. For many alumni, it becomes more valuable with time, as professional experience deepens and the questions become more complex.

The day will offer access to professors and experts, but it will also create the conditions for alumni to learn from one another. Across generations, sectors and career paths, participants will bring their own experiences into the room. This is what gives the event its wider purpose: not only an academic refresher, but a shared moment of perspective.

For alumni wondering whether it is worth returning to this kind of learning environment, Behloul's answer is clear.

Knowledge Day closes with a symbolic hat-toss, a nod to the traditions and milestones shared at ESCP. But the gesture also points forward. Alumni return not simply to remember what they learned, but to continue learning together.

Discover Reconnection Days and Knowledge Day, and reconnect with the ESCP alumni community through learning, exchange and shared perspective.