The award highlights the School’s unique multi-campus model and global strategy, commitment to innovation and sustainability, and bold vision for the future.
ESCP Business School has been named 2025 Business School of the Year by Poets&Quants. This recognition celebrates the School’s distinctive European multi-campus model, its emphasis on innovation and sustainability, and the transformative vision driving its new strategic plan, Bold & United.
This achievement also affirms the collective excellence of ESCP’s students, alumni, faculty and community, and it is a powerful endorsement of the School’s strategy to prepare accountable, bold and creative leaders for a rapidly changing world.
A bold European vision and global outlook
Poets&Quants commended ESCP for its unique position as a truly pan-European institution. Through its six-campus model, ESCP delivers a learning experience rooted in multiculturalism, mobility, and academic innovation.
The Bold & United strategy builds on this foundation, setting out ESCP’s ambition to become the first European University of Management by 2030, with plans to add the ESCP School of Technology in 2027 and the ESCP School of Governance in 2029.
“We are preparing the world of tomorrow, not just by teaching skills and competencies, but also by shaping attitudes and values,” Prof. Léon Laulusa, Dean and Executive President of ESCP, told Poets&Quants.
Master in Management (MiM) student Lauren Wilkins shared how these values translate into practice. “The multi-campus model and the mix of nationalities in every classroom mean you’re always adapting, learning from new perspectives, and approaching problems in different ways. The education feels alive in that sense.”
We both fit the context of today’s world and anticipate what the future will be. We are preparing the world of tomorrow, not just by teaching skills and competencies, but also by shaping attitudes and values.
Leon LaulusaDean and Executive President of ESCP Business School
Championing innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability
Poets&Quants also highlighted ESCP’s leadership in shaping the future of business through responsible innovation, entrepreneurial action, and a commitment to sustainability.
ESCP has emerged as a pioneer in integrating artificial intelligence and emerging technologies into business education. Through partnerships with OpenAI and Hugging Face, a mandatory course on generative AI, and the forthcoming School of Technology, the School is building a living lab for responsible innovation where technical fluency and human insight go hand in hand.
“We want to equip our students with the skills that matter most in a world where AI is abundant: critical thinking, creativity, complex problem solving, emotional intelligence and leadership,” shared Prof. Louis-David Benyayer, Associate Professor of Strategy and AI Initiatives Coordinator.
Innovation and entrepreneurial spirit are also nurtured at ESCP through the Blue Factory, the School’s startup incubator. Shop Circle co-founders and MiM alumni Luca Cartechini and Gian Maria Gramondi credited ESCP’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and practical exposure as key to their success. They represent how the School’s learning environment translates into real-world impact.
The “innovation with purpose” mindset also underpins ESCP’s long-standing commitment to sustainability—a central pillar of the Bold & United strategy. Prof. Gorgi Krlev, Associate Dean for Sustainability, shared how sustainability is seen as a strategic advantage at ESCP that defines how the School educates future leaders. 100% of students receive sustainability training, and sustainability is embedded across ESCP’s research, partnerships and governance.
A school and community rising together
This recognition is also a celebration of the strength, diversity and engagement of ESCP’s community. As Prof. Alberta Di Giuli, Dean of the Turin Campus, explained, each campus has its own identity, shaped by local culture and industry, yet all are united by a common mission and values. This balance between diversity and collective purpose defines ESCP’s strength.
And this spirit extends beyond the campuses. ESCP’s alumni play a vital role in the School’s evolution, supporting its growth through engagement, mentorship and philanthropy. The ESCP Foundation’s “Rising Together” fundraising campaign is supporting the implementation of the Bold & United strategy and reflects the School’s ambition for the years ahead.
Brynhild Dumas, Executive Director of the ESCP Foundation, says the award is a culmination of that shared momentum—a community rising together, confident in its European identity and global impact. “Alumni see a school transformed – a ‘sleeping beauty’ that has become a dynamic European leader – and they want to be part of that journey.”
I truly believe ESCP is one of the best business schools globally. If I could go back, I’d choose it all over again, and I never hesitate to recommend it.
Luca CartechiniCo-founder of Shop Circle and MiM alumnus
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