Crédit Agricole CIB and HEC Paris create a Corporate Initiative dedicated to mergers and acquisitions

Crédit Agricole CIB, HEC Paris and the HEC Foundation announce the signing of a partnership to create the first Corporate Initiative for mergers and acquisitions. The aim of this educational initiative, which promotes the spread of knowledge and exchange between the academic world and the business world, is to encourage and promote teaching and applied research in this field. 

During their professional lives, HEC Paris students will be called upon to deal, in one way or another, with various issues related to business co-operation, either directly, if they choose to pursue a career in the world of mergers and acquisitions, or more generally in the context of changes in the scope of activity of whichever company they choose to join. Mergers and acquisitions thus warrant special, broad-spectrum teaching to provide students with comprehensive training.

This Corporate Initiative draws on the expertise of HEC Paris’ professors and that of professionals in the field alongside Crédit Agricole CIB’s teams, offering a unique educational approach in France and Europe with the “M&A Certificate”.

The M&A Certificate is an intensive training course for carefully selected postgraduate students at HEC Paris. The programme is multidisciplinary in nature and covers all the major topics around mergers and acquisitions: Finance, Strategy, Law, Taxation, Due Diligence, Private Equity, Corporate M&A, the cultural aspects of mergers, integration issues, etc.

Combining the skills of an internationally recognised business school with those of a leading financial institution, this initiative goes beyond the academic sphere to transmit knowledge and best practices to students with high potential, and will also promote reflection and applied research in the field of mergers and acquisitions.
The management of this corporate initiative has been given to Marc Vermeulen, Affiliate Professor of Finance at HEC Paris.

Didier Gaffinel, Head of Coverage & Investment Banking and Hélène Combe-Guillemet Head of Investment Banking: “Crédit Agricole CIB is very happy with the launch of this partnership. As a major player in mergers and acquisitions, particularly in France, where it is a Tier 1 advisory bank, Crédit Agricole CIB also offers young talent trained at HEC Paris an international perspective thanks to its various locations. This Corporate Initiative is also an opportunity to reflect on developments in the complex and exciting business of M&A consulting.”

Peter Todd, Dean of HEC Paris, says: “We are delighted with this “Mergers and Acquisitions” Corporate Initiative, which allows us to expand our offering of sectoral expertise, now with 8 certificates. Collaborating with a partner like Crédit Agricole CIB enriches our educational scope and fosters the creation and spread of new knowledge. Co-operation between the academic world and the business world allows us to make a tangible impact on new academic and societal models. I sincerely thank Crédit Agricole CIB for the trust they have shown us.”