On 8–9 October 2026, BMI International Executive MBA participants completed the Strategy for Value Creation module on the HEC Paris campus, marking a new step in the academic partnership between BMI Executive Institute and one of Europe’s leading business schools.
Delivered at HEC Paris as an integral part of the EMBA curriculum for the first time, the module brought together participants for two intensive days of strategic analysis, real business cases and discussions with internationally recognised faculty and business practitioners.
The experience combined academic expertise with practical strategic challenges, giving participants an opportunity to examine how organisations build competitive advantage, rethink business models and make decisions that drive long-term value creation.
Jurga Bendikaitė-Ursavaş, Director General of BMI Executive Institute, reflected on the significance of the module:
“BMI EMBA participants first came to HEC Paris in 2005, on a study trip that combined lectures with visits to French companies. This October, we returned with a full module of our Executive MBA delivered on the HEC campus, a sign of how much our partnership has grown. The module brought together outstanding academic expertise, including Prof. Pierre Dussauge and Prof. Laurence Lehmann-Ortega, alongside practitioner insights from business leaders such as Vincent Barale of Louis Vuitton. Together, these perspectives challenged our participants to look at value creation through both academic and practitioner lenses, in a truly international classroom. For me, this is what executive education should do: stretch leaders’ thinking and send them home with ideas they can put to work in their organisations.”
Building on more than 26 years of academic partnership
HEC Paris has been a founding academic partner of BMI Executive Institute since 1999. Over more than 26 years, this collaboration has helped shape the international academic dimension of the BMI Executive MBA, connecting participants with leading faculty, strategic frameworks and perspectives from international business education.
Building on earlier study visits and academic exchanges, the Strategy for Value Creation module represents a further development of this partnership, bringing a full component of the EMBA curriculum directly into the HEC Paris learning environment.
The programme opened with a welcome from Andrea Masini, Dean of Faculty and Research at HEC Paris, and Dominique Rouziès, Professor at HEC Paris and Academic Dean at BMI Executive Institute.
Strategy, competitive advantage and value creation
At the heart of the two-day module was a fundamental strategic question: why do some companies consistently outperform others, and how can organisations build and sustain their competitive advantage?
Participants explored both business and corporate strategy, examining how companies position themselves against competitors, manage portfolios of businesses and identify opportunities for profitable growth.
A particular focus was placed on business model innovation: understanding when established approaches continue to create value and when organisations need to rethink them to remain competitive.
The module was delivered by three HEC Paris faculty members:
- Prof. Pierre Dussauge, Professor of Strategic Management and Academic Director of the module, led sessions on business strategy, competitive advantage and the strategic choices that influence company performance.
- Prof. Laurence Lehmann-Ortega, Professor of Strategy, explored business model innovation and approaches to rethinking established business models, including the Odyssey 3.14 methodology.
- Prof. Georg Wernicke, Professor of Strategy and Corporate Governance, addressed corporate strategy, governance and strategic decision-making at the organisational level.
Together, their perspectives allowed participants to examine strategy at different levels, from competing effectively in individual markets to managing multiple businesses and creating value across an organisation.
Learning from real business challenges
An important part of the module was applying strategic frameworks to real business situations.
Through cases involving Southwest Airlines, Louis Vuitton and De Beers Group, participants analysed competitive positioning, business model choices and different approaches to sustaining and renewing competitive advantage.
These discussions encouraged executives to challenge assumptions, evaluate strategic alternatives and connect the concepts explored in class with decisions they face in their own organisations.
The programme also included a practitioner perspective from Vincent Barale, Vice President at Louis Vuitton, who brought insights from managing a global business into the discussions on strategy and value creation.
Combining academic frameworks, company cases and practitioner experience helped connect strategic thinking with the complexities of business decision-making.
Strengthening the international EMBA experience
Delivering the Strategy for Value Creation module at HEC Paris as part of the EMBA curriculum reflects BMI’s continued focus on developing international learning opportunities through its academic partnerships.
Beyond access to leading faculty, the value of such experiences lies in bringing executives into a different learning environment, exposing them to new perspectives and giving them space to reconsider familiar business challenges.
For participants, the aim is not only to deepen their understanding of strategy, but to return to their organisations better equipped to evaluate strategic choices, question established approaches and identify new opportunities for value creation.
Explore the BMI International Executive MBA
The next BMI International Executive MBA cohort in Vilnius starts in November 2026.
The 15-month, part-time programme is designed for experienced executives seeking to strengthen their strategic capabilities, broaden their international perspective and develop their leadership while continuing their careers.
Discover the BMI International Executive MBA and explore the opportunities to join the next cohort.