Unframed Festival : Rennes School of Business goes “Beyond the Frame”

Rennes School of Business held its Unframed Festival in November: a unique, quirky event for the launch of its new brand and its Chair of Geopolitics.

This exciting and novel event centred on three high points…

• • Three keynote speeches: by François Châtel, President of Rennes School of Business, Thomas Froehlicher, Dean and Director General of Rennes School of Business who presented the School’s development strategy, and Olivier Lopez, Deputy General Manager of the agency La Chose, who presented the School’s brand strategy. François Châtel explained that “our Unframed Thinking strategy encapsulates our vision for the future, building on the School’s established identity and past successes while continuing to pursue our self-sustained development with a focus on three priority areas. First, a multicultural and human-scale approach; second, innovation in education and a move away from compartmentalisation; and third, a strong brand further reinforced by our brand ambassadors and, above all, our students”.
  • The participation of Thomas Flichy de la Neuville, Professor and holder of the Chair of Geopolitics at Rennes School of Business, who also introduced three prominent figures who are partners of the School: Eugenia Obitchkina – Professor and holder of the Chair of International Relations and Foreign Policy at the University of Moscow (MGIMO) ; Robert Johnson – Director of the Oxford Changing Character of War Centre  and Jean-Philippe Alary – Member of the Board of Directors, AIPN (Association of International Petroleum Negotiators). Thomas Flichy de la Neuville remarked, “Technical specialisation in higher education is fast reaching its limits. The next step is a second phase of globalisation characterised by an interconnectedness between individuals and a resurgence of cultural, political and religious identities. The objective of the Chair of Geopolitics will therefore be to develop hybrid learning solutions and expertise at the service of economic initiatives.”

• A debate between two opposing points of view on the topic “What is behind our collective inability to respond to the ecological crisis?”  Speaking were Dr Laurent Alexandre, surgeon, essayist and businessman, and Jean Jouzel, climatologist, glaciologist and former Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Students, journalists, speakers, our partners and others present were then invited to continue the discussions over drinks. They were entertained by ‘unframed’ artists such as the talented pianist Pierre-Yves Plat, the DJ Mademoiselle Ely and the extraordinary ‘Bearer of Libations’.