I have been invited to participate as a Live Blogger [Journalist] at the MEDEF Université d’Eté 2009 (“Summer University 2009”) which takes place next week from 2-4 September. The MEDEF is essentially a union for French business people. It is the leading network of businessmen and women in France, boasting 700,000 member firms (90% with less than 50 employees) and is run by the enterprising CEO, Mrs. Laurence Parisot. As Mrs. Parisot says, “ Enterprise is life… and life should be wonderful!”
The theme for this Summer University is perfect for anyone wanting to look forward, to a constructive new way of doing business: “In Search of the New Times.”
The MEDEF Summer University Conference takes place at the HEC campus (Jouy-en-Josas) just outside of Paris, and consists of four half-day sessions. There are no less than 15 members of the current French Cabinet on stage at one time or another, including the Minister of the Economy, Christine Lagarde and the ever charming and dynamic Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who is in charge of the Digital Economy. There are also numerous CEOs (eg Maurice Levy – Publicis, Louis Gallois – EADS, Didier Lombard – Orange, Christophe de Margerie – Total), several ex-Prime Ministers (Juppé, Rocard…), some ‘celebrities’ (Alain Prost, Yann-Arthus Bertrand, Eva Joly) and a couple of foreign dignitaries (esp Mrs. Cherie Blair whose site is designed to help show “how women all around the world can work together to improve their lives”).
If the programme is entirely in French, I intend to provide an international report in English! So, watch this space.
