NEWSLETTER - Business School Lausanne

Sion and are also available in different countries through licensing agreements with several
partners.
Today, the Lemania Group of Schools is still a family business. It consists of twelve institutions
and about 5.000 people are studying in the group every year. The total number of graduates
amounts to more than 100.000. The success of the former students of these different schools
contributed largely to this encouraging evolution.
NEWSLETTER
No 21
Sadly we have to report the death of Mrs Sissi Greither on February 22, 2008. Mrs
Greither was the beloved mother of Katrin, Stefanie, Kristina, all alumni of BSL, and
Michael, current BBA student of BSL. She was also the mother-in-law of Freiherr
Alexander von Schönau, alumnus of BSL.
Our sincere condolences to her family and friends.
On February 28, 2008, Mrs Françoise Kaestli Petit died after a long disease. She was
a former student of BSL. Our belated, sincere condolences to her family and
in particular to her brother Christophe in Montreal, alumnus of BSL.
June 2008
EDITORIAL
We have the pleasure to send you Newsletter No 21.
We want to take this opportunity to warmly thank the people who participated actively in
the presentations of our Executive MBA programme in April and May. Thanks to Prof Fyfer,
Prof Gallwey, Prof Schenouda and Professor Tsiklis for attending and answering questions
from prospective students; Thanks to Avril Wright for her very much appreciated testimonial
in Lausanne and to Jonathan Bourget and Andrey Danylovich for their brilliant speeches in
Geneva. Thanks to Linda Bourget for her attendance.
Two short articles are dedicated to ESM Ecole de Management et de Communication in
Geneva. ESM runs our Executive MBA programme in French. This offers people who don’t
speak English fluently the possibility to benefit from our programme.
You will also find in this issue the history of Ecole Lémania and the Lemania Group of Schools,
of which BSL has been part since 1997. Ecole Lémania is celebrating its 100th anniversary in
2008.
NEXT GRADUATION CEREMONY
We remind you that our next Graduation Ceremony will take place on Saturday,
September 20, 2008 at 6.00 p.m. at the Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel. This year, two
Honorary Doctor’s degrees will be awarded.
All the Alumni are welcome to participate in the ceremony and the apero.
We wish you pleasant reading, and we thank in advance all the former students who will send
us back the alumni update form.
We wish you every succes in your career.
A NEW DEAN
An important change is occurring at BSL. Dr Trevor Johnson, who was appointed Dean of
our school in 1994, has decided to move into the third phase of life to give him more time to
achieve some of the things he still wants to do. So, although he will continue teaching, he will
no longer be Dean of BSL.
I want to take this opportunity to thank him for everything he did for BSL. The development
and success of the school is largely due to his talent, and his ability to motivate and lead BSL’s
administration team and faculty.
We have appointed Ms Katrin Muff as the new Dean. She started to work with Dr Johnson
from the beginning of the Spring Term in February 2008 to ensure a smooth transition, and will
take over from August 2008.
Av. Dapples 38 • Box 160 • CH-1001 Lausanne - Switzerland • Tel. ++41 21 619 06 06 • Fax ++41 21 619 06 00
www.bsl-lausanne.ch • e-mail: [email protected]
Ms Muff is Swiss and an MBA graduate of BSL. She has had an impressive international
business career including:
- industry analyst for global mergers and acquisitions at ALCOA headquarters in
Pittsburgh, USA
- general manager of ALCOA’s first Russian manufacturing and sales facility in
Moscow
- strategic planning director for IAMS Pet Food (which became part of Procter and
Gamble) in The Netherlands
- co-founder and eventually owner of Yupango providing executive training and
coaching across Europe
I am very pleased to welcome Ms Muff to BSL. With BSL having celebrated its twentieth
anniversary last year, she is exactly the right person to build on the success of the school, and
take it into the future.
Philippe Du Pasquier, President
Ms Katrin Muff, our new Dean
VISIT TO NESPRESSO FACTORY IN ORBE
On Thursday, January 24, the BBA II students went to Orbe for a study visit with Professor
Schenouda and Mr Philippe Du Pasquier.
Nespresso is a well-known success story, and the opportunity to see all the processes from
reception of coffee beans by train all the way to the final quality check was very interesting.
The students also had the possibility to attend one of the daily tasting sessions of coffee done
by specialists to accept or refuse the raw coffee delivered to the factory.
Training of employees at all levels is a very important part of the activity, especially now,
because Nespresso’s know-how has to be transferred into a second factory, which will open
soon in Avenches.
In 1986, Mr Jean-Pierre Du Pasquier, grandson of the founder, succeeded his father and became
President.
Lemania College is nowadays a non-for-profit organisation, and a member of several associations,
in particular
- AVDEP (Association Vaudoise des Ecoles Privées)
-FSEP (Fédération Suisse des Ecoles Privées)
and FEDE (Fédération Européenne des Ecoles).
FROM LEMANIA COLLEGE TO LEMANIA GROUP OF SCHOOLS
Under the new manager of Lemania College Mr Jean-Pierre Du Pasquier, new developments
were rapidly put in place and Lemania became progressively the headquarters of an important
group of schools.
In 1986 ESM-Ecole de Management et de Communication was the first school to join the
Lemania Group. With ESM, the group started to teach at the university level in addition to the
high school and professional levels.
In 1987 Lemania Sion was founded in Valais. They started evening courses and further education
for adults. The same year, Ecole Montani and ITA (Institut de Tourisme et d’Accueil) in Sion
became new members of the group: area of teaching was primary and secondary school,
commercial studies and tourism.
In 1988 Les Buissonnets in Sierre ( Valais ) joined the group: the teaching was based on the
Montessori method and students were prepared for the Swiss Federal Maturity and the French
Baccalaureate. The Holy Cross of Ingenbohl congregation remained a minority partner until
2000; since then Lemania is the only owner of Les Buissonnets.
In 1990 College Pierre Viret in Lausanne ( Swiss Federal Maturity and French Baccalaureate )
joined the group. The similarity of programmes with Lemania College and the geographical
proximity of both institutions allowed them to develop numerous synergies.
In 1992, articulation agreements were signed with Spanish and Portuguese schools.
In 1993, CEFCO (Centre de Formation Commerciale) was created and integrated into the group:
CEFCO provides further education in the commercial field, mainly through evening courses in
Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Sion.
In 1997, BSL Business School Lausanne became a new member of the group. This school was
accredited by ACBSP (Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs) since 1996,
and Mr Philippe Du Pasquier, another grandson of the founder, became the Managing Director.
BSL, providing BBA, MBA and DBA programmes, was the second institution of university
level in the group and the first English-speaking one. A fruitful synergy was rapidly developed
with ESM by launching a French-speaking Executive MBA, which was also accredited by
ACBSP.
In 1999, LISA (Lemania International Swiss Academy) started in Sion. The programme consists
mainly of intensive French and English courses for foreign students.
In 2000, Atheneaum, Ecole d’Architecture et Design, founded by the famous architect Alberto
Sartoris just after World War II, became another member of the group. With approximately 30
students registered then, the school developed new programmes and reached about 180 students
in the academic year 2007-2008.
In 2004, a partnership agreement was signed with IUKB (Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch)
in Sion to launch English-speaking business programmes at the Bachelor and Master levels in
Valais. These programmes, based on BSL’s know-how, started in
HISTORY OF LEMANIA
We want to thank warmly Mrs Sandra Maillard, responsible for the visits, and Mrs Maryvonne
Cholly, Corporate Communications Manager of Nestlé Nespresso SA for her fascinating
presentation of Nespresso’s history and organisation.
LEMANIA COLLEGE
Lemania College was founded in 1908 by Dr Paul Du Pasquier. Forced to give up being an
arboriculturist due to rheumatoid athritis, he started again his studies, was the laureate at the
high school diploma in Neuchâtel and obtained his teaching degree in sciences at the Federal
Institute of Advanced Technology in Zurich.
The first premises were at Av. de la Harpe 5. The school gave the opportunity to young people
who decided late to study to get prepared for the official exams of the Swiss Federal Maturity
(High School Diploma). All the thirteen candidates succeeded in the exam and the word spread
about seriousness and efficiency of the institute.
In 1913, a first building was established at Chemin de Préville in Lausanne. It still houses the
boarding facilities, the headquarters of the college and the Lemania Group of Schools, as well
as a number of classrooms.
In 1928, aware of the necessity to adapt to new needs, Dr Paul Du Pasquier, efficiently supported by
his wife who was taking care of the boarding school, decided to launch commercial studies.
In spite of the economic crisis and two world wars the school grew continuously to reach
approximately one thousand students in the 1980s. It had already acquired an international
reputation: in 1982, the 389 foreign students represented 52 different nationalities.
Ready to start the visit
FRENCH-SPEAKING GRADUATION CEREMONY
The Graduation Ceremony of the French-speaking MBA run by ESM in Geneva took place on
Thursday, April 10 in Château de Penthes.
As usual, it was combined with the Tribune du MBA, a conference followed by a discussion.
This year, the guest speaker was Mrs Babette Keller, the founder of Keller Trading SA. Her
testimonial was very interesting: she explained how she developed her company, which became
the worldwide leader in the production of microfiber polishing towels for the watch industry.
Congratulations to the 19 new Graduates who went through the ceremony “Tout
l’Immobilier”!
Class of science
PRIX MICHEL BAETTIG
Dr Paul Du Pasquier passed the bâton to his two sons Jean and Eric in 1958. The latter succeeded
in keeping the human and dynamic character of the school.
A second building was added in Autumn 1974. At that time Lemania College offered:
- Swiss Federal Maturity
- French Baccalaureate
- Secondary school
- Commercial studies
- Intensive French language course
- Evening courses and further education.
The prize is organised every 18 months by PEP (Plate-forme des Entreprises Professionnalisantes)
and ESM Ecole de Management et de Communication.
On May 15, the prize was awarded for the sixth time in Château de Bossey near Geneva.
The winner was romradio.ch, a web radio in Western Switzerland. The second prize was awarded
to Coop and the third one to the Dance Aerobics Company.
If you are interested in participating in the next edition of the competition, please contact Mr
Charrière, ESM, 022 979 33 79.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Guillaume Badoux, Aigle VD, Lacrèm Swisscosmetics SA, Délégué commercial
Marco Baiguini, Prangins VD, Hotelplan Schweiz AG, Tourisme Pour Tous, General Manager.
Marco is also President of Executives International: www.executives-int.ch
Ronald Boers, the Netherlands, BOAL Group (Aluminium), Group Managing Director
Timothy Crowch, Oberägeri ZG, President and Owner of Advanced System Safety Management
ASSM GmbH: provides safety management programmes for hospitals in Switzerland and
forensic investigation of large claims arising from air accidents for insurers and large law
firms
Dorothea Deeg, Bad Kissingen (Germany), is now doing an internship in Steigenberger Graf
Zeppelin Hotel in Stuttgart. She will come back to Switzerland to do a Master’s Degree in Hotel
Management in Glion
Candy Djuniardi, Geneva, American Express Bank SA, Manager. Got married in March
2008
Miguel Dyer, Vitoria (Alava) Spain, Saycalsa saneamiento y calefacción SA, Product Manager,
responsible of a range of brass fitting products
Tomas Edvinsson, Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Equinet AG, Executive, Corporate Finance,
M&A, IPOs, Debt Advisory, Capital Increases
Stephane Eros de Bethlenfalva, Hong Kong, UVW Ltd, Department Head, taking on all
projects related to metal parts for fashion accessories and high end mobile phones. Married
since last summer
Evguenia Kalina, Lausanne, BNP Paribas in Geneva, Account Officer (soft commodities). An
article was published on her in Bilan magazine on March 26, 2008
Nina Kucera, Lausanne, EF Education, Marketing Assistant for linguistic travels, Juniors 1015 years Department
Per Lausen, Haderslev (Denmark), Eldorado A/S, Managing Director; became father to a baby
girl (Lea) on the 29th of October 2007
Luis Marcos, Geneva, Japan Tobacco International SA, Information Technology Director,
leading the IT strategy / technology, governance and standards in the area of Collaboration,
Document & Records Management, Knowledge Management , Web Content Management
Dr Mubashir Ahmed Sheikh, Dubai (UAE), Fortis Banque (Suisse) SA, Managing Director
and Regional Head Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent
Alain Najar, Moudon VD, Lausanne Hotel School (EHL), Professor, Consultant
Véronique Najar-Giroud, Moudon VD, Najar Worldwide Consulting, Founder, Owner,
Manager
Frédéric Narbel, Lausanne, Kazgreen SA, CEO & Member of the Board of Directors
Marco Piermartiri, Geneva, Business & Decision (Suisse) SA, Operations Director (COO),
in charge of the company’s operations, including staffing, project management, service
management, strategic alliances, partnerships management
Silviu Popoviciu, Madrid (Spain), Caterpillar Sàrl, Work Tools Representative for Iberia;
married and two kids (a boy and a girl)
Alexander Preussner, Nyon VD, Close Summit Trust Company, Investment Accountant
Pascal O. Ravessoud, Pampigny VD, Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (www.hautehorlogerie.org),
Marketing and International Network Director
Michel Rey, Lausanne, Kelly Services (Suisse) SA, Country General Manager. His new position
was mentioned in PME Magazine in January 2008
Roger Schenkel, Basel, Brenntag Schweizerhall AG, the world’s leading chemical distribution
company, Verkaufsleiter / Chef de vente
Laurent Stieger, Lausanne, made an internship at Développement Economique Vaudois; is an
official race driver (Formule Renault Northern European Cup) with Krenek Motorsport team;
www.laurentstieger.com
Miguel Suarez, Préverenges VD, Orange Communications SA, Product Manager for mobile
e-mail services and internet connectivity
Kostiantyn Sulema, Geneva, Japan Tobacco International SA, Switzerland, Business systems
Integration Director; establishes IT infrastructure platform for JTI business applications
Faisal Tabassum, Lahore (Pakistan), MCB Bank Ltd, Branch Manager, responsible for all
operations, business development and marketing, etc; married
Maxim Tretyakov, Moscow (Russia), ELKAT Ltd, General Director; Moskabelmet-TretMet,
Chairman of the board
Mathias von der Decken, Hagen (Luxemburg), RBC Commercial, Reality Business Center
SA, Chairman and Founder; consultants in commercial real estate
Katrin von Quadt, Vienna (Austria), is working in the marketing department of Hotel Sacher
in Vienna
Lorenzo Wiskerke, Milano (Italy), Peviani Spa, Consultant for the Peviani Group in Milano;
will get married with Lois Vitry Trapman on 08.08.08
Avril Wright, Lausanne, Chadel & Cie, Management Consulting, Partner, Language Services
Julie Zhang, Guangdong (China), set up her own travelling and trading company in China and
Hong Kong (www.cantonfair.org)
Michel Zumstein, Geneva, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie, Senior Vice President.
100th ANNIVERSARY OF LEMANIA
This year Lemania is celebrating its 100th anniversary. An Open Day will take place on Saturday,
October 25, 2008 in the premises at Ch. de Préville 3, 1003 Lausanne. More information is
available on www.lemania.centenaire.ch.