Master in Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MSc)
Meet our alumni: Jeanne Duprez, Class of 2022
Meet Jeanne Duprez, an alumna of ESCP’s MSEI programme. Originally from France, Jeanne's academic journey took her to the Netherlands, where she pursued hospitality management before her interest evolved towards sustainability. Since graduating from ESCP in 2022, Jeanne has been on a mission to help businesses shift toward more sustainable practices. Currently working at Leroy Merlin, she is developing strategies to support the circular economy within a century-old company.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from France, but I did my undergraduate degree in hospitality management at Hotelschool The Hague in The Netherlands. I joined this programme at ESCP in 2020.
Tell us your thought processes when you decided to apply to the MSEI and what you felt this type of programme could add to your profile.
So when I was studying hospitality, my dream was to open a 100% self-sufficient hotel, which slowly shifted to studying sustainability and helping entrepreneurs start their own sustainable business. With that new objective, I applied to the MSEI.
What have you been working on since graduating from ESCP?
I am currently working at the headquarters of Leroy Merlin. If you’re not familiar, Leroy Merlin is the equivalent of Disneyland if you're renovating your house. You can find everything from concrete and wood to curtains and a kitchen. We’re headquartered in France, but have stores in 13 countries.
I’m in charge of developing the strategy of renting our tools instead of selling them, as part of a larger circular economy strategy. What is difficult is to shift from a linear business model to a circular one, especially in a company that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It sometimes feels like teaching your grandparents how to code.
Sustainability is a broad field. What sustainability topics particularly interested you when you were a student?
Circular Economy became my Trojan Horse. Multinational companies have a huge impact on the environment and on people (staff and customers). They have to totally shift their business models to become more sustainable and robust. Changing them from the inside is challenging and crucial.
What aspect of the curriculum did you enjoy the most?
I really enjoyed meeting start-ups and hacking different sustainability topics, with lots of creative ideas. From the hackathon, to the company consultancy project, the hands-on opportunities were really interesting to me.
Where did you do your internship and what was the scope of your responsibilities?
I had already done two internships with my bachelor degree, so I wanted to go straight to work. Instead of doing a shorter internship at the end of the programme, I directly started as a full-time employee at Leroy Merlin.
What were the highlights of being a student in both Berlin and Paris?
I arrived in Berlin soon after the COVID pandemic started, and my term in Paris was 100% online, which we tried to make the best out of that unique time. I do, though, remember Berlin as one of the best cities I have been and lived in. There is always something to do, if you like art, sports, parties, meeting new people, visiting eccentric places. The best part was the first weekends of spring, where the city comes back to life after a long winter. Our weekends consisted of going to the lake cycling, going to open air events, to restaurants or museums, brunches on Sunday, and meeting up in Tiergarten to chill. The value-added was clearly to live in that exceptional and vibrant environment.
To what kind of person would you recommend the MSEI programme?
I’d recommend it to somebody who is ready to work hard with a team, and keen on testing different approaches to solve climate issues and to have an impact. It is a great starting point to meet inspiring, values-driven people, to challenge yourself, and to kick-start your sustainability career.
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