Laurent Gicquel appointed General Secretary of EDHEC

EDHEC Business School announces the appointment of Laurent Gicquel as General Secretary as from 22 April. The creation of this function at EDHEC forms part of the execution of the School’s Impact Future Generations strategic plan. As General Secretary, Laurent Gicquel will be a member of the Executive Committee and participate in steering the 2020-2025 strategic plan, alongside the General Management team.  

Laurent Gicquel, 53, graduated from EDHEC with an MSc in Finance in 1988 and also holds a BSc from UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) and an MBA from the University of Bath (UK). After beginning his career in audit, he moved into financial control with The Walt Disney Corporation, firstly in Florida, then with Disneyland Paris. In 1997, he joined the Management Control Department of SC Johnson, where he held several finance and marketing positions in France and the UK, before becoming the group’s Chief Financial Officer France/Benelux. In 2009, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer Europe for the BIC Group Since 2017, Laurent Gicquel has been Chief Financial Officer of the OCP Group, the leading pharmaceutical wholesaler in France and a subsidiary of the US Fortune 500 company McKesson. Alongside his business activities, he has regularly taught Corporate Finance classes on EDHEC’s Executive Education programmes. Heavily engaged with the School, he has also been a member of the Steering Committee and Treasurer of the EDHEC Board of Governors since 2019.

An experienced profile to execute EDHEC’s strategic plan

Laurent Gicquel’s arrival forms part of EDHEC’s new internal governance organisation announced recently. To accelerate the execution of its strategic plan and enhance agility, the School has set up a streamlined Executive Committee (seven permanent members), created a Programme Management Department (run by Benoît Arnaud) and structured three task forces devoted to flagship projects (programme hybridisation, data/AI and sustainable business). Working in close collaboration with the Dean and as a new member of the streamlined Executive Committee, Laurent Gicquel, will steer and coordinate the following support functions: finance, legal, management control and human resources. He will be tasked with helping to steer the 2020-2025 strategic plan with all the School’s stakeholders, including a €230m investment plan.

“Laurent Gicquel’s significant experience both in France and internationally, together with his extensive knowledge of EDHEC and his human qualities, are all advantages that will enable us a as a team to execute the strategic plan in excellent conditions”

underlines Emmanuel Métais, Dean of EDHEC Business School