ESCP Business School has unveiled its 2026 to 2030 strategic plan, Bold & United, with the goal of reshaping management education to prepare leaders for an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. Announced in late 2024, the initiative reinforces ESCP’s role as a European university of management and builds on its founding legacy as the world’s first business school, established in 1819.
The plan addresses global challenges such as digitalisation, sustainability, and geopolitical instability. It aims to equip students with a blend of technical, human, and strategic skills to navigate what the school refers to as a disrupted environment. This acronym stands for Digitalised, Inclusive, Sustainable, Rapid, Unpredictable, Polarised, Tangled, Empowered, and Dynamic.
“In an age of profound transformation, where agility, inclusion and responsibility are no longer optional but imperative, ESCP stands as a bold and united force in management education,” said Léon Laulusa, executive president and dean of ESCP Business School. “Our 2026 to 2030 strategic plan is not just a roadmap. It is a collective manifesto shaped by the voices of thousands across our community. This is our commitment: to nurture leaders who shape society with empathy, ethics and excellence.”
To realise this vision, ESCP will introduce two new schools that will work alongside its core business school by the end of the decade. The ESCP School of Technology will open in 2027 to train leaders in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data science, and emerging technologies. The ESCP School of Governance will follow in 2029, focusing on geopolitics, international law, public affairs, and global strategy. These schools will integrate with existing programmes in management, finance, marketing, sustainability, and entrepreneurship to promote interdisciplinary learning.
“At ESCP, we do not just teach leadership. We live it, in how we listen, innovate, and empower our entire community,” said Francesco Rattalino, executive vice president and dean of academic affairs.
The Bold & United strategy sets clear targets for growth by 2030. The school plans to enrol more than 12,000 students from over 150 nationalities, supported by a faculty of 300 professors representing 50 countries with full gender parity. It also aims to generate €300 million in annual revenue while maintaining a position among the top five institutions in the Financial Times European Business School ranking.
To support these objectives, ESCP will expand its academic offering. This includes launching a Global Master in Management in partnership with CEIBS, and introducing four new MSc degrees. One of these programmes will specialise in business in the space industry. The school will invest €320 million in upgrading its six campuses in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Turin, and Warsaw to support future-ready teaching and research environments.
ESCP’s humanist values – inclusion, diversity, excellence, and merit – form the foundation of the strategy. A key part of this commitment involves expanding the scholarship fund to €9 million, which represents about 5 percent of the school’s revenue. By 2030, a new Extension School will provide flexible lifelong learning options, while outreach and recruitment will increase in the Global South. The plan also includes building new partnerships focused on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sustainability is embedded across the school’s operations and curriculum. ESCP will launch a Sustainability Advisory Council, track its carbon footprint, and ensure environmental topics are addressed in all academic programmes. Its five interdisciplinary research institutes, known as LIGhTS, will continue advancing knowledge in sustainability, geopolitics, and technology. These efforts will be enhanced through the use of AI tools, including ChatGPT Edu licences.
A €100 million fundraising campaign led by the ESCP Foundation will help finance these developments. This initiative strengthens collaboration between alumni, faculty, and students. “When ESCP rises, we all rise,” the campaign declares. Véronique Tran, executive vice president of executive education and corporate relations, said: “At ESCP, research, technology, and inclusion are not separate priorities. They are interconnected levers for societal progress.”
