ICN EMBA P20 cohort: you gotcha!
They are entrepreneurs, executives, experts or creators. They are between 30 and 50 years old. They came in search of tools; they found a new version of themselves. A look back at the 18 months of an “anniversary” cohort that left its mark on the history of ICN Business School.
ICN’s Executive MBA is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
A coming-of-age milestone for a degree, but above all a life-changing turning point for the members of the P20 cohort. As the final presentations have just come to a close, graduates’ testimonials are flooding social media — not to talk about “KPIs” or “financial strategy”, but to celebrate a human, sensory and profoundly transformative experience.
More than a degree, a personal transformation
The journey of an Executive MBA is often described as a marathon. For Aurélien Herquel, an entrepreneur, it proved to be a challenge of legitimacy, brilliantly met: “It means accepting to question yourself, stepping outside your comfort zone, and juggling responsibilities with ambitions.” For others, such as Laetitia Lacote, the journey began with an almost improbable challenge: a ticket won during a hackathon. Arriving with the intention to “test it out and stop quickly”, she left 18 months later transformed by the strength of the collective. “Tomorrow, I’m not coming to present a project. I’m coming to tell the story of a transformation,” she said ahead of her final presentation. A statement that perfectly captures the very essence of ICN: beyond skills, it is self-confidence that has been built over time, through seminars in Philadelphia, Berlin and Beijing.
Between Full Metal Jacket and The Shining: a collective resilience
For some, like Jean-Aimé Ruggiero, those 18 months sometimes felt like a joyful “hell” of hard work. With the humour that defines the cohort, he describes the journey as a shared path of trials: “The goal was to get there together. It’s not a competition; it’s a unique alchemy made up of resilience, agility and a bit of fancy footwork.” Each class, each lecturer, each stage of this academic marathon acted like a software update: “We grow, we become more strategic and more structured, shaping ourselves into a better version of who we are. It’s a bit like moving from ChatGPT 4.5 to 4.6.”
The ATM spirit: when pedagogy becomes an art
True to its #ATM philosophy (Art, Technology, Management), ICN goes beyond simply delivering theory. It builds bridges between worlds that might otherwise seem disconnected.
Zineb Aouni, Programme Director, highlights this unique approach: “The development of a group identity finds an inspiring expression here.” To bring this chapter to a close, the cohort experienced a timeless moment at Maison Minalys , a refined setting dedicated to haute perfumery in Nancy.
Far from industrial standards, the participants discovered the precision, balance and intention behind the creation of a fragrance. As Mouncef Mahlaoui describes it poetically, this suspended moment made it possible to “give meaning to those 18 months”. The result? A unique fragrance, the signature of the P20 cohort, where each drop symbolises a memory, an effort or a shared victory.
A legacy for the future
If the classes come to an end, the journey is only just beginning. Between Sunday work sessions lasting until 11 p.m. and the unbreakable bonds forged between Nancy and the rest of the world, the P20 cohort leaves an indelible mark.
It perfectly embodies ICN’s vision: to develop leaders capable of navigating complexity with humanity, creativity and humility. As Aurélien Herquel concludes: “The greatest achievements are above all human. The best is yet to come.”
Congratulations to all the graduates of the P20 cohort! Your journey is the finest testament to the strength of this programme.
