Stories
Stories
Tradition and Outreach at HBS Club de France
Like a fine French wine, the HBS Club de France has aged well and been savored by many.
The club was organized in 1934 by the legendary HBS professor General Georges F. Doriot. Jean L. Borit (MBA '33) headed the first postwar meetings, which attracted a dozen members to two annual gatherings: one in early summer and the other on the day of the Harvard-Yale football game, when the French Harvard and Yale clubs got together to celebrate the game's outcome with champagne provided by alumni of the losing alma mater.
Pierre L. Willaime (MBA '49), who served as club president from 1958 to 1974, addressed the needs of an increasing membership while maintaining strong bonds with the School. He instigated a tradition of monthly luncheons as well as an advisory interviewing committee to meet with French applicants to HBS.
In the late 1960s, Dutch graduate Bert W.M. Twaalfhoven (MBA '54) was instrumental in beginning a tradition of meetings for all European alumni. The first was held in Amsterdam in 1966, with HBS clubs in other European capitals subsequently following suit. The Club de France hosted the event in 1972, when five hundred HBS alumni and guests gathered at a gala dinner at the Château de Versailles.
The French club took European unity a step further in 1972, publishing the first European HBS directory, which was distributed free of charge to seven thousand European alumni. Today the club also publishes a French directory listing French alumni living abroad as well as those in France. "The latter group is close to twelve hundred," notes Willaime, who is still very active in club affairs, "and some 60 percent are dues-paying members."
Currently under the leadership of President Pierre S. Bonelli (MBA '66), the French club draws alumni to numerous events, including monthly luncheons, guided visits to major art shows, and the annual Management Prize award ceremony. Since the late 1980s, notes Executive Director Marie-Hélène de Rancher, the club has been instrumental in securing loans for French students at HBS and, more recently, in recruiting young members. "The club has been very active for a long time, and our past is very rich," de Rancher says with pride. "We look forward to a bright future."
- Amy E. Dean
Post a Comment
Related Stories
-
- 19 Apr 2024
- HBS Clubs
Alumni Host Energy CEO Summit in Houston; Austin Club Co-Hosts SXSW Reception
By: Margie Kelley -
- 21 Mar 2024
- HBS Clubs
OC Alumni Get Clarity on AI; Inequality and Climate Change Explored in DC
By: Margie Kelley -
- 22 Feb 2024
- HBS Clubs
GCC Crossroads Aims for a Bright Future; Seattle Alumni Talk Leadership in Tech; Italy Preps for European Alumni Summit
By: Margie Kelley -
- 25 Jan 2024
- HBS Clubs
Alumni Gain Insights on Nigeria’s New Government; Taipei Alumni Host Faculty Guest
By: Margie Kelley