“I liked learning, and I think we can spend our life learning,” she says. “I like the idea of providing that opportunity to students whatever their age.”

To start her career, Luquet landed in Washington, D.C., helping introduce elementary students to French and organize cultural activities as a program coordinator for Alliance Francaise. In Canada, she worked as an editor for a publishing house before returning to the U.S. to help Columbia University develop joint academic projects with their international partners.

“After a few years in the U.S. and Canada, I realized that I missed my family and friends and that’s why I wanted to go back to France but continue working in an international environment,” says Luquet. She returned to France with her next career stop as international affairs manager and later head of the Center for the Americas at Sciences Po – a university with a focus on social science based in Paris.

There, she was responsible for partnerships, dual degrees, and student and faculty changes between North and Latin America and France. She especially enjoyed experiences in helping shape dual degree programs, both for Sciences Po and Columbia University.

“I think it’s wonderful for students to be able to study in two countries and learn from two different international institutions,” she says. “I was happy to be part of it.”

Luquet returned to school herself and received two master’s degrees, one in political science from IEP of Lille in France, and one in management from HEC Montreal in Canada. While at Sciences Po, HEC Montreal approached Luquet to assist the school in further developing its European headquarters in Paris. There she helped advance alumni relations, student exchanges, and dual degree options.

In 2019, ESSEC Business School offered her a path to exploring executive education in more depth. At ESSEC, she oversees executive education, with a portfolio that includes EMBA Programs and an Executive Master’s Program, certificates, and short courses for executives, basically all offerings except custom programs. She enjoys working with experienced business leaders, where learning opens new possibilities for their careers.

“It’s very stimulating to be among the faculty members and executive education participants,” she says. “I find the students very interesting because they are in the middle of their careers, at a crossroad, and they’re thinking about their next steps. It’s a very important moment for them. I have much admiration for the people who are doing this.”

Her team supports program delivery for some 800 to 1,000 new executive education participants each year, including EMBA students. ESSEC offers a weekend EMBA Program, as well as a modular EMBA Program in partnership with Mannheim Business School in Germany. Luquet works closely with faculty on program design and her team on student satisfaction.

The pandemic posed challenges and helped Luquet forge closer connections to faculty as they both worked toward the goal of quickly adapting in a complex situation with many unknowns.

“We’re teaching students about navigating changes, but at the same time, we are trying to navigate changes,” she says. “We improved at a very speedy rate, and it was a learning curve. At the beginning we felt that we were behind the change, and then at some point, we were more and more confident in the decisions we were making. In terms of cohesion, it was very strong.”

The pandemic reinforced the importance of flexibility, says Luquet. Looking to offer more flexibility for students, ESSEC has begun investigating ways to incorporate hybrid learning in its EMBA Programs while maintaining its distinctive approach. The ESSEC EMBA pedagogical model requires smaller enrollments that allow students to work in different groups throughout the program.

“We think that is mirrors real business life,” she says. “It’s very challenging, so the program has to stay small.”

Luquet first learned about EMBAC from her predecessor, who talked about the value of the EMBAC network. She attended her first conference in 2019 and discovered the camaraderie and cohesive inclusive spirit for herself. She then presented at the next annual conference and in 2022 was elected to the EMBAC Board of Trustees.

“Every time I attend a conference or workshop, I learn something. This is also a network where people are really helping each other, and this is not true about every network. If you have a question, if you face a challenge, you can always send an email or call, and you would find someone to help you in the network.”

Luquet also shared the following insights with EMBAC Voice:

• My hobbies include: “Reading and reading. It’s because I gave birth to a little girl five months ago. Right now, it’s just reading when I have time.”
• My favorite city is: “Paris is really a beautiful city; I would also say I like Madrid and Decca, the capital of Senegal, where I grew up.”
• I'm most proud of: “My daughter, Emma, who was born five months ago.”
• I’m reading: “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer.
• I’m passionate about: “Passionate is strong word for me. I’m a loyal person to my friends and family. This is very important in my life.”
• My next project is: “Being a useful and resourceful EMBAC board member and serving well the European EMBAC community.”
• You may not know that: “I grew up in Africa.”
• When I think about the Executive MBA Council, I think: “Solidarity, comradery, inclusiveness.”