HEC Foundation Honors Innovative Ethics & Sustainability Lab with Bruno Roux de Bézieux Award
The Ethics & Sustainability Lab Studio Series, developed by Marieke Huysentruyt, Daria Mieszkielo (H.20), and Romain Briat, receives recognition for creating immersive learning environments that tackle complex sustainability challenges.
The innovative Ethics & Sustainability Lab Studio Series has been awarded the prestigious Bruno Roux de Bézieux Award for Pedagogical Innovation at HEC Paris. The initiative distinguishes itself by creating a safe space for students to engage with complex ethical and sustainability issues in an increasingly polarized world. The lab functions as a "living lab," immersing students in real-world scenarios they're likely to encounter in their future careers while fostering connections across cohorts. Each studio session focuses on future-relevant topics such as religion in the workplace or business in megacities, integrating academic research with corporate artifacts and students' personal experiences to enhance their "inner development goals" - cognitive and soft skills essential for advancing sustainable development.
CREATING DIALOGUE ACROSS DIFFERENCES
"The Ethics & Sustainability studio stands out both in form and substance by addressing complex but necessary topics in the current geopolitical context", stated the jury. "Marieke Huysentruyt, Daria Mieszkielo, and Romain Briat impressed the jury with their passion and this innovative approach combining practice and theory to provide students with the right tools to foster dialogue within companies." Reflecting on the experience, Daria Mieszkielo shared, "It has been a truly engaging journey to explore and refine how inherently dynamic, interdisciplinary, and culturally sensitive topics can be effectively introduced and addressed collectively in the classroom. We're looking forward to continuing this much needed pedagogical adventure and seeing the 'Ethics & Sustainability Studios' grow at HEC and beyond." The award, funded by the Roux de Bézieux Foundation under the aegis of the HEC Foundation, commemorates Bruno Roux de Bézieux (H.55), who pioneered the introduction of the case method from the United States to HEC in the 1960s.
Through this innovative pedagogical approach, HEC Paris continues its tradition of excellence while preparing students to address the complex ethical and sustainability challenges of tomorrow's business world.
Marieke Huysentruyt is an Associate Professor of Strategy & Business Policy at HEC Paris, and academic affiliate at ideas42 (US) and SITE (Sweden). Her current research combines insights from economics, humanities, and behavioral science with causal inference tools – lab, field, and natural experiments- to study how organizations can become more inclusive, foster the creation of social ties, and encourage their employees to take sustainability-actions. In addition to being the Academic Director of the S&O Institute, Marieke is the Academic Director of the Impact Company Lab (cofounded by HEC Paris and Schneider Electric). In the past, she was the co-founder and co-director of the Oksigen eco-system designed to promote and support social business innovation and social entrepreneurship, faculty member at the and London School of Economics, and a visiting scholar at Harvard University and the Sante Fe Institute. She enjoys writing, mentoring PhD and postdoc students, pushing for more impactful, engaged research, and thinking up new immersive, learning experiences on sustainability-related topics.
Daria Mieszkielo is now evolving at the Impact Company Lab (S&O Institute) as Engaged Research & Pedagogy Lead, under the academic direction of Professor Marieke Huysentruyt. After engaging with major international companies to transform their leadership practices, she came back to HEC in 2023 to pursue her deep interest in sustainability, social sciences, research and pedagogy.
Romain Briat. as Executive Director of the Purpose Center at the S&O Institute, oversees the development of the Center at the crossroads of research, teaching and actions. After several years working in impact and responsible investing and ESG – eg. French Ministry of Economy where he has namely helped to structure the first social impact bonds, Meeschaert AM, and ODDO BHF –, he joined HEC in 2022 with the will to contribute to rethink the way management and leadership are both conceived of and taught. Romain is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris in public policy and of ESSEC in management. His expertise and interest extend to human dimensions of management, meaning at work,leadership and corporate governance.
Find the LinkedIn Post about this reward here