From 30 June to 4 July 2025, ESSEC APAC welcomed 75 high school students for the Business & Leadership Immersion Program for Youths, a five-day summer program that introduced them to business fundamentals.

Students came from prestigious institutions including Tanglin Trust School, International French School, Harrow International School Bangkok, Taipei American School, Lycée Français de Shanghai (China), and many more. In total, 17 nationalities were represented.

The program opened with an address by Yvonne Tan, Director of Recruitment, Marketing & Admissions, and Professor Gautam Kiyawat. Sumathy Krishnan, representing ViroGreen—our partner company for this year’s Project Challenge—delivered the project briefing.

Students connected with their peers during an icebreaking session, while their parents attended an information session and workshop on ESSEC’s undergraduate programs. The first day concluded with a networking dinner that brought together students, families, and staff.

Throughout the rest of the week, students engaged in academic sessions on business principles and practices, led by professors Gautam Kiyawat (Marketing Digital & Social), Rick Marchese (Finance & Accounting), Brice Degeyter (Business Model & Plan), Abhilasha Krishnan (People & Organizations), Prashant Saxena (Marketing with Gen AI), and Marina Matthews (PR & Events).

A highlight of the program was the Climate Fresk workshop, conducted by Sumathy Krishnan, to promote climate change awareness through activities, offering students a hands-on way to understand the importance of sustainability in modern business. Another key feature was the career workshop led by Leo Tan, Head of Career Services & Alumni Relations.

Students explored career pathways and heard personal insights from ESSEC Global Bachelor of Business Administration (GBBA) alumni Simran Hathiramani, Clara Tusin, and Alexandre Loo. For this year’s Project Challenge, the students were tasked with developing strategies to encourage e-waste recycling.

On the final day, they applied the knowledge gained during the week and presented their proposals to a panel of judges, including Vincent Quck, Sustainability & Recycling Consultant at ViroGreen.

Vincent shared, “We thoroughly enjoyed the students’ presentations — the teams shared many truly insightful and practical solutions for engaging Singaporean youths in tackling the e-waste challenge. It was clear they put a lot of thought and effort into their work. It was a very rewarding experience to be part of this program and to witness the students’ creativity in addressing such an important issue for Singapore.”

Survey results reflected strong engagement and satisfaction: over 80% of participants rated the program very good or excellent. Notably, 74% indicated they would consider ESSEC for further studies. We commend all students for their commitment and enthusiasm, and we look forward to another successful edition next year.