The Marie and Alain Philippson Chair aims to develop an international centre of expertise in the field of managing for sustainable human development, at the Solvay Business School.

The scope of the Marie and Alain Philippson Chair’s is the study of the barriers and possible solutions to the social and economic progress of developing countries. A special emphasis is placed on the role of corporate actors, alone or in interaction with governmental and non-governmental players. Although the Chair is interested in developing countries in general, a particular attention is given to African countries.

The Chair offers courses in the programs of BA and MA in Management and MBA, and supervises the graduation thesis of several MA students, at the Solvay Business School. The Chair’s academic activities include also the publication in academic journals, the organisation of conferences, and the supervision of doctoral students.

In partnership with companies operating in developing economies, the Chair has launched the Corporate Fellowship Program. This program enables students to have practical experience through field internships and aims to raise students’ awareness, not only about the realities and challenges faced by the developing nations, but also about their possible contribution as future business leaders.