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01-11-12, 15:11
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/premium/singapore/french-business-school-build-40m-campus-here-20121101
Published November 01, 2012
French business school to build $40m campus here
Project at Nepal Hill in one-north slated to open in December 2014
By Lee U-wen
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sites/businesstimes.com.sg/files/imagecache/image_300x200/Essec1nov345.jpg
Groundbreaking on the 5,340 square metre site is set for Feb 26 next year, and the facility will open its doors in December 2014, said Essec Asia-Pacific president and dean Pierre Tapie -PHOTO: ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL
A TOP European business school yesterday announced plans to build a new campus in Singapore at the one-north business park.
Essec Business School from France is investing $40 million on a five-storey campus at Nepal Hill in one-north, an area earmarked by the Singapore government as a regional centre for leadership training. Nepal Hill is located near Biopolis, Fusionopolis and Rochester Park, and is a 15-minute drive away from the central business district.
Groundbreaking on the 5,340 square metre site is set for Feb 26 next year, and the facility will open its doors in December 2014, said Essec Asia-Pacific president and dean Pierre Tapie.
He also revealed that there was an option to go ahead with a second phase of the campus development, on an adjacent 3,956 sq m plot of land, in a few years' time.
Essec's campus is designed by well-known Singaporean architect Liu Thai Ker of RSP Architects Planners and Engineers.
Essec, which first started operations in Singapore back in 2005, has been running at full capacity at its current premises at the National Library Building on Victoria Street, where it occupies two storeys.
Already, the school has had to rent additional space at the nearby Odeon Tower building to cope with its growing number of students and courses.
Having a full-fledged campus of its own will go a long way towards helping Essec boost its presence in Asia, said Dr Tapie, who was in town to sign a 30-year lease for the site with JTC Corporation yesterday. Essec's new home will be able to accommodate about 100 permanent staff members, including 30 professors, and 1,500 students and executive participants every year.
Talks for a permanent campus first began with JTC and the Economic Development Board three years ago as Essec plotted its next phase of growth in Asia.
"We are indeed happy that Essec is joining the one-north innovation community," said JTC assistant chief executive officer (cluster development group) Heah Soon Poh.
"(Essec's) Asia-Pacific campus will help grow the leadership development cluster at Nepal Hill and further strengthen the value proposition of Singapore as a global leadership development hub in Asia.
Former Singapore ambassador to France Burhan Gafoor said that the new Essec campus would further strengthen the partnership between Singapore and France.
"Many French companies use Singapore as a springboard to reach out to the region or even the world," he said during the lease signing ceremony.
"I'm confident that Essec will become a two-way bridge between France and Singapore. It will attract more French students to come to Asia but it will also allow young Asians to explore opportunities in France and Europe."
Essec was founded 105 years ago and currently has 4,400 full-time students, 5,000 managers in executive programmes and 141 full-time professors. Its programmes are regularly placed at the top of the Financial Times' annual rankings.
Published November 01, 2012
French business school to build $40m campus here
Project at Nepal Hill in one-north slated to open in December 2014
By Lee U-wen
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sites/businesstimes.com.sg/files/imagecache/image_300x200/Essec1nov345.jpg
Groundbreaking on the 5,340 square metre site is set for Feb 26 next year, and the facility will open its doors in December 2014, said Essec Asia-Pacific president and dean Pierre Tapie -PHOTO: ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL
A TOP European business school yesterday announced plans to build a new campus in Singapore at the one-north business park.
Essec Business School from France is investing $40 million on a five-storey campus at Nepal Hill in one-north, an area earmarked by the Singapore government as a regional centre for leadership training. Nepal Hill is located near Biopolis, Fusionopolis and Rochester Park, and is a 15-minute drive away from the central business district.
Groundbreaking on the 5,340 square metre site is set for Feb 26 next year, and the facility will open its doors in December 2014, said Essec Asia-Pacific president and dean Pierre Tapie.
He also revealed that there was an option to go ahead with a second phase of the campus development, on an adjacent 3,956 sq m plot of land, in a few years' time.
Essec's campus is designed by well-known Singaporean architect Liu Thai Ker of RSP Architects Planners and Engineers.
Essec, which first started operations in Singapore back in 2005, has been running at full capacity at its current premises at the National Library Building on Victoria Street, where it occupies two storeys.
Already, the school has had to rent additional space at the nearby Odeon Tower building to cope with its growing number of students and courses.
Having a full-fledged campus of its own will go a long way towards helping Essec boost its presence in Asia, said Dr Tapie, who was in town to sign a 30-year lease for the site with JTC Corporation yesterday. Essec's new home will be able to accommodate about 100 permanent staff members, including 30 professors, and 1,500 students and executive participants every year.
Talks for a permanent campus first began with JTC and the Economic Development Board three years ago as Essec plotted its next phase of growth in Asia.
"We are indeed happy that Essec is joining the one-north innovation community," said JTC assistant chief executive officer (cluster development group) Heah Soon Poh.
"(Essec's) Asia-Pacific campus will help grow the leadership development cluster at Nepal Hill and further strengthen the value proposition of Singapore as a global leadership development hub in Asia.
Former Singapore ambassador to France Burhan Gafoor said that the new Essec campus would further strengthen the partnership between Singapore and France.
"Many French companies use Singapore as a springboard to reach out to the region or even the world," he said during the lease signing ceremony.
"I'm confident that Essec will become a two-way bridge between France and Singapore. It will attract more French students to come to Asia but it will also allow young Asians to explore opportunities in France and Europe."
Essec was founded 105 years ago and currently has 4,400 full-time students, 5,000 managers in executive programmes and 141 full-time professors. Its programmes are regularly placed at the top of the Financial Times' annual rankings.