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Purpose.

Created in 1999, the Mercure HEC is a event organized by the HEC Alumni Association to promote and encourage the spirit of enterprise and entrepreneurship within the HEC community.

This system should allow better identification of all the entrepreneurs of the community throughout the world, and each year, highlight those who have been the most remarkable.

The Mercure HEC are intended to be the global showcase for HEC entrepreneurs.

 

General principles.

To create this showcase, the HEC Alumni Association has decided to highlight, each year, those of the community's entrepreneurs around the world who have particularly stood out over the past 12 months.

 

According to the following 2 principles:

  • Designation by the entire HEC community of the "Entrepreneur of the Year" - the Mercure HEC - through a vote by alumni, on the basis of a selection of entrepreneurs made beforehand by a college of "experts" - the Selection Committee.
  • A system deployed over several homogeneous geographical areas, so as to award not one global worldwilde trophy, but several geographical trophies - one for each zone - thus enabling us to present a diversified worldwide ranking of HEC entrepreneurs each year.

 

Eligibility.

The Mercure HEC are trophies awarded not to companies or legal structures, but to one or more entrepreneurs from the HEC community, as “natural persons”.

 

Are considered as members of the HEC community - in accordance with the statutes of HEC Alumni - the graduates of the diploma courses of HEC Paris, the “Centre de Perfectionnement aux Affaires” (Paris-Jouy and Sophia-Antipolis) and HECJF, as well as the students in degree courses at HEC Paris.

 

The Mercure HEC reward, without distinction or priority, "startuppers", buyers, multi-entrepreneurs, heirs-developers of family businesses, or simply entrepreneurs of traditional businesses of all sizes and in all sectors of activity, or even creator and promoters of non-capitalistic structures, but which have a significant impact on the economic development of our society.

 

To be eligible, these entrepreneurs must be significantly involved in the capital and decision-making processes of the companies in which their actions are highlighted.

* New in 2025 However, if a regional Selection Committee deems it relevant in its area of influence, it may also select an outstanding “intrapreneur”, i.e. a company director who does not own his or her own company, but has been commissioned to create a new structure or develop a new activity, and who behaves as if it were his or her own company. To such an extent that he or she is a formidable ambassador of HEC's entrepreneurial spirit.`


Geographic areas.

The Mercure HEC of the year is designated for a specific geographical area.

Each year, therefore, there are as many Mercure HEC as there are geographical areas participating in the scheme.

 

The HEC community has been divided into 8 more or less homogeneous geographical areas depending on the number of alumni present in the area.

These areas are:

  • France
  • Europe (excluding France) & Israël
  • Africa (excluding Middle Eastern states)
  • The Middle East (excluding Israël)
  • North America (excluding Mexico)
  • Latin America (including Mexico)
  • Southeast and Central Asia 
  • East Asia (China – Japan – Taiwan – Korea) & Pacific (Oceania)

 

The distribution of the 8 zones is likely to change over time if a particularly high concentration of remarkable entrepreneurs is observed in part of one of these zones over the long term. For example, if necessary, Europe (excluding France) could be segmented into 2 zones: Eastern Europe and Western Europe.

 

One or more HEC entrepreneurs are eligible in a particular area because their company's headquarters or main activity is located in that area.

One or more HEC entrepreneurs can only be eligible in the same year in a single geographical area.

All the areas listed above are not systematically concerned each year by the election of the Mercure HEC of their area.

To be able to participate, the main representatives of the HEC community in the area (in particular the Chapter Presidents) must agree to take charge of running the system within a selection committee and be able to present a list of significant "nominated" entrepreneurs for the year in question.

 

Designation process.

List of nominees.

Initially, in each geographical area participating in the Mercure HEC of the Year, the local Selection Committee designates a list of "nominees" made up of the 3 to 5 eligible entrepreneurs (or associations of entrepreneurs") who, in the opinion of the Committee members, deserve to receive the Mercure HEC of the Year in that area.

 

If the density of potential nominees in a zone is too high, the local Selection Committee may - with the agreement of the Worldwide Organization Committee - either extend the number of nominees to 6 or 7 entrepreneurs, or divide the zone in two, so as to propose 2 lists of fewer than 5 nominees.


Alumni voting.

In a second phase, all members of the HEC community are invited by e-mail and through HEC Alumni communication media, to vote in each of the zones that interest them, for those who, in their opinion, deserve to receive the HEC Mercure of the Year for their zone. 

 

To help them make their choice, a uniform presentation of each nominee is available in the voting tool. What's more, in the weeks leading up to the vote, all nominees from all zones are the subject of an information and promotional campaign orchestrated by HEC Alumni and its various international Chapters.

 

At the end of the voting period, the "nominee" who receives the most votes in his or her zone is named "Mercure HEC of the Year" for the zone.

 

If  the number of voters in a zone is not significant enough, the worldwilde organization committee of the Mercure HEC may decide to cancel the attribution of the Mercure HEC in the zone concerned, or ask the selection committee of the area to nominate the winner himself.

 

Selection and designation criteria.

In each zone, in order to make their choice, the members of the "Nominees" Selection Committee are asked to evaluate the potential candidates for this nomination, and their actions over the year, using the following criteria:

 

Essential criteria

To be nominated, all these criteria must be "rated" well above average.

1. The entrepreneur's personality, entrepreneurial spirit, determination, generosity, sense of timing, originality, boldness, etc.

2. The ambition and scope of the project(s) undertaken (in relation to the size and dynamics of the market(s) addressed).

3. The quality of what has been achieved.

  • What can be quantified : Volume of activity, sales, jobs created, profitability, money invested and/or mobilized.
  • What cannot be quantified : Sense of innovation, ingenuity, ability to adapt and bounce back, ability to federate teams and partners, and to create virtuous models...

NB. This last criterion can be assessed globally, or separately: "what is quantifiable" on the one hand, and "what is not quantifiable" on the other.

4. What’s happening in 2024. In other words, the entrepreneur must have accomplished one or more particularly significant actions during the year within the company or companies in which he is involved. For example:

  • The creation of one or more new businesses, the creation of one or more new activities within their company, 
  • A particularly significant development of their company (in terms of sales, number of employees, profitability, etc.),
  • A particularly significant - and positive - company event (sale, partnership, IPO, transfer, etc.).

NB. This last criterion may not be taken into account in certain zones, if the number and quality of entrepreneurs identified for nomination in the zone is insufficient.

Criteria that can make all the difference.

By being "rated" well above average on one of the following criteria in order of importance, an entrepreneur who meets the 4 essential criteria above can make the difference with the others.

1. The relevance of what he or she has undertaken to HEC's strategic challenges: Developing a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous economy (social impact, contribution to ecological transitions, ... ) 

2. A personality who is little-known by the HEC community, but who deserves to be.

3. Its "entrepreneurial" reputation, its "must-have" dimension in its territory and/or fields of expertise.

4. Commitment to the HEC community.

 

Worldwide Organization Committee.

The worldwide Organization Committee is responsible for driving and developing the system.

It coordinates the action of the various local Selection Committees and ensures that the process runs efficiently in each zone.

 

It is made up of alumni involved in entrepreneurship issues within the association, members of the permanent HEC Alumni team and members of the HEC Paris administration.

Attached to the HEC Alumni Entrepreneurship Hub, it is chaired by one of its alumni.

 

Selection committee.

In each zone, the Selection Committee for the nominees is made up of :

  • Members of the boards of the various Chapters in the zone.
  • Members of the zone's Chapters with recognized entrepreneurial expertise.
  • If possible, a member representing the HEC school involved in the zone.
  • Possibly an HEC student involved in the zone.
  • And possibly members from outside the HEC community (journalists, business leaders, etc.) with recognized entrepreneurial visibility and expertise in the area.
  • And at least one member of the Mercure HEC Worldwide Organization Committee.

 

This Committee is chaired and led by one of its alumni members who is a volunteer and present or involved in the area. If no volunteer is available, the representative of the worldwide organizing committee will chair and lead the committee.

 

Participants in the designation of the Mercure HEC.

Only members of the HEC community can take part in the final vote to select the Mercure HEC of the Year in each zone. The voting process is identical in all zones. It allows each member of the HEC community to express his or her choice once, in each of the zones he or she wishes..

 

Nominees.

In each zone, the Selection Committee is free and sovereign in designating the list of nominees.

 

Before circulating its list of nominees, each Selection Committee will have given prior notice of its selection to the "nominated" alumni, who may refuse to be presented and voted on if they so wish and make this clear.

 

Winners.

In each zone, the winner of the Mercure HEC of the Year will be the "nominee" who has received the most votes from members of the HEC community in the zone.

 

In the event of a tie, the area's selection committee will decide either by choosing from among the tied nominees, the one who in their opinion most deserves to receive the Mercure HEC of the Year, or by awarding the Mercure HEC of the year to each of the nominees having had the same number of votes.

 

In addition, each Selection Committee may, if it considers it justified, award a "Prix Special du Jury" to a second nominee of its choice from its list.

 

Prizes.

The Mercure HEC of the Year is awarded without any special prize, with the exception of a diploma and a trophy (a special statuette made by HEC Alumni).

 

Winners of the "Prix Special du Jury" and all nominees also receive a special diploma.

 

On the other hand, if a zone's Selection Committee so wishes, it can also provide for an endowment to be awarded to its prize-winner(s).

 

Cancelation.

HEC Alumni and the worldwide Mercure HEC organizing committee reserve the right, in the event of major necessity, to modify the process for designating nominees and winners, or to cancel the system in one or more areas.