Our raison d'être
Founded by Jules Siegfried in 1871 as one of the very first French business schools, the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce et d'Administration des Entreprises du Havre merged in 2004 with Sup Europe - CESEC in Caen to become the Ecole de Management de Normandie (EM Normandie Business School).
The Siegfried legacy
Julie and Jules Siegfried both worked to improve the living conditions of the working classes, each in their own way:
Jules Siegfried, after founding the school that would become EM Normandie in 1871 in Le Havre, went on to pursue a career in politics, first at local level and then as a member of the French parliament for 31 years. During his career, he built secular schools, public libraries and even a grammar school for girls. His second priority was hygiene, for which he campaigned ardently. Jules Siegfried's major achievements in this field included the construction of dispensaries, shower baths and a municipal hygiene office.
Julie Siegfried, for her part, fought for women's rights through a wide range of actions, including building hostels, welcoming women workers to the city and even fighting hard for women's right to vote.
The values of this couple remain deeply rooted in our society and are expressed through the values of the EM Normandie Foundation, which promotes social inclusion and access to education for all.
‘The philanthropic arm of the school’
Philanthropy has been an essential element of EM Normandie since its very beginnings, driven by its founder, Jules Siegfried.
Jules Siegfried and his wife, Julie, were both pioneers of social change, shifting the boundaries in the fields of education, industry and women's rights.
Like them, the Foundation is committed to supporting access to excellent education for all. It believes that lack of financial resources should never be an obstacle to admission to EM Normandie. In addition, it sees academic excellence and high-quality research as powerful means of stimulating creativity and innovation.
150 years later, the career and generosity of Jules and Julie Siegfried remain the common thread running through the EM Normandie Foundation. They are its anchor.
