CDEFM - Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises de Management

What CDEFM - Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises de Management does

CDEFM (Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises de Management) is a French non-profit association founded on 25 March 2021 in Suresnes/Paris to serve as the dedicated representative body for French management schools (Grandes Écoles de Management). It was established by six leading schools — AUDENCIA, EDHEC, ESCP, ESSEC, HEC, and SKEMA — to provide sector-specific advocacy distinct from the broader Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), within which a former "Chapter of Management Schools" had previously represented all 39 member business schools. CDEFM's membership has grown to approximately 37 schools as of April 2024, with Vincenzo Vinzi (DG of ESSEC) elected President in November 2024 and Stéphanie Lavigne (DG of TBS Education) serving as Vice-présidente.

The organization's core outputs are competency frameworks, research publications, and advocacy initiatives rather than commercial technology products. Notable deliverables include the DD&RS (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility) competency framework developed with CEFDG and MESR (2023), an AI Competency Framework (2026) covering "enlightened manager" (Bachelor) and "architect manager" (Master) levels, large-scale surveys (Youth Talks with 45,000 participants across 200+ nations, an Alternance survey covering 7,400 apprentices in 27 schools, and an International Students Survey with 2,000+ respondents from 100 nationalities), employer-facing guides such as the TBS Education-authored "Recruter un étudiant international," and the #PREPARETOI communication campaign promoting the CPGE-Grande École pathway to high-school students. Operations run on a lean team of approximately 8 employees.

CDEFM's business model is membership-based, funded through recurring subscription-style fees from its member schools. It acts as spokesperson for members to the French State, European Union, national and international accreditation bodies (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA), student and employer associations, and other international education organizations. Recent regulatory advocacy includes a June 2026 joint communiqué with CGE expressing concern over provisions in a French Senate bill on private higher education regulation. The organization also runs active partnerships with Thotis (June 2025), L'Etudiant (renewed September 2025), AACSB (EAIE 2024), and CEFDG/MESR, alongside surveys and publications that position CDEFM as the standards-setter for management-school topical competencies including sustainability and AI.

Name

CDEFM - Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises de Management

Legal name

CDEFM - Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises de Management

Website

https://cdefm.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The French non-profit association representing 37 member management schools (Grandes Écoles de Management). It advocates for members before government and accreditation bodies and publishes competency frameworks, sector surveys, and student-orientation campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: CDEFM operates as an association of management school directors, likely funded through membership fees from its member schools.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CDEFM is a non-profit association representing 37+ French management schools (Grandes Écoles de Management). It provides advocacy and institutional representation to government, accreditation bodies, and employers; develops competency frameworks (notably DD&RS for sustainable development and AI literacy); produces research publications and surveys on management education; and runs communication campaigns such as #PREPARETOI to promote the Grandes Écoles pathway.

Product overview

CDEFM is a professional association representing French management schools (currently 37 member schools). Rather than a technology product company, CDEFM serves as an advocacy and coordination body for its member institutions. Its core offerings consist of competency frameworks and standards (DD&RS, AI), research publications and surveys, practical guides for employers and schools, and communication initiatives like #PREPARETOI. These publications support management education quality, student orientation, and school-employer relations rather than constituting a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CDEFM Membership Representation Service Core member service through which CDEFM acts as the official spokesperson for member Grandes Écoles de Management to the French State, European Union, student and employer associations, and national/international accreditation bodies (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA).
• DD&RS Competency Framework (Référentiel de compétences DD&RS) Competency framework for ecological and social transition (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility) in management schools, developed in collaboration with CEFDG and the French Ministry of Higher Education (MESR). Helps schools implement responsible teaching while maintaining academic freedom.
• AI Competency Framework (Référentiel de compétences Intelligence Artificielle) Competency framework to help management schools integrate AI topics into their programs, with a common knowledge base for two mastery levels: 'enlightened manager' (Bachelor) and 'architect manager' (Master).
• Guide: Recruiting an International Student (Recruter un étudiant international) Practical guide developed with TBS Education for employers on recruiting international students (primarily non-EU) for part-time jobs, internships, apprenticeships, fixed-term, and permanent contracts.
• Apprenticeship (Alternance) Survey Publication Research publication highlighting the impact of apprenticeship (alternance) as a driver for equal opportunities and employment, drawing on responses from 7,400 apprentices across 27 member management schools.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CEFDG (Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026CDEFM collaborated with CEFDG to develop an AI competency framework to accompany management schools in integrating AI challenges into their programs. Framework proposes common knowledge base for two mastery levels: 'enlightened manager' (Bachelor) and 'architect manager' (Master).
• L'EtudiantcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 September 2025Partnership renewal announced September 29, 2025 to reaffirm their shared commitment to make private higher education offerings more visible and help students and their families understand the specificities of French management schools.
• Thotis (et Thotis Prépa)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 June 2025Strategic partnership signed on June 25, 2025 to strengthen the attractiveness of Grandes écoles de management among high school students and better support preparatory class students in their post-prep orientation towards the Grande école model. The partnership aims to promote management schools and highlight the CPGE-Grande École pathway.
• CGE (Conférence des Grandes Écoles)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2025CDEFM partnered with CGE for the 9th edition of the Gender Equality Barometer (Egalité femmes-hommes). This biennial study measures, tracks and strengthens equality dynamics in Grandes écoles, with CDEFM contributing expertise on management school specificities.
• AACSBmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 September 2024CDEFM and AACSB co-hosted a reception at EAIE 2024 in Toulouse on September 17, 2024. The event was an opportunity to exchange with international higher education partners on collaboration worldwide.
• EDHEC New Gen Talent CentremajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2024Collaboration on study examining international management students' career aspirations in France, collecting responses from over 2000 participants of 100 nationalities. Study highlights positive employer perception among international students and their emphasis on societal impact.
• Higher Education for GoodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2024Partnership to present Youth Talks survey results - an initiative collecting thoughts, aspirations and concerns of young people globally. 2023 initiative gathered 45,000 participants from over 200 nations, analyzing over 1 million ideas about peaceful and fulfilling futures.
• TBS EducationmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 June 2024TBS Education developed a comprehensive guide on recruiting international students for CDEFM. The guide covers information for employers regarding student jobs, internships, apprenticeships, fixed-term and permanent contracts for international students (non-EU primarily).
• CEFDG (Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Collaboration with CEFDG and MESR to develop the DD&RS (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility) competency framework for management schools. This document supports schools in implementing responsible teaching while maintaining academic freedom.
• Pour un réveil écologiqueminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023CDEFM partnered with Pour un réveil écologique and Campus de la Transition for the event 'Higher Education for Ecological and Social Transition' on July 12, 2023. Event aimed at school directors for collective exchange on socio-ecological challenges.
• Campus de la TransitionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023CDEFM partnered with Pour un réveil écologique and Campus de la Transition for the event 'Higher Education for Ecological and Social Transition' on July 12, 2023. Event aimed at school directors for collective exchange on socio-ecological challenges.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• AACSB International: Global accreditor and association for business schools; co-host with CDEFM at EAIE 2024. While AACSB is a global accreditation body rather than a national association, it functions as a complementary institutional peer within management education governance.
• AMBA (Association of MBAs): UK-headquartered global association accrediting MBA, DBA and MBM programmes; operates as a peer body in management-education accreditation space alongside EQUIS and AACSB.
• GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council): Association of leading graduate business schools that owns the GMAT and provides services to business schools; a comparable association model serving a partially overlapping member base of management schools.

Direct peers

• CDEFI (Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises d'Ingénieurs): Parallel French conference representing directors of engineering schools; structurally identical to CDEFM and its most direct functional analogue, addressing accreditation, government advocacy, and competency frameworks for a peer set of grandes écoles.
• UGEI (Union des Grandes Écoles Indépendantes): Association of independent (private) grandes écoles in France, including several CDEFM member schools. UGEI is directly comparable as a member-based advocacy body for private French higher-education institutions.

Broad incumbents

• EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development): European-wide management education association and EQUIS accreditation body; structurally similar to CDEFM at the European level, engaging the same pool of business schools on quality, accreditation and thought leadership.
• CGE (Conférence des Grandes Écoles): Umbrella French association of all grandes écoles (engineering, management, etc.); CDEFM was carved out of CGE's Chapter of Management Schools. CGE remains a coordinating incumbent over the broader French higher-education landscape that CDEFM engages with.

Regional players

• CRÉA (Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises d'Ingénieurs et de Management) - CDEFM/Arts et Métiers category peers: Notes: Returning best-known peers only; the direct parallel 'CDEFI' is already listed above as the canonical French peer conference for school directors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CDEFM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdefm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CDEFM - Conférence des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises de Management