Conference on Sovereignty and Strategic Partnerships

École nationale des ponts et chaussées and ESCP Business School, in partnership with MEDEF International, are organizing the symposium “Critical Materials: Sovereignty and Strategic Partnerships” on May 28, 2026.

The conference will explore issues related to industrial sovereignty and the dynamics of strategic partnerships in a context marked by tensions over critical resources and shifting geopolitical landscapes.

The morning session will focus on sovereignty. It will open with an institutional overview of policies for securing supplies of strategic minerals and metals, their downstream value chains, and materials more broadly, before addressing key industrial challenges.

The afternoon session will be dedicated to strategic partnerships. Drawing on feedback from industry practitioners, discussions will examine the conditions for successful cooperation between stakeholders at different scales.

This event is organized on the initiative of the Mastère Spécialisé® Critical Materials program at École nationale des ponts et chaussées.

Date and time: Thursday, May 28, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Montansier Amphitheatre, ESCP Business School, 8 Avenue de la Porte de Champerret, Paris 17th district

Register for the conference

Detailed program:

• 9:00 am – Welcome coffee
  
  Introduction by Benjamin Gallezot
   
• 9:45 am – Morning session: Sovereignty
  Introduction by Céline Tevissen, SNCF
  Moderation by Philippe Zarlowski, ESCP
  
  Panel discussion and keynote addresses:
  Alan Parte, IMERYS, Thomas Lagrée, INFRAVIA CAPITAL PARTNERS, Lama Itani, SOLVAY, Alexandre Damiens, ORANO
   
• 12:50 pm – Lunch break
   
• 2:00 pm – Afternoon session: Strategic Partnerships
  Introduction by Nicolas Swetchine, MICHELIN, ENPC-ESCP 
  Moderation by Christophe Xerri, ENPC
  
  Panel discussion and keynote addresses:                  
  Bruno Jacquemin, A3M, Jean-Baptiste Benvenuti, RENAULT, Boris Martor, BIRD & BIRD, Jérôme Auffret, VEOLIA, Marc-Antoine Belthe, ENPC, Jacques Peythieu, ORANO
   
• 4:45 pm – Closing remarks
   
• 5:15 pm – Networking cocktail reception 

Download the program (in French)