Capital of Hospitality and Development
So many times have I been asked why SKEMA chose Belo Horizonte among so many cities in Brazil. I still answer with the same conviction as the first time: SKEMA came to the beautiful capital of Minas Gerais for the right reasons, because it is in Minas’ DNA the tradition of quality education, as well as being a breeding ground for innovation and cultural wealth. I am very proud of this choice.
Naturally, the history of the development of SKEMA Business School Brasil in Belo Horizonte is based, above all, on a welcoming environment. Through this characteristic of Minas Gerais people, we were able to build a network of partners and friends. All of this was decisive in SKEMA’s first steps in Belo Horizonte, the capital where ties between people naturally create many opportunities to learn and do business. It is from this warm environment that round tables emerge surrounded by daring friends who are open to developing new projects. Inspired by innovation, SKEMA Faculty also is starting to offer courses in our Law School, counting on the technological expertise linked to Artificial Intelligence, but also approaching other scientific fields.
In addition to the quality of human relationships experienced since our arrival, Belo Horizonte offers opportunities to connect with innovative ecosystems where we find incubators and efficient accelerators supporting startups that evolve very quickly; some of them become large companies. Such challenges invite us to always do everything better, seeking and offering high-level knowledge and international references that increase the chances of success in this vanguard scenario.
One cannot talk about Belo Horizonte without recognizing its value as a cultural city. After all, culture and education go hand in hand. Here, again, Belo Horizonte is an example with its offer of museums with permanent or temporary exhibitions, shows, concert halls, exhibition parks, and cultural centers, among others. I can’t help but mention one of my favorites: the Arts Education Foundation, which has the gift of discovering and encouraging young talent from all walks of life. I could not here mention all the cultural places in the city because there are so many, but I also need to mention an emblematic institution that was my first discovery when I arrived at BH: the Philharmonic and the “Sala Minas Gerais”. A space for classical music that opens its doors to all audiences, without ever renouncing the excellence of its art.
I cannot fail to mention an expertise shared by France and the State of Minas Gerais: gastronomy, which made me forget the nostalgia of French cheeses so well replaced by the delights of the ones produced in Minas Gerais! After the most serious period of the pandemic, we are proud to witness the resumption of the Minas Gerais habit of eating out and the return to the normal functioning of the bar and restaurant sector, so iconic in this capital, with the resilience and creative strength of Belo Horizonte’s gastronomic entrepreneurs, to rebuild the sector.
You may think that I am writing a declaration of love for the city of Belo Horizonte and the state of Minas Gerais. This is probably true because I already consider myself the most “mineira” Frenchwoman in the capital of Alterosas, Belo Horizonte.
