Xavier Pavie

Xavier Pavie is a philosopher, professor at ESSEC Business School, program director at the International College of Philosophy (CIPh), and director of the iMagination Center. He is also a research associate at the Institute of Philosophical Research (IREPH) at Paris Nanterre University and leads the Ethics and Philosophy of Responsibility program in partnership with the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP).

He holds a master’s degree in management and a master’s in philosophy, as well as a PhD in philosophy with an accreditation to supervise research. Additionally, he graduated from the International Teachers Programme (HEC Paris) and the Global Colloquium (Harvard Business School).

After nearly fifteen years working for various organizations (Nestlé, Unilever, Club Méditerranée) in roles focused on innovation, he joined ESSEC Business School in 2008 to lead the Institute for Innovation Strategy.

In 2012, he founded the iMagination Center, dedicated to exploring imagination, innovation, and transdisciplinarity to foster the emergence of responsible innovation. The center has trained over 15,000 students (Bachelor, Master, and Executive) and has received multiple awards for pedagogical innovation both in France and internationally.

His research focuses on philosophical spiritual exercises, which he applies to areas such as innovation, imagination, lifestyle, and responsibility. In 2011, he was tasked with defining the concept of responsible innovation within a European Commission-supported project in collaboration with an international network of universities. In 2014, he was appointed president of the "Innovation-Regulation-Governance" evaluation committee of the French National Research Agency (ANR) for the Horizon 2020 program. In 2022, he was elected program director at the International College of Philosophy, where he investigates the philosophical, societal, and economic issues surrounding critical innovation.

His teaching, aimed at both initial and executive education students, focuses primarily on responsible innovation, ancient philosophy, and responsibility.

From 2016 to 2022, Xavier Pavie served as Academic Director of the Grande École program in Singapore. His time in Asia enhanced his research on responsible innovation, expanding its scope beyond Europe. This led to the development of several case studies with NGOs across Asia, including in the Philippines (Gawad Kalinga), Cambodia (Pour un Sourire d’Enfant and Passerelles Numériques), Malaysia (Dignity), and India (Auroville).

Xavier Pavie has published around twenty books and numerous articles for both academic and general audiences. His book Innovation Tested by Philosophy (PUF, 2018) was awarded Best Management Book in 2019.

He has been a visiting professor at several international institutions, including Kaunas University (Lithuania), the Geneva School of Business Administration (Switzerland), and La Trobe University (Australia). He continues to teach regularly at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) and the Catholic Institute of Paris.

Xavier Pavie has been recognized as one of the most influential global figures in education, ranking 5th in LinkedIn's Top Voices.