2019 FACC Foundation Scholarship Recipients

The French-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of 

Through its highly selective "Serge Bellanger French-American Business Scholarship Program," the FACC Foundation provides financial support to French students seeking to pursue an MBA in the U.S., and to American students who wish to pursue an MBA, a master's degree or a mastère specialisé in a business-related discipline in France.

Every year, the FACC Foundation provides multiple, merit-based scholarships. Each scholarship is worth $10,000 and exclusively covers academic tuition. To date, the FACC Foundation has awarded more than $750,000 in scholarships.

Support future scholars, confirm your attendance at the 2019 FACC Foundation Gala on October 3, 2019 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in NYC. 

Click here to learn more and register today.

We are pleased to announce the deserving 2019 recipients of the Serge Bellanger Scholarship. This merit-based scholarship is the only post graduate scholarship award of its kind, dedicated to the French-American community and the strengthening of transatlantic ties. This year we had over 70 applicants. Candidates were selected by a bi-national jury based on their enrollment in a graduate-level business degree program, their moving abroad for the pursuit of their degree, their high potential for career success and proven academic and professional acheivement. 

Please meet the exceptional group of 2019 Serge Bellanger Laureates: 

French to the U.S.:

• Jean-Mathieu Hautenauve is a business transformation leader with experience in strategy design & execution, both as a consultant & industry manager. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science & Sciences Po Lyon, where he studied economics and organizational design. He is now enrolled in theer University- Kellog School of Management full-time MBA program where he will focus on Marketing, Strategy & Leadership with the goal of joining a purpose-driven, sustainability-sensitive company when he graduates in 2020.
• Nelly Rousseau  will pursue a Master of Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School.She studied business in France with a specialization in arts management, in parallel to her cello studies. As part of Orange’s youth leadership programme, she has held business positions in B2C, partnerships management and negotiated multimillion dollar tenders. Upon completion of her MPA, she intends to work on digital government issues, helping to define a framework for the next generations of businesses.
• Sarah Wagner is a graduate of HEC Paris and holds a combined Bachelor and Master in Management, International Business. This fall, Sarah will be attending Columbia University Business School. Prior to her MBA, Sarah most recently worked as an Investment Banking Summer Associate at Morgan Stanley and spent over 18 months with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) working as a Senior Associate in Asset Management. Sarah’s goal is to transition to finance after graduation.
• El Ghali Zerhouni was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco and flew to France at the age of 18 to pursue higher education. After two years of intensive preparation, he succeeded in the national entrance examination to Ecole Polytechnique and completed a bachelor of philosophy in parallel to his scientific studies. Now, he is moving to MIT for the Master of Business Analytics program. He believes in education and technology to be the drivers of our society. As an afro-optimist, he aspires to contribute to Africa’s development as a transatlantic social entrepreneur leveraging Data Science to overcome structural barriers and shape Africa’s future. 

Americans to France:

• Jordan Bach-Lombardo studied Arabic at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating, he worked in London for Portland, the strategic communications agency where he consulted for governments, NGOs, and businesses across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe, before moving back to the US, where he was a researcher at Harvard Business School. Jordan will be pursuing an MBA at INSEAD.
• Caoline Housel is a New Jersey-native and Temple University graduate, currently enrolled in the Grande École/Master in Management program at ESCP Europe in Paris. After successfully completing a first year of general business studies and a gap year gaining professional experience, she will return to school this fall to specialize in marketing. After her studies, she hopes to continue her career in the luxury cosmetics industry, ideally within a company with a strong presence in both France and the US.
• Sophie Prach (French-American) grew up in London and Geneva, and attended the University of Pennsylvania where she studied International Relations and Chinese. After a few years at Deloitte Consulting in New York, she will be pursuing her entrepreneurial ambitions at the X-HEC Paris MS Entrepreneurs program.
• Julianna Twiggs has spent most of her career as a development professional at Women for Women International, a non-profit that helps marginalized women survivors of war to rebuild their lives in the wake of conflict. Julianna is excited to transition to her career to the private sector in France. She plans to leverage her business education to forge a robust marketing career centered on driving sustainable and ethical consumer decisions. Julianna received her BA in International Studies from American University and will enroll in the HEC Paris MBA Program in September of 2019.
• Michael Zachau Walker will be pursing an MBA at INSEAD. He currently works at the Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm. Prior to that, Michael worked at an education technology startup and as a staffer to the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Originally from Maryland, Michael is a graduate of Harvard University. He is grateful for the FACC Foundation's generous support.