Emily Olyarchuk is an American communications professional who now calls France home. As the Head of Brand Strategy, Reputation & Influence at ESCP Business School, she is dedicated to elevating the school’s global presence by promoting its vibrant community’s expertise and success stories.
Her journey began at the University of South Carolina’s Journalism School and Honors College. This later led her to complete a master’s in communication at Sciences Po in Paris. Her experience as an account executive and conference planner for an international fintech conference series, combined with her creative background in theatre and film, has further enriched her approach. This diverse background fuels her perspective on brand strategy and communications.
1. Can you give us a bit of your “back story”? What led you to your current career path?
I found my way into higher education by chance. Before joining ESCP, I worked as an account executive in a global PR agency where I managed digital communications for clients across a variety of sectors. At one point, I was training French farmers on how to communicate via Twitter (not yet X). I also previously worked for a global FinTech conference series based out of Seattle, Washington.
Thanks to these experiences, I developed a taste for communication, brand strategy and connecting with colleagues and clients around the world. So when a friend of mine shared that ESCP Business School – with its six campuses across Europe and international outlook – was looking for a brand content expert I jumped at the opportunity. And I’m glad I did.
I’ve come to truly enjoy working in higher education, especially at an institution that places such a strong emphasis on academic research. It is incredibly rewarding to connect a professor working on inspiring research with a journalist in need of expert insights. Or to share a unique alumni story that shows a new way of viewing the world of business.
Having been an international student in France myself and fully convinced of the benefits of an international education, it is a pleasure to help spread this message globally.
2. Can you share the most interesting story that you have experienced in your current role? What were the most valuable takeaways?
Choosing just one is tough. But lately, one of the most interesting experiences has been exploring how to integrate generative AI into our communication processes.
ESCP Business School has taken a hands-on approach to AI. It has empowered all levels of the school – faculty, students AND staff – to look for new opportunities to harness the potential of GenAI. Through a partnership with OpenAI, ESCP launched a proof-of-concept phase that gave 1,000 “AI Champions” access to ChatGPT Edu and a tailored onboarding experience to help users become accustomed to the tool. The only requirement was that you had to have a clear use case in mind for your role and have a desire to experiment with the tool.
When ChatGPT was first released, I was among those sceptical about its effectiveness and long-term impact. But like many, I became convinced of its potential – beyond just generating recipes from my fridge’s meagre contents! So when the opportunity arose to join the proof-of-concept phase, I jumped at the chance. I am now exploring how AI could assist with editorial processes. I am using AI as a first-round editor to free up more time for my favourite part of the job: storytelling.
Of course, this is still a test-and-learn phase. That said, it has been fascinating to experiment with a tool that could reshape our ways of working. I entered the workforce after Google Drive and Slack had already become standard. While plenty of other tools have emerged since I had never experienced something with the transformative potential of generative AI.
That said, it is important to not overestimate such tools. We need to regularly question the environmental and ethical limitations. I’m fortunate to have like-minded colleagues who ensure we keep these issues top-of-mind.
What I’ve learned most from this experience is that you can’t critique something you don’t understand. You have to get in the sandbox and play around to understand its potential and yours.
Working with these tools has required me to more clearly define my role, my values, and where I would rather apply my time and expertise. I believe that business schools, in some ways more than other institutions, must remain open to these transformations. With entrepreneurship in the DNA of our school, we often say that we teach our students to learn to unlearn. Whether you are staff or faculty, I believe it is important to practice what we teach.
3. Differentiation seems to be a big challenge for business schools at the moment. How should they approach it?
Business schools indeed operate in an increasingly competitive market. We are not only competing against other business schools for top students but many new players. These range from edtech companies to consultancies launching their own “universities”.
Recent headlines in The Economist and Financial Times have questioned whether or not the traditional business degree is worth its salt altogether. In this context, I think business schools should think long-term when it comes to differentiation. Unlike some products or services, learning lasts a lifetime. Business schools have the opportunity to differentiate across this entire timeline.
4. What are the top 3 pieces of advice that you would give to business school communicators now?
- Look beyond traditional players for inspiration. Why not see what the top content creators are doing in the luxury industry, gaming, art, theatre etc?
- Embrace new technologies that free up time to bring the human touch where it matters most.
- Humour goes a long way, even for industries like ours. It nurtures empathy and connection.
5. Are you working on any exciting new projects that you want to tell us about? Who will benefit?
Absolutely! Of course, we are excited to be starting 2025 working with Roe Communications to promote ESCP’s approach to AI and the expertise of our faculty in this field. We are also consistently testing new content formats and creative hooks to connect the expertise of our community with the conversations happening in the world around us.
A number of these efforts will focus on promoting the research and expertise coming out of ESCP’s five institutes for Leadership & Inclusive Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation, Geopolitics, Tech and Sustainability. I highly recommend following their work here as the mission is to connect this knowledge with practitioners and professionals of all ages.
From ESCP’s TikTok to our LinkedIn Research & Impact page, we should have some interesting new projects in the pipeline, including new seasons of our podcasts We All Make Mistakes, Her Voice, and more.
And if you haven’t checked it out yet, I was particularly proud to collaborate with my colleague Sera Royal on a video for the AACSB Leader Generation series. The episode features ESCP alumna Jo Bautista, an inspiring and creative social entrepreneur. You can watch it [here].