Axel Berard

Consultant in strategy, innovation, and organizational transformation.

Doctor in Management.

I support leaders, entrepreneurs, and institutions in their growth, structuring, and transformation challenges in uncertain and digital environments. My approach combines academic rigor, strategic vision, and operational implementation.

Professor in management schools (emlyon, KEDGE, ISC Paris…), I teach corporate strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, and team management to international audiences, from Bachelor to MBA and DBA levels. My courses are based on action learning, real-world cases, strategic simulations, and the development of decision-making skills in complex contexts.

As a researcher in strategy and organization, my work focuses on the structuring and financing of companies (publication in Venture Capital, ABS 2), the governance and performance of teams in high-pressure environments, as well as innovation and legitimacy in digital ecosystems (esports, creative industries). I also conduct research on responsible entrepreneurship and sustainable business models.

This dual academic and operational role allows me to undertake missions in strategic diagnosis, organizational structuring, team alignment, design of innovative and responsible business models, and facilitation of collaborative workshops for management committees.

I believe that sustainable performance relies on clear alignment between strategic vision, governance, collective dynamics, and responsibility, all grounded in the latest scientific knowledge.

I bring both scientific rigor and consulting pragmatism to formulate relevant solutions for concrete problems.

I supported Local Missions in a strategic evaluation mission to explore the use of commercial video games as levers for identifying and developing skills transferable to employment.

The challenge was twofold: to analyze the real value of these digital environments in terms of skills (decision-making, coordination, pressure management, collaboration) and to structure a methodological framework for their integration into innovative insertion programs.

This mission served as a proof of concept for a more ambitious axis: to mobilize digital and gaming environments as tools for detecting, developing, and valuing skills in the context of employability and transforming pedagogical practices.

In parallel, I led a strategic study on the esports ecosystem in partnership with Aix-Marseille University, the Regional Olympic Committee, and professional teams.

The objective was to identify the critical skills necessary for the sustainable structuring of the sector, to analyze its professionalization dynamics, and to define an academic and strategic roadmap positioning the university as a pioneering player in this emerging field.

Based in China, I contributed to the strategic and operational development of BBA and Master programs in a highly competitive international environment.

Academically, I designed and delivered courses in intercultural management, leadership, team management, and strategic human resource management, in English and French, to multicultural audiences.

My interventions aimed to prepare students to operate in complex global environments by developing their adaptability, intercultural coordination, and leadership skills in international contexts.

Beyond teaching, I played an active role in the development and growth of the programs:

• Institutional representation at trade shows and academic events in China

• Participation in recruitment strategies and qualification of international candidates

• Contribution to the development of local partnerships

• Participation in the admission juries for IMBA programs