Célia Russo

Célia Russo (13 July 1944 – 3 January 1999) was a French-Argentine educator and academic administrator, born in Guildford, England. She was also known as Célia Delia Tahtagian. Russo worked at the historic École nationale des ponts et chaussées (founded in 1747 and one of France’s oldest and most prestigious grandes écoles), where she founded the ENPC School of International Management in 1987, today known as École des Ponts Business School, and served as its first dean until her death in 1999. In 1997 she was made a chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Jacques Chirac.

Early life and education Russo was born in Guildford, England to a French mother and Argentine diplomat father

Early career From 1967 to 1973, Russo served as head of the bilingual Saint-Charles School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1987 she founded the ENPC School of International Management. Russo designed a flexible MBA curriculum allowing students to tailor their studies through a wide range of electives, conducted in English and taught by an international faculty. In 1988 she launched the Master’s in International Business (MIB) program and served as its president.

In a 1999 message shortly before her death, Russo described the program’s ethos: “Participants become partners in the M.I.B. They design their own curriculum based on their background and aspirations. They negotiate this curriculum with the faculty. They are involved in their own development and that of the M.I.B.” She was also noted internationally for her work in making MBAs accessible to a wider range of candidates, including in The Independent in 1998.

Educational philosophy Russo believed learners should actively co-create their educational journey. In a 1985 article, she argued that international training should “bring about new understanding and consequent change” in learners. Her 1999 message reiterated this philosophy, emphasising that students must be active partners in shaping their education and development. A 2017 commemorative video by the school recounts her success in convincing the ENPC executive board—then composed almost entirely of French male engineers—to create an international business school, and describes her vision that business should serve human progress and global well-being. Her principles of ethical leadership, cultural diversity, and sustainability remain central to the school’s mission. “A Multidimensional Approach to International Training” (1985), European Journal of Engineering Education.