Skolae

Skolae, officially the Société parisienne de management et d'investissement (SPMI), is a French family-owned group specialising in private higher education and continuing professional training. It was founded by Pierre Azoulay in 1991 and is today led by Jonathan Azoulay, who serves as President. The group presents itself as "the leading higher-education network in work-study (alternance)" and operates through two complementary poles: Skolae Education, formed from the merger of the Réseau GES and Eductive networks, and Skolae Formation, created from the merger of M2i and Abilways. The group traces its roots to the École supérieure de gestion (ESG), founded in 1974 by Pierre Azoulay in Paris. In 2006 the Azoulay family sold most of the Paris Graduate School of Management (PGSM) group and the "ESG" brand to Eductis, retaining ESGI and the Pôle Paris Alternance (ISIMI-PPA), which it regrouped into the Réseau des Grandes Écoles Spécialisées (GES). Eductive Education Group emerged separately in 2012 from the merger of the IFSP group (Rodolphe Léon) and the Sciences-U group (Sami Anbouba), and was acquired by the LFPI investment fund in 2017. In 2020 GES and Eductive allied, and in late 2023 GES-Eductive, together with Charterhouse Capital Partners, acquired the Abilways group from the Mulliez family. The group then progressively adopted the Skolae brand. Skolae's Education pole brings together nearly 21,000 students across some 24 private higher-education establishments, including ESGI, EIML Paris, EFET, the Institut supérieur de formation au journalisme, ICAN, ECITV and PPA Business School. Its Formation pole, Skolae Formation, was created on 4 September 2025 through the merger of Abilways and M2i Formation and holds assets such as the CFPJ (Centre de formation et de perfectionnement des journalistes). The group is also a shareholder in École W, a component institution of Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas. According to its own figures, Skolae comprises 23 schools, 21,000 students and 150,000 learners, 10,000 host companies and a presence in 37 French cities. Its headquarters are at 90, rue du Ranelagh in Paris's 16th arrondissement, with the Education pole based in Boulogne-Billancourt and the Formation pole in Paris's 15th arrondissement. The group positions itself around values of engagement, innovation, agility and collectivity, and in 2025 it signed a partnership with Paris FC to strengthen the educational support of young footballers.

The Azoulay family's presence in higher education began with the École supérieure de gestion (ESG), founded in 1974 by Pierre Azoulay in Paris's 6th arrondissement, near the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and later on rue de Vaugirard. In 2006 the family sold almost all of the Paris Graduate School of Management (PGSM) group and the "ESG" brand to Eductis, a company controlled by the British investment fund Englefield Capital (Eductis would become Galileo Global Education ten years later). The family retained ESGI and the Pôle Paris Alternance (ISIMI-PPA), which it regrouped into a new entity, the Réseau des Grandes Écoles Spécialisées (GES). In parallel, Eductive Education Group took shape. Sciences-U was created in Paris in 1996 and acquired by Sami Anbouba in 2003; the Institut de formation scolaire et professionnelle (IFSP) was founded in 2002 by Rodolphe Léon. In 2012 Léon and Anbouba merged their groups — the IFSP group (including Maestris and Esupcom), based in Marignane near Marseille, and the Sciences-U group (including Efficom and Efab), based in Paris — to form Eductive Education Group. In July 2017 Eductive, then owned by Rodolphe Léon, was acquired by the LFPI investment fund in association with Bpifrance and BNP Paribas. In June 2019 the GES network, led by the Azoulay family, planned to absorb its competitor Eductive with the help of LFPI, which had been an Eductive shareholder since 2017. In February 2020 the two groups announced a "strategic" alliance, bringing together around twenty campuses in ten French cities. In October 2021 PPA Business School, one of the GES network's post-bac schools, announced that its "diplôme supérieur en marketing et communication" (bac+3) had obtained the visa of the Ministry of Higher Education after review by the CEFDG; in January 2023 the school announced that its "diplôme supérieur en management et gestion" also obtained the ministry's visa. At the end of 2023, GES-Eductive and the British investment fund Charterhouse Capital Partners acquired the Abilways group from the Mulliez family, which owned notably the CFPJ and École W, an institution associated with Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas. Following this acquisition, the GES-Eductive group progressively adopted the "Skolae" brand. In February 2025 the Skolae group, through its continuing-education subsidiary Abilways, entered discussions with software publisher Prologue to acquire M2i Formation, its listed subsidiary specialising in continuing education in new technologies. On 12 May 2025 Paris Football Club, owned by the Arnault family, signed a partnership with the Skolae group to "strengthen the educational support of young footballers" at Paris FC. On 4 September 2025 Abilways, the continuing-education subsidiary holding notably the Centre de formation et de perfectionnement des journalistes, merged with M2i Formation to create "Skolae Formation". Today Skolae is officially the Société parisienne de management et d'investissement (SPMI), a French family-owned group founded by Pierre Azoulay in 1991, resulting from the merger of the Réseau GES and Eductive Education Group. It brings together nearly 23 private higher-education establishments in France, including ESGI, EIML Paris, EFET, the Institut supérieur de formation au journalisme, ICAN, ECITV and PPA Business School, as well as 8 continuing-education centres (CFPJ, M2i, EFE, ISM, etc.). It is also a shareholder in École W.

• 2025

  In February, Skolae's Abilways subsidiary enters talks to acquire M2i Formation from Prologue.

• 2025

  On 12 May, Paris FC signs an educational partnership with the Skolae group.

• 2025

  On 4 September, Abilways and M2i Formation merge to create Skolae Formation.

• 2023

  GES-Eductive and Charterhouse Capital Partners acquire the Abilways group from the Mulliez family; the group progressively adopts the Skolae brand.

• 2021

  PPA Business School's bac+3 marketing and communication diploma obtains the Ministry of Higher Education visa.

• 2020

  GES and Eductive announce a strategic alliance, grouping around twenty campuses in ten French cities.

• 2017

  Eductive Education Group is acquired by LFPI with Bpifrance and BNP Paribas.

• 2012

  IFSP and Sciences-U merge to form Eductive Education Group.

• 2006

  The Azoulay family sells most of the PGSM group and the ESG brand to Eductis, retaining ESGI and PPA and forming the Réseau GES.

• 2002

  Rodolphe Léon founds the Institut de formation scolaire et professionnelle (IFSP).

• 1996

  Sciences-U is created in Paris.

• 1991

  Skolae's official entity, the Société parisienne de management et d'investissement (SPMI), is founded by Pierre Azoulay.

• 1974

  Pierre Azoulay founds the École supérieure de gestion (ESG) in Paris.

The leading French higher-education network in work-study (alternance), spanning initial education to lifelong learning for students, alumni and companies.

• Skolae Education

  Higher-education pole formed from the merger of the Réseau GES and Eductive networks, with nearly 21,000 students across around 24 private establishments.

• Skolae Formation

  Continuing-education pole created on 4 September 2025 from the merger of Abilways and M2i Formation.

• PPA Business School

  Post-bac business school of the Réseau GES, formerly Pôle Paris Alternance, recognised by the State.

• ESGI

  École supérieure de génie informatique, a computer engineering school.

• EIML Paris

  École internationale de marketing du luxe de Paris, a luxury marketing school recognised by the State.

• ICAN

  Institut de création et animation numériques, a digital creation and animation school.

• CFPJ

  Centre de formation et de perfectionnement des journalistes, a journalism training centre held by Abilways.

• M2i Formation

  Continuing-education provider specialising in new technologies, merged into Skolae Formation.

1. 1Enseignement supérieur et formation continue | SKOLAEskolae.fr
2. 2Réseau d'enseignement supérieur privé : 23 écoles | SKOLAEskolae.fr
3. 3Skolaewikidata.org
4. 4Skolaefr.wikipedia.org