BiograPHY
Christian Guellerin began his career in the United States as an assistant to the senior vice president of the FGS Group in New York, a venture capital firm, in charge of mergers and acquisitions.
He joined the Nantes Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1987 as Director of IPAC, the future bachelor of Audencia. During this period, he chaired the EGC (Ecoles de Gestion et de Commerce) network from 1993 to 1994. In 1994, he became Director of Development and Organization in charge of professional training for the Nantes St-Nazaire Chamber of Commerce.
He has been a regular lecturer and has given numerous academic conferences. He taught public accounting from 1987 to 1994 at the University of Paris VIII, and financial analysis from 1995 to 1998 at the University of Paris Dauphine for the 3rd cycle of the MIAGE. More recently, he lectures on management, motivation and creativity in several French and international institutions. He is regularly invited as a keynote speaker in international events on creation, design and innovation.
He is a consultant for various institutions. He has worked as an expert for the European Union to create a design centre in Gaziantep (Turkey), expert for CREPUQ (Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities) to set up a master’s program in design for Laval University (Montreal, Canada). He was also a member of the jury of the Design Eleven competition, launched in 2010 by the (EESC) to prepare the “European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity”. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of DIID, Disegno Industriale Industrial Design.
He was President of Cumulus, the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media from 2007 to 2013. This global association gathers 340 members from 61 countries. Created more than 20 years ago, Cumulus is now the largest international network dedicated solely to issues of design education, with 3,100,000 students and nearly 30,000 teachers. The objective of this association is to exchange best practices concerning design education, creation and innovation. Under the presidency of M.Guellerin, Cumulus has known significant growth, going from 80 to 178 members, particularly in countries outside Europe. During his mandate, Christian Guellerin signed in 2008 in Japan the “Kyoto Design Declaration” which reflects the new responsibilities of designers towards the challenges of sustainable development. He was re-elected in 2010 for a second term, which ended in 2013. He is now Honorary President.
Since 1998, he has been the Executive Director of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique, a private institution for higher education in design which was founded in 1988.
Some of the most significant milestones in the development of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique:
2-year hypermedia training program
- BTS (Advanced 2-year diploma) Industrial Creation Assistant apprenticeship program
- 5-year hypermedia design option
- Opening of the International Class
- Recognition by the French State
- Certification of the diploma by the French Ministry of Higher Education
The school becomes a member of the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles (CGE) - (top-tier French higher education institutions)
- Double degree with IAE-IEMN at l’Université de Nantes
- BTS (2-year advanced diploma) in Space Design
- 5-year space design option
- C. Guellerin, the school’s executive director, becomes president of the Cumulus association
- Virtual Reality double degree with Arts et Métiers ParisTech in Laval
- Opening of the China Studio in Qingdao (China)
- Opening of the India Studio in Bangalore (India)
- Creation of READi Design Lab dedicated to digital innovation
- China Studio relocates to Shanghai
Opening of Design and Innovation Management Master’s program with apprenticeship
Design Labs move to l’Ile de Nantes
- Opening of the BTS (2-year advanced diploma) in Graphic Design majoring in digital communication and media
- Creation of a bachelor’s program in Transport Design
- Opening of a MANAA (Foundation Course in Applied Arts) for the short-cycle BTS (advanced diploma)
- Extension of premises with the Digital Design Factory on the Chantrerie site
- Opening of the Montreal Studio (Canada) in partnership with CENTECH
- Creation of the Digital Innovation & Transformation D.I.U (Inter-University Diploma) co-organized by l’Université de Nantes, Centrale Nantes and L’École de design as part of the Nantes Disrupt’Campus program
- Celebration of the school’s 30th anniversary
- Creation of the Africa Design School (ADS), the first design school in Africa, in Cotonou (Benin)
- Opening of the first DN MADE training programs (Diplôme National des Métiers d’Arts et de Design) in 3 years (equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree)
- Laying of the foundation stone of the school’s future building on Ile de Nantes in 2022
- Opening of Studio France in Nantes: Master’s degree course (MDes) in Transcultural Design with an international scope
- Creation of the Media Design Master’s course (MDes)
- Renewal of the ertification of the diploma by the French Ministry of Higher Education
- First and only design school to obtain the Master's degree from the Ministry of Higher Education
- L’Ecole de design Nantes Atlantique will be movie to the heart of the Creation District, on Ile de Nantes
- Opening of a Fashion DMMADE
- Opening of specialized digital design courses in Laval