Gervais PIGIER founded his first School of Commerce in 1850 in Paris. He trained students and adults for careers in business in a practical way. The approach was very successful. Through an innovative franchising system, Pigier schools and training centers were started first in France, then abroad (Alexandria – Egypt in 1912, Athens – Greece in 1916, Beirut – Lebanon in 1920, …).

Pigier is now part of EduServices, an education and training group owned by Duke Street, a London-based investment group. EduServices was created in 2010 through the acquisition of two companies in the French private post-secondary education sector, Compagnie De Formation – Pigier (CDF) and Forteam, followed by the acquisition of IPAC at the end of 2010. Through its schools network (PIGIER, ISCOM, IPAC, MBWay, TUNON, ESICAD, MERCURE), EduServices trains 15,000 students each year in a variety of courses ranging from short vocational studies to master level in Sales, Accounting, Communication and also Hospitality qualifications. Through its buy and build strategy EduServices became a leader in in the French education sector and a large player in the European sector.

Pigier Lebanon and TREMA (off-shore arm of Pigier) are involved in business education and training in Lebanon and the Middle-East. TREMA is also involved in the initiation and management of university, school and training center projects.

TREMA has been at the helm in the creation, management and development of the Lebanese French University in northern Iraq. In partnership with the state universities of Amiens and Nimes, and with the Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Iraqi students could study international programs with European and Canadian professors while preparing for the foreign university partners degrees. This project was initiated in 2006, following Pigier’s involvement in training services for Kurdistan-based corporate customers. Identifying clear needs for quality higher education in northern Iraq, TREMA applied for the creation of a local/international university offering programs at the Bachelor and Master’s levels. For that, TREMA was requested to back the university to be with major European universities. At a time when Kurdistan could not obtain the favors of developed countries, the Pigier group was successful in achieving what seemed impossible: the Lebanese French University in Erbil was able to start operations with strong partnerships with French state universities. These well regarded institutions accepted to offer their bachelor and master’s programs in Erbil, accepted also to allocate professors to the project. Mostly, they accepted to grant their degree to those Pigier successful students.

Since its inception, Pigier has been the forum where management issues were advanced in the northern Iraq province, where adults in search of professional advancement would receive education at the international standards level. Pigier is where senior and middle-managers from the private and public sectors have been able to receive further education and prepare themselves for a better professional life. Since 2006, more than 500 of those have earned their master’s education in various fields of management, law and IT.

TREMA and Pigier are currently involved in the development of university and school systems in Ghana, as well as in other countries of the MENA region.