Europe’s last finishing school targets anxious executives

The three-martini lunch may be over, but the business dinner is here to stay—and it is a prospect that fills some executives with horror. For those who find the multiple rows of cutlery and wine glasses baffling, or who keep forgetting which side-plate is theirs, help is on hand to decode the hidden rules of etiquette. On the hills overlooking Lake Geneva, a company offers executives an extra layer of social polish to boost their confidence—and, perhaps, their career.Established in 1954, the Institut Villa Pierrefeu, perched above Montreux, is the last finishing school in Europe. Its courses, which range from one to six weeks, cover everything from seating precedence and tea-service protocol to black-belt-level etiquette challenges such as eating a banana with a knife and fork. Historically, most of its students were young women preparing for the marriage market. Today, as social codes relax and demand for such an education wanes, Villa Pierrefeu is exploring a new pool of clients: business executives. Viviane Néri, the Institut’s principal, says it is no longer a finishing school but a “starting school”.