 In 1982 Thiam was the first Ivorian to pass the entrance examination to the École Polytechnique in Paris.In 1984, he graduated from the École Polytechnique and in 1986 from the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris where he was top of his class.In 1986 he was offered a scholarship to study for an MBA at INSEAD and join the McKinsey Fellows Programme' in Paris.