Sustainability Report 2021

Access to Executive Education

Access to Executive Education

Enabling access to executive education through scholarships and technology is a key priority for IMD. Increased representation by gender, nationality, ethnicity, and race in the degree program participant cohorts and in faculty positions improves how the institute’s environment mirrors the world of work and helps IMD remain competitive with peer institutions. This approach enables the inclusion of a diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, enriching cross-learning opportunities.

Degree Program Diversity

IMD is steadily increasing gender diversity in its degree programs.

  • 35% of 2021 MBA class was composed of women, compared to 34% in 2020
  • In 2021, 34% of EMBA participants graduating were female, compared with 29% in 2020.
  • 79% of the women and 36% of the men attending the MBA in 2021 received a scholarship
  • The 2022 MBA class will have the largest number of women in the program’s history, as well as the largest representation from Africa to date.

Scholarships and Fundraising

IMD has accelerated its fundraising initiatives to enhance scholarship opportunities in its MBA and EMBA degree programs. The IMD Giving Day campaign resulted in donations totaling 372,000 Swiss francs ($400,000). From supporting MBA Leaders of Tomorrow and EMBA Diversity Scholarships to empowering women in leadership, these donations will effect real change in the lives of some of IMD’s future graduates.

Many MBA participants benefit from a wide range of scholarships, including diversity scholarships for participants from Africa, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, as well as for female participants.

Hilti’s first MBA scholarship supports role models for women in engineering

As a woman in the male-dominated field of engineering, Harita Byluppala is all too aware of the importance role models play in shaping the ambitions of the young. Now that she has been awarded the first Hilti Scholarship for Women, Byluppala is keen to use her platform to inspire younger girls interested in pursuing careers in engineering and construction.

“As a female graduate, I know that if I go into the food industry, I can progress quite fast. There are also examples of successful women in the tech industry, but if I go into the construction industry, it becomes harder to see those examples of female success,” she said.

Created to support IMD’s female MBAs on their journey into leadership roles within the construction industry, Hilti’s scholarship is aimed at nurturing talent and increasing female representation across the sector.

Byluppala trained as a chemical engineer and her most recent role, as digital manufacturing consultant at Nestlé, involved projects focused on energy efficiency across production lines. Her decision to undertake an MBA program was driven by a growing awareness that engineering innovations were increasingly directing business solutions, innovations, and strategies.

“I am committed to taking up a path that has not seen many women succeed within it and aim to normalize it. Women belong to the C-suite and that is what I am working towards,” she said.


Executive Education for Not-for-Profit Leaders

IMD extends access to executive education though an inclusive offering for not-for-profit and public sector organizations. In 2021, IMD offered support to 61 participants from NGOs to attend its online and open-enrollment programs. This initiative benefits both non-profit and business leaders as they share experiences and collaborate on solutions to global challenges.

Virtual and online learning

IMD accelerated its efforts to provide impactful learning journeys that could be accessed without the need to be present on a campus and, therefore, widen access to participants from more diverse locations and organizational heirarchies.

Fuelled by its pivot to more technology-mediated learning, IMD offered more asynchronous cloud and online experiences, as well as synchronous "liVe" programs, across a broader range of topics.

For example, in 2021, IMD launched eight new asynchronous online programs and five "native" liVE synchronous learning journeys.

The adoption of virtual reality technology in new programs such as Teams Reimagined also opened up the possibility to deliver dynamic and effective leadership development experiences to dispersed audiences.

Sustainability, accountability, and purposefulness are now all pressing concerns in the for-profit sector. Learning about it from business managers, while sharing my experience in the not-for-profit sector has been instrumental in helping me to better navigate and influence within my organization and beyond. A key step to boost confidence and lead changes.
Thomas Vandamme, Head of Health Sector for Americas and Eurasia, International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland