From management mastery to strategic leadership
Global Management Foundations
From management mastery to strategic leadership
Global Management Foundations is a high-impact management acceleration journey for executives ready to broaden their influence across the business and take on greater strategic responsibility. It develops the confidence, clarity, and execution capability required to lead through complexity, industry disruption, and rapid technological transformation.
The program’s modular design reflects how leaders actually work. Across the initial online modules, participants build essential management capabilities, integrating strategy, finance, marketing, AI and digital transformation, while immediately applying learnings in their own organizations. New approaches and ideas are tested in real time, assumptions challenged, and outcomes examined with peers and faculty using a rigorous decision framework.
The journey culminates in a nine-day, face-to-face transformative experience that includes a live consulting project, where participants operate under real strategic pressure and translate insight into action while strengthening leadership effectiveness, collaboration, and decision-making.
The result is not abstract theory, but stronger strategic judgment and leadership capability – developed through action, reflection, and repeated exposure to real-world complexity.
“It’s an opportunity to hugely grow as a leader”
Participants and faculty describe the learning journey and its potential to create real impact.
Experience IMD for yourself
Join a complementary masterclass or information session and dive into topics such as leadership, AI, strategy, and more. You’ll discover more about how we teach and explore our executive programs along the way. See all upcoming IMD events.
When we say “real impact”, we mean it. After attending this program in 2024, participants stated:
“I gained fresh knowledge and insights.”
“I reflected on my assumptions and practices. ”
“I gained some practical tools/ideas that are relevant for me.”
“Using what I learned will improve my performance. “
Head of Direct Sales and Marketing, ITM Isotope Technologies, Germany
This journey is an incredible opportunity to engage in deep, reflective learning, pushing me to challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and strengthen my leadership skills. The truly special collaboration with incredible and inspiring peers from diverse industries has made the exchange of ideas, combined with guidance of world-class faculty, a learning environment that fosters growth and encourages critical thinking.
Enterprise Architect, Brunei LNG Sendirian Berhad, Brunei
You get the importance of analysing complex problems to test assumptions and look for opposing evidence. The importance of being effective over being right. The framework we got for building effective teams was very helpful as was the three-horizon model in ESG, showing how sustainability is an opportunity to innovate.
Attending Neurosurgeon, University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland
I gained valuable insights into enhancing negotiation skills, a topic I had never explored in depth before. I’m applying these techniques in real-life situations. It deepened my understanding of leadership and gave meaningful insights about myself and colleagues. I learned what true leadership is and how to strengthen teams through effective team building and feedback processes.
Director Digital Business, Raiffeisen, Switzerland
The quality of the learning is exceptional. From the lecturers, the material, and I really love the case studies. Super interesting. We get input from people directly involved in the cases.
Senior Director Sales & Marketing EMEA, ams Osram, Germany
Global Management Foundations is innovative, effective, and flexible. The content is well-delivered so we can enjoy high quality interaction with class peers and faculty. We break out into smaller groups, then come back to the main classroom and discuss with everyone. It’s a great way to learn.
Managing Director, Tenaris, Nigeria
Global Management Foundations is firstly a human experience. IMD gives you access to a whole community of high-caliber individuals who you quickly build connections with.
Head of Business Development & Sustainability, digitalswitzerland, Switzerland
You quickly forget you are at a distance for the virtual modules. The full immersion is a deep dive which quickly focuses you on the interaction, the content, and the learning.
Product Group Manager, Bakery Category, KSA & Gulf Countries, Almarai, Saudi Arabia
The biggest highlight of this program is the human touch. The professors are so empathetic and enthusiastic. You feel valued and get personal attention throughout.
Length: 5 weeks online (module 1) + 5 weeks online (module 2) + 8.5 days at Lausanne campus (module 3)
