Of the 90 participants in IMD’s 2018 MBA class, 34 were awarded scholarships totalling over 900,000 Swiss Francs. The scholarships, which are either merit-based or awarded to participants from emerging markets, were set up to make the business school’s MBA accessible to a wider pool of highly qualified and ambitious leaders.
This year’s recipients represented over 20 countries, with India claiming the highest number of wins (nine in total). Sakshi Bhatnagar, who has a background in computer science, was one of five Indians to receive the MBA Class Scholarship for Emerging Markets. “I come from a traditional society, where it is difficult for most women to pursue higher education,” said Sakshi. “I was elated at the chance to study at IMD but didn’t want to burden my parents with any financial help, so am deeply grateful to IMD.”
Her compatriot Piyush Rawat, whose work in digitalization in internet and IT sectors has led him to work with companies in India and Germany, also received the grant. He said that this recognition “encourages me to keep striving for the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.”
Meanwhile, Greece’s Dimitrios Karampatakis, who has a law background but also holds a PhD in medical research, said of his win in the same category: “The generous scholarship was the springboard I needed in order to commence my MBA studies at full throttle. It resolved my financial concerns and reinforced my focus on the unparalleled, rewarding learning curve offered by the IMD MBA program.”
In the MBA Alumni Scholarships category, five awards are granted to one candidate from each of the regions of Asia, Africa/Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe/North America/Oceania.
Irina Lahtadire, who is from Latvia, was one of the recipients. Before joining the MBA program at IMD, she was working as a Product Manager for Zalando, Europe’s leading online fashion platform. “To me, the scholarship means a freedom to choose a career path that is truly fulfilling, instead of chasing a salary to cover a study loan,” said Irina. “Receiving the Alumni Scholarship was especially rewarding, as it also gave me the first real sense of a closely-knit IMD community.”
Meanwhile Janis Doelle, from Germany, received one of three MBA Future Leaders Scholarships, which are awarded for exceptional leadership. Janis has worked in automotive, energy and high-tech industries in Europe and Asia and speaks English, German, Korean and French.
For the IMD Merit Scholarship, awarded for exceptional qualities throughout the admissions process, Lauren Hasek, from the United States, was one of four winners. With two degrees, one in Neuroscience, the other in Political Science, Lauren speaks Swahili and has worked in parts of Africa designing and implementing healthcare access programs.
For more information on admissions to the MBA and available scholarships click here
Below is the full list of winners:
IMD MBA Alumni Scholarship: Andrea Bertino (Italian), Hassan Abdel Fattah (Canadian/Egyptian), Irina Lahtadire (Latvian), María José Ortiz (Chilean), Sandeep Sharma (Indian). IMD MBA Future Leaders Scholarship: David Ruiz Garcia (Spanish), Janis Doelle (German), Neharika Agarwal (Indian). IMD MBA Merit Scholarship: Maksim Iavorskii (Russian), Michel Ngamo (Cameroonian/French), Lauren Hasek (American), Sara Jamil (French/Moroccan). MBA 2017 Class Scholarship: Adriano Da Mota Santos (Brazilian), André de Cepêda (Brazilian/Portuguese), Ankit Mahajan (Indian), Carolina Queiroz Melo (Brazilian/Portuguese), Damini Sud (Indian), Dimitrios Karampatakis (Greek), Fabiana Souza das Graças (Brazilian), Fernando Serra (Brazilian), Haijian Rong (Chinese), Handson Chiweshenga (Zimbabwean), Ilgin Kendigelen (Turkish), Junhyung Park (Korean), Piotr Pociej (Polish), Piyush Rawat (Indian), Sakshi Bhatnagar (Indian), Shubham Jain (Indian), Jim Ellert Scholarship: Praveen Sam (Indian), Nestlé Scholarship for Women: Sonia Sachdeva (Indian), Staton Scholarship: Ramiro Villagra Gonzalez (Chilean), IIAA Scholarship: Ana Du (Moldavian/Romanian/Swiss), Stewart Hamilton Scholarship: Pedro Kniphoff (Brazilian), The CORO Foundation Scholarship: Søren Storck (Danish).
