IMD business school for management and leadership courses
MBA
Recognized as one of the world’s leading MBA programs, our Master of Business Administration aims to develop reflective and responsible leaders for an innovative, entrepreneurial, and global business environment.
New year – new elements and honors
In 2023, we introduced a new learning objective into the program whereby MBAs will develop the capabilities to analyze and comprehend a company from an ESG perspective. Integrated into 11 courses that the MBA offers, this learning objective was created following the introduction of the new sustainability-themed curriculum in 2022.
To ensure our MBAs are well equipped to navigate AI-permeated societies and organizations, we are reimagining the content and delivery of our MBA journey, with elements such as a crash course to demystify GenAI, explore how it can be applied and prepare our MBAs for some of the ethical and social implications.
Our MBAs will enter the job market with a more technologically savvy skill set and the competitive advantage of being able to apply these cutting-edge tools to solve complex business challenges. Our ultimate goal is to ensure they can navigate the high-tech future as reflective, responsible leaders who can effectively harness AI’s strategic advantage for business and society.
In 2023, our MBA collected several honors, ranking third in both the Poets&Quants Global and Bloomberg Business European rankings.
In December, 87 MBAs from 36 countries graduated. The majority (82%) were aged between 25 and 32, 36% were women, and the average work experience of the cohort was six years. The 2023 cohort celebrated their graduation with a clear message from faculty and speakers: stay curious, remain true to themselves, and lead with courage.
“Never more has the world needed great leaders. Let us move forward and nurture the villages we belong to today and those we’ll join in the future.”
Learning from the experience
Once again, in 2023, MBAs experienced the Swiss mountains with a workshop on sustainability during the 2.5-day orientation program introduced in 2022.
“The emphasis on sustainability at IMD goes beyond being just another course; it’s deeply ingrained in the IMD ethos… Through this immersive experience, I’ve profoundly appreciated how vital sustainability is in shaping responsible business practices.” Siya Xabanisa, MBA 2023
This was followed later in the year by the Discovery Expeditions. In June, focusing on the power of technology, MBAs made the trip to either Silicon Valley or Singapore. In the US, they met people who believed they could help society solve huge problems related to issues such as food, energy, and healthcare. In Singapore, renowned for its public and private sectors, MBAs focused on leveraging technology to address their respective missions.
Two cities were the destinations of September’s Discovery Trips. On the theme of Managing Growth, a group of MBAs visited Dubai, where they heard about the city’s success story and worked with specific companies for three days on their growth strategy. The second group traveled to Buenos Aires, where the focus was on volatility and uncertainty. Utilizing three sets of lenses (corporate vs. social sector, foreign vs. local firms, and large vs. small entities), MBAs learned about Argentina’s experience of managing economic volatility.
For the 2023 International Consulting Projects, the cohort worked full-time on 17 projects for client organizations to solve some of their most pressing and challenging issues. Topics spanned from new market entry and sustainability strategies to increasing competitiveness through AI or financial risk management, among many others.
Over two intense days, the MBA class simulated a UN COP Climate Conference, assuming the roles of delegates, activists, and journalists to understand the complexities and trade-offs involved in multilateral negotiations to prevent further global temperature rises. The kick-off took place at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, where MBAs met key UN officials to discuss climate change.
“At IMD, we get our hands dirty through real-world simulations like MarkStrat, a COP simulation, and Crisis Consulting. These interactive experiences have transformed how I learn, pushing me to test my skills in a real-world environment and quickly adapt to changes.”
Supporting future leaders
The Jebsen Family Global South MBA & EMBA Scholars Program was inaugurated in 2023. Dedicated to enhancing diversity, fairness, and inclusivity in leadership roles, it offers scholarships to Global South individuals interested in advancing their business leadership skills at IMD. At least half of these merit and needs-based scholarships are to be attributed to women.
The second MBA Venture Award was presented to 2023 graduate Jasper Schakel and his business partner Erik Kraaijeveld for their company Chemical Innovations in Water Industries (CIWI), which aims to provide global access to clean water through scalable and affordable technologies.
The goal of the award is to help MBAs embrace entrepreneurship in a new way by providing financial support and mentorship to grow a business idea that will benefit society.
