The IMD MBA class of 2007 has started, led by Program Director Benoît F. Leleux, the Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship & Finance and also Director of Research & Development at IMD.

The IMD MBA class of 2007 has 24% women, the highest percentage ever.

Class diversity is an integral part of the learning experience for the 90 participants who are of 40 nationalities including 15% from Africa and the Middle East. In addition, there are 6 entrepreneurs, 2 medical doctors, 4 lawyers and 11 participants associated with family business, an IMD research strength.

Professor Leleux said, “Class diversity in terms of nationality, gender and work experience makes a significant contribution to participant learning. With an average of 7 years of experience in a wide variety of industries and functions, there is always someone who can contribute from real world experience in every class discussion.”

Other key elements in the IMD MBA for 2007:

• A Discovery Expedition Trip to South Africa, where participants will meet with leaders from business, government and the civil society to learn what it takes to do business in a difficult business environment and how business can make a difference in leading the country forward.
• A week-long exercise on Business Ethics, Social Responsibility and Sustainable Management allowing participants not only to understand the sources of standards of ethical behavior (i.e. religion, economics, social norms) and their implications on their work and life decisions but also to investigate the broader responsibilities of business leaders toward society as a whole.
• A Crisis Management and Negotiation week, provided by leading professionals of these fields, to offer integrated learning on those critical skills for change leaders.
• A Stakeholder Management week; participants learn how to interact with and lead stakeholders inside and outside the company (i.e., employees, NGOs, the financial community, the press).
• Entrepreneurship projects designed to provide hands on learning with 16 different start-up companies, including four MBA-initiated projects and one social entrepreneurship project.
• Career services integrated into the program schedule to provide participants with guidance and personal coaching to define their career goals and develop an effective job search strategy to achieve them.

According to Dr. Janet Shaner, Director, MBA Marketing & Alumni Network, “These hands-on projects differentiate the IMD MBA program. Participants have the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom in real world settings to develop their leadership skills and prepare to make a difference in the world.”

The one-year IMD MBA program will retain its key program elements: a focus on innovative leadership and general management and integrated startup and international consulting projects, delivered in an intensive experience combining content with context and emotion.

About The IMD MBA Program

IMD’s MBA was ranked 1st worldwide in the 2007 FT "Ranking of Rankings", the combined global annual MBA rankings from Business Week, The Economist, Financial Times, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal.

Alessandro Sofia
IMD Media Relations
Tel: +41(0) 21 618 0636
Contact Alessandro Sofia