Andrew Kilshaw came to IMD in 2004 with seven years of consulting experience behind him. An extrovert by nature, he was looking for an MBA program that would provide both the learning experience, as well as a chance to develop his self-awareness: “It’s about identifying and creating opportunities and seeing which choices make sense for you.”

“From the selection process on, I felt like I was joining a small community where the focus was on learning in an extremely collaborative environment. Spending 16 hours a day with a bunch of smart, inquisitive people who are committed to learning, combined with the occasional periods of stress, helps you understand who you are and how to deal with certain circumstances. It’s not the kind of experience you can get from books and ‘soft’ conversations.”

After graduating, Andrew continued his IMD experience from the other side of the fence working as Associate Director for the Partnership Programs. “It helped that I already knew how the school operated and believed in the product. But the MBA also gave me the confidence and ability to conduct meaningful business conversations at all levels, irrespective of industry, function or geography. After all the case studies we covered, the potential issues present themselves instinctively and I could ask the right questions to get to the heart of the matter.”

Some 18 months later, Andrew started thinking about relocating. With his outgoing personality and an American girlfriend, he decided to follow the advice of many of his classmates and search for opportunities in California. He made several blind approaches, including one to a leading asset manager - BGI (Barclays Global Investors), a client of IMD at the time. “The job I have now is quite different to the one I originally started talking about with the Global Head of HR. The company had historically delivered short and regionally based training programs for their management, but building on my international experience of executive education we explored supporting the business strategy by taking the function global, and focusing specifically on leadership development. Fortunately for me, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and being supported by IMD’s reputation and the experience I gained there.”

As Global Head of Leadership Development, Andrew is now once again a client of IMD and other leading world-class business schools. His global remit continues; managing an international team and meeting worldwide with internal clients and partners, to create an integrated leadership development portfolio at all levels within BGI.

Published: 2007