IMD business school for management and leadership courses
Message from the Chairman and Vice Chairperson
Dear Friends of IMD,
In 2023, IMD reaped the benefits of past investments to grow further, strengthening its offering for businesses, enhancing its learning portfolio, and extending its global reach.
Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, inflation, and the strong Swiss Franc, IMD steadfastly pursued its roadmap towards its Vision 2030, gaining the confidence of corporate clients and individuals alike.
The institute emerged from the COVID crisis in a very strong and promising position. Several years of innovation and investments paid off in terms of revenue growth, quality of program design and delivery, faculty attraction and retention, and overall R&D performance.
Throughout 2023, IMD extended and evolved its portfolio by introducing several new programs, redesigning its Advisory and Strategic Talent Solutions business, and running the first programs from the newly established Shenzhen Management Development Hub in China.
In its pioneering spirit, the institute took advantage of the extraordinary opportunities offered by technology to deepen learning and impact for record numbers of participants. Accelerated learning journeys – short, intense programs called Sprints – enabled IMD to take its pedagogy and impact to new levels and to garner awards. In one outstanding example, the team developed the critical leadership skills of 15,000 employees in a single company in under six months.
It was also another successful year for research and thought leadership in terms of output. The awards bestowed on IMD’s publications and faculty bear testimony to the growing strength of IMD’s global voice on key topics of importance to business leaders and academic circles. Five new faculty members in the areas of leadership, digital strategy, social entrepreneurship, family business, and international economics added to this voice in 2023.
We made concrete headway in advancement, which enabled us to inaugurate a professorial chair, introduce a new program, and propel expertise with Bruce Grossman, a longstanding Global Family Business alumnus, becoming the inaugural member of the Center’s Circle of Benefactors.
Thanks to some of our longstanding partners, we were able to establish new scholarships to support future leaders: The Jebsen Family Global South MBA & EMBA Scholars Program and The Jebsen Family Global Scholars Program for Non-Profit Executives.
Throughout 2023, IMD continued to lead in learning, research, and partnerships that deepened our impact on society. Sustainability themes and capabilities were further embedded into our programs and research to enable leaders to effectively navigate the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy. We also made further progress in measuring and reducing our operations’ carbon footprint.
All these achievements are due, in no small measure, to the dedication and hard work of the IMD team – its staff, program coordinators, faculty, and Executive Committee under the leadership of President Jean-François Manzoni. Responding to the needs of globally located participants and organizations, they have continued to deploy innovative technological solutions into IMD’s learning journeys efficiently and at scale. The Board is pleased with their achievements and applauds them for the trust they inspire and the quality of their delivery.
In October 2023, we announced that IMD President Jean-François Manzoni would step down and move back to a faculty role at the end of 2024, ending his second mandate two years early. We understood his reasons, and, very importantly, we agree that the circumstances are indeed supportive of a late 2024 transition at the helm of IMD.
Following a well-defined governance process, a Search Committee composed of Supervisory Board members, Faculty, and Senior Staff representatives has been constituted. The Committee is following a tight schedule and aims to identify the next President by summer 2024 to enable an effective handover of activities and relationships to the incoming President.
We take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to IMD’s loyal community of supporters for their ongoing confidence in its mission of challenging what is and inspiring what could be to develop leaders and organizations that contribute to a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive world.
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| Michel Demaré Chairman, Foundation and Supervisory Boards |
Hanne de Mora Vice Chairperson, Foundation and Supervisory Boards |
