In his address at Saturday’s celebration, David Bach, IMD President and Nestlé Professor of Strategy and Political Economy, congratulated the 51 graduates on their well-deserved degrees. He reminded them of the responsibility they carry as leaders as AI disrupts the world of work.
Bach noted that they will be among the first generation of leaders to “onboard intelligence” —both human and artificial. As we enter this new era, the true test of leadership, her argued, will be whether we use AI to bolster human intelligence or extract more value from humans.
He urged the graduates to resist being seduced by automation and “to measure the ROI of AI investments in jobs saved”. Instead, he called on them to have the courage to invest in people and configure “intelligent duos” that keep humans at the center.
“As leaders, at this critical juncture, your legacy won’t be the algorithms you deploy, but the humanity you protect while doing so,” he said.
The power of connection
In her final speech as Dean of the IMD EMBA program, Vanina Farber, shared a personal anecdote underscoring the importance of recognizing our shared humanity and fostering genuine connection. Farber, who is also elea Professor of Social Innovation, reflected on the instinct to categorize — and the risks that follow.
“Our brains are wired to categorize — local, foreigner; one of us, one of them. And we live in a time that rewards the sorting. Algorithms sort. Politics sorts. Media sorts. We do it before we even notice,” she said.
“The world outside this room is getting very good at turning people into categories. And when we stop seeing each other as human, we lose our shared reality. That is how dark times begin,” she added.
She closed by urging graduates to seek the beliefs, hopes, and motivations of those they lead, and to close the distance with small gestures of care.
The power of responsibility
Building on this theme of connection, keynote speaker Marguerite Kudelski, non-executive director and Chairwomen, reminded graduates that the degree they have just earned confers not greater power, but greater responsibility.
“The world of work doesn’t need ego managers. It needs clear-headed, courageous, and committed leaders,” she said, speaking 20 years after her own graduation from the program
“You now have the tools. You have the experience. You have the legitimacy. And never forget: your greatest impact will not come from what you know, but from what you grow around you.”
The power of being human
Addressing the ‘I make a difference’ cohort made up of participants from 24 different nationalities, Adriana Kiędzierska-Mencfeld, CEO of Rezon Bio, one of two class speakers, highlighted the “unlearning” that had happened throughout the program.
“We had to let go — of old certainties, of habits that once made us successful, of assumptions about leadership, about ourselves, about other cultures, about the world,” she said. “We learned that leadership is not control. It is awareness.”
She ended her speech with a call for courageous leadership: “In a divided world, leaders become either bridges or barriers. We must choose to be bridges.”
Fellow graduate Marco Sarena, Chief Sustainable Impact Officer at Private Infrastructure Development Group, challenged the cynical view of the world that only force matters.
“The reality is that the future is far from written. Quite the opposite—it is for us to imagine and reinvent through our next moves,” he said. “This is the time to unleash the real power: the power of ideas, the power of dreams —the power of being human, aware of ourselves and others, and the natural world to which we belong.”
