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Women MBA students at IMD, pictured at MBAT, in class, and at graduation. - IMD Business School

MBA program

Women of the IMD MBA

MBA program

Women of the IMD MBA

You bring the ambition. We build the leader.

At IMD, that promise carries particular weight for the women who join our MBA. We believe a class is only as strong as the range of people and perspectives inside it, and that diversity of thought, experience, and leadership style is how everyone in the room learns better.

Supporting women leaders is part of that conviction. It means building leaders who can navigate complexity, hold their own under scrutiny, and bring others with them.

“Leadership positions still don’t reflect the population they serve, and business schools have a real role to play in closing that gap. An MBA is one of the most direct paths into those positions, opening access to boardrooms, senior management, and career changes that are hard to reach otherwise. I want every woman in this program to walk out with that access, and I want her to bring more women in behind her. That’s why representation in this MBA matters to me.”

– Alyson Meister, Dean of Degree Programs & Hilti Professor of Leadership

Community

A network of women navigating the same leadership tensions, with peers who’ve lived it and faculty researching it.

Allyship

Sponsors and allies change outcomes. We build that support into the MBA from day one.

Funding

Scholarships built for women, and merit-based funding open to all.

Research

Faculty studying the real barriers women face, work that shapes how we teach.

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Nestlé Scholarship for Women

CHF 40,000

Supports women, with priority given to those from developing countries, who can speak to fostering allyship and inclusion in the workplace.

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Forté Scholarship for Women

CHF 30,000

Backs two women each year through a partnership with Forté, connecting recipients to a global community and network built specifically for women in business.

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BackPack Scholarship for Women

CHF 97,500 + stipend

Supports talented women who’s face obstacles to an MBA, financial constraints, family responsibilities, or a disrupted career path, and are ready to lead with impact and create a ripple effect for others.

See our full list of scholarships

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The MBA for Women Foundation

Provides financial support to young and ambitious women who want to pursue an MBA at a leading business school.

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The American Association of University Women’s Educational Foundation

Helps women focus their efforts on developing the skills and experience they need to excel in their fields and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.

Graduate Women International Fellowships

Advocate for women’s rights, equality and empowerment through access to quality education and training up to the highest levels.

Canadian Federation of University Women

Provides funds for a range of post-graduate awards and fellowships to women.

MBA Women in Business Club

Built by you, for you

The Women in Business Club exists to build community, sharpen leadership, and connect women across the cohort with the people and perspectives that help them lead with confidence.

We started it for three reasons:

Community. A space inside the cohort where women learn from one another’s experience and trade insight on gender equality and leadership, insight the rest of the class can draw on too.
Network. Direct access to industry leaders through panel discussions, coffee chats, and Q&A sessions, building the confidence and tools to face challenges head-on and help shape inclusive workplaces once the MBA ends.
Advocacy. Working with the MBA’s DEI Committee to push for a culture of inclusion on campus, raising issues that affect women in the cohort and helping shape how the program responds to them.

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IMD Women in Business Group for alumni

A supportive network

The Women in Business Group, part of the Inclusive Leadership alumni community, aims to foster a vibrant, action-oriented platform for IMD alumni to champion women’s advancement across industries, geographies, and career stages.

Take a further look

Juliette de Rivoire

MBA 2022

She grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs but didn’t plan to start one herself, until a question on a Discovery Expedition to Silicon Valley wouldn’t let her go. A few months after graduating, she launched Kidstorie, a resale platform for luxury childrenswear, built from her own basement and her IMD network.

Su-Mei Thompson

MBA 2001

Su-Mei is CEO at Media Trust, a UK based non profit organization, and sits on IMD’s Supervisory Board. She shares her journey from a finance lawyer to leaving the corporate world and dedicating her work to equality and inclusion.

Ashton Songer Ferguson

MBA 2025

She built a documentary storytelling company to more than 175 clients, then spent years as a strategist, before deciding she was tired of solving problems too far downstream. She brought her husband, two kids, and the dog to Lausanne.

Kabelo Themane

MBA 2025

She spent nearly a decade as the only woman in the room, deploying millions in capital that mainstream investors overlooked. She graduated from the IMD MBA as a Women Leaders Scholar, having come not for a new direction, but for a wider lens on the one she’d already chosen.

Agustina Bigatti

MBA 2025

Co-lead of the MBA Women in Business Club, Agustina organized over 30 events, and earned the Welsh Women Award for the best all-round woman in her class. She also calls choosing to come to IMD her biggest professional achievement, a deliberate break from the scarcity mindset she grew up with.

Read more stories from our students

“It’s not about summits or accolades”

Lauren Holding, class speaker and MBA 2024 graduate, closed her class’s graduation with one question: what legacy do you want to leave? Her answer: turn back and help those who come after you.

Watch Lauren’s graduation speech →

Women-centered academic partnerships

We partner with like-minded organizations around the world. Harnessing our combined knowledge and expertise, and bringing IMD’s innovative, entrepreneurial approach to bear on shared challenges, we strive together for positive change.