Your learning journey

Executive MBA

Program overview

EMBA Modular-flex

EMBA Elective-flex

Program content

Faculty

Program overview

EMBA Modular-flex

EMBA Elective-flex

Program content

Faculty

How the program works

The IMD Executive MBA offers two flexible pathways to your leadership transformation. You choose the format that best aligns with your career aspirations and lifestyle needs.

Format 1: Modular-Flex gives you control over the pace and timing of your development through structural flexibility. This format lets you choose your entry point and adjust your learning speed—from 18 months to four years—allowing you to harmonize your education with work and life commitments. It’s ideal for leaders who need to adapt their learning schedule while following a comprehensive curriculum.

Format 2: Elective-Flex empowers you to shape your learning experience through content flexibility. This format allows you to select from a rich portfolio of electives and global experiences, tailoring your journey to match your specific career goals and interests. It’s perfect for leaders who want to dive deep into chosen areas of expertise while maintaining a consistent 18-month timeline.

EMBA Modular-flex: program journey

Choose your starting point

Begin your journey with a foundation program that aligns with your current experience level. Choose from IMD’s Foundations for Business Leadership, Future Leaders, or Global Management Foundations.

If you’ve completed an equivalent business foundations program from other accredited institutions (AACSB, EQUIS), you can go straight into Advanced Management Concepts (AMC).

Foundations for Business Leadership program
3 weeks face-to-face at IMD campus, Lausanne
(8 ECTS credits)

Designed for experienced managers ready to master cross-functional leadership, this program delivers an intensive deep dive into marketing, finance, strategy, operations, and digital transformation. With a focus on functional integration and strategic decision-making, you’ll learn to confidently navigate complex business challenges and identify new opportunities.

View full details of Foundations for Business Leadership

Global Management Foundations program
10 weeks virtual and 8 days at IMD campus, Lausanne
(8 ECTS credits)

Designed for busy executives seeking comprehensive business knowledge, this program combines strategic thinking, problem-solving, and practical business skills. You’ll deep dive into key areas like finance, marketing, economics, and strategy, while developing your leadership capabilities through team projects and personal coaching.

Learn more about Global Management Foundations

Future Leaders program
2 days liVe virtual, 8 weeks online & 10 days at IMD campus, Lausanne
(8 ECTS credits)

Designed for rising leaders who are preparing to step into senior roles but do not yet have 10 years of work experience, this program accelerates your growth through a unique blend of business fundamentals and intensive leadership development. You’ll master essential management skills while developing the self-awareness, resilience, and adaptability needed to lead effectively at higher levels.

Learn more about Future Leaders

Other programs

If you’ve already completed a similar business foundations program at another accredited institution (AACSB, EQUIS), you may be eligible to start at the Advanced Management Concepts (AMC) stage, allowing you to fast-track your EMBA journey.

Connect with our admissions team to check if your prior learning qualifies as an EMBA Modular-Flex foundation pathway.

Contact us

Advanced management concepts

Test your foundation

Enhance your knowledge and delve deeper into key subject areas. This online module requires about 15 hours of study per week, so you can build your schedule around your business and personal commitments.

5 weeks online
(5 ECTS credits)
Online learning requires approx. 15 hours per week.

Mastery stage

Build on your foundation

Finally, you’ll complete six modules of one week each, spread over twelve months, including three weeks in Lausanne and three Global Immersion Weeks of your choice. This stage focuses on global learning, leadership mastery, and applying your skills in real-world business environments.

These modules cover a broad range of topics, including Leadership, Corporate Resilience, Crisis Management, Entrepreneurship, and Executive Career Management, to name but a few.

“I chose the program at IMD because it offers flexibility.”

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EMBA Elective-flex: program journey

Business acumen

You’ll begin your EMBA alongside your cohort, developing core business skills that set a strong foundation for your leadership journey. This stage includes two on-campus modules of one week each, and three online modules of four weeks each. (approximately 15 hours per week.)

Corporate challenges

You’ll work on real-world business challenges and learning labs including two online modules of five weeks each and a one week face-to-face module in Singapore. Topics include subjects such as strategic foresight and decision-making, global financial systems, and sustainable business design.

Global learning electives

Focus on what matters most to you: multiple options exist to personalize the content, format, and location of the program, to make it most relevant to your needs. Choose from among Global Immersion weeks, GNAM partners, and courses within IMD’s Executive Education portfolio.

Core elements that shape your program experience

Designed to provide impactful experiences that shape your growth as a leader, these highlights form the backbone of your learning journey, ensuring that every aspect of the program contributes to your development and prepares you for real-world challenges.

Leadership development

Build the skills and insight needed to lead effectively, with a focus on building self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to inspire and manage others.

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Global Immersion Weeks

Experience international business environments firsthand, broadening your perspective and developing the adaptability needed to lead across cultures.

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Crisis management

Learn how to lead through uncertainty with practical, high-intensity simulations that build your confidence in challenging situations.

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AI-augmented learning

Advanced tools and technologies offer personalized guidance and hands-on business simulations.

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Expert
faculty

Learn directly from faculty who offer you real-world insights and practical guidance throughout your studies.

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Become a leader who drives sustainable impact

Leadership development is the cornerstone of the IMD Executive MBA and integrated into every learning step. Great leadership is at the heart of your ability to drive positive change.

You’ll build self-awareness, resilience, and the skills to inspire and lead others. One-on-one leadership coaching will expand your understanding of your own behavior and others, plus the exercise of leadership in different contexts.

The program focuses on three core areas of leadership:

Leading self

Analyze your effectiveness as a leader and explore your own leadership style. Focusing on reflective leadership, wellness, and resilience, learn how to create impact and stay grounded in high-pressure situations.

Leading others

Fully understand your strengths and weaknesses. You will come away with the tools to coach and lead high-performing teams, building your ability to motivate and manage diverse groups toward shared goals.

Leading change

Master change management skills that prepare you to navigate uncertainty and lead through organizational shifts.

Global Immersion Weeks in action

The learning objective of each Global Immersion Week is to help you to rapidly absorb a large amount about the world and the global business environment and to translate learnings to your own company and work context. You will deepen your global business understanding through major themes such as: start-up ecosystems, digital transformation, social innovation and impact investing, and much more.

“We will not be confined to the four walls of the classroom.”

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Crisis management simulation: cope with uncertainty, manage risks

IMD is the only school partnered with the Swiss Armed Forces to provide EMBA participants with an opportunity to take part in a realistic crisis simulation. Over the course of two days in the final module, you take part in practical exercises that escalate in intensity. You learn when and how to switch from day-to-day business to managing a crisis situation.

“No one tells you when the crisis starts”

Leading through a crisis requires a very different leadership skillset. IMD’s Executive MBA, gives you specific crisis leadership training with unique methodologies

Crisis Simulation: EMBA Leadership Skills Training

AI-augmented learning & adaptive technologies

The IMD Executive MBA integrates advanced technologies to enhance your learning experience. IMD AI+ is a tool designed to support your learning. Powered by IMD’s own knowledge base, including research, lectures, and expertise from faculty, you can ask it any question at any time to dive deeper into complex topics, get personalized feedback, and guide you through your studies. You’ll also take part in interactive AR/VR simulations, where you can practice solving real-world business challenges in a hands-on way. Plus, with data analytics, you’ll get real-time insights into your progress, allowing you to adjust your learning and stay on track throughout the program.

IMD’s faculty: where theory meets practice

Our faculty work daily with global companies, bringing fresh insights and real challenges into the classroom. This direct connection to business means your learning is immediately relevant to today’s leadership demands.

Throughout your EMBA, you’ll learn from faculty who understand the complexities of leading organizations. They’ll guide you through company visits, immersion weeks, and hands-on projects that put theory into practice. Beyond sharing knowledge, they’re committed to helping you grow as a leader.

What makes our faculty different:

Active involvement with industry leaders

Focus exclusively on executive education

Bring current business challenges into discussions

Connect you with their global network

Combine research with practical experience

The result? Learning that you can apply immediately to make a real difference in your organization.

Vanina Farber

elea Professor of Social Innovation and Dean of the IMD EMBA program

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Shlomo Ben-Hur

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior

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Julia Binder

Professor of Sustainable Innovation and Business Transformation and Director of the Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business

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Salvatore Cantale

Professor of Finance

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Goutam Challagalla

Professor of Strategy and Marketing and dentsu Group Chair in Sustainable Strategy and Marketing

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Arnaud Chevallier

Professor of Strategy

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Carlos Cordon

Professor of Strategy and Supply Chain Management

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Frédéric Dalsace

Professor of Marketing and Strategy

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Mark Greeven

Professor of Management Innovation and Dean of Asia

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Knut Haanaes

Professor of Strategy

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Florian Hoos

Professor of Sustainability and ESG Accounting

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Amit Joshi

Professor of AI, Analytics, and Marketing Strategy

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Benoit Leleux

Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance

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Jennifer Jordan

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior

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Alyson Meister

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior and Director of the Workplace Well-being Initiative

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Stefan Michel

Professor of Strategy and Marketing

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Anand Narasimhan

Shell Professor of Global Leadership and Dean of Research

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Niccolò Pisani

Professor of Strategy and International Business

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Jim Pulcrano

Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management

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Karl Schmedders

Professor of Finance

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Ralf Seifert

Professor of Operations Management

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Leif Sjöblom

Professor of Financial Management

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Ina Toegel

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change

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Howard Yu

LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation

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Take your next step

Let’s talk

Schedule a call with a Program Advisor to discuss your career goals and see if this is the right program for you.

Book a call

Join an EMBA event

Meet the team during a Masterclass or an online information session. The IMD EMBA team looks forward to talking with you.

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Start your application

We are here to help you through every step of the application process.

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