This month (June 22-26) IMD’s MBA class will be immersed in Singapore, a global innovation hub at the cutting-edge of technology in Asia.
The trip is part of the Discovery Expedition, which sees IMD’s MBA participants visit three international business and innovation hubs through June. The 90 IMD MBAs have recently visited Silicon Valley and will visit Bangalore from June 26-29, to discover the strengths and drawbacks as business destinations, plus the role technology is playing in business there.
The Singapore leg will be led by IMD MBA Dean Seán Meehan.
He said: “This is not tourism. We’re going there to learn about the role business and technology are playing in important innovation hubs around the world.”
The MBA cohort will work to understand where and how major technologies and business models are being shaped, and their potential to make a positive impact on the city-state. Singapore is among the leaders of a pack of Asian nations pioneering innovation and startup ecosystems.
Meehan said: “Singapore has made trade-offs to get to where it is today. It relies heavily on talent and capabilities from around the world. Part of the secret of its success was building great infrastructure and having a master plan. Let’s face it, in Singapore more than elsewhere, what the government says and does really impacts the economy.”
The MBAs will reflect on the opportunities and challenges of innovation and globalization, as well as address the risks of the largest business transformation of our time – digital.
In addition, they will be tasked to develop a view-point on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it can make a positive impact on society.
The Singapore trip includes a briefing from senior executives at DBS Bank, one of the leading global digital banks that is based in Singapore. It was created by the Singaporean government in 1968 to help modernize the economy and has been voted as the best digital bank by financial services magazine Euromoney.
In addition, the MBA cohort will hear from business leaders at The Unilever Foundry, which helps the world’s top startups accelerate business innovation on a global scale.
There will also be visits to or talks from AI Singapore, which is anchoring national capabilities in artificial intelligence, plus GovTech Singapore and SGinnovate, which are also pioneering technology in the country.
The IMD Executive Learning Center is located in Singapore.
