Gold awards
The IMD/Sanofi Unleash for Senior Leaders Program earned two Gold Awards in the Best Executive Development Program and Best Leadership Development Program categories.
The six-month leadership journey is designed to accelerate the development of Sanofi’s senior leaders into executive roles through strategic modules and personalized coaching, strengthening decision-making, empowering teams, and fostering psychological safety.
Now in its 12th cohort, the program has become one of the company’s most sought-after leadership development offerings, with six more cohorts already planned for 2027 and 2028.
“We believe Sanofians matter most, and that’s why developing future-ready leaders is one of our Talent priorities,” said Sanofi Chief Talent Officer Audrey Clegg. “Our partnership with IMD helps us do that; we’re building leaders who can challenge assumptions and build teams where people feel safe to do their best work. It means they’re prepared before we need them, and we’re already seeing it pay off; more than half the participants have moved into new roles here at Sanofi.”
“Winning two Gold awards is a wonderful recognition of what secure base leadership looks like in practice. Care, Dare, Share isn’t just our framework; it’s how this program has been built and delivered from day one. Over multiple years, our faculty, coaches, and external speakers have created the psychological safety that has enabled our participants to show extraordinary courage in sharing their growth with each other – and their teams,” said Program Director and Affiliate Professor of Leadership, Communications and Organizational Change Susan Goldsworthy.
“This award belongs to everyone who has contributed to making Unleash the success it is today, and to Sanofi, for having the vision to co-create a program that puts leadership development this close to the heart of the business.”
Silver award
The IMD / Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) Executive Development Program (EDP) won the Silver Award in the Best Leadership Development Program category.
Developed for PMI’s top global senior leaders, the program addressed two critical priorities: embedding the company’s newly launched values while equipping senior leaders to navigate AI-enabled, future-ready leadership in a period of fundamental corporate transformation.
“This recognition reflects what becomes possible when leadership development is closely connected to business transformation and a shared commitment to growth. In partnership with IMD, PMI created a learning journey for 270 senior leaders that strengthened their confidence, curiosity, and ability to lead in an increasingly AI-enabled future,” said Fred Patitucci, Group Chief People & Culture Officer, Philip Morris International.
“What makes me especially proud is how our leaders have taken that learning back into the business, encouraging innovation, collaboration, and new ways of thinking across their teams. I am grateful to everyone involved, the participants and the IMD team, for making this journey such a meaningful success,” he added.
“This award recognizes what can be achieved when two organizations share an ambition to develop future-ready leaders and collaborate to make it happen. Together, IMD and PMI created engagement at scale, embedding a new cultural DNA, fostering a growth mindset, and building the AI capabilities leaders need to shape the future. Thank you for the dedication of everyone involved,” said Heather Cairns-Lee, Program Director and Affiliate Professor of Leadership and Communication.
Bronze award
Finally, the IMD / IMI Leadership Development Program received a Bronze Award.
IMI plc’s leadership development program was co-created to strengthen enterprise-wide leadership capability through executive-led governance and cross-divisional cohort learning. It supports both business performance and long-term value creation by combining core business leadership fundamentals with future-focused capabilities.
“We are delighted to have been recognized by Brandon Hall Group for this award, which reflects the strength of the partnership between IMI and IMD,” said IMI Head of Learning and Development Claire Kennady. “Together, we have moved beyond leadership development as a program and positioned it as a driver of business performance, strengthening the leadership capability needed to accelerate growth, navigate complexity and create long-term value across IMI.”
“IMI has shown great commitment to growing and developing its leaders. We were privileged to partner with them in a genuine co-creation process in the service of generating impact for the organization,” said Program Director and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change Ina Toegel.
Brandon Hall Group is an independent research and analyst firm that specializes in human capital management, technology, and education technology. Its long-standing awards programs recognize organizations for successful, innovative programs, strategies, processes, systems, and tools.
The award ceremony will take place at Brandon Hall Group’s HCM Excellence Conference in Florida on 26–28 January 2027.
