Coming from all around the world to share their experiences, expand their network and transform their leadership skills, the INSEAD Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) Class of 2023 and Tsinghua-INSEAD Executive MBA (TIEMBA) Class of 2024 embarked on their journey to new success across our campuses in Singapore, Fontainebleau, Abu Dhabi, and the Tsinghua campus in Beijing.
We put a spotlight on some of our participants as they share their inspirational stories to embark on one of the greatest journeys of self-development yet.
This group of leaders have excelled in many aspects of their career and personal development since joining the programme in 2021. Read on to see what they have to say.
GEMBA Asia Section
Linda Lin
Singaporean
Senior Manager, Global Procurement
Singapore
“I stopped doubting my Return on Investment (ROI) since I sat in my first class of Financial Accounting with INSEAD," says Linda.
"I've always wanted to do an MBA, but I didn't want to take a year off from work or to change industry or function, so doing an EMBA was the best solution.
INSEAD also gave me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people with different backgrounds, what's more valuable than that?" she shares.
"The programme has shaped my perspectives on how I look at my career planning and life in general. I have learned just as much from the professors as from my fellow batchmates."
Read more about Linda's INSEAD experience
GEMBA Middle East Section
Hesham Al Shaalan
Saudi
Chairman of Medical Imaging Department, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs
Saudi Arabia
“The multicultural experience provided by the three campuses and the ability to engage with wonderful people from all over the world makes a degree from INSEAD one of its kind.
It is the skill and knowledge that enables leaders to lead their organisations towards success with a rational and structured approach.
When it comes to business schools, INSEAD always stood out as the best school worldwide in this field, which made me eager to complete all requirements to be enrolled." shares Hesham.
Read more about Hesham's INSEAD experience
GEMBA Europe Section
Boutros El Haddad
Lebanese
General Manager (i4 Solutions) at Midis Group
Qatar
"Besides being indisputably a leader in executive formation, INSEAD provides the opportunity to complement my professional experience with knowledge acquired in the classroom and apply this skillset in real-time practical projects.
I am pursuing the GEMBA programme at INSEAD primarily to explore and expand my career development options.
It combines all the factors required for me to achieve these objectives." shares Boutros.
"This is in addition to invaluable access to the insights of a brilliant cohort of industry peers as well as world-class faculty."
Read more about Boutros' INSEAD experience
Erika Lajko
Hungarian
Entrepreneur / Founder-CEO at Newstream Advisory
Hungary
"I only applied to INSEAD, because I believe that INSEAD has the best non-US MBA course one can find – the key benefit is the diversity for me which I find truly unique at INSEAD.
INSEAD has given me a lot of confidence in my entrepreneurship journey. I act as a more confident leader with my team but also, I communicate more confidently with business partners.
I started to implement new ideas – I feel that it is easier for me to get inspired because I feel that trying something different is easier than before." shares Erika.
Read more about Erika's INSEAD experience
Mark Sasongko Adiwinarso
Indonesian
Director of Product Management at Square Sense
France
"If you are not good in stakeholder management, trust me, you will be excellent after going through GEMBA," says Mark.
"I am pursuing the GEMBA programme at INSEAD primarily to explore and expand my career development options. It combines all the factors required for me to achieve these objectives."
"The simple frameworks taught in class helped me do research and create compelling investment and strategy arguments," shares Mark.
The leadership experience helped me to be positive, mature, and confident at work. I look forward to the fruits of labor that come out of this transformational experience."
Read more about Mark's INSEAD experience
Tsinghua-INSEAD Executive MBA
Karim Awad
British
Vice President at Baring Private Equity Asia
Hong Kong
"I felt the programme would cater for a well-rounded professional and personal development experience, whilst bringing together a pool of highly capable people to learn from," says Karim.
"INSEAD, with its established curriculum and strong reputation especially between Europe and Asia, was well suited to achieving this purpose.
There have been several areas I've been able to directly apply back into my job, and the people I've met on the programme or through INSEAD's Alumni network have been invaluable in facilitating different initiatives."
This has removed elements that previously served as blockers in taking things forward, and helps me to anticipate both risks and opportunities beyond my core function, harnessing these components to improve outcomes at work." shares Karim.
Read more about Karim's TIEMBA experience
Deyi Wu
American
Head of AI Asset Management at WeBank
China
"I wanted to extend my career towards a more ESG and Impact Investment direction, and the curriculum and network from INSEAD could help me achieve those goals.
I had also just relocated back to Shenzhen with a new assignment, so the TIEMBA programme provided me with a lot of insights into Chinese business and networks. It was an easy decision to make.
The TIEMBA programme has provided us so far with an immersive experience including alumni company visits, some cultural exploration, and definitely some great social downtime as well," shares Deyi.
Read more about Deyi's TIEMBA experience
Christoph Maier
German
CEO and Managing Director at WESA-Armaturen
Germany
"To choose the right programme, I used several selection criteria.
On the one hand, I really wanted to find a format that takes place in real life and not via online video sessions. The modular structure of the TIEMBA course is ideally suited for this.
The mixture of international participants and excellent professors challenges and develops me personally and opens up new opportunities," shares Christoph.