October 2020: I couldn´t picture a better moment to start my Executive MBA.

• Read more about Episode One: The Start of a Great Journey

During my undergraduate studies, I had the chance to spend one semester in Singapore in 2018. Every day, I would pass by INSEAD’s campus, and would tell myself: “Someday, I will be part of the INSEAD community”. At the time, the MIM programme had not been announced yet. Fast forward to June 2019, I read online that INSEAD was launching its pioneering MIM programme.

• Read more about Living the INSEAD MIM Dream

After a two-year long decision-making process, I am about to embark upon a new learning and self-discovery journey starting this September. The moment that I opened the offer letter, signed by the two schools, was a real joy. I shared it with my wife, my daughter, with my parents, and with all the coaches who have helped me to be ready for this opportunity.

• Read more about 2020-21: A Year Worthy of Investment

My primary objective of attending the GEMBA programme is to prepare myself with the necessary executive education to ensure that I stay relevant in the currently challenging global business environment. This has become more palpable with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has disrupted multiple industries. The education sector has not been spared from the disruption caused by COVID-19.

• Read more about Seeking Relevance

It was late January 2020 and I finally decided to apply to the TIEMBA programme, which also coincided with the start of the COVID pandemic. I had been researching and casually poking around the Executive MBA space for a couple of years, but now felt like it was the right time to make a commitment.   

• Read more about Exactly What I Was Looking For

A few months ago, it would have been difficult to imagine that a pandemic would come our way, causing the whole world to stop. I imagine that this outbreak wasn’t in anyone’s plans. My first thought was to abandon all my objectives for the year, due to the uncertainty about the future.

• Read more about Transforming Difficult Times into Great Opportunities

‘Embracing uncertainty: When the strategy is uncertain, the best managers acknowledge what’s unknown, but also look ahead to what is known.’ The Harvard Business Review (Special Issue) Summer 2020 Most of my work revolves around resilience.

• Read more about The Turning Point

This year will probably be remembered by the uncertainty we all faced. Back in January, we all no doubt made plans to travel abroad, start a new business, pursue an MBA, or seek many other projects that would have made the year 2020 an amazing one. However, things turned out to be completely different. 

• Read more about Why Invest In An MBA With So Much Uncertainty Around?

Starting an MBA amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is a decision that requires some courage. I still remember the feeling of my heart sinking six months ago, when I first learned the reality of how the COVID outbreak had impacted campus life all around the world.

• Read more about Living the INSEAD Life with Gratitude in the Year of COVID

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then” – Lewis Caroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland It was 2AM, and I was lying in my bed in Dubai, perfectly content with life but hungry for change. Hungry for more. Contentment is a fickle friend and can lead to complacency.

• Read more about The Start of the '21J Journey