Boutros El Haddad

Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?

I love travel and books - both my travel and reading lists are longer than the story of my life!

So, what made you decide to pursue an EMBA, and why did you choose INSEAD?

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.

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.

This is in addition to invaluable access to the insights of a brilliant cohort of industry peers as well as world-class faculty.

If you were to describe your experience in one sentence, what would it be? 

The programme is rigorous and not for the faint-hearted, but extremely enriching and rewarding both personally and professionally.

Has the EMBA helped you in your career so far?  

Absolutely! Barely one week into the first module, the programme has already inspired me to get back to work and start working on plans to develop and improve the business, provided me the tools and credibility required to affect change on the group level, and given me that executive visibility crucial for my career path.  

What are your thoughts about the multi-campus experience? 

Covid restrictions had us do module three in Fontainebleau as opposed to Singapore as originally planned, so we have yet to experience the multi-campus model. I am looking forward to mingle with the Asia and Middle East cohorts during electives at Fontainebleau, and Key Management Challenges (KMCs) in the world at large.

Could you tell us more about the Leadership Development Programme (LDP) experience? 

The LDP was eye-opening to say the least.

At the start you get detailed and forthright insight into your persona as a leader, complete with areas of strengths and weaknesses. Then through a series of group and individual coaching sessions, you get to listen to and learn from the challenges and triumphs of your peers and share yours. 

What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in pursuing an INSEAD Masters programme? 

Stop thinking about it, and go for it!