Elisa Boivin

What led you to decide to pursue an EMBA, and why did you choose INSEAD in particular? 

The creation of my company Footsprint is the culmination of different roles I have endorsed in my career at Labelium and how they led me to the crossroads of digital and sustainability science. Undertaking an Executive MBA was an integral part of the founding decision, as I believed executive education would empower me in my new entrepreneurial journey.

INSEAD was an obvious choice for its unmatched Leadership Development Programme, the incredible diversity of the cohort and its multidisciplinary approach to teaching. One aspect that particularly attracted me to the INSEAD Leadership Development Programme was the group coaching experience. 

Finally, another key decision factor was meeting with alumni: their authenticity and humility was truly inspiring and confirmed my decision. 

Could you describe your experience so far? The classes, the curriculum, your fellow participants, the professors?

The experience so far is everything I expected and more.

What's amazing about the classes - beyond the outstanding teachers - is that you get to benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of the classroom.

Each of my classmates is truly inspiring, coming from a wide variety of industries, and professional and personal backgrounds. What I admire most is their willingness to share and be generous with their time, while having the humility to learn every day, from everyone. And then you take these amazing talents and you get - both in and outside the classroom - a whole that is even much greater than the sum of the individual parts. We are building a unique collective experience. 

Has the EMBA helped you in your career so far?  

Because the learnings are so hands-on, I am able to actively apply them the minute I get back to work, which is exactly what I came for. And I am not only talking about the lectures themselves but also the feedback I am able to receive from my classmates and the learnings from the coaching journey. All of these are very enriching experiences that I can tap into in my management day-to-day.  

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

I am still at the beginning of the Leadership Development Programme, but I can already tell it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My group and I have already built a very strong relationship from our experience together, and I feel so lucky to have them with me this year to help me be a better leader. I also truly believe we will build friendships that will last well beyond our year here.

Group coaching is a unique experience, where you benefit from feedback coming from different angles and perspectives, given with the sole purpose to help you be the best version of yourself.

It is a unique opportunity to receive feedback in a way that you wouldn't in your work life, through a wide variety of activities (some very fun!) and exercises. It is also whatever we make of it, and we have to come into the group coaching truly willing to share and to give. 

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

I would give the exact advice that was given to me: know what you want to get out of the programme. Once on campus, there will be so many different options laid out in front of you (from school clubs on dedicated topics to networking events, bootcamps, and of course readings) that it can be hard to know what to prioritise, so being clear on what you want to get out of the programme will help you focus.

But to nuance this a bit, also to be willing not to always stick to your plan, and to allow yourself to experience new things and get out of your comfort zone. INSEAD is full of surprises!