Stéphanie D'Ath

Could you share something unexpected or a fun fact about yourself?

I grew by 1cm when I started practising yoga in my mid-20s.  

Tell us about yourself, and how you got to where you are today, both professionally and personally.

I’m a native French speaker, born and raised in Brussels. I attended a Dutch school until I was 12, then switched to a French curriculum at Jesuit St. Michel College for high school, which helped foster my critical thinking skills. I went on to complete both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Finance at Solvay Business School in Brussels.  

During my university years, I interned at Bain & Co. twice but, unfortunately, didn’t receive an offer due to my occasional lack of attention to detail (especially on Friday mornings after a night out—I do enjoy a good party!). However, every cloud has a silver lining. This experience pushed me to apply for banking roles in London.  

Securing a full-time job in 2009, when I graduated, was challenging due to the financial crisis. After spending six months interning at JPMorgan in M&A and later in Fixed Income Sales, I gained a clearer understanding of various banking functions. 

I realised I wanted to combine the working hours of sales (7am to 7pm) with the more analytical side of M&A (without the gruelling hours of investment banking). That’s when I decided to pursue a role in Equity Research. I chose a position in the Consumer Equity Research team at Jefferies from among several offers. Before starting my first full-time job, I was fortunate enough to travel the world for six months, mostly backpacking.  

I spent 15 years in research, covering various sectors at several banks, and became an established research analyst and director at RBC. Based in London, Hong Kong, and later Singapore, I advised institutional investors on which stocks to buy within my coverage, helping them outperform the market. My research spanned FMCG (food & beverage, household and personal care, tobacco), retail and luxury, and transport infrastructure (airports and toll roads) over the years, giving me extensive multi-sector knowledge. 

I moved from Jefferies to Sanford C. Bernstein, then to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and ultimately to the Bank of Canada (sometimes by choice, sometimes not—such is the nature of investment banking careers). 

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

While I loved my work, which involved collaborating with sales teams, traders, and fellow analysts, building strong relationships with institutional clients, and frequently meeting with investor relations and C-suite executives of the companies I covered, I began to realise I couldn’t picture myself doing this for the rest of my life.  

In 2021 and 2023, my husband and I welcomed two daughters. I wasn’t ready for the long travel weeks and extended working hours anymore. I decided I wanted to pivot to a more managerial role, one where I could have a more tangible impact, ideally in a smaller company, and eventually return to Belgium. 

While I had built a deep business, financial, and strategic expertise across several industries, I wanted to develop my managerial, marketing, and leadership skills. I enjoy learning, but based on my experience earning my CFA certification while working, I realised I would benefit more from an Executive MBA, especially if I could take some time off to also focus on my family. 

I concluded that INSEAD was the perfect fit for my goals, with its nearby Singapore campus and strong European network. Many friends and acquaintances had pursued various programmes at INSEAD, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. It quickly became clear that INSEAD’s Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) programme was the best fit for me.    

How would you describe your experience so far? What is your impression of the faculty, the curriculum, and your fellow participants?

I’ve loved every aspect of the programme since day one: my classmates and their incredible diversity, the world-class faculty, the engaging curriculum, the leadership programme, the extracurricular activities, the unique INSEAD spirit, the network, and the campus.

I look forward to every module, though I also find myself dreading that it’s going by so quickly!  

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing an INSEAD programme?

Speak with current students or alumni, attend events to learn more about the programmes, and try to join an introductory class to get a feel for the experience.