Subhi Barakat

Tell me a bit about yourself, both professionally and personally?

I’m Palestinian, born in Jerusalem and raised in Toronto, Canada. For the past 15 years, I’ve been working and living all over the world, including outside of Canada and Palestine.

I originally studied engineering—electrical engineering, to be precise—and worked on semiconductor physics. Later, I went to law school to focus on international law and global governance. After that, I pivoted back into the world of digital technology, working in digital transformation and service design, mostly with the UK government.

Currently, I lead a team that advises low-income countries on decarbonisation strategies and global decision-making processes related to the climate crisis. I’m also involved in international negotiations at global forums like the United Nations.

So, it’s a mix—a blend of disciplines, sectors, and experiences. I’d say that’s my trademark: I enjoy doing different things, learning new things, and continuously evolving. I’m not sure what’s next, but I have a feeling it’ll be something completely different again.

That love for learning—was that what brought you to pursue the GEMBA at INSEAD?

Absolutely. My background spans engineering, law, and policy, but I hadn’t spent much time immersed in traditional business disciplines like finance, marketing, or operations. I’d tried to teach myself, but I felt I needed to go deeper and be surrounded by people who do this professionally.

Most people I meet have built deep expertise in one function or sector for 15–20 years. That wasn’t me. I’ve always straddled different areas. So, I wanted to be in an environment where I could learn from those with a different kind of depth.

 INSEAD was a clear choice: world-class teaching, a global perspective, and a cohort of truly impressive individuals.  

I’ve always worked on strategy but I wanted to formalise that thinking and see how it applies in a business context, especially with global impact in mind.

The private sector has developed powerful tools and frameworks over the years, and I wanted to bring some of that rigour into the sectors I’ve worked in, like the UN, NGOs, and global policy. That’s what GEMBA offered me: learning, exposure, and challenge. And with a young family, timing was key. It was now or never.

GEMBA emphasises leadership and development. Has your approach to leadership changed since starting the programme?

Through GEMBA I’ve developed a much more structured, evidence-based approach to leadership. 

We often assume leadership is something you either have or don’t, but the research and coaching at INSEAD showed me how multi-dimensional it is—and how much it can be learned, practised, and refined.

I’ve also become more aware of recognising leadership in others, even in those who aren’t in formal leadership roles. That deeper understanding helps you nurture and empower others more effectively.

The Leadership Development Programme (LDP) was particularly powerful. Group coaching introduced me to something I hadn’t experienced before. Initially, it’s uncomfortable—you’re opening up to people you’ve just met—but quickly it becomes an environment of trust and honesty.

What stood out was how the self-reflection of one person in the group could spark reflection in others. It built momentum. There are assumptions and blind spots we all carry, and the coaches help you uncover them. Once you see them, you can’t unsee them. It changes how you lead.

That’s really powerful. Have you applied any of that within your own teams?

Yes, in two major ways. Before GEMBA, if you asked people on my team whether we had trust and transparency, they’d probably say yes. But when you really dig deeper, you realise that many hard questions go unspoken. Not because there’s bad intent, but because the environment hasn’t been built to surface them.

For example, we work with developing countries, and sometimes our work unintentionally creates dependencies. These are sensitive topics that most teams wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing. However, after experiencing group coaching, I began bringing structured reflection and open dialogue into my teams, even in public sector and nonprofit spaces where this isn't the norm.

By doing that, we’re now able to have more honest conversations about our work, its implications, and the trade-offs we face. We’ve shifted from “Do I trust this person personally?” to “Do I trust them to be accountable, challenge me, and help the team grow?” That shift has been transformational.

Does GEMBA prepare participants for the C-suite?

I think it absolutely does. It may not catapult you into the C-suite overnight, but it gives you the tools to operate at that level.
GEMBA helps you zoom out. It’s like going up in a hot air balloon—you start to see the bigger picture. You think beyond your team or function, and start to understand how entire organisations operate, how incentives align or clash, and how to navigate that landscape effectively and empathetically.

But honestly, the most powerful part is learning from the people around you. The cohort is brilliant. Not just smart, but wise. You gain access to years of insight, experience, and guidance that you couldn’t get on your own. That network becomes a lifelong asset.