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25 Feb 2015, 23:22
01 Mar 2015, 10:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: An important advice for female leaders: work on your communication skills |
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We were honored to have Eva D’Onofrio representing Microsoft as our guest speaker this week. She is from Rome, an avid reader and is married with one daughter. She likes to travel, and is not a traditional Italian family mother as she describes herself. She is the general manager of Services Western Europe Microsoft. Eva started the speech by giving us a short history of IBM, where she used to work before Microsoft. We were reminded that before the internet hype a physical computer was created to help us calculate and solve problems. It was the era of selling computer hardware, which could be hard for us to imagine nowadays. After 27 years in IBM, she went to Microsoft in 2014 for a new challenge. As she said, it was her desire for something new and creative that made her take the risk. The company culture of Microsoft is naturally different from what she was used to, but she adopted to it quickly. When she talked about the future trends of technology, her eyes shone with excitement. Passion is what you need for your work, said Eva. When asked to give her advice for female leaders in a male-dominate company, she said, "Work on your communication skills. Speak the language to make yourself understood; otherwise decision will be made upon you." It was an inspiring speech, not only because it was delivered by a successful business person. But also it was inspiring, insightful, and fun. I definitely was aspired to learn from Eva's qualities and attitudes towards work and family. 
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02 Mar 2015, 12:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Communication Skills (Part 2) |
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Greetings world - Lasuanne calling! Stephanie wrote about the importance of communication skills in her last blog post. The theme continued during the week, as on Friday we had a one-day session on presentation and communication skills delivered by an actor named Richard Hahlo. This was a fantastic experience for the whole class, and for me, one of the best sessions of the year so far. I have always felt very comfortable with public speaking and am thankful that my parents encouraged me to take part in public speaking competitions when I was at junior school, as I have found that speaking skills are ones that will last a lifetime, and prove to be useful at the most unexpected moments. My previous experience didn't mean that I could relax during the session, though, as Richard ran us through skills and tips that ranged from the basic to the more advanced, and I definitely feel that my public speaking ability has been improved as a result of Friday's session. Many of my classmates would love to have Richard back again during the course of the year to further hone these essential skills - let's see if we can persuade our programme director! In other news, a few of my classmates managed to escape Lausanne at the weekend to go on a short trip to the mountains. This was such a fun experience - Lausanne is beautiful, but for me the real Switzerland is one of chalets, mountains (see the photo) - and of course cheese! We ticked off all of these points on our trip, and we all came back to Lausanne recharged, and ready for the week. Which is just as well - this week heralds the arrival of our first 'integrative exercise' - this is a two day assignment which allows us to combine the skills and theories that we have learnt in all of our subjects. We don't know that much about the content of the exercise - it's a secret, but we do know that sleep will be a precious commodity! So the name of the game early in this week is to stock up on sleep - let's see if the schedule will allow this. Until next time, Nick.  |
04 Mar 2015, 01:27
04 Mar 2015, 02:36
04 Mar 2015, 13:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: On your marks...!!! |
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Tomorrow heralds the arrival of one of IMD's most notorious activities - the 'integrative exercise'. During this 48 hour period, our study groups will be given a project to complete with a strict deadline. On the face of it, this sounds quite simple, however, it comes with folklore from alumni of years gone by including such tales as not sleeping for 48 hours in a row, tears and arguments. So clearly it's a reasonably tough exercise...!!! When an activity is so mired in speculation (and when the alumni have been forbidden to give us any details), it is impossible to know what to expect, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. The only issue is pre-IMD I religiously slept for 8 hours per night, so coping with sleep deprivation is not really my forte, but at least I've had some sleep deprivation experience over the year so far! In other news, a mysterious secret was revealed to the class today. We were told that for the last day of our exams in June, we are to pack a suitcase with clothes for 6 days and ensure we have an up-to-date passport. No more details were revealed regarding content or location - so the rumour-mill is cranking into action. I am personally hoping for a trip to Barbados... I can dream, right? Until next time, I'm having an early night before the exercise tomorrow - I'll update you on my experiences in due course! Nick. |
05 Mar 2015, 09:09
08 Mar 2015, 14:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: I am proud of you my team |
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The infamouse integrative exercise has ended on Saturday at noon time. As my blogmate Nick has already mentioned, this exercise is designed to create tales that will be told for a long time. After lunch time on Thursday, we received the assignment to prepare a presentation on an investment. The project was about launching a new product in an emerging market, and we needed to make a proposal to the board of the company (for us, it was Nuno and Ralf who acted as our jury). Of course, we needed to bring in convincing arguments to support our decision. It was not easy as to how to approach such project. Our team had different discussions as to how we should do it. As time went by, the piles of chips and junk food accumulated on our group table. The clock was ticking and the patience of people was ebbing away. However, we were able to stay civilized and came to a consensus. Our first presentation was scheduled on Friday morning, and we were all ready to go (even though most of us slept less than 2 hours). The first presentation went better than I had thought, but we were grilled like Australian BBQ. Ralf and Nuno threw us loads of questions and challenges that we should improve. We went back to the dungeon, debriefed quickly and took a short nap/break. We worked on the changes till 2am, and slept another 5 hours before the second round. We were all very tired, but tried our best to convince the "board." We improved and focused a lot at the 2nd presentation, and were much more confident of our backup arguments. In the past 48 hours, I felt especially thankful to my team, not only for the experience and knowledge it gave me, but also the sense of accomplishment. I felt especially proud of my teammates because even under high stress and tight deadline, we were still able to make jokes and have fun. After all, learning is about growing and having fun!  My lovely team members: (from right to left) Yiorgos, Stephanie, Sue, Arthur, Eric, Elie |
11 Mar 2015, 13:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Shock and awe |
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There aren't that many occasions on which I have been left speechless by a lecture - but this situation occurred on Tuesday afternoon when Nuno Fernandes, our finance professor, revealed a guest speaker due to join us after our coffee break. We were to be joined on the phone from the USA by none other than Harry Markowitz, Nobel prize winner and father of 'Modern Portfolio Theory'. Having spent 8 years in wealth management advising clients on their investment portfolios, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to pose a question to this most influential of individuals, who was the architect of the central theory around which I constructed client portfolios. I had read extensively about Markowitz whilst training for my investment management qualifications, and he has attained legendary status in the asset management industry. As such, it was such an honour to have had such an incredible calibre of guest joining the class. There were three things that struck me after our conversation with Prof Markowitz: - Aged 87, Prof Markowitz is still actively engaged in business and academic pursuits, and sounded like a man 30 years his junior. Age has certainly not dulled the intellect of this gentleman. - It was incredibly impressive that a Nobel prize winner and renowned expert could be so incredibly humble and down to earth. - Finally, this surprise was a striking reminder of why I came to IMD. The network of the professors and staff at IMD never fails to impress me, and attending this school really does offer opportunities that money just can't buy. This was a fantastic experience, and came just at the right time as my colleagues and I emerged from the fog of fatigue brought on by the 'integrative exercise' that Stephanie recounted in her most recent blog. I just found out my team passed the exercise - great news, since we've got around five other projects on the go right now! As ever, there is fun to be had amongst the hard work - we had a talk on Monday from one of IMD's alumni, Serena Shamash, who joined BCG on graduation from IMD, and then promptly reinvented herself as a restaurateur. She explained the exhilarating challenges of setting up a new business and developing a new concept in Switzerland, and so this evening our class thought there couldn't be anything better than a 'field trip' to the restaurant! Who says case studies are boring? Until next time, greetings from a sunny Lausanne, Nick. |
12 Mar 2015, 17:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: How to predict the unpredictable? |
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It seems that we are having continuously surprising guest speakers this week. After Nick's report on the Nobel Prize winner, we had another guest speaker tonight: Professor Aturo Bris. Aturo is the director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, and is definitely a vivid and passionate speaker when talking about Global Trends. After a long day, I didn't expect that I would concentrate on the talk, but ended up listening tentatively and laughing till the tears came out. Using lots of sense of humor, Aturo walked us through the change of the world and disappearance of borders. He first addressed the idea that the world has changed enormously and will continue to change to an extent out of our imagination in the future. Then he brought us to view the Global Trends Posters to have an idea of the trends that are shaping our industries and will further influence our world. We discussed how we saw these changes coming in our groups, and found out that these changes our common even thought we are all from different geographies. We will use part of the learnings tonight in the Navigating the Future project later on. The key learnings for tonight: 1. Prediction of the future becomes obsolete the minute when the prediction is stated. Therefore leaders need to be able to deal with such uncertainty when making strategies. 2. Don't give any advice on investing in stock market => your advice becomes irrelevant when the world changes and such change might take place any time. It was a very fruitful and interesting talk tonight, and I am looking forward to the next surprise! Stephanie  Professor Aturo Bris |
15 Mar 2015, 12:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Nespresso. What else? |
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When I had my first Nespresso coffee 12 years ago when I came to Switzerland, I was quite amazed by the quality of the coffee from a capsule put in a small non-commercial machine. I knew very little about coffee, because people drink more tea in Taiwan. However, my Napolitan husband showed me what real good coffee was like by bringing me to the local coffee shops in Naples. After having known the benchmark, I was quite happy to be able to enjoy a good cup of coffee at the comfort of my home thanks to the Nespresso invention. In the past 12 years, I have also witnessed how Nespresso grew their brand and market share in Switzerland and internationally (and of course I never missed any of George's commercials). I had no idea at that time that I would have a chance to visit the Nespresso factory one day. IMD organized a trip to visit the Nespresso factory in Orbe, 30-minute drive from Lausanne, on Friday, and we were all very excited. As soon as we arrived, the tour guide welcomed us by providing us coffees. She then explained the security and hygien rules for the visitors. We watched a short film introducing the history of Nespresso, and it was quite impressive to see how much emphasis was put to produce high-quality coffee capsules. We entered the factory, where machines ran 24 hours everyday. Everything was automated, and I saw probably only fewer than 10 people on the production lines. No cameras were allowed in the factory; therefore it was a pity that I could not post a photo of the factory here. We also saw where the coffee bean bags were stored and where coffe beans were grinded and toasted. No wonder the whole factory smellt like a big Nespresso boutique. At the end of the trip, we were surprised with a gift box of different nespresso coffees to try. Who would have thought such simple coffee beans could great an empire of luxurious coffee-drinking culture? Stephanie  Stephanie, the tour guide, welcomed us with a freshly brewed nespresso coffee  I was enjoying the new decaf Arpeggio which just came out to the market in Dec 2014  IMD students were fully dressed and ready for the tour |
17 Mar 2015, 15:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: 2016 calling! |
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It doesn't seem like five minutes since I arrived at IMD, but the sands of time run quickly. IMD is already interviewing for the 2016 intake... It has been great to see the enthusiasm and committment of the applicants as they join us for their assessment days - often travelling from far afield for one day of intensive grilling. I remember back to my assessment day when I was joined by applicants from India and Australia who had flown to Lausanne just for the day in order to complete their assessment. I knew that if such a candidate is willing to make that effort, then they are truly committed to joining IMD. But the commitment runs both ways - other top-tier business schools admit candidates as a result of one or two interviews. However, as usual, IMD takes a different approach and truly dedicates itself to finding the right candidates. As a result, IMD considers all aspects of a candidate's profile to ensure that they would be suited to a small and intense program, and by making sure that all the candidates are subject to the same rigorous application process, they can ensure that there is a genuine personal connection to the school as well as the all-important professional and academic credentials. So to all those candidates preparing their applications and working late into the night preparing their GMAT exams - good luck! Nick. |
19 Mar 2015, 03:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: The voice of our class |
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What happens when a class of 90 exceptional students with diverse professional experiences coming from 45 countries has problems and different opinions? We were selected through a strict process to join IMD with the hope that our profiles would fit and compliment one another, but we for sure don't live happily ever after. Therefore, the role of "ombudsman" was created. An obudsman is very similar to a class representative. He/she bridges the class and the faculty. One can probably imagine the types of troubles he/she might get into when dealing with such diverse mentalities and personalities. This year we have two very courageous and extra-exceptional individuals, Marta and Ato, who are acting as our ombuds. I am honored to have a short interview with them and discover how they feel in their roles. Stephanie: What are the main tasks of an ombuds? Ato and Marta: We are like the ears, eyes, and mouth fo the class towards the faculy and vice versa. We represent and facilitate activities in class, especially if particular coordination is needed (like selecting groups for projects). Stephanie: How often do you have meetings with each other and/or the class? Ato and Marta: From the students' side, we receive feedback and comments all the time, and communicate constantly with each other about the important subjects. However, we have an "official" meeting with each other once a week. Every other week, we hold a meeting with the class as a group. In terms of the faculty side, we communicate quite often with Max. The official meeting with Ralf/Max takes place every other week as well. Stephanie: What do you think is the most challenging part of being an ombuds? Marta: Being as discrete and at the same time efficient is quite challenging for me. Ato: Staying neutral with topics I feel very strongly about, and balancing being a student and representative at the same time can be difficult. Stephanie: What do you like the most about being an ombuds? Marta: I like working with Ato to help the whole class of 90 exceptional people. Ato: I feel honored to represent and serve the whole class, because this is the chance for me to give back. I think it is a wonderful opportunity to work with Marta the ombudswoman, and the others in the class. I was quite impressed after the interview. Knowing how busy we are and how little time IMD gives us besides our projects, I was amazed by the commitment of Marta and Ato to achieve soo many things for us. It is definitely our pleasure to have Marta and Ato helping with our issues and acting as the bridge with the faculty. Even though it is not always an easy job, I am sure that they will be able to handle it well as they have already done so. A big thank you to both of you Marta and Ato  Stephanie Marta and Ato |
24 Mar 2015, 13:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Hold on - we're speeding up! |
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The pace at IMD just keeps on getting faster - yesterday, we had a deadline for a 3,500 word essay, and a detailed economic project which we had to assemble as part of a new group. I managed to deliver on both points - let's hope that the product meets with the faculty approval! We are now in the final phase of the first module of the MBA - this means that the pressure is mounting. On Saturday and Sunday this week we have... 8 hours of lectures each day, and on Tuesday we have to deliver the final presentation for a 'start-up' project that we've been working on for the last couple of months. I'm actually looking forward to the exams the following week - as I reckon the few days that we have off over Easter might seem like a bit of a break... After the exams - the next module starts! The great news is that spring has well and truly arrived in Lausanne - as has the brochure with the profiles of the 2015 class - check it out - it's an amazing read, with the background of the 90 exceptional individuals that form our class: https://www.imd.org/programs/mba/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=368301&prog=MBA Now I have three chapters of a finance textbook to read before 8am tomorrow - back to it! Until next time, Nick. |
27 Mar 2015, 05:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Don't compromise with your stomach |
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We were supposed to have an accounting course this morning, but it turned out to be an important leadership learning session. We were in the middle of discussing the case of BG bank in Dennmark when the Executive VP, Torkel Olrik, was supposed to turnaround the bank in 1996. We were discussing whether Torkel did a good job in managing the difficult situation. I was feeling tired after a long week, and the energy level was quite low. All of a sudden, Torkel the real person showed up in the classroom and started to talk about his experience. I was quite surprised, and his energetic talk did wake me up. Torkel talked about the risks he took when implementing a new management system in the bank. He faced lots of resistence in the beginning from the staff and the union, but he decided to go ahead. He said, "take your heart and soul out, and take the risks. If you are genuine and engage as a person, people will believe you. They will know that you are a human being too and you really want to do the right thing." He took the courage, and in the process he learnt something about himself. The change was successful, but after a few more years working in the bank, he realized that the corporate world was not his thing. Torkel took the courage again. He said, "never compromise with your stomach. You got to do the stuff that makes you happy, and need to follow what makes sense for you. Be true to yourself." He went on to have other advantures in the telecom and oil industryies and now he is managing his own IT company as an entrepreneur. He is married with 3 children. The advice he gave to the MBA students are: 1. Start with being good at something, so that people will believe that you are good in something else too. 2. Have a mentor, and connect with the person (doesn't necessarily have to be physically close to you) when you make decision in your career. 3. Have good luck by keeping a smiling attitude towards life. Engage with people, see opportunities, and view the bottle as half-full instead of half-empty. It was a inspiring and unexpected speech. Just right before the exam time, I was put in the situation to reflect on the qustions: Am I compromising with my stomach? Am I true to myself and doing something that makes me happy? Stephanie  Torkel in our auditorium  Torkel Olrik, CEO & Partner of Mark Information in Denmark |
29 Mar 2015, 09:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Who's that in the bar? |
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Lausanne, at first impression, is a pretty sleepy place. Scratch a bit deeper, however, and you'll notice some global headquarters, together with plenty of the international jet-set millling around town - but still the city keeps a relatively low profile. This week, however, all eyes have been on Lausanne , with the Iran-US nuclear talks being held at the Beau-Rivage hotel (frankly, if all international conferences are held at hotels of that calibre, I'm going to become a diplomat...). Due to the intensity of the course, I hadn't paid this development much attention, other than noticing the police and army speeding around town. That is, until one day earlier in the week, when I was dragging myself back to bed after another long night at IMD, and decided to check in at the local bar to see if any of my classmates were socialising. They were - and it turned out, so was the Secretary of State for the US, John Kerry. Mr Kerry was kind enough to take a photo with my classmates and I - and here's hoping that he'll find a spare moment in his schedule to pop round to IMD for a lecture - right now, though, it seems like these talks are going to drag on. But it was yet another reminder to me that Lausanne is a very unique (perhaps strange...) place - if you were to come for a day or two, it seems like nothing is going on. Pay more attention, and there's always a surprise round the corner... In other news, we have classes all day today and tomorrow, so unfortunately the weekend is a theoretical concept - but study leave (and freedom) beckons next week... Until next time, Nick. |
31 Mar 2015, 01:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: We are almost there |
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Since 3 months we have been working on the startup project, and this afternoon will be the moment of truth. The startup project is aimed at helping different enterpreneuers start their projects with our learning. The company which our team has been working with is a company that produces meidcal device. It is a company with great technology but needs some support on the commercialization of their products. It has been a very interesting experience to get to know the industry as well as these scientists. These experts are extremely intelligent in developing their products, but often lack market awareness. I have also witnessed how an enterpreneur dealt with the ups and down of building up a company. And this afternoon our team will deliver our results to the jury. Fingers crossed for all of us! Stephanie  Arhur serious at work  Intensive discussion between Yiorgos and Elie  Hard-working Sue and Eric  Me smiling |
31 Mar 2015, 06:31
04 Apr 2015, 03:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: Easter in Lausanne |
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It's been an incredibly busy week - on Tuesday, my team made our presentation to a collection of Venture Capitalists around the work that we had done to overhaul the business of a local start-up company. It was a really stressful few days preparing for the presentation, but it seemed to go really well - hopefully our Entrepreneurship professor who was grading was in agreement! The team from the company also seemed very appreciative of the work that we had done. Wednesday was spent recovering from all the hard work (and partly from the celebration the night before..!). This marks the end of our first study group. It's been an incredibly intense few months between the six of us, and now I think we know one another better than some of our friends - I have really loved working with each and every member of the team, and it seems strange that we won't be a team (officially) any more, but I know that we'll all stay in touch, as nothing creates a bond like being placed in a room to complete an impossible task in no time at all... Now we are on study break until our exams start next Tuesday - revision has never felt so good - as I get the opportunity to plan my own timetable for once! It's amazing to look back at my notes and see how much we've learnt in the last few months, and I can't wait to start the next module - the topics look fascinating. Until then - back to revision. Nick. |
05 Apr 2015, 13:00
| FROM IMD Admissions Blog: A message of thanks |
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Katia, one of my classmates asked to include this very personal note to express her feelings about the great community spirit at IMD - thanks for sharing Katia! ______________________ Three weeks ago I experienced a huge health scare. As the doctor stuck the biopsy needles into my neck, I was overwhelmed by one of those “out-of-control moments” where it feels the world is about to crush you. All my personal strength and courage had disappeared, and I had to prepare myself for whatever side of the news. Yet, it was the moment I learned from the most. And it was this day when I truly felt the shoulders of my classmates being there for me. It was the "I'm here if you need to talk" and "we are here for whatever you need, you should not be alone”, and “I think you need a big hug and a good coffee” that helped me feel I was all the time watched after by friends. Receiving unconditional support from my classmates on the days I most needed it was overwhelming. During the fortnight I had to wait for the results they stood by me every moment trying to make the two scariest weeks somewhat less frightening for me. Their compassion and friendship gave me the strength to pull through when I could not make it on my own. It made me understood that no matter how competitive our class might be in the studies (and I still think it is  , whenit comes to personal closeness, support and companionship, IMD MBA class is absolutely one of a kind. Now that that I know I am fine I wanted to thank my exceptional classmates for all the immense support I was given. I am thankful to my groups – the Fantastic 4 and the Amazing Japan - for their understanding and encouragement. And I am incredibly grateful to Silvia, Rachel, Vas, Daniel, Eric, Georg, Dennis, Jelmer, Yiorgos, Marta, Nacho, Sid and all my friends for being there for me! You are absolutely the best. Katia |
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