I’m just back from Germany, where we had a fantastic time – the schedule was really hectic, but for those members of the class that weren’t previously familiar with the country, it was a fantastic opportunity to find out more about the business landscape and the cultural highlights of the country. For people like me who had travelled in Germany before, it was great to dig deeper into the business environment of Europe’s economic powerhouse, and to discover what makes this country such a success these days. We took in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich – and had another fantastic experience with our alumni, who hosted us at an event they had organised in Munich. All in all, a fantastic trip, and incredibly well organised by my classmates Dennis, Elvin & Hisham.
Last week, the oil major Shell was on campus and it was an opportunity for those members of the class particularly interested in the energy sector to share ideas with some senior Shell executives. My colleague Francesco wrote this update:
‘Last week, a group of MBA students interested in the energy sector and the key debate topics around this industry teamed up with eight top HR executives from Shell in order to discuss the main challenges and opportunities facing the company.
During the MBA, we have spent much of the year studying how to analyse an industry, how to fuse financial concepts with business principals, how to lead and how to innovate. Today was a key opportunity to put these elements together and discuss with top executives from Shell.
‘Real World, Real Learning’ isn’t just IMD’s slogan, but rather a clear statement of intent for the MBA course, which provides a unique educational experience and then provides many opportunities to bring this theory into the real business world, particularly towards the end of the year.
The event with Shell was a key highlight of my MBA – a once in a lifetime opportunity I will not forget. The satisfaction of the and involvement of the executives was a confirmation of the quality of our ideas, and a great reward for the effort we had put in to this initiative.
In January I thought ‘Real World, Real Learning’ was just a nebulous concept. It’s not; it genuinely is the ethos of IMD.’
Thanks to Francesco for his perspective on a great event, and more updates from me soon as we approach the final week of the course!
Until next time,
Nick.
