Halfway through the program and gearing for the return to the business world, the IMD MBA class attended company presentations with top recruiters and alumni.

There have been undertone concerns regarding the outlook of businesses and career choices. In particular, these revolve around the impact of the pandemic, new working arrangements and other offshoot effects. Whilst some companies recorded significant growth during the pandemic, others were hard hit and forced to temporarily freeze recruitment efforts.

Many analysts suggest that the best-case scenario for the covid crisis is a V-shaped recession. This would mean a sharp downturn followed by a quick rebound. Thus, companies focused on the long term are making efforts to secure the best talent in their workforce. Many companies who have a long-standing partnership with IMD returned this year to make company presentations to potential talents in the MBA class.

Last week, we had IMD presentations from Siemens, Essilor/Luxottica, Danfoss and McKinsey & Company. Presenters often included representatives from the respective recruiting departments, as well as IMD MBA alumni who could directly relate their career paths in the companies to our current program journey.

Siemens

The Siemens Chief Executive Opportunity Program (CEO) and Finance Excellence Program (FEP) offer an accelerated track to top management roles through rotational placements across varied roles and geographies. IMD Alumni Xiaoding Zhou (MBA 2014) and Simon Retailleau (MBA 2015) shared their growth experiences at Siemens with us.

Essilor/Luxottica

The world’s foremost leader in the design, production and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames and sunglasses. With a workforce of over 140,000 across its global network, Tatiana Terekhova (Global Director Talent Acquisition) and Andrea Falà (Global Employer Branding Lead Luxottica) shared impressive insights with us.

Danfoss

Danfoss are using their engineering technology and expertise to help the world drive sustainable transformation and address key climate issues. They aim to have 30% female leaders by 2025. Kristian Strand and Helle Dawson shared the company’s strategic focus and goals with us.

McKinsey & Company

Driven by values, McKinsey aims to help companies across various industries drive change that matters. Riccardo Drentin (MBA 2013) Partner, London, and Joyce Tsuchiya (MBA 2018) Associate, Sao Paolo, shared meaningful insights and have inspired participants to apply for roles across the global practices.

The ball is now in our court. What challenges do we want to pursue? What problems are we looking to solve? And what opportunities will we take advantage of?

In the words of Malcom X,

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

Eseosa Asemota

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