As we enjoy the Easter break this week, it feels like the right time to share my experiences and learnings from the first three months of our MBA at IMD. Following our adventure in the mountains, we dove into Module 1, which covered a wide range of subjects, including accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, leadership, operations, and economics. It’s been an intense journey filled with learning, discovery, and lots of fun.
Learning at IMD goes beyond frameworks and two-by-two matrices. We get to apply key concepts in exercises that are both educational and enjoyable. I can’t help but talk about our finance class with Professor Arturo Bris, who turned the session into a lively market simulation exercise. We learned about market dynamics, efficiency, and how information asymmetry plays a crucial role in the stock market beyond supply and demand. This concept of information asymmetry was a key takeaway for me.
We also brought theory into practice with an engaging and fun accounting simulation led by Professor Florian Hoos. It’s surprising to see ‘fun’ and ‘accounting’ in the same sentence, but at IMD, this is often the case. We didn’t just learn about financial statements – we also learned how to present and defend them in front of shareholders.
As an engineer, this was exactly what I was looking for in the IMD MBA: being challenged to develop my knowledge in business, understanding what markets and shareholders look for, and also exploring the future of businesses in terms of ESG and sustainability. All these learnings took place in a supportive and challenging environment, with great teammates and a lot of fun along the way.
A big surprise for me was developing a strong interest in the Entrepreneurship class. It wasn’t something I was particularly focused on before coming to IMD, having spent my career in large corporations and not considering entrepreneurship as a path after my MBA. The case study of Otrada, which showed how a French engineer moved from engineering to asset management and then to launch a company in Russia, was particularly inspiring. It was fascinating to learn about shifting from a causal way of thinking to an effectual one, essentially moving from being goal-driven to being means-driven. The various case studies we worked on provided a completely new perspective on the role of entrepreneurs and how to think like one.
Reflecting on these first three months, it’s clear that the MBA program at IMD is not just about acquiring knowledge. It’s also about personal and professional transformation. From understanding complex business theories to appreciating the nuances of entrepreneurship, the journey has been incredibly rewarding. And as we move forward, I’m excited to see what other surprises and learning opportunities lie ahead.
