01
Leadership
Sub Title
Meet the leaders driving organisational excellence at INSEAD
It is with a sense of pride and gratitude that I address you for the final time in this Annual Report, as I prepare to step down from my role as Chairman of the INSEAD Board of Directors in the coming months. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to lead the Board of this esteemed institution – my alma mater – during a period of significant growth and achievement.
Over the course of my tenure, spanning a decade, I have witnessed INSEAD grow from strength to strength. It is heartening to see the progress we have made as a community, hitting an impressive number of pioneering milestones over the past ten years – from organising the school’s first Global INSEAD Day, to hosting graduations in our original home at the Château de Fontainebleau, to launching the new Master in Management programme, to establishing the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society and much, much more. I encourage you to read the feature 'A Decade of INSEAD Milestones' to get a complete picture of all that has been achieved. Together, we have celebrated numerous milestones and navigated challenges with resilience and determination.
I am immensely proud of the strides we have taken together in recent years and in Academic Year 2022–2023. One notable aspect of our progress that we can be particularly proud of is the increased diversity within our Board, with women now comprising 50% of its members. This inclusivity not only enriches our perspectives but also underscores our commitment to our founding value of harnessing diversity to drive innovation and creativity.
Dean Ilian Mihov and Deputy Dean Peter Zemsky, with whom I had the privilege of working closely for the majority of the past decade, played instrumental roles in shaping INSEAD's trajectory, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for their steady and inspiring leadership. As I prepare to pass on the baton, I do so with a deep sense of satisfaction and faith in the future direction of our school. I am excited for the new chapter that lies ahead and it is with great pleasure that I welcome Francisco Veloso as our new Dean. I am confident that under his visionary leadership, INSEAD will continue to thrive and grow stronger.
The future of our institution looks bright, fuelled by our collective commitment to excellence, innovation and global impact. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as Chairman, and I look forward to witnessing the continued success of INSEAD in the years to come.
Thank you for your steadfast support and dedication.
Chairman of the Board
The Academic Year 2022–2023 marked a significant milestone in the history of our school. As we bade farewell to a transformative decade under the leadership of my predecessor, Dean Ilian Mihov, we took the time to honour the achievements of our community through a series of events and celebrations. These moments offered a chance to reflect on our journey, appreciate our successes and acknowledge the profound impact Ilian and his leadership team had on shaping our school's legacy.
While the accomplishments of the past decade are indeed impressive – and which you can read more about in the feature, 'A Decade of INSEAD Milestones' – so too is what we have achieved in the past Academic Year alone. From the successful conclusion of The Campaign for INSEAD: A Force for Good, to significant strides in sustainability – highlighted by the revamp of our MBA curriculum and the marking of the fifth anniversary of the INSEAD Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society – we have continually pushed boundaries and embraced innovation. Additionally, our commitment to our entrepreneurial spirit has led to the introduction of new and transformative learning solutions, such as the INSEAD Learning Hub and the INSEAD XR Portal.
Sadly, we also experienced loss this past Academic Year, with the passing away of one of our early Deans, Uwe Kitzinger, CBE. Uwe served as Dean of INSEAD from 1976 to 1980. Under his leadership, INSEAD consolidated its research capability and orientation through his recruitment policies, public addresses and systematic appeals to the Board.
I am privileged to have assumed the role of Dean last September. Throughout my personal and professional journey, I have admired INSEAD from afar, and today, I am deeply honoured to lead The Business School for the World.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire INSEAD community – our exceptional students, participants, alumni, esteemed faculty and dedicated staff – for the warm welcome extended to me since my arrival last September. Transitioning to a new role and environment could have been challenging, for me as well as my family, who joined me in this endeavour, but the unwavering support of our global community has made this transition as smooth and seamless as possible.
As we look to the future, I am excited to build upon the strong foundations laid by my predecessors. While today’s business education landscape presents new and unique challenges, there are equally many significant opportunities to be explored. Together with my leadership team and with the support of our amazing community, I look forward to taking our school to even greater heights, by amplifying the global impact of our mission and reimagining the learning experience in today's dynamic landscape. We will do this while driving a resilient growth path and fostering a spirit of community and collaboration across INSEAD. In the process, we will ensure a continued commitment to a more sustainable world, while walking the talk across all our activities. I invite you to read the interview with me on page 16 to get a greater insight into my hopes for the future of INSEAD.
I am immensely grateful for your continued support and dedication to our beloved school. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work with each of you as we continue to nurture INSEAD and advance our successes.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment.
Dean of INSEAD