In The Know by INSEAD

The World of Tomorrow - Possibilities & Opportunities - ITK#26

Technology change and innovation affect every domain of business, changing the face of the industry at an accelerating pace. With the start of a new year, it is often customary to look to the future and try and plan how we can become a better version of ourselves. To help share insights on the future we held a discussion with an INSEAD MBA alumnus who has dedicated his professional life to engineering, the global economy and futuristic fields like transhumanism and life extension. Join us as we discuss the future of work, life, innovation and mindsets.

GUESTS:

José Luis Cordeiro is a Venezuelan-Spanish engineer, economist, futurist, and transhumanist, who has worked in different areas including economic development, international relations, and life extension. José is an international fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, vicechair of HumanityPlus, and director of The Millennium Project and graduated from the INSEAD MBA programme in 1991.

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01:40 - Tell us who you are, where do you come from and how did you get to where you are today.

02:45 - How did you progress from engineering to studying and predicting the future?

05:14 - Tell us about some of the key highlights in your career.

07:04 -  How do you view the future of the world and what are some of the activities that excite you in the pursuit of a better future for humanity.

11:12 - At a Talk with Google event in 2014 you said to Forget flying cars and robot butlers. The future will be a far more interesting place. Many people may be thinking they cant even imagine a world with flying cars so how can we prepare our lives and our careers for a largely unknown future?

15:29 - How can we find out more about these technologies and future trends? 

17:41 - What changes have you observed over the last couple of years that might signal the future of the workplace?

21:12 - What are some of the skills and mindsets businesses and leaders should be discussing to help themselves prepare for the future?

24:33 - You are also one of the founders of the recent TransVision Future Summit that occurred in Madrid in October. Can you tell us about some of the key topics discussed at the summit and what insights our listeners can take away from these concepts?  

28:56 - How can our listeners prepare for unpredictable change, and learn to lead in tomorrow’s world and understand the future direction of technology?

30:18 - What have you changed your mind about in the last few years? Why?

35:23 - What is the worst advice you see or hear being dispensed in your world?

40:08 - What resources can listeners use to discover more about the future of work?

The Life and Experience of an INSEAD MBA Student - Student Life Feature - ITK#25

INSEAD’s student life is diverse and transformational. A cultural melting pot of experiences that triggers students to re-shape their perceived reality beyond the classroom; from sports activities to unforgettable travel experiences, or from cheerful parties to intimate heartfelt dinners.

GUESTS:

Jad ANTOUN MBA'21D

MBA Student, versatile problem solver, interested in Sustainable Innovation and Strategy. 5 Years Experience in a vareiety of Operations and Manufacturing roles. Passion for Consumer Goods and People Management.

Shruti MAHESHWARI MBA’21D

Results-driven go-to-market strategist that is passionate about technology and global leadership. I grew from Sales Executive to a Global Director with Lightspeed HQ, a SaaS POS provider that experienced employee growth of 100 – 1500 employees, 9 acquisitions, $347M in funding and went public on TSX and NYSE.

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00:00 - Career backgrounds and what brought you to this point in your careers?

02:41: The main motivation for wanting to partake in the MBA programme at INSEAD as compared to other schools.  What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? 

04:09 - What are some of the preparations you made before coming to INSEAD, and would you have any tips for future MBA students thinking about applying?

06:37 - Challenges faced and how did you overcome them 

09:38 -  What would you say your week usually looks like as an MBA student at INSEAD? 

13:28 -   Most exciting moments about being in the MBA programme 

16:54 -   What are some of the things you did to occupy your free time in either campus? 

20:40 - What would you say the classroom experience was like and your interactions with the professors? 

24:15 - Were involved in any leadership opportunities while pursuing the MBA? And what was the experience like to be part of that?

28:28 - How would you describe the INSEAD MBA culture? 

31:28 - What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of December 2021? 

34:00 - If you had to summarise your experience at INSEAD in three words or less, what would it be? 

The Future of Business Education - ITK#24

Welcome to series three of In The Know. Over the course of this academic year, we will continue to discuss the latest career advice like the future of the workplace and inside the mind of a recruiter while also covering many leadership insights featuring episodes on business in the Middle East and managing generation Z.
To kick off series three, we are joined by our Associate Dean of Degree Programmes, Katy Montgomery, as we look to build on the start of a new academic year and share what the future looks like for business education.

How Understanding Yourself Can Lead to Transformation - ITK#23

Most people are strangers to themselves; many of them resort to the manic defence – filling their calendar with a flurry of activities meant to prevent them from having any time to reflect. They are always running, without knowing what they are running for or running towards. Also, they feel drained, but they don’t understand why. Others, having reached the pinnacle of professional success, fail to find meaning.

Today we discuss the Executive Master in Change programme and how understanding yourself can lead to transformation.

Our Guests

Sini Dimitrios Parampota

Sini is a global citizen with 25+ years of diverse experience, using career development to build bridges, promote DEI and drive change. She is a lifelong learning enthusiast and digital geek, currently researching the impact of infertility on women leaders’ career aspirations.

For the last decade, she has worked with the Qatar Career Development Center, a member of the Qatar Foundation. She is the proud founder of Thrive Lab Qatar.

An avid explorer, Sini enjoys travelling around the world and meeting new cultures. She is fluent in Greek, English, German and has practical skills in Arabic and Italian. She is married and lives in Doha with her Qatari husband.

Patrick Parker

Patrick is the Director of Specialised Degree Programmes at INSEAD and also an EMC graduate. Patrick has gained over 20 years of international business education experience and specialises in people management, programme management and design, and candidate admissions.

Pushing Beyond Your Career Limitations - ITK#22

We live in a world of constraints - some are physical, some cultural but they are always personal. These mindsets limit our human potential to achieve great things in life and hinder experiences that not only enrich ourselves but also benefit society at large.

INSEAD celebrates women who have dared to push beyond their own limits and conquer obstacles in their lives to create positive change.

Welcome to another episode of In The Know where in today’s episode we celebrate the incredible feats of our five guests with a digital roundtable discussion.

Our Guests

Tade Fayomi – MBA’19J

Finance & Strategy Consultant @ BCG

Straight from university, Tade joined Goldman Sachs. She worked there for eight years and rose through the ranks from Analyst to Associate, and Vice President while being moved to work in the organisation’s London, New York, Singapore and Dubai offices. Tade went on to complete her MBA and work with the Africa Finance Corporation in 2018 before landing her current role as a Finance & Strategy Consultant at BCG.

Isavella Vitou – EMC’21

Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer @ Allianz Greece

Isavella joined Allianz in May 2021 as the Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer. Before joining Allianz, Isavella worked for Egon Zehnder and gained valuable experience in C-level executive search and assessment. In her mandate, she supported the growth of the business and successfully managed rapport with both candidates and clients. Before that, Isavella worked for Eurobank, Ernst & Young and at the Ministry of Tourism acting as a Consultant to the President of the Greek National Tourism Organization at the Ministry of Tourism.

Sofia Arhall Bergendorff – MBA’03D

Director, Platforms and Partnerships, Northern Europe @ Google, Denmark

Sofia is the Director of Partnerships in Northern Europe for Google, managing the relationship between Google and publishers when it comes to ad markets. Before that role, Sofia spent seven years in a Google strategy operations team in the Nordics and globally with the publisher business.  Before Google Sofia spent many years in management consulting and working with start-ups.

Maria Pereira – MBA’18D

Chief Innovation Officer @ TISSIUM

Maria Pereira leads the Innovation Hub at TISSIUM. She co-invented the development of Tissium’s range of biomorphic programmable polymers technology while a PhD student at Prof. Jeff Karp’s Laboratories. She has been recognized for her research by MIT Tech Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35” in 2014, as well as Forbes in its “30 under 30” selection in Healthcare in 2015. Maria holds a PhD in Bioengineering from the MIT-Portugal program and an MBA from INSEAD.

Chiara Lepora – EMBA’18Dec

Head of the Manson Unit / Deputy Medical Director of OCA @ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Chiara trains people in the design, planning, implementation and management of humanitarian medical interventions; security management; networking and negotiations; project management, especially in emergencies.
Chiara also provides consultation services in the topics of ethics of medicine in non-ideal circumstances; ethics of research; ethics of public health; bioethics; global health; allocation of scarce resources.

References

https://herminiaibarra.com/books/

https://hbr.org/2020/12/how-to-lead-when-your-team-is-exhausted-and-you-are-too

https://www.ted.com/talks/frances_frei_how_to_build_and_rebuild_trust?language=en

Time Stamp

01:25 - Guest background and career aspirations

08:31 - What do you consider your greatest achievement?

17:10 - What does limitless mean to you?

22:18 - Can you describe some of the limitations you have faced and the tipping point that motivated you to take action against those limitations?

32:27 - What are some of the most meaningful skills young women can learn today to help them achieve their ambitions?

39:15 - What is one tip you can offer to help build a more inclusive and diverse workforce?

39:49 - What one piece of advice would you give our listeners to help break through their barriers and become limitless?

40:38 - What insights can you offer for women looking to advance their careers?

40:55 - Why are you optimistic about the future of women in business?

42:00 - Who do you look to for inspiration and can you recommend any sources of inspiration our listeners can follow, read about or watch?

Coaching and the Art of Giving Back - ITK#20

Successful executives seldom get to the top alone. Even the most talented need the help of other people to reach their true potential. As the workplace becomes more competitive and interactive, the practice of leadership coaching and mentoring is becoming more common as ambitious individuals seek guidance, and senior executives realise the importance of helping people reach their full potential by sharing knowledge and insights. Today we're going to delve into a successful career coaching partnership and discuss the differences between the many roles people can play in guiding us in our careers, and the benefits that can bring the individual.

Our Guests

Nicolaas Woudenberg

Nicolaas is a Consultant at BCG and the CEO & Founder of Strōm which is a Human Performance coaching platform that energizes people to thrive through an offline coaching marketplace integrated with a digital journey of gamified micro-learning and habit building.

Gene Cleckley

Gene is a Career Coach in INSEAD’s CDC. He worked with hundreds of clients from all over the world, leveraging a 25-year career in global management, leadership development, corporate and organisational culture. Gene holds an academic and training background in organisational behaviour, psychotherapy and counselling, while also being an INSEAD EMC graduate.

How to Succeed in Your Future Career - ITK#17

The last 12 months have shown us that the unpredictable can happen and our best-laid career plans don’t always work out the way we intend them to.

To help us explain how we can understand and succeed in an ever-changing career landscape I am joined by two individuals responsible for ensuring students in the pioneering INSEAD Master in Management class build solid foundations for their future career success.

Our Guests

Jessica Whitehead

Jessica is the Assistant Director of Career Development and Employer Engagement for INSEAD’s Master in Management.  Jessica has a background in managing programmes and strategic partnerships in Canada, the UK, and China. Most recently she worked in the Global Engagement Office at UCL, and prior to that, she worked at London Business School helping to operationalise the re-launch of the MiM programme. She also holds an undergraduate degree in business and a Master in education.

Thibault Seguret

Thibault is the Programme Director for INSEAD’s Master in Management programme and holds a Master of Computer Science as well as an MBA from INSEAD (12J). An experienced manager with over 12 years of experience, he started his career in the video games industry. Passionate about career development, he launched a start-up right after his MBA to challenge the way teenagers and young adults thought about their careers.

 

Special Event - The Top Challenges in Navigating the MBA Application Process - ITK#16

INSEAD has four equally important application criteria that guide our selection of an exciting, dynamic and diverse student body.

The MBA Admissions team is looking for people with intellectual curiosity, personal qualities to contribute to the many INSEAD activities and a desire to stretch themselves in a rigorous academic programme. We welcome applications from around the world regardless of race, religion, gender, colour or financial status.

Gain insights into these criteria and how you can strengthen your MBA eligibility from the INSEAD Women in Business (IWiB) club who aim to create more opportunities for women to become stronger leaders and future role models.

Since its launch, IWiB has built considerable interest among MBA participants and outside organisations across all of INSEAD’s campuses. IWiB aims to be a forum for discussion and networking for anyone promoting gender diversity within the business community.

Guests

Tips/strategies on how to tackle the GMAT by Whitney Garner from Manhattan Prep

Student panel discussion (moderated by Maria Reis, Assistant Director, MBA & MIM Marketing and Recruitment

Q&A from the audience (moderated by Kate Richardson, Marketing & Events Officer)

Space, Technology and Careers in Asia - ITK#12

The region of Asia is incredibly diverse in people and culture, you need to be aware of those differences to be successful when conducting business or pursuing a career in Asia.

The Tsinghua – INSEAD Executive MBA (TIEMBA) is a unique partnership between INSEAD and Tsinghua, one of China’s most prestigious universities. The programme takes place across INSEAD’s three campuses in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Fontainebleau (France), and Tsinghua’s campuses in Beijing and Shenzhen.

In episode #12 we have the first of a two-part episode which will feature a participant and alumnus from the TIEMBA programme. This two-part episode provides insights into business and career success in Asia.

Guest

Lynette Tan, TIEMBA'21Jul
Co-founder and Chief Executive of the Singapore Space and Technology Association. Lynette is a Womens Weekly Great Women Of Our Time Award winner and current participant in the TIEMBA programme. Lynette shared many amazing insights into the science and technology industries and some tips on how to realise success in Asia.

Special Event - Careers with Purpose - ITK #10

Episode #10 features one of the discussions from a three-day series of events that was part of the Sustainable Development Goals week organised by the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society in collaboration with INSEAD student clubs. SDG Week brought leaders working on the SDGs together with students, faculty and staff. The week featured presentations, panel sessions and exhibitions that focused on sustainable development solutions that protect the earth’s biosphere and open business opportunities.

In this event, Careers with Purpose, Jean-Marc Bally from Aster Capital and Fanny Auger from Nature & Decouvertes will talk about how they transformed the future of industries through their commitment to sustainability. They will share their success stories in unconventional career paths, their experiences in disrupting markets and in bringing their business models to life. Moreover, they will discuss sustainability and social impact trends they have seen in the private sector.

Our Guests Today

Fanny Auger 
Brand Director, Nature & Découvertes

Jean-Marc Bally
Managing Partner, Aster

Park Sol (Moderator)
President of the MBA Impact Club

Discover More 

Learn more about INSEAD and how an INSEAD MBA will empower your future by attending one of our information session events held around the globe. We host Masterclass events, coffee chats, participate in MBA fairs and forums, one-to-one consultations and offer campus visits so you can gain insights into our one-year MBA programme and our diverse community.

These events are held throughout the year and are hosted by Admissions, Student Recruitment staff and alumni.

https://inse.ad/itkevents

The INSEAD Indevor Club's vision is to inspire and foster the INSEAD community to embrace an integrated perspective and drive positive social and environmental change.

 

https://clubs.insead.edu/indevor/

The Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society is at the forefront of aligning INSEAD with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. In order to achieve this, we research and develop new sustainable business models, explore means of operating sustainably, inspire a diverse group of future leaders, engage with our global alumni community to expand the impact, and aspire to make INSEAD a sustainable school that acts and leads by example.

https://www.insead.edu/centres/the-hoffmann-global-institute-for-business-and-society