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IMD Business School

Coordinates: 46°31′N 6°37′E / 46.51°N 6.62°E / 46.51; 6.62
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IMD Business School
IMD campus in Lausanne
Motto in English
Real Learning Real Impact
TypeAcademic Institute
Established1990; 35 years ago (1990)
ChairmanMichel Demaré
PresidentDavid Bach [1]
Academic staff
60
Administrative staff
450
Students250 degree students
Other students
19,000 executive education participants
Location
Lausanne
,
Vaud
,
Switzerland

46°31′N 6°37′E / 46.51°N 6.62°E / 46.51; 6.62
Websitewww.imd.org
Map

IMD Business School (IMD) is an independent academic institute with a campus in Lausanne, Switzerland, and strategic hubs in Singapore, Shenzhen, China and Cape Town.[2]

IMD Business School is known for its Executive Education MBA, Executive MBA programs as well as its advisory work in helping leaders and policy-makers navigate complexity and change, and for its proximity to business and focus on real impact.[3] In 2024, it named David Bach as its new president.[4]

IMD Business School was recognized #1 globally for custom programs by the Financial Times in 2025.[5]

History and mission

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IMD Business School was formed in January 1990 through the merger of independent management education centers International Management Institute (Geneva) (IMI), established in 1946 by Alcan, and Institut pour l'Etude des Methodes de Direction de l'Entreprise (IMEDE) Lausanne established in 1957 by Nestlé.[6] The history of IMEDE and its merger with IMI is documented in Jean-Pierre Jeannet and Hein Schreuder (2015, chapters 2 and 4).[7] Its industrial heritage is unusual for business schools, which are usually university-affiliated.[8]

IMD Business School business school provides executive education; it is a Swiss university institute[9] accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Council[10] and it consists of one integrated multidisciplinary faculty. The faculty consists of more than 50 full-time members, made up of 21 different nationalities. The current president is David Bach, who follows Jean-Francois Manzoni, Dominique Turpin, John R. Wells, Peter Lorange, and Juan Rada.[8]

IMD Business School also publishes a quarterly management magazine, entitled I by IMD (www.imd.org/ibyimd/), as well as online content via a dedicated I by IMD knowledge hub.[11] I by IMD was launched in 2021 and publishes articles, audio podcasts, and video interviews, focusing on issues relating to business leaders.[12] The publication offers first-person business and leadership intelligence from thinkers in academia, industry, the third sector, and society.[13] In 2025, I by IMD agreed a licensing deal with the New York Times, whereby content from the publication is distributed to the Times' global audience, as one of several international publications providing business-focussed content.[14][15] In 2024, the magazine's print run was 6,000 copies per quarter, and increased distribution channels to include airline journals and global publishing platforms, such as Zinio and Lufthansa's e-journals.[16][17] The number of active users on the I by IMD hub reached 785k by the end of 2024.[18]

Executive Education

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Custom Programs

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IMD Business School is in custom executive education, delivering over 370 programs in 2024 to nearly 200 organizations. These programs are co-designed with clients and delivered in flexible formats—face-to-face, virtual, and asynchronous.[19] Some partnerships include:

- Securitas: A five-year transformation journey recognized with a gold EFMD award.[20]

- Bayer: A Sprint program also recognized with a gold EFMD award.[20]

- Konica Minolta Inc: A talent development program received a Gold award at the 33rd annual Brandon Hall Group Human Capital Management Excellence Awards in 2025.

- Coca-Cola İçecek (CCI): A leadership and development program also received a Gold award at the 33rd annual Brandon Hall Group Human Capital Management Excellence Awards in 2025.

- Bühler Group: A leadership and high-performance team development program received a Bronze award at the 33rd annual Brandon Hall Group Human Capital Management Excellence Award in 2025.[21]

Open and Online programs

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IMD Business School offers over 80 open enrollment programs including 20+ online programs. In 2024, more than 5,000 participants joined open programs and 2,260 joined online offerings. The school emphasizes personalization, interactivity, and cutting-edge content, with 98–99% of participants reporting practical, applicable outcomes.[22]

IMD Business School was recognized #9 globally for open executive programs in the 2025 Financial Times Executive Education Rankings.[23] IMD was also recognized #1 globally in the Financial Times Executive Education Custom 2025.[24]

Degree Programs  

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IMD Business School offers a range of degree programs designed for experienced professionals and promising leaders:

  • MBA: A one-year, AI-rich program named 2024 MBA Program of the Year by Poets&Quants.[25]
  • Executive MBA (EMBA): A flexible, modular program with global immersions in China, Japan, and Singapore. In 2024, IMD announced a revamp of their EMBA offering to address the evolving needs of executives.[26]
  • Master of Science in Sustainable Management and Technology: Delivered in partnership with EPFL and UNIL.

In April 2025, IMD Business School launched its first new degrees in 25 years:[27]  

  • Executive Master in AI & Digital Business Transformation
  • Executive Master in Sustainable Business Transformation

These offer flexible, modular programs for experienced professionals, combining online and on-campus learning, and addressing contemporary challenges such as digital transformation and sustainability.  

Innovation

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IMD has won gold in the Immersive Experiential Learning category at the QS Reimagine Education Awards for its XR 360 AR Learning Theatre Experience – SpheriCO2.[28]

The internal development program We@IMD received gold for Best Advance in Education Delivered Through Technology at the Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Technology Awards 2024.[29]

The QS Reimagine Education Awards 2023 recognized IMD for its innovative use of technology in management education through the OWP+GPT project and the IMD Sprints.[30]

Ranking

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IMD Business School's full-time MBA has been ranked by Bloomberg[31] and Forbes[32] as one of the best one-year programs in Europe and internationally. IMD Business School is number 2 in Bloomberg's 2025-26 Best Business Schools Ranking.[33] Since 2018, IMD Business School has consistently remained in Bloomberg’s top three.

In 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 IMD Business School was ranked first in open programs worldwide by the Financial Times.[34]

Notable alumni

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See also: Category:International Institute for Management Development alumni

IMD Business School counts 125’000+ alumnis across 140 countries and 80+ industries.

Faculty

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Partnerships

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IMD Business School has partnerships with[36]

References

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  1. ^ IMD appoints David Bach as its next President, imd.org, April 2024
  2. ^ "About us - IMD Business School". www.imd.org. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  3. ^ "The Best One-Year International Business Schools List". Forbes.
  4. ^ "IMD appoints David Bach as its next President - IMD News". www.imd.org. 2024-04-23. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  5. ^ https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/3000/executive-education-custom-2025
  6. ^ "IMD – International Institute for Management Development". The Economist. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  7. ^ Jeannet, Jean-Pierre and Hein Schreuder. 2015. "From Coal to Biotech: The transformation of DSM with business school support". Springer. ISBN 978-3662462980
  8. ^ a b "The Economist: Which MBA". Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  9. ^ mathieu (2023-04-17). "IMD enhances its academic stature with accreditation as a Swiss university institute". Greater Geneva Bern area. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  10. ^ "IMD accredited as a Swiss university institute". IMD. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  11. ^ https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/
  12. ^ https://www.imd.org/annual-reports/annual-report-2021/faculty-and-research/ibyimd.html#:~:text=IMD%20launched%20a%20new%20knowledge,external%20experts%20and%20business%20leaders.
  13. ^ https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/i-by-imd-launches-digital-archive-22143
  14. ^ https://nytlicensing.com/content/imd/
  15. ^ https://nytlicensing.com/content/#business
  16. ^ https://www.zinio.com/ch/publications/i-by-imd/40560
  17. ^ https://box.media-carrier.de/magazines?b=77745&l=en
  18. ^ https://www.imd.org/reports/annual-report/2024/research-and-thought-leadership/
  19. ^ "Homepage - IMD Annual Report 2024". www.imd.org. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  20. ^ a b "EFMD Excellence in Practice Award (EiP) Winners - EFMD Global". www.efmdglobal.org. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  21. ^ thurgau, chrisign gmbh, web management, weinfelden (2025-09-01). "Bühler und IMD gewinnen Brandon Hall Award für bestes Teamentwicklungsprogramm". LEADER Digital - Das Ostschweizer Wirtschaftsportal (in German). Retrieved 2025-09-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Homepage - IMD Annual Report 2024". www.imd.org. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  23. ^ "Executive Education Open 2025 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  24. ^ "Executive Education Custom 2025 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  25. ^ Byrne, John A. (2024-10-30). "Poets&Quants' MBA Program Of The Year: IMD's Reimagining Of The MBA". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  26. ^ Byrne, John A. (2024-12-19). "Inside IMD's New & Highly Innovative Executive MBA Program". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  27. ^ Byrne, John A. (2025-04-03). "IMD Launches First New Degrees In 25 Years: Stackable Executive Masters In AI & Sustainability". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  28. ^ "GLOBAL AWARD WINNERS (2014-2024)". Reimagine Education Awards & Conference. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  29. ^ "HCM Technology Awards Program". 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  30. ^ "QS Reimagine Education Award winners 2023". www.qs.com. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  31. ^ "Bloomberg best business in Europe". Bloomberg News.
  32. ^ Settimi, Christina (Sep 18, 2019). "IMD And London Business School Top Ranking Of The Best International MBA Programs". Forbes. Archived from the original on Aug 30, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  33. ^ "IMD, 2nd in Bloomberg Businessweek's 2025–26 Europe & Middle East B-School Rankings". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  34. ^ "Executive Education Rankings - Open Programs - 2017". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2017-05-19.
  35. ^ Tutorials, Script. "Varroc Group - Varroc Group Site". www.varrocgroup.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  36. ^ "IMD Partnerships - IMD Business School". www.imd.org. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  37. ^ "IMD joins forces with the IDGs Foundation - IMD News". www.imd.org. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
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