In mid-October, the 27th class of NEOMA’s Global Executive MBA programme kicked off the new academic year with a seminar focusing on a 360° and long-term company vision with the aim of understanding its strategic business challenges.

As in previous years, the new intake of Global EMBA students headed to Morzine, in the Haute Savoie region, for the traditional seminar that marks the start of the new academic year. The GEMBA  senior management programme is designed to train leaders who will be the drivers of innovation and social progress in the digital age.

This week of intensive course seminars and team building activities has a number of different objectives: “to launch the programme, obviously, but our aim is also to develop group cohesion and to play a part in helping the participants to bond,” explains Olivier Lefaivre, Director of the Global Executive MBA Business Unit.

The 10 participants, from the United States, China, Russia, Germany and France, half of whom hold positions of responsibility in large groups such as Deloitte, Auchan, Soprema or Dell, had barely arrived on site before they were thrown into a morning of rafting and paddle board activities. “Starting the seminar with an energetic sports activity helps the participants to get to know one another and form strong ties,” says Olivier.

This first week of the new programme also provided the perfect opportunity to launch “Change your mindset”, the first of the programme’s 3 main ambitions, which has the goal of teaching the managerial skills required in a complex environment. To this aim, two presentations on the following themes were held for the new GEMBA members: “Resilience leadership” by Laurent Levisalles, co-founder of The Resilience Institute Europe, and “Fundamentals of Behavioural Science”, by Mourad Touzani, professor of Marketing at NEOMA.

The first week of the new programme was a high point for the entire Global Executive MBA BU team, for whom the recruitment campaign was carried out in a context of uncertainty ad complexity due to the  global health situation. “Finally being able to meet the participants we have been following remotely for several months in the flesh was really satisfying, especially those whose arrival in France has been particularly complicated,” commented Kataline Boubet and Virginie Chenebenoit, in charge of recruitment for the programme. “Taking the time to be with the participants over the course of the week sends out a strong message – that the management team is with them from the outset,” adds Olivier Lefaivre.

The end of this first week left the participants with a feeling of unanimous positivity thanks to the time set aside for exchange and meetings, in particular a Qi gong session held just before sunrise, a unique experience that was particularly appreciated for the energy it requires and generates.

New recruits will soon be joining the first 9 participants during the next two academic sessions scheduled for 2021 in NEOMA’s home regions of Champagne and Normandy: the first in February for a seminar in Reims, and a second in June on the Rouen Campus.