IMD Names INSEAD Prof As New President

Jean-François Manzoni

Jean-François Manzoni

IMD business school today (May 4) announced the appointment of Jean-François Manzoni as the next President of IMD, starting January 1st, 2017, for a five-year term. Professor Manzoni currently holds the Shell Chair for Human Resources and Organizational Development at INSEAD in Singapore. Manzoni, a French and Canadian citizen, received his doctorate from Harvard Business School and was Professor of Leadership and Organizational Development at IMD from 2004 to 2011.

This appointment follows a succession process that started in summer 2015 with a view to identifying future leadership that will support IMD’s long term success in an ever more challenging and competitive global market for executive education. A President search committee composed of three Supervisory Board members, two faculty members and a senior staff representative identified and evaluated numerous internal, as well as over 60 external, candidates. It concluded that Jean-François Manzoni is the best suited candidate to lead IMD for the next five years and beyond.

The Supervisory Board is looking forward to working with Manzoni as IMD’s next President. With his impressive background, global mindset and leadership profile, he is well positioned to develop and implement an inspiring vision for IMD’s future. Manzoni said: “Being invited to lead an organization as successful as IMD is a great honor as well as a real challenge. The executive education world is facing increasingly crowded, global and intense competition. We have to keep innovating and finding new ways to create lasting value for executives and organizations. Building on the strong foundation handed over by my predecessor and his team, I will put all my skills, energy and passion into furthering IMD’s success.”

The Supervisory Board is extremely thankful to Prof. Dominique Turpin, IMD’s President since 2010, and his Management Team for leading IMD successfully through challenging times. Under his Presidency, IMD strengthened its client base and expanded its global footprint particularly in Asia, with the setting up of the Executive Learning Center in Singapore. Prof. Turpin and his team achieved high levels of innovation and oversaw a strengthening of IMD’s processes, its culture and its brand. In 2015 he succeeded in rallying IMD to achieve revenue growth and positive financial results despite challenging macro-economic conditions globally and a massive appreciation of the Swiss franc against other currencies.

Prof. Turpin has also been very effective at gaining wider support for IMD from the business community, attracting – for example – the Cisco Chair and Global Center for Digital Business Transformation. He has constructively supported the succession process and will remain with IMD as a Faculty member. He said: “I congratulate Jean-François Manzoni on his appointment and I wish him all the best in his exciting, yet challenging new role. I am proud to leave the Presidency with IMD in a position of strength and I will be happy to continue to serve our business school in another capacity.”