Adrian Knöpfel

IMD Business School

“Passionate Swiss surgeon trying to change the world (at least tiny pieces of it!).”

Hometown: Zurich, Switzerland

Fun Fact About Yourself: Played a drunk old man in my high school play at the age of 17

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Zurich, Switzerland, Medicine

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Regional Hospital of Uster, Senior Physician in General Surgery

What has been the best part of being in a small class with this group of classmates? The small class size allows us to know everyone better than just by name. We have and can form close bonds and help each other out whenever possible. The support and togetherness are tremendous.

Aside from classmates, what part of IMD’s MBA programming led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Three things made me choose IMD. First, the leadership program and the focus on our personal development, including the psychoanalytic sessions. I think self-awareness and team-awareness, as well as understanding cultural differences, are important to be a good leader. This, along with how to manage difficult conversations, are the main topics of the leadership stream. Second, I did not want to be away from work for too long as I thought it would be harder to get back into my field as a doctor/surgeon, so the one-year program was a perfect fit. Third, I wanted to be in a non-specialized MBA with a broad spectrum to get as many insights and ideas as possible, which is exactly what IMD offers.

IMD is known for its academic rigor. What is one strategy you used that would help a future IMD MBA better adapt to the workload early on? Manage your time and energy from the start. Keep track of all your deliverables and assignments and try to find time slots for all of them. It helps to be more efficient and not lose track of all the little things that need to be done. And keep doing sports and meeting friends. This is great to relax and recharge.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: It was being a senior surgeon that supervisors, colleagues, residents, and other professionals (such as nurses) can rely on and enjoy working with. For me, that shows that I was able to be very good from a technical but also personal point of view which was always my goal and part of being a “good” doctor.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at IMD so far: It would be the improvements I have made in self-reflection and leadership. I am increasingly able to see many different perspectives on a problem and understand my role and abilities in solving it.

Where is your favorite hang-out in Lausanne? Why do you (and your classmates) gravitate there? The Grancy area, especially Café de Grancy and Inglewood (probably the best burgers in town). For me, these are places to relax and refuel.

What has been your best memory at IMD thus far? Any accomplishment we made as a team. One of the most memorable ones was our final startup presentation where we were able to put all the crucial information gathered in the eight weeks together and make strong and well-founded suggestions for the startup on how to move forward.

What do you hope to do after graduation? First, to travel – hopefully to Chile/Patagonia and New Zealand since I love nature and to be outdoors and have heard amazing stories and seen great images of the two regions. Second, to apply the knowledge and skills I acquired at IMD as a physician or in hospital management.

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