Oliver Zeidler

IMD Business School, Lausanne

“Entrepreneurial Olympic gold-medalist and consultant, passionate about growth, leadership, and making an impact beyond sport.”

Hometown: Munich, Germany

Fun Fact About Yourself: I transformed myself from a successful swimmer aged 20 into the best rower in the world in 2.5 years. Now I am about to transform my professional career.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Laws in accounting and taxation at the University of Applied Science in Munich

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deloitte, Consultant

What has been the best part of being in a small class with this group of classmates? We are getting to know each other really well. In a small cohort, everyone is heard and engaged, while in bigger classes, you can fully fly under the radar and people care less about the individual than we do at IMD.

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? I chose IMD because I wanted to become a more effective leader, and IMD’s reputation for cultivating authentic leadership stood out. I would describe IMD as a boutique program. With IMD having a process that is very different and more intense than at other schools I applied to, I realized just how selective it is during my assessment day. In addition, everything is very personal, and I feel like people really care about the students here on campus. IMD is competitive, but it’s also a calm place to challenge yourself and take a step back, see the bigger picture, and find out what kind of leader you are. 

IMD is known for academic rigor. What is one strategy you used that would help a future IMD MBA better adapt to the workload early on? The coursework at IMD is intense and exceeds the mandatory sessions from Monday to Friday, which is necessary to fit a program of the volume of a two-year MBA into a compelling 11-month program. It is crucial to get used to the work from the beginning, to keep up with your peers, and be able to carry your own weight throughout the year. Learn to ask for help in fields you are not strong in and support your classmates in other topics. This is a really effective way to deepen your learning experience and get your first successful leadership moments. Another thing you do not want to miss out on are the network and real connections, so you also need to enjoy time off and get to know your class outside of lectures and projects.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment was winning the Olympic gold medal in rowing in 2024. I managed to do so after the upset of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where I did not make it into the A Final as the gold favorite. As a result, I continued training, built a sponsorship-funded team, and marketed myself successfully as a brand. All that next to my consulting job at Deloitte, where I advised private companies, like startups and SMEs.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at IMD so far: Next to a lot of personal accomplishments like insights into myself and my leadership style, the MBA Tournament in Paris was a fantastic event. I was the captain of the rowing and tug of war teams. In the end, we won six medals in the teams that I led, three of them gold. It felt so good to empower my classmates, coach them in my sport, and show them how to perform in a high-pressure environment – ultimately beating big rowing schools like Oxford and Cambridge.

Where is your favorite hang-out in Lausanne? Why do you gravitate there? From my first time at Lake Geneva, the water drew me in, so I brought my rowing boat to Lausanne to go on the water before class for some training. Lavaux is one of the most beautiful places and reachable in a single scull in less than 30 minutes. If the conditions on the lake allow it, I make my way there to have a calm moment for myself on the water, with a view on the vineyards, before heading back to the rowing club and preparing for lectures at IMD.

What has been your best memory at IMD thus far? Spending one month with the cohort in Singapore was eye-opening. During the module, my team and I were able to win a data processing competition, which forced me to learn how to use Python. The reward for learning something new and having my friends around me exploring Singapore, where I had never been before, was great. Now I am looking forward to the International Consulting Project, where I can get to know another country and its working culture.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2027: STUDENTS TODAY, LEADERS TOMORROW, INNOVATORS ALWAYS

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