Meet IESE Business School’s MBA Class Of 2027

You think you have the right answer. You’ve spoken to all the stakeholders. You’ve double-checked all the numbers. You’ve researched all the precedents, identified all the angles, and weighed all the repercussions.

Time is pressing and people are waiting. But you’ve done your homework and you’re ready to pull the trigger.

When you do, it all blows up in front of you.

A WAY OF THINKING AND DOING

Welcome to general management, a world of intersecting variables, conflicting interests, and unclear outcomes. No classroom better simulates this reality than the case method. And few business schools have implemented the case method more effectively than IESE Business School.

That’s hardly a surprise. Long affiliated with Opus Dei, IESE Business School was built with the help of Harvard Business School faculty in the early 1960s. And case method mastery is HBS’s biggest legacies at IESE. Here, you’ll find MBA students preparing for three cases a day – or more than 600 cases and 4,000 pages of reading over two years. Factor in three hours of prep per case – including team meetings before classes – and MBAs spend 45 work weeks mastering the case method…excluding class time.

Some call it muscle memory, developing a process of discovery, analysis, and problem-solving that becomes second nature to IESE MBAs. For others, the case method is a daily exercise in the two most important qualities of a general manager:

Open-mindedness and humility.

Even more, the case method is a daily reminder that there is no single right answer – but rather better options depending on the situation, stakes, and stakeholders.

“A LABORATORY OF PERSPECTIVES”

One reason is the diversity of the classroom itself. Enzo Concepcion Santos, a “serial entrepreneur” and member of the MBA Class of 2027, points out that IESE classrooms feature “70 peers from 30 nationalities.” That doesn’t count the wide range of industry experience and functional expertise they bring to the classroom. As a result, students must consider a range of perspectives, which often only offer a piece to a larger holistic solution.

“You are forced to question beliefs and use the frameworks and theory you’ve studied to defend a decision and hear counter arguments,” Santos continues. “The classroom becomes a laboratory of perspectives that allow you to build trust in your own judgment while simultaneously humbling you. The whole perspective of case-based learning reminds of the quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

The case method has served as a wake-up call for several members of IESE’s first-year class. Alexandra Jones-Kuo, a Swiss business development manager, observes that “the same facts can lead to entirely different (and equally valid!) conclusions depending on culture, personality, and experience.” For Anamaria Olaru, a London-based sales rep, discussions can sometimes “take a turn that I would have not anticipated” – particularly considering that cases often expose MBAs to industries, functions, and roles where they have little experience. As a result, students often shift their opinions in “real time with new information,” says Benedikt Bjarnason, an investment banking analyst. That’s exactly the point of the case method, adds Annabelle Akintoye, a chemical engineer who became a global program manager.

“I remember reading a leadership case early in the program and feeling confident that the “right” answer was obvious,” she tells P&Q. “Then I went into my team meeting and heard eight completely different conclusions, each grounded in solid reasoning. This experience reminds us that management isn’t about finding the single correct answer, it’s about understanding trade-offs, anticipating how others will see the problem, and making decisions in a world where smart people can disagree.”

A STORY AS MUCH AS A SIMULATION

Christine Long, an American sales manager and ordained minister, echoes Akintoye’s sentiments. “Even in cases that felt very quantitative or financial, people interpreted the same data in fundamentally different ways. It also helps that in 99% of our classes we have someone with a background in the subject at hand, which grounds our speculation in real-world experience.”

At its core, the case method relies on stories, replete with complex characters, unexpected plot twists, and inconclusive endings. Cases are equally simulations, where MBAs play the role of a CEO who must wrestle with “ambiguity, limited information, time pressure, and competing perspectives,” in the words of Alexandra Jones-Kuo. In many ways, the case method is practice for the c-suite, where leaders will be expected to stake out and defend carefully-crafted positions. Equally important, the case method demands that students view situations in their long-term totality.

“It forces you to step out of functional silos and see a business as a holistic organism, where every decision is weighed by its impact on people and society,” adds Enzo Concepcion Santos.

CASE LEARNING ROOTED IN REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE

Santos himself brings several different perspectives to his classmates. This includes starting ventures in pizza ovens, fitness tracking rings, and smart home gyms. These ventures, however, taught Santos something unexpected about business.

“Early on in my career, I was naive and thought that business was just about making money, finding good ideas, and building up. But as I progressed through my entrepreneurial career, I came to realize it is more than that; it is about the impact you make with what you enable people to do and what you provide to them.”

Annabelle Akintoye lived a case study for two years at AXA UK as both a business manager reporting to the CEO and a global product manager. Here, she was part of a CEO changeover, along with several executive changes.

“That role gave me a front-row seat to executive decision-making under real pressure, balancing strategy, stakeholder management, and day-to-day operational realities,” she tells P&Q. “I had the opportunity to learn from some exceptional leaders and to build trust across the organisation during a time of change. The experience significantly shaped how I think about leadership, governance, and influence at the most senior levels of a business.”

Lukas Michel, a German environmental engineer, also has plenty to add in case discussions. After a disastrous product launch, he was put in charge and proceeded to jumpstart metrics ranging from customer satisfaction to app ratings. At S&P Global Energy, Yifei Guo mapped carbon emissions across China, enabling a client to develop a “strategic roadmap…to enter China’s carbon market.” At the same time, Emebet Tita has spent the past decade making an impact in African banking.

“I have dedicated my career to advancing financial inclusion across East Africa, working with central banks, financial institutions, and development partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania. My work has contributed to sectorial knowledge and the design and implementation of policies and market solutions that expand access to financial services at scale. This experience has reinforced my belief in the power of technology and innovation to close systemic gaps, and my ambition to lead the development of inclusive solutions.”

ORGANIZING EVENTS AND WINNING COMPETITIONS

That pursuit of inclusivity spurred Emi Takeda to get deeply involved in organizing events at IESE. “The Women in Business Conference was my first major milestone. As a first-year director on the conference logistics team, I helped bring together an event that I had attended just a year earlier as a prospective student. Seeing it come to life from the other side was incredibly rewarding. Building on that momentum, I’m now organizing a case competition in partnership with NTT DATA’s Barcelona office, which will offer a paid summer internship to the winner.”

Early in the program, Christine Long was part of an all-female team that took first place in a case competition sponsored by McKinsey, Bain, and the Boston Consulting Group. Annabelle Akintoye also won IESE’s Pitch Please entrepreneurship competition, which led to an invitation to the Insurance Revolution Forum, where she made her pitch to 60 executives and investors.

“Beyond the recognition itself, the experience has been incredibly validating,” she explains. “It has shown me that the ideas I’m developing at IESE resonate beyond the classroom and can stand up to real-world scrutiny from industry leaders and investors.”

Among the best class memories is SKIESE, says Benedikt Bjarnason, the class’s annual trip to the Pyrenees Mountains for skiing. For Anamaria Olaru, those memories also came outside class, where she took salsa lessons, trained in touch rugby, and participated in live music and festivals across Barcelona’s barrios (neighborhoods). By the same token, Christine Long indulged in IESE’s rich cultural activities.

“Many of the different country clubs host events representing their home countries (Argentinian Asado, Mexican El Grito, Filipino Sinulog, Indian Diwali, and more). I’ve loved getting to see a glimpse of my friend’s cultures as we’ve gotten to know each other – it’s brought a lot of what they’ve told me about their homes to life.”

INTENSITY TEACHES IESE MBAS TO BE INTENTIONAL

IESE is known for its “intensity”, says Alexandra Jones-Kuo. She describes her biggest school accomplishment as “successfully balancing rigorous academics, club leadership roles, student council responsibilities, and recruiting while building relationships with my classmates.” The program is particularly intense during the first term, where Jones-Kuo urges first-years to be “very intentional in how you manage your time and what you prioritize.” On the flip side, however, she encourages them to follow advice she was given by a second-year: “Write things down.”

“Time moves fast and there is always so much going on,” Jones-Kuo continues. “Keeping a short daily journal of what you’ve learned – inside or outside class – helps turn an intense and fast-paced environment into real growth.”

Yifei Guo frames the IESE experience as “resilience through preparation.” She advises students to lean into classmates for support and expertise during the rough patches. That said, Emi Takeda warns students not to rely too heavily on AI.

“The cases are written to give you extensive information, and it’s up to you to identify which details matter for your decision-making. I’ve found that AI summaries often miss information I consider important, and during class, people do dive into those details. You need to have read the case to fully engage.”

COMMUNICATIONS WEEK SETS THE TONE

Before business school, Annabelle Akintoye was named captain of England Lacrosse – the nation’s first Black captain in the sport. As a student, she continues to train as a professional athlete, along with excelling in academics and building a business. Her advice to future IESE students: Don’t pursue perfection. It simply isn’t feasible to do everything.

“Being comfortable with the fact that some things will fall by the wayside at different moments is essential. The key is knowing what truly matters right now and letting go of the rest without guilt. Once you accept that mindset, the rigour becomes manageable and the experience much more sustainable.”

The demands begin on the first week, known as Communications Week. A public speaking bootcamp where the class is divided into 48 teams, students must write and memorize two speeches a day says Emi Takeda. More than that, she adds, they must be “ready to present at any moment.” Along with students receiving intensive public speaking coaching, Takeda points out that the personal stories shared between students bonded them much faster. More than that, Communications Week hammered home a critical point that set the tone for the rest of the year: You perform better when you pace yourself and rest.

“At first, my insecurity drove me to prepare until I had it 100% memorized, which meant going to sleep at 2 or 3 a.m. I ended up not presenting well. But on the day I gave up on perfection and got a good night’s sleep instead, my mind was clear and I performed well – so well that I was selected from my group to present in front of my entire section of 70 students. Sometimes rest is more important than one more hour of preparation.”

A TOP 5 MBA PROGRAM GLOBALLY

As a whole, the MBA Class of 2027 features 421 students, with 38% being women. The class also includes 56 nationalities, where just 12% of students come from Spain. The largest segment – which encompasses nearly a third of the class – hail from Latin America and the Caribbean. Europeans and Asians make up 28% and 22% shares of the class respectively. The remainder of the class originates from North America (13%) and the Middle East and Africa (5%).

This global makeup is one of IESE’s biggest selling points says Federico E. Alatorre, a 2026 grad and P&Q Best & Brightest MBA.

“I wanted the most international environment possible. To be around people who see the world differently than I do. In a world that’s ever more connected, the best way to understand the zeitgeist is to get completely immersed in it. IESE offers the widest variety of nationalities and backgrounds I’ve ever seen in one room, and those different perspectives get pushed even further through the case method.”

It is a successful formula that enabled IESE to rank 4th in the world in the 2026 Financial Times MBA Ranking. Notably, the program scored a 9.436 in Overall Satisfaction in a survey of alumni and students, 3rd-best in the world. In that same survey, IESE posted the 2nd-best score for its Alumni Network and 6th-best for its Career Services. Long known for its excellence in Entrepreneurship and ESG programming, IESE also ranked 2nd for its ESG and Net Zero Teaching. Even more, IESE practices what it preaches, finishing 9th for its Carbon Footprint according to The Financial Times.

And it isn’t just The Financial Times Ranking that reflects how IESE ranks among the truly elite MBA programs. The school placed 2nd in P&Q’s International Ranking and 3rd in Bloomberg Businessweek‘s European Ranking.

Next Page: Profiles of 12 MBA Students and an Interview with the Admissions Director

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