Meet IESE Business School’s MBA Class Of 2027

ALWAYS BARCELONA

While IESE’s reach extends to sister campuses in São Paulo, Munich, and New York City, the school’s home remains Barcelona, where it overlooks the city from the foothills of Pedralbes. Picture towering Gothic cathedrals, curvy Modernist monuments, and symmetrical Neoclassic squares. La Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and Camp Nou. Imagine shopping along La Rambla, snapping up private labels at El Corte Inglés or savoring ham croquettes at Amaya. That doesn’t include living it up at iconic festivals like La Mercè, Primavera Sound, or Festa Major de Gràcia.

Among the Class of 2027, Barcelona boasts a wide range of charms. Lukas Michel boils it down to “climate, food, and overall energy” – adding “great public transportation and how easy the city is to navigate” for good measure. Josh Clements, a Malta native who was once roasted by Jimmy Kimmel, would add “football pitches, padel courts, fantastic restaurants, bike lanes, nightclubs, beaches, and proximity to mountains” to the list. And the Mediterranean climate – “[not ] too cold, and plenty of sunshine” says Allan Moraes de Oliveira – is an added benefit.

“[Barcelona’s] location makes exploration effortless,” writes Alexandra Jones. “In just six months, my classmates and I have gone to the beach, the Costa Brava, skiing in Andorra, and on career treks to major European cities – experiences that have strengthened the IESE community far beyond the classroom.”

Other class members cite an airport that is a half-hour away drive and classmates who live within a 30-minute walk. And Barcelona’s dazzling beaches are just 20 minutes from campus too! And beyond culinary delights like Asado, Tapas, Ceviche, and Hotpot, Barcelona offers another advantage that’s hard to beat, adds Enzo Concepcion Santos.

“You can enjoy world-class Mediterranean culture and a diverse culinary scene…without the extreme student budget anxiety found in other global hubs like London or New York,” says Enzo Concepcion Santos.

A BUSINESS HUB TOO

Among IESE alumni, the Catalan way of life – which requires people to slow down and live in the moment – was also a welcome respite.

“IESE students work incredibly hard on campus, but when the day is done, dinner starts at 10 p.m. at a crowded table with a dozen friends,” observes ’26 alum Timothy Hoffman “Everyone is yelling over each other and having a blast, and nobody is talking about work. In other big cities I’ve lived in, people bring their work to dinner with them. Barcelona doesn’t let you do that.”

That doesn’t mean that Barcelona is one big museum or resort. After all, the city is home to MWC Barcelona, which draws over 105,000 business leaders from over 200 countries annually. According to Startup Blink, Barcelona’s startup ecosystem ranks among the five-best in Europe, with the region being particularly strong in video games and pharmaceuticals. No doubt IESE taps into this ecosystem, with 30% of graduates starting a business within five years of graduation according to the school.

“Beyond culture and cuisine, Barcelona is also a hub for the international startup and innovation community, with frequent conferences, speaker sessions, and global events that attract entrepreneurs and investors from around the world,” says Alexandra Jones.

MULTI-CULTI!

Benedikt Bjarnason has found IESE’s Startup and Entrepreneurship Club to be particularly valuable in this space. “[It] has become a place to meet like-minded people and be inspired. Seemingly every week, the school’s clubs host interesting events, and through them I have been exposed to very successful and inspiring people. A lunch session with a search-fund veteran, a dinner with a VC investor and a masterclass on AI agent design, to name a few.”

Ask students and alumni to share their favorite tradition and you’re bound to hear Breakfast with the Dean, small group opportunities to connect with school leadership. Another staple is the Asado, where Argentine grill-masters expose students to chorizo and morcilla – not to mention their national custom. In the same spirit, there is Multi-Culti, which draws over 1,000 attendees each spring. Held at the Poble Espanyol museum, the event feature country-specific food stalls and performances.

“[We] spend an entire day sharing food, drinks and traditions from home,” explains ’26 alum Federico E. Alatorre. “Every country organizes a traditional dance with costumes and music from their home country. It’s one of the most wholesome events of the program. The second-year musicians formed a band to play the main stage — and when they were missing a bass player, I somehow ended up volunteering. I had never touched a bass guitar before. A month later I was playing for an hour in front of the whole school. That’s what Multi-Culti does to you. Every cultural wall disappears. People are just people, sharing what they love, having fun and creating happiness together. IESE at its core.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR

What can current and future students expect from IESE in the coming year? This fall, the school will be rolling out a curriculum resign that embeds AI across the core programming. That’s just the start. Earlier this spring, P&Q reached out to Patrik Wallen, IESE’s MBA Admissions Director. From support to international students to alumni engagement, here is what students can expect from the IESE MBA experience.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Wallen:

“1. Expanded International Modules.
We significantly increased the capacity of our international modules in Shenzhen & Hong Kong and Nairobi, while also adding a new module in Madrid. These offerings have been extremely popular, giving students richer global exposure and strengthening their understanding of international business environments. This expansion equips current and future MBAs with first-hand experience in diverse markets, building the global mindset that employers increasingly expect.

2. Integration of Artificial Intelligence Across the Curriculum.
We have made AI a core element of the MBA experience. We have also increased the number of elective courses on this topic, so that students can graduate with a concentration in Tech, Data Analytics and AI. Recent initiatives include an AI hackathon for faculty, which generated a strong pipeline of new teaching ideas. In the classroom, professors actively use and critique AI-generated responses, encouraging students to apply strong analytical skills rather than accept outputs at face value. This approach prepares MBAs to manage and leverage AI effectively, a capability that is becoming essential in modern organizations.”

P&Q: What do you see as the main differentiator that distinguishes your MBA program from other schools? How does it enhance the student experience and make them more attractive to employers?

Wallen: “Our defining differentiator is a consistent focus on developing people-oriented, responsible business leaders who aspire to create positive impact. We cultivate a close-knit community grounded in IESE’s mission and values, and this culture extends into a globally engaged, highly-supportive alumni network. Ultimately, our students are motivated and prepared to add value to their future organizations.

Academically, our intensive use of the case method, combined with the international diversity of the class, exposes students to a wide range of perspectives and teaches them to articulate and defend reasoned viewpoints. As a result, our graduates stand out to employers for their global and strategic mindset, strong communication abilities, collaborative approach, and people-first leadership orientation.”

P&Q: What types of services do you provide to first-year MBAs to ease their transition into business school?

Wallen: “We offer a comprehensive suite of onboarding resources. For students without prior business or finance experience, we also provide summer pre-courses, including foundational accounting, to help them ramp up quickly and enter the program with confidence. We also host a series of virtual career preparation sessions prior to the MBA for our students, and a structured career bootcamp in the first two months to support them in their job search. IESE is also among the few schools with a dedicated onboarding program for the partners of our MBA students, ensuring that partners feel welcomed and integrated from day one.”

P&Q: What types of support do you provide to international students before and during business school to enable them to better acclimate to your country?

Wallen: “Before the MBA begins, international students can enroll in our two-week intensive Business Spanish program to help them immerse themselves in Spanish culture and daily life. This certified course can be continued throughout the MBA, and students may graduate with a bilingual degree by completing 2nd-year elective courses in Spanish. We also offer an Academic English program for students whose first language is not English, helping them build the confidence to participate actively in case discussions.”

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Wallen: “IESE’s curriculum is built around a general management philosophy designed to help students develop a holistic, cross-functional view of business—much like a CEO. While this foundation emphasizes integrated thinking across disciplines, students can take second-year electives, such as Data Visualization and Data Science for Business, to enhance their analytical and technical capabilities. These courses enable students to bridge business decision-making with quantitative and STEM-oriented approaches, supporting a more interdisciplinary perspective.”

P&Q: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Wallen: “1. Tech, Data Analytics and AI Concentration
We have introduced more electives on AI, allowing us to offer a Tech, Data Analytics and AI concentration. Such courses provide students with a deep understanding of emerging AI technologies, equipping them to lead and manage AI-driven initiatives in their future roles.

2. AI-Enabled Simulations.
We have begun integrating AI into several simulations, enabling more dynamic, responsive, and varied scenarios for students. This allows for more realistic decision-making experiences and better prepares students for complex, fast-evolving environments in the workplace.”

P&Q: What types of educational and career support do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their careers?

Wallen: “IESE is committed to lifelong learning. Alumni are welcome to return to any of our campuses to participate in short, focused programs aligned with their professional interests. We also host a wide range of international and virtual learning sessions, as well as industry-focused events on campus, enabling alumni to continuously expand both their knowledge and their networks.

From a career perspective, alumni retain access to the CDC hub, which offers resources to support career evolution at every stage. The Professional Transition Program (PTP) is particularly popular, it is a series of classes helping alumni to build self-awareness refine their personal brand and build an effective go-to-market strategy. Additionally, our global alumni network of more than 60,000 members remains a powerful source of connections and insight—an asset that often enhances an alumnus’s value to employers throughout their career.”

Click on the links below for in-depth profiles from the MBA Class of 2027.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Annabelle Akintoye	London, United Kingdom	Swansea University	AXA Group
Benedikt Bjarnason	Reykjavik, Iceland	Reykjavik University	Fossar Investment Bank
Josh Clements	Malta	University of Virginia	Jordan Associates
Enzo Concepcion Santos	Makati, Philippines	University of Exeter	Serial Entrepreneur
Yifei Guo	Tibet	Marietta College	S&P Global Energy
Alexandra Jones-Kuo	Geneva, Switzerland	HEC Lausanne	PranaQ
Christine Long	Raleigh, NC	North Carolina State University	Wind River
Lukas Michel	Cologne, Germany	Cooperative State University Saxony	Vaillant Group
Allan Moraes de Oliveira	Sao Paulo, Brazil	University of Campinas (UNICAMP)	Bain & Company
Anamaria Olaru	Constanța, Romania	City University of London	Citi
Emi Takeda	Tokyo, Japan	Waseda University	NTT DATA
Emebet Tita	: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	Manhattanville University	Freelance Consultant

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