Akané Lièvre

IMD Business School

“Doctor exploring the world outside of hospitals to make quality healthcare more accessible to patients.”

Hometown: France (St. Nazaire) and Japan (Kyoto)

Fun fact about yourself: I once cycled across Vietnam – from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh

Undergraduate School and Degree: Medical Doctor (MBBS – Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school: Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV Hospital) as a medical doctor with a short pre-MBA internship as Associate Consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? N.A.

Where will you be working after graduation? Eli Lilly and Company as Brand Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Graduated with honors. Vice president of the Healthcare Club. COP simulation president.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? We got the opportunity to visit the UN and then experience a simulation of the COP event (United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC). I was COP president for this simulation. Between the opening speeches, presiding over the debates, discussing the outcomes with the professors, and presenting the results to the class, I felt proud of having made that experience as realistic and fun as possible for everyone.

After the event, my professor asked me to assist with a similar program for a company; I got to have my name on a case study and present directly to them.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I worked as a junior doctor in the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK decided to move to Switzerland to work in one of the top 10 hospitals in the world, in a renowned vascular center in 2020. I was practicing in a different country with different guidelines in a different language, during a time with medical staff shortage and changing schedules due to the pandemic. I would describe surviving, and then thriving, with that career move one of my biggest accomplishments.

Why did you choose this business school? I could talk about the advantages of the small class size, the location, the leadership stream … but what made me really pick IMD was my experience going through the Women Leadership Challenge. I was inspired by those three hours working (read: being assessed) with strong candidates and realizing, not only how much I would learn if I spent a year in the program, but also how much I appreciated the IMD culture.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Amit Joshi. It is hard to compare the IMD professors who manage to impart knowledge and entertain at 8:30 am before your morning coffee or after a large (free) buffet meal in the afternoon. I personally found Prof. Amit’s classes to have a great combination of concrete hard skills, relevant cases and humour. He also led the digital analytics week: engaging a group of 40 jet-lagged people who have just landed from Silicon Valley and getting them to enjoy analyzing an excel spread sheet takes a special talent. I remember that week of friendly competition, catered sushi and evenings at Montreux Jazz festival, very fondly.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Finance. Which is not what I would have expected saying before starting the MBA, but the finance professors were incredible and there is a powerful satisfaction that comes with understanding the finance world, no matter how rudimentary. I don’t want to talk about some other “courses” like the Leadership Experiential Week or Crisis Management days because anyone joining the IMD MBA program should get to enjoy them with the full surprise and learning that comes with experiencing it in person.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? MBAT (sports competition between MBA schools). IMD always has one of the highest attendance rate at MBAT and it was a blast. You really bond with your classmates when you cheer them on, holding the IMD flag and chanting as a group. It really shows how supportive we are of each other.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? It was a self-reflective year. It was the first time since I started my career that I could spend an entire year dedicated to learning, self-reflection, and self-improvement. As much as it was an incredible time for personal growth, I wish I had taken more time to get to know my classmates better.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That it is tough, which was true for me. If you engage properly with the program, it is tough, whether personally or academically or socially… you will be challenged in some way, and probably not in the way that you expect when you start.

What did you love most about your business school’s town?  The lake. Not only because the view is amazing, but there are so many hang-out spots around the lake where you can enjoy a pizza or a drink, a swim or a conversation.

What surprised you the most about business school? No matter how brilliant your professors are, most of your learning will come from your peers.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Madhav Venkaswamy. I admire him both professionally (his commitment to his work and start-up was inspiring) and personally (his innate, genuine kindness and selflessness). I am really grateful that I got the chance to be in a working group with him at the start of the year so that I could learn from him and come to call him a friend (even if it takes him 3 weeks to respond to messages unless it’s football-related or a meme).

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? Play a part in making a (potentially lifesaving) treatment available to patients. Become a mentor and help someone achieve their professional potential.

What made Akané such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“There are leaders that don’t use many words, but if they say something, then it is powerful, inspiring, motivating, and gets people to move in the right direction. This is how I remember Akané. Impactful thoughts, very fast thinker, always inclusive in her behavior, and supportive with people who need a hand. The kind of leadership mix that is needed to make a difference in today’s world.”

Florian Hoos
IMD Professor of Sustainability and ESG Accounting

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2024