Executive Education

IESE's well-established Advanced Management Program (AMP) Barcelona kicked off its eighth session in November 2010 with participants whose average age is 44, from 20 different countries. Among the companies represented were Audi, Carlsberg, Danone, EDP, Fortis Bank and Vestas.

In its seventh session last year, the Program for Management Development (PLD) features four intensive one-week modules: two in Barcelona, one in Madrid and one in New York. Recruitment was a challenge, particularly since the program is one of the most expensive in the market.

The PMD was re-engineered into a new four-month program, the Program for Leadership Development, or PLD. The PLD consists of three modules in Barcelona plus an elective short-focused program in English. Early feedback was very positive.

Enrollment in IESE's Executive Programs in Spain (PADE, PDG, PDD) remained stable, with 18 programs in 2010-2011. Average age ranged from about 37 to about 47, depending on the program's target level of seniority. By communicating the better message and upholding our high standards, however, we maintained our positioning and overcame a challenging climate. IESE offered its three hallmark programs: the Advanced Management Program, the Program for Leadership Development and the Program for Executive Development.

All three programs take a general management perspective, but are especially designed to help executives excel at different stages of their careers. The average age for the PDD is 37, for the PDG, 42 and for the PADE, 47. In order to attract the best candidates, more Open Day recruiting events were held in cities such as Barcelona and Madrid. More than 2,000 professionals were interviewed for admission to these programs in 2010-2011.

In 2010-2011, the Media AMP was jointly presented by IESE and industry thought leader The Paley Center for Media. Three modules were held at the IESE New York Center in midtown Manhattan, and one module at The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. Along with a rich program, the Media AMP also includes Leadership Forums, which give program participants, the unique opportunity to network and interact in a private, intimate and personal setting with top industry leaders and entrepreneurs who are changing the face of the business.

The Media AMP is a major industry program that provides sophisticated management tools to prepare the next generation of industry leaders for the media and entertainment business challenges of the future. The program's first set of participants included C-suite and upper- level executives from 10 different countries. Companies represented in the program include NBC Universal, Telecom Italia Media, Astro Media, Once TV Mexico and others.

IESE's flagship program for senior-level executives based in the United States – the Senior Executive Program New York-Miami – held its third session during the 2010-2011 academic year. Aimed at top-tier executives with activities in Latin America, including divisional CEOs, the program helps company leaders create effective global strategies, while delving into topics specific to the region. The SEP features four 5-day modules in New York City and Miami. The program provides a global, media-focused curriculum combined with valuable networking opportunities. The program is led through a unique alliance of three top-ranked schools, whose faculty have extensive knowledge of Latin American markets: IESE, IPADE and IAE.

The sixth cohort of AMP Munich participants completed the program in March 2011. Besides returning positive feedback, participants indicated that they are boosting awareness of IESE within their respective companies. In addition to open enrollment programs, IESE continues to partner with leading German companies to provide highly-focused custom programs. Client companies have included SAP, Bertelsmann and Henkel, among others. The Alumni Association also organizes Continuous Education sessions in German cities for graduates and invited business leaders.

The Global CEO Program for China, was led by IESE, Harvard Business School and China-Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and conducted at the three partner schools in Barcelona, Boston and Shanghai.

IESE also partners with Wharton and CEIBS to deliver the Global CEO program, which features modules in Shanghai, Philadelphia and São Paulo. Two of IESE's core degree programs, the Global Executive MBA and the Executive MBA, feature modules in China. IESE also organized custom programs at CEIBS for several of its European partners.

Economic growth in Brazil has increased demand for executive programs. We logged 65 working days just in the first half of 2011, versus 70 in all of 2010. Despite this year's fee increase, we will again see record participation. Meanwhile, the new ISE building, opened in August 2011.

The Global CEO Program for Latin America, a collaborative program with IESE (at ISE in São Paulo), CEIBS and Wharton, presented marketing and recruitment challenges, but program delivery was successful. During the past year we redesigned the program, opening it up to CEOs outside Latin America.

The AMP Warsaw completed its fifth session last May. The participants, board-level executives from Central and Eastern Europe, offered strong positive feedback on the program, highlighting the two intensive weeks in Barcelona. To optimize the schedule, Warsaw modules were decreased from eight to seven, with more sessions per module.

Under the aegis of the Africa Initiative, we welcomed senior executives to the first AMP Ivory Coast, despite political upheaval in the country. The AMP was taught in French by faculty from IESE and MDE (Management et Développement d'Entreprise) Business School in Abidjan, the fourth of IESE's Associated Business Schools in Africa. Visiting professors from IESE, Lagos Business School and other prestigious institutions also led sessions.

IESE's first connection in Africa was with the Lagos Business School: The school played a central role in the creation of LBS in 1995, as well as the Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, founded in 2005. IESE also works with Nile University in Cairo and with the Angola School of Business in Luanda which was formally launched in 2010 with help from IESE. Through its ties with CEIBS in Shanghai, IESE has also been involved in launching the first MBA course in Accra, Ghana.

In 2009, IESE approved the Africa Initiative, which aims to provide academic assistance, develop new projects and programs and support social initiatives in Africa. It also strives to encourage business leaders to boost their activities and investments in the region.

In Kenya, participants engaged in the fifth session of IESE's joint AMP with Strathmore Business School in Nairobi. Lagos Business School (LBS) in Nigeria joined the optional Pan-African AMP module. The goal is to make it an integral element of the program.

International demand for custom programs returned to pre-crisis levels. Domestically, the slowdown is still taking its toll; other providers have lowered prices, and clients are shortening program length. Competition within the industry continues to intensify as small boutique firms and large consulting companies now routinely work with major companies alongside or in lieu of business schools. The need to reduce costs and the demand for measurable return are driving increasingly sophisticated and innovative learning approaches, including coaching, participatory methods and online components.

In January IESE launched its Campaign Management Program for political candidates and campaign managers, led by Steve Jarding of the Harvard Kennedy School. This program is part of IESE's portfolio of nine public management programs serving more than 400 public leaders, some of which are made possible through the generous support of the Fundación Rafael del Pino. Among the programs offered in collaboration with the Kennedy School were "Strategic Management for Leaders of Non- Governmental Organizations," engaging leaders of foundations, NGOs and social entrepreneurship initiatives from 25 countries; the third annual "Driving Government Performance" for senior public officials and international executives from around the world; and "How to Improve Public Policy in an Economic Crisis" for high- level public executives. Finally, topics covering a full range of public management issues such as crisis management, election campaigns and budgeting are discussed in the new Public Management Programs blog, launched last January on the IESE website.

IESE's Short Focused Programs bring executives from diverse countries together for two- to five-day sessions covering a wide range of essential business areas at IESE's campuses in Madrid and Barcelona as well as the New York Center. A new offering in New York in arts and cultural management rounded out a portfolio of topics touching on talent development, non-governmental organizations, retail operations, digital media, and social media. Another New York highlight was Professor Paddy Miller's one-day Innovation Architect workshop last June, held prior to the World Innovation Forum (WIF) in New York. Organized to complement the WIF, the workshop afforded senior executives the opportunity to attend both.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, IESE offered a total of 69 short programs (45 Short Focused Programs, 12 Industry Meetings, and 12 special programs). Fifty-five percent of the participants were top executives or owners.

The annual auto industry meeting, the first and longest running event of its kind at IESE, marked its 25th anniversary in the fall of 2010. The meeting, titled "Reinventing the Industry," discussed whether electric cars will ever make the internal combustion engine obsolete. The event has drawn more than 4,000 participants over the years and featured some 400 high-level speakers.