Global Executive MBA Open Day
Four pillars. One next-level leader
The Global Executive MBA is the unique MBA experience designed around FOUR KEY PILLARS critical to every successful international leader. If you chose the IESE GEMBA, these pillars will guide your future career to ultimately:
IESE GEMBA. What Will You Learn?
The Global Executive MBA is a unique international experience, taking you to global business hubs in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
The program consists of six core modules, three Foundational and three immersive Discovery modules, along with the option to select two Specialization electives to tailor your learning experience. Its flexible format, which combines residential modules and distance learning, reinforces learning through a stimulating blend of rigorous academic content and experiential and action-oriented learning methodologies.
Phase 1
Foundational Modules (first 6 months)
BARCELONA | MADRID | MUNICH
Your journey starts with the essentials.
These first three modules cover everything from core business fundamentals—such as leadership, finance, accounting, decision-making, and entrepreneurship—to external dynamics like competition, strategy, marketing, and sustainability, as well as how companies operate through business models, operations management, and financing.
THEMES:
Accounting, Marketing, Operations Management, Strategy and Business Models, Decision Making, Leadership, Finance, Digital and AI, Global Economics or Entrepreneurship, Managerial Communications
Module 1: Laying the Foundations - BARCELONA
Master the essentials. Reflect on what it means to be a leader and start facing managerial decision with higher precision and strength.
Get inspired and learn from Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia and the local culture.
Module 2: Decoding Business - MADRID
Sharpen your strategic thinking with the right frameworks to navigate today’s AI-driven business landscape.
Experience the unique contrast between cutting-edge companies and timeless art at the iconic Museo del Prado
Module 3: Improving Business - MUNICH
Step inside organizations to explore how business models evolve — and how operations, finance, ethics, and an entrepreneurial mindset shape their future.
Discover Munich’s vibrant Industry 4.0 scene and the unique culture of Bavaria.
Phase 2
Discovery Modules (At your own pace, 3 modules – 8 days each +3 online virtual sessions)
NEW YORK | SINGAPORE | SILICON VALLEY
This second phase will take you beyond the basics, encouraging you to expand your horizons, fostering innovative thinking, and challenging you to apply cutting-edge strategies to real-world business scenarios, preparing you to lead with vision and agility.
THEMES:
Cross-cultural Leadership, Geoeconomics, Sustainability in Business, Human Ressources Management, Negotiation, Business Ethics, Corporate Finance, Aligning Organizations for Performance or Strategy in Action
Module 4: Managing Value Creation - NEW YORK
Explore New York — a global powerhouse for business, finance, and retail. Dive into the dynamics of the global economy, marketing, and talent challenges in a fast-paced local context.
Experience learning in action with selected visits to leading companies across finance, media, retail or sports and gain unique leadership insights at the iconic West Point Military Academy.
Module 5: Leading Across Borders - SINGAPORE
Succeeding as a global leader means navigating cultural diversity, driving collaboration, and adapting across borders.
Set in Singapore — Southeast Asia’s gateway between East and West — this module blends leadership, strategy, finance, and supply chain topics with immersive learning and company visits.
Past experiences have included insights from regional powerhouses like PSA, Shein, BlackRock or OCBC.
Module 6: Driving Innovation - SILICON VALLEY
Welcome to Silicon Valley — where the future of work, technology, and intelligence comes to life. This highly dynamic module focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital transformation.
Co-design your learning journey, shaping the industries, companies, and leaders you want to engage with, alongside curated experiences from the program team.
Phase 3
The Specialization (Electives Modules) – (choose 1 or 2 modules – one week each)
For the final 4 months and before graduation, you will have to choose from a list of elective modules to finally customize your learning experience.
Some topics and destinations covered in recent years were*:
- Understanding China and its Opportunities: Shanghai
- Doing Business in Latin America: Sao Paulo
- Navigating Uncertainty with Strategic Foresight: Barcelona
- Heritage and Innovation for the Future: Tokyo
Exchange Program
In this Specialization phase you will also have the opportunity to be part of an exchange program with our EMBA or the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) GEMBA and attend a selection of their elective modules taking place in other destinations.
In recent years, some of the options included UK, Ghana, Korea and Japan, India or Praga and Budapest*
* Destinations and options vary from year to year.
Last Phase
Final Week and Graduation
During the final week we consolidate learnings, complete the last academic milestones, and conclude the program with an intense graduation ceremony.
Lifelong Electives. Lifelong GEMBA.
As an alum, you will have the opportunity to rejoin the GEMBA classroom attending these elective modules anytime and as many times as you want.
You will reconnect with the same energy, community, and distinctive learning experiences that made your time with us unique.
Other key program elements
Top international faculty
Next-level leaders demand next-level guidance. The IESE Global Executive MBA faculty are a selection amongst our internationally-renowned professors united by pioneering academic insights and one goal: to help you go global.
IESE’s faculty includes full-time and part-time professors. All full-time professors have PhDs from prestigious universities. They are also highly international, representing more than 20 nationalities, and bring vast relevant expertise from the highest levels of business. Faculty members combine real-world experience with pioneering academic insights.
IESE professors have an “open-door” policy and provide you with invaluable mentoring and guidance. They cultivate rich exchanges of ideas that make the most of the combined experience in your classroom.

The IESE Experience
At IESE, you’ll be surrounded by talented peers, supported by a world-class faculty, and challenged by real-life business cases. We’ll put you to the test so that you can reach your full potential.
Discover the benefits of the IESE experience.
IESE Rankings.