Dean Q&A: INSEAD's New Leader

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You recently attended INSEAD's annual Leadership Summit Asia, where the school celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Singapore campus. How do you see the campus evolving over the next decade to meet the demands of Asian executives?

Our first task will be to build and expand the Singapore campus, which we will use to increase our footprint in Asia. We will not set up campuses in China and India, because to be global we don't need to have campuses all over the world. What we do want is certain locations where we can practice enough in the region to draw on talent. We're going to invest more in the Singapore campus and use this as a way of creating links with greater China.

What are some of the changes the school has planned for the Singapore campus?

We plan to have more space for faculty offices, classrooms, and student activities. We also want to create space for executive education programs for senior managers. We run advanced management programs three times a year on our Fountainebleau campus, and we would like to have the fourth offering in Singapore once we build the new addition. We're going to have to launch a capital campaign to raise the funds for this. We are getting support from agencies in Singapore, but we'll also be trying to put together some other sort of fundraising initiative.

Why did INSEAD launch an Executive MBA program this fall in Abu Dabhi, and what is the school's vision for the Middle East?

The Middle East is another growth area where there is an acute need for managerial talent. A big expat population is working there, but they will also need some training. We started this program because we believe there are executives in the region who have not had management education when they graduated. We already have something there, but it is not the same size as our Fountainebleau or Singapore campus. We need to get a better understanding of the product we offer in the region, but it could eventually become a big campus.

Are there any plans for INSEAD to develop programs or a campus in the U.S., as some European business schools have recently done?

We cannot be a business school of the world if we don't have a footprint in the U.S., so we are looking for ways to enter the American market. But we are taking this one step at a time. First, we'll build the Singapore campus, and then we'll see what we want to do in this region.

Outside of INSEAD, you are working on a project to help launch a business school for women in Bangladesh that will focus on entrepreneurship and small business management. Why did you feel it was important to get involved in the social projects?

I always tell students they need to think beyond their personal success and do something unique. One day I thought if I'm telling students this, I should practice what I preach. The school in Bangladesh will be for women from such countries as India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, and Bhutan, where traditionally women can't go out and get an MBA degree. We have a piece of land, and we will offer a two-year MBA program. The school will start in the 2012-13 [academic] year, and it will be 120 or 130 women. It's not what you'd normally think of as a business school, but we are trying to create a school where people who can't afford it can get a full-quality education taught by world-class academics. I thought it would be a good template, because if the school becomes successful, we can then replicate it in other parts of the world.

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