Saudi managers to study at top Swiss business school

The Kingdom plans to send Saudi managers from leading companies for training at IMD, a top Swiss business school.
Dominique Turpin, president of IMD, said Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has confirmed that Saudi managers and business leaders would attend courses at the business school in Switzerland.
Turpin was speaking to Arab News on Monday following a “very positive” meeting with Al-Rabiah, who studied at IMD.
“We discussed developing the right people with the right skills to meet the requirements of the Kingdom,” said Turpin.
Turpin outlined IMD’s vision, its specialties in executive education, work with Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon), which is developing Saudi Arabia's industrial cities, and how the school can contribute to the Saudi education system.
Turpin said IMD specializes in “developing global leaders through high impact executive education, which refers to academic programs at graduate-level business schools worldwide for executives, business leaders and functional managers.”
He said IMD was different from schools such as Harvard and Wharton because it is “completely focused on real-world executive development” and offers “a truly cosmopolitan atmosphere with a flexible, customized and effective approach.” He said IMD’s “customized programs, which are tailored for and offered to executives of a single company, represent the fastest growing segment of the market and will be very helpful for Saudi companies.”
Saudi companies that have benefited from the school include Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC), banks, pharmaceutical companies and various public sector firms.
He said IMD plans to launch shorter executive education programs in the Kingdom to focus on specific roles or industries, or on improving specific leadership skills such as persuasion, negotiation, team building or communication. IMD also plans to offer online courses, Turpin said.
He said Saudi students should go to Switzerland because it would enhance their leadership skills while interacting with students from all around the world. He said 90 percent of IMD students are foreigners.
He said there are many challenges facing business schools including new technologies and the Internet, which is “going to change everything.”