With the launch on Thursday 27 February of the INSEAD Hub in San Francisco, the prestigious business school is taking its first steps in the United States. "It was essential that we settle here", explains Isabelle Finger, director of the Hub. "Our participants will benefit from everything that is happening in the region".
Innovation and technology
The short-term training programs for executives and managers offered at the Hub will focus on innovation and digital transformation. The course will focus in particular on new issues, explains Isabelle Finger: "How to take advantage of the positive aspects of technology while considering public concerns, particularly in terms of privacy?" How can we take into account the societal impacts of the business world? ".
The European Institute of Business Administration, or INSEAD, was created in 1957 with a first campus established in Fontainebleau. The founders' ambition was to compete with Harvard University. Successful bet. The institute’s programs, and in particular its MBA (Master of Business Administration), have been on the podium in world rankings for several years.
International campuses
By opening a small branch in California, the institute stays true to its history. "This is our development model", explains Isabelle Finger. "Start with rather limited infrastructure before expanding afterwards. " This is how INSEAD established campuses in Singapore in 2000 and then in Abu Dhabi in 2007.
A place of exchange
The INSEAD Hub in San Francisco is located in the trendy South of Market district of SoMa in an old garage converted into an art deco building. This 1,300 square meter space offers two amphitheatres and several meeting rooms. Besides a training place, the Hub also constitutes a meeting space. Its mission is to facilitate exchanges between participants in INSEAD programs and Alumni of the institute. Almost 700 of these alumni reside in the San Francisco area.
For Isabelle Finger, "INSEAD has the distinction of being a truly international school: it brings together and connects people from different cultures in order to find new ideas in the field of business". A graduate of INSEAD in 2009, the director feels she owes a lot to the school and its teachings. Settled for six years in California after having stayed in different countries, she went through several career changes. "My MBA at Insead has given me real confidence: I can tell myself that I can always fall back on my feet". And to add: "It’s a feeling of freedom that I want to pass on to others today".
