Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders: Looking back at the 2023 MBA World Summit

IE Business School students blended into the world of entrepreneurship alongside fellow experts from 50 nationalities and 40 business schools at the MBA World Summit 2023 in Silicon Valley.

The MBA World Summit aims to cultivate a Global Leadership Community by completing the three pillars of nurturing a collaborative culture, facilitating high-impact exchange, and championing interdisciplinary approaches to global business problems.

Among the activities, attendees participate in the “Message to the World,” crafting a statement in which participants express their shared values, visions, and proposed solutions, and Summit Laboratory Sessions, where all attending MBAs will have the chance to conduct their own experimental 45-min lab session as a speaker, designed to inspire their fellow participants and incite intense discussion.

Each year, the organizers vigorously select 100 future leaders among more than 4000 applicants from top business schools. IE Business School stands proudly among the host institutions and alma maters of many participants. During the program, Shivanjan Srivastava (IE IMBA Sep ‘22 intake) attended the 2023 edition of the MBA World Summit in Silicon Valley hosted by Stanford University. Throughout the two-day event, Srivastava gained valuable insights, emphasizing the importance of the human touch in the technological world.

“The MBA World Summit 2023 reinforced the idea that people, their ideas, and their connections are the most valuable assets in our increasingly tech-driven world,” shared Srivastava.

The IE Business School alumnus also admired the combination of an entrepreneurial mind and deep concern about the impact on the fellow participants. Contrary to the stereotype of MBAs as number-focused consultants, Srivastava observed individuals with diverse backgrounds driven by a shared commitment to making a positive difference in the world.

“These students, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong commitment to social responsibility, are crafting unconventional, sustainable careers,” said Srivastava.

In 2022, the Summit took place in Milan, hosted by POLIMI Graduate School of Management, where Ashmita Dutta (IE IMBA Sep ‘22 intake) met multiple interesting personalities, ranging ex-military gentleman who chose to pursue a change in his career to a published poet who is climbing the corporate ladder at an insane speed. With that pure diversity, Dutta noticed the uniting component, that Srivastava saw the year after as well – concern about real problems.

“We used business skills to solve people’s problems. This is the kind of education everyone deserves - an education that helps you become better citizens, for profit and planet together,” said Dutta.

At IE Business School, we look forward to the Summit every year. If you want to take part in the 2024 edition, speak with the IMBA program management team and visit the MBA World Summit website. Who knows? You could be the next representative from IE.

“Remember, every single person knows something that you don't and most likely, they will be more than happy to educate you,” advised Dutta.