Institution:
IESE Business School
Course:
Global CEO Program
Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank the ILF and selection committee for giving me the opportunity to attend the GCP in 2022 under the IFG grants program. Without the encouragement and financial support of the ILF I believe the likelihood of me attending the GCP Program would have been negligible. The ILF process encouraged me to apply and as a result I am a better leader, a more considerate manager and an overall improved person for the experience.
There are three questions I’m repeatedly asked about my GCP experience, I will try and cover these individually.
What were the presenters like?
The quality of the professors presenting from Wharton in Philadelphia, IESE in Barcelona and Singapore were impressive and their knowledge deep and comprehensive. All professors produced interesting content along with robust conversations regarding the content and our individual context. The intellectual challenge was based on slow burn “Aha” moments rather than any unexpected factual insights. The content is focused on you applying your own situation to the information and linking the dots. If you are not a conceptual thinker you will not enjoy the GCP program. If you do not take time to reflect on your learnings after the GCP course, then this is not the program for you. The program revolves around thinking and not pure academic syllabus. I got something out of every presenter and more out of some than others, I never felt I was wasting one minute of my time by listening to any of the professors presentations. Topics included financial management, sustainability, statistics, monetary policy review (presented by a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Spain – so memorable) notions of leaving a “business legacy” while visiting the epic Art Nouveau Segrada Familia in Barcelona. The (importance and relevance) for mapping the human genome, rise of China, global logistics squeeze, inflation, global labour shortages all culminating in the “perspectives from many windows”.
What did you Learn?
I have to say the learning was an experience based on the application of the information presented in the GCP to your own situation and circumstances. If you are going to attend the GCP and expect a “10 point (or 50 point) plan for success in business” then you are going to the wrong program. This program is fundamentally an intellectual experience more so than a pure academic experience. It requires you to put thought and effort into it, not just be an academic sponge, you must participate, you must be there and be mindful of all that is happening while attending. This is the way you will achieve most in this course, this is the way to extract the most value from the time invested and the financial and time commitment made.
What were your cohort of attendees like?
As is often the case with these “specialist” courses I was sincerely privileged to share the knowledge and experience of CEO’s of all types from around the world. The “worldly atmosphere” created by my international cohort of attendees was unique and nothing like I had experienced by similar groups in Australian based courses. In my direct working group I had senior leaders from Big Brands and established entrepreneurs from all around the world including Hong Kong, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, USA, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bahrain, Belgium, Slovakia, Singapore, Germany, Africa and Australia. It is like a United Nations of Business and Commerce, all there with the same purpose to learn discuss and develop. This internationalist feature is a core component that makes this program stand out from many others.
If anyone is contemplating the GCP program then I encourage you to do it. It is a great experience and the more you put into it the more you will benefit. My cohort were amazing and we have all remained good acquaintances and can freely call each other to bounce ideas or ask for specialist knowledge to assist, the network is very powerful.
Please reach out to me direct if you want further information or insight regarding the course.
