INSEADer of the Month

Christina Law MBA’91D
INSEADer of the Month: February 2025
We are thrilled to celebrate Christina Law MBA’91D as our INSEADer of the Month. A distinguished leader, dedicated philanthropist, and advocate for diversity, Christina exemplifies INSEAD’s mission to inspire meaningful change in business and society.
Christina’s journey with INSEAD began in 1991 when, despite financial challenges, she boldly pursued her MBA. That decision not only changed her life but sparked a vision to uplift others. Determined to open doors for those who follow, Christina established two transformative INSEAD scholarships, the Christina Law MBA’91 Endowed Scholarship for Asian Women and the Mr and Mrs Lo Ling Endowed Scholarship for Asian Students as a tribute to her parents. These scholarships have empowered 13 students to date from underrepresented backgrounds to access life-changing education. Christina values her personal connection with the scholarship recipients. She loves hearing their stories—what drives them, their dreams, and the challenges they face—gaining an inspiring glimpse into the experiences of young business leaders today and how best to continue to support them.
Christina’s professional journey is equally extraordinary. She has led at the highest levels of global consumer sector giants, including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and General Mills. In her role as Group President at General Mills, she was the first Asian ever to join the senior executive leadership team. Today, as Group CEO of the Raintree Group of Companies, Christina blends business innovation with her love of culture, arts and architecture. Her recent hotel and residences development projects in Tokyo capture her vision of creating enriching experiences and inspiring spaces for people from around the world.
A devoted member of the INSEAD community, she served on the Board of Directors from 2015 to 2024 and the Campaign Board from 2019 to 2023, championing initiatives to enhance learning facilities and hosting events that inspire others to give back. Her dedication is contagious, inspiring others to join her mission of driving progress. Beyond INSEAD, Christina sits on the boards of Novo Nordisk, Air Liquide and Singapore National Gallery, where she uses her business and leadership expertise to advocate for healthcare innovation, energy transition for sustainability, as well as the arts to positively impact lives
From her humble beginnings in Hong Kong to becoming a global business icon, Christina’s story is a powerful testament to resilience, courage, and the transformative power of education. Her mantra, “Make a difference, do the right thing, enjoy yourself, and let your business be a force for good,” is not just a philosophy—it’s a way of life that perfectly embodies INSEAD’s spirit.
We are proud to honour Christina Law as our INSEADer of the Month and celebrate her incredible journey, inspiring leadership, and unwavering commitment to giving back.
Previously Recognised
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- Sept 2022
- Aug 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- Feb 2022
- Jan 2022

Thibault Seguret MBA’12J
INSEADer of the Month: January 2025
We are pleased to kick off 2025 by introducing Thibault Seguret MBA’12J as our first INSEADer of the Month. From his pivotal role in developing the Master in Management (MIM) programme to his dedication to enhancing student experiences, Thibault’s journey exemplifies leadership and a passion for education.
Thibault’s connection to INSEAD began during his transformative MBA journey in 2012, which he fondly recalls as “the best year of my life”. Immersed in a diverse, dynamic community, he embraced challenges, grew personally and professionally, and found inspiration in classmates. “It was a great lesson of humility to spend a year among some of the smartest people I had ever met,” says Thibault.
After graduating, Thibault built a career that honed his expertise in aligning educational programmes with strategic goals. As Director of Quality at HEC, a French Business School, he gained valuable insights that he brought back to INSEAD to launch the MIM programme in 2020. His vision ensured that MIM students were fully integrated into INSEAD’s vibrant ecosystem, offering them a transformative experience true to the school’s DNA. Over the past five years, the MIM programme has flourished, ranking 3rd globally by the Financial Times in 2024, further reinforcing INSEAD’s reputation as a global leader in business education.
Thibault continuously seeks innovative ways to enhance the student experience, including the creation of Midpoint Day, an initiative marking the halfway point of the MIM programme. Using data-driven insights, this initiative fosters bonds among students, encouraging them to step beyond their usual circles and rediscover the energy of their INSEAD journey.
As a tech and AI enthusiast, Thibault is now exploring how AI can transform education and prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
An active donor and Giving Day ambassador, Thibault champions alumni contributions - be it financial, volunteering, or mentorship - as essential to INSEAD’s success. We are delighted to feature Thibault Seguret as INSEADer of the Month for January 2025!

Pallavi Dean EMBA’23J
INSEADer of the Month: December 2024
We are delighted to close out 2024 by announcing Pallavi Dean as our INSEADer of the Month! Pallavi’s achievements and global influence make her a standout in our community. Her passion, innovation, and dedication to sustainable and impactful design have set new standards in her field, and we are proud to celebrate her remarkable journey.
Pallavi operates at the intersection of design and entrepreneurship. Since founding her design firm, Roar, in 2013, she has made a significant impact across sectors, including commercial, hospitality, and residential design. A trained architect and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional (AP), she achieved LEED Gold certification on five of her built projects in the past year.
Her recent projects include The Accor House of Originals Hotel in Dubai, a retail store for Sarah Jessica Parker, and offices for global consultancies like BCG, McKinsey & Co., and Oliver Wyman. Born in India, raised in Dubai, and with experience in London, Pallavi’s designs are enriched by diverse cultural influences. As a product designer, she collaborated with Artemide to launch ‘Interweave,’ an interactive lighting system showcased at Euroluce in Milan in 2019.
Her work has been featured in top international media, including the Financial Times, BBC, Monocle, Wallpaper, and Architectural Digest. Pallavi was honoured as the Architectural Digest Middle East Designer of the Year in 2020 and named Designer of the Year globally by Interior Design Magazine in 2021.
A former professor of design, Pallavi is committed to integrating the latest theoretical and practical research into her firm’s projects. As a lifelong learner, she earned an EMBA in 2023, adding a new dimension to her already impressive expertise.

Kristin Skogen Lund MBA’92J
INSEADer of the Month: November 2024
We are pleased to announce Kristin as our INSEADer of the Month. Kristin was chosen in recognition of her outstanding leadership, extensive involvement in non-profit organisations, and her appointment as the Chairperson of the INSEAD Board of Directors.
Kristin embodies visionary and innovative leadership. As the CEO of Schibsted ASA, a media and e-commerce company, she displayed remarkable ability in steering complex organisations and driving strategic growth. Her distinguished career spans two decades, during which she held key roles such as Director General of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, EVP at Telenor, a leading telecommunications company, and CEO positions within several Schibsted brands. Her leadership has been instrumental in the success and transformation of these organisations.
She has served on the boards of prominent companies such as Ericsson, Orkla, Adevinta, and Autostore, lending her expertise across industries. She was recently elected board chair of Delivery Hero. She has actively participated in international commissions and advisory bodies, including the European Tech Alliance, the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, and the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work. She headed the Norwegian pension commission, crafting the reform of Norway’s pension system that was adopted by Parliament. Her contributions to these organisations underscore her commitment to shaping the future of business and society.
Beyond her professional achievements, Kristin is a driving force in several non-profit organisations. She chairs the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Norwegian Refugee Council and is a board member of Mozilla. Her involvement in these organisations reflects her dedication to making a positive impact on society and supporting diverse causes.
Commenting on her appointment, Kristin said, “It is a great honour to serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of INSEAD. My experience at INSEAD was transformative, and I am eager to contribute to its ongoing success in education and innovation. I look forward to working with the Dean and the Board to ensure the continued success of INSEAD’s global strategy.”
We congratulate Kristin on her appointment as Chairperson and anticipate her leadership in guiding INSEAD to new heights.

Ricardo Ramos MBA’15J
INSEADer Of The Month: October 2024
We are pleased to announce Ricardo Ramos as our INSEADer of the Month for October, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Brazilian Impact Ecosystem and his relentless commitment to combating inequality.
Ricardo is the Executive Director at Aliança pelo Impacto, a backbone organisation that orchestrates capital suppliers, intermediaries, entrepreneurs, and the government to raise awareness, connect stakeholders, and advocate for the Brazilian Impact Ecosystem on local, regional and global stages.
His leadership extends to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services, where he co-leads the Capital Mobilisation working group and serves on the Committee of the National Strategy for the Impact Economy.
In addition, Ricardo co-leads Agente MUDA, a community of leaders dedicated to addressing inequalities through collective actions aimed at transforming systemic structures and accelerating the shift towards a more equitable and regenerative economy.
Previously, Ricardo was an entrepreneur who co-founded and managed Gove, an impact startup focused on enhancing fiscal efficiency in public administrations across Brazil.
In addition to his INSEAD MBA, Ricardo holds a master’s degree in Leadership and Public Management from CLP, which includes an international module at the Blavatnik School of Government (University of Oxford, England).
Congratulations to Ricardo for this well-deserved recognition!

Mikael Staffas MBA’92D
INSEADer Of The Month: September 2024
We are pleased to recognise Mikael Staffas as our INSEADer of the Month, celebrating his outstanding contributions to the mining and metals sector. As the President and CEO of Boliden, Europe's leading company in base metals with an annual turnover of 8 billion euros, Mikael exemplifies forward-thinking leadership and a steadfast commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Mikael's leadership extends beyond Boliden. He serves as the Deputy-Chairman of the European industrial organisation Eurometaux and is a Board member of the International Zinc Association, the International Copper Association, and the ICMM, in addition to his roles in various national organisations.
With a strong belief in decentralised leadership, Mikael prioritises safety, productivity, and sustainable development. Under his guidance, Boliden has made several large-scale investments and introduced base metals with a low carbon footprint to the market. His previous roles at Boliden were equally impactful, including the strategic acquisition of a mining unit crucial for developing a new business model for the nickel value chain in Europe.
Mikael's dedication to transformative initiatives and sustainable practices has set new benchmarks in the industry. His strategic vision, coupled with his ability to foster innovation and operational excellence, has garnered him respect and recognition from peers and colleagues alike.
We commend Mikael Staffas for his exceptional leadership and unwavering pursuit of excellence, making him a deserving INSEADer of the Month.

Pedro Pina EMBA’04
INSEADer of the month: August 2024
We are thrilled to recognize Pedro as the INSEADer of the Month, celebrating his extraordinary professional accomplishments and steadfast dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As the leader of YouTube across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Pedro is a distinguished senior executive with an outstanding track record in the creative media and marketing sectors.
With nearly three decades of global experience, Pedro has mastered the art of managing organisations across cultures and regions. His illustrious career spans roles as a brand owner, advertising developer, and digital platform leader. Over the last decade, he has been pivotal in steering major brands into the digital and AI-enhanced era, demonstrating his visionary leadership and innovative thinking.
Pedro is revered not only for his professional prowess but also for his charismatic leadership and talent for building high-performance teams. His remarkable emotional intelligence, strategic insight, and proactive approach have established him as a highly effective executive. Colleagues and peers consistently commend his ability to inspire and drive transformative change within his teams and the broader organisation.
A staunch advocate for DEI, Pedro has led some of the industry’s most transformative programs. His commitment to creating an inclusive workplace is evident in both his professional initiatives and personal endeavours. In 2019, he was named one of the 10 most influential LGBTQ+ executives in the UK by the British LGBTQ+ awards, who in 2023 also named him one of the top 10 most inspirational LGBTQ+ leaders. Additionally, in 2019, he was named the world's top LGBT+ executive role model on the OUTstanding 100 LGBT+ Executive Role Models Global List. He actively contributes as a board member at Outright International, an organization dedicated to advancing global LGBTQ+ rights, and serves on the V&A Museum’s Advisory Council, underscoring his dedication to social impact and cultural enrichment.
Pedro holds an EMBA degree from INSEAD, which laid the foundation for his remarkable career. Having lived in London for over 14 years with his husband and two children, he continues to make significant contributions to his community and industry with unwavering passion and dedication.
We commend Pedro for his exceptional contributions and his relentless pursuit of excellence and inclusivity, making him a truly deserving INSEADer of the Month.

Virginia Brumby Ferreira MBA’09J
INSEADer of the month: July 2024
We are delighted to recognise Virginia and celebrate her remarkable entrepreneurial achievements and unwavering commitment to INSEAD. As the Founder and Director of Survival Chic and the force behind the corporate venture capital-funded start-up, Place ESG, Virginia exemplifies visionary leadership and innovative thinking in the business landscape.
With a career spanning two decades and five continents, Virginia has excelled in diverse roles, including communications, fundraising, business development, and partnerships. Her experience has equipped her with the expertise to lead teams to success in engagement, profitability, relationship-building, and client loyalty.
Virginia's commitment to INSEAD is deep and enduring. Whilst at INSEAD she led the Robin Hood campaign, organised Cabaret events, and co-founded the ‘Minus Six Sigma’ Club. Since graduating, she has served as the President of the INSEAD Alumni Fund Singapore, held a decade-long position on the Alumni Association ExCo/Board, and played a crucial role as a Social Lead in Singapore.
Most recently, Virginia chaired her 15-year Reunion, a role she previously embraced for her 5 and 10-year Reunions, reflecting her dedication to alumni engagement. Her contributions were honoured with the Alumni Leader Award from IAA President Frans Blom MBA’90D, IDP-C’20Jun.
Virginia's ability to inspire and lead transformative initiatives is widely acknowledged. Her charismatic leadership, strategic insight, and proactive approach have established her as a highly effective executive.
Colleagues and peers consistently commend her for her remarkable emotional intelligence and ability to drive meaningful change. Now living in Portugal, Virginia continues to pursue her passions in fundraising, social impact, and entrepreneurship.
We applaud Virginia for her exceptional contributions and her relentless pursuit of excellence and inclusivity, making her a truly deserving INSEADer of the Month.

Shirish Barwale MBA’07D.
INSEADer of the month: June 2024
Shirish has been making waves in agricultural genetics since graduating in 2007. He joined Mahyco, a leading agricultural genetics company in India, as the third generation of his family involved in the business. Shirish has shown unwavering commitment to enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and promoting sustainability across rural farming systems in India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. In 2015, Shirish became Managing Director at Mahyco, focusing on empowering smallholder farmers through scientific advancements.
Under his leadership, Mahyco expanded its portfolio beyond seeds to include essential inputs for farmers. Today, Mahyco serves millions of farming families across 13 countries, reflecting Shirish's vision and dedication. Mahyco continues to invest in innovative technologies tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers. These innovations include horticultural genetics, enabling farmers to monetise carbon credits, and the use of drones. They are also exploring genetics for insect and plant proteins and reducing chemical usage. Shirish attributes Mahyco's innovation over the past decade to the trust and support of his family, including his spouse, Pragya, which enabled him to make crucial decisions for the company’s advancement. Outside of his professional work, Shirish is a triathlete, a passion that began at INSEAD.
A recent highlight included top 5 finish in his age category at the Mumbai Marathon. Shirish contributes to various organisations. He serves as Vice-Chair of the seed industry association, is on the board of the Medical Research Foundation in Chennai, and is a member of the governing council of the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, promoting regional innovation.
Shirish Barwale exemplifies the spirit of INSEAD through his leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence. We are proud to celebrate his achievements and look forward to his continued success in shaping the future of agriculture and beyond.

Ahmad “AL” Fares MBA’08D.
INSEADer of the Month: May 2024
AL was nominated in recognition of both his professional achievements and his long-standing commitment to INSEAD, currently serving on his class committee to raise funds for class scholarships and having generously donated eSIMs to all reunions in 2023.
AL is the Founder & CEO at CELITECH, the cellular data platform powering travel-related companies (incl. Kayak, Expedia, airlines) with eSIM as a new ancillary service. AL got hooked on tech and travel as teenager and was always frustrated with international mobile roaming which led him to start CELITECH.
Based out of California, CELITECH currently powers thousands of international bookings every day with premium mobile connectivity in over 200 countries. The company has been named the "Overall Wireless Broadband Solution of the Year" by the Mobile Breakthrough Awards for 4 consecutive years (2020-2023). Prior to CELITECH AL co-founded Acsys Technologies, a leading IoT company serving the telecom industry globally. He also had a stint in consulting at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, restructuring airlines and sovereign wealth funds.
AL calls Los Angeles home, and still refers to his INSEAD experience in Fontainebleau as “the best year of my life”. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical & computer engineering (distinction) and an INSEAD MBA (Dec’2008). Besides serving as a member of the Forbes Technology Council (2018-2021), AL was designated as “alien of extraordinary ability” by the US government in 2017 and was named “Who’s Who” Top Executive for 2020.

Wola Joseph-Condotti EMBA'22Jan
INSEADer of the month: April 2024
Wola has been nominated due to her outstanding career and contributions to the legal profession in Nigeria, embodying INSEAD’s dedication to excellence through education.
Wola is the pioneer Chief, Legal & Company Secretariat at Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) and currently doubles as Data Protection Officer.
Prior to joining EKEDP, Wola worked with Lagoon Home Savings and Loans as its General Counsel/Company Secretary and with Banwo & Ighodalo, as a Legal Associate. Wola holds a law degree from the University of Ibadan, an LLM from the Harvard Law School and an EMBA from INSEAD. Wola is also an International Finance Corporation (World Bank) Board Evaluation Certified Professional and Corporate Governance Trainer.
Wola was ranked 11th out of the top 50 General Counsels in Nigeria in the 2019 edition of the LKS Seminar Legal Magazine. In 2018, Legal Blitz ranked her one of the top 40 under 40 Lawyers impacting the legal profession in Nigeria. She has also led her team in back-to-back wins of the Energy and Power Team for the Years 2017, 2018 and 2022.
In 2021, she received an award from the Association of Lawyers in Oil and Gas Nigeria for her years of distinguished service in the Power Industry. She also received awards from the Managing Director/CEO of EKEDP under the 2021 Excellence Award for “The Guru” and the special award for “Milestone Achievement".
Wola is a Director on the Board of the Women in Energy Network and on the Board of Prime-Rose Nursery & Primary School; she also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Jimi Tewe Foundation, as well as the Advisory Board of Newswire Law & Events Magazine. She was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Electricity Law Reports as well as the Public Affairs & Advocacy Committee of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Wola is a fellow of the Institute of Credit Administrators, a member of the Institute of Directors and the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria. She is also an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, and Women in Management, Business and Public Service.

Ashwini Kakkar MBA'79
INSEADer Of The Month: March 2024
To celebrate our first Alumni Forum Asia that was held in India, we would like to recognise Ashwini, not only for his exceptional career but also his entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropic work as the Founder-Chairman of the Fight Hunger Foundation India.
A widely regarded business and thought leader, entrepreneur and philanthropist, he is a mechanical engineer with master’s degrees in finance and international business, including an MBA from INSEAD.
Ashwini has been actively involved with philanthropy for over a decade, as the Founder-Chairman of Fight Hunger Foundation India, which is now part of ‘Action Against Hunger’, whose mission is to enhance the nutritional well-being of both children and mothers. After serving on its Global Board for many years, he was elected Global Chairman of Action Against Hunger in October 2021.
He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Directors and has served as President of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the World Travel & Tourism Council, India.
In 2006, President Jacques Chirac of France decorated Ashwini Kakkar with the ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre de Merite’.
Ashwini has been on the boards of various global organizations including Recipharm, Thomas Cook, The Travel Partnership Corporation, Atout France, Europ assistance, INSEAD Alumni Association. Additionally, he has been involved with Indian organisations such as: International General Electric, Prudential Capital, Fanuc, Alliance Capital, Nitin Lifesciences, and Jai Medica. He also served as a director for a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India (DICGC).
He continues to sit on the boards of various international and Indian companies and serves as an Angel Investor and mentor to start-ups, with multiple exits to his credit.
He is married to Beate Mauder, a Francophile German businesswoman, and has a daughter, Kritika, a British national working in London.
Ashwini is a keen sports person and a collector of modern and contemporary Indian art.

Sophie Cahen, MBA’16D
INSEADer of the Month: February 2024
Co-founder of Ganymed Robotics, Sophie is dedicated to providing life-changing orthopedic surgery, making it both safe and affordable for as many people as possible. Founded in 2018, Ganymed Robotics, with a team of 40 people, has successfully raised €42 million to enhance the reliability and efficiency of orthopaedic surgical care.
An engineer by training, Sophie has worked on four continents in fields as varied as finance, scientific research, international development aid and industrial performance consulting. Her deep curiosity has led her to co-invent three patents and receive the I-Lab and I-Nov National Awards by the French Ministry of Research and Innovation.
In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Sophie received the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2021 from Agnès Pannier-Runacher, then Minister Delegate for Industry, and was appointed Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2022. Sophie contributions were further acknowledged in 2023 when she received the INSEAD alumni association France award for Best Young Alumni Achievement.
A fervent advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation as forces for good, Sophie sits on the admission Board of CentraleSupélec’s start-up incubator and is a regular speaker at INSEAD, sharing her insights and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

Michael Badeski MBA’19J
INSEADer of the month: January 2024
Michael Badeski, former Co-Founder of Inseact, is our INSEADer of the Month, and kicks off the year as our first INSEADer of the Month for 2024!
He was nominated because he embodies two core principles of INSEAD – an entrepreneurial spirit, and a focus on sustainability.
Following his graduation, he became an integral part of the early team at Disperse, a London-based A.I. startup making the construction industry more efficient. There, he established the initial sales operations, steering the company away from founder-led sales to achieve predictable and scalable revenue growth.
Over the past few years, Michael has dedicated his efforts to building Inseact, a Singaporean company committed to bridging the growing protein-population gap through sustainable insect protein.
Inseact started as a student project, winning the annual INSEAD Venture Competition in 2018. Subsequently, the company secured VC funding and established Singapore's most advanced insect facility during the challenges posed by Covid, an effort that led them to winning INSEAD's Business as a Force for Good award in 2022.
Recently, Michael published a comprehensive report offering deep insights for potential investors interested in the insect industry, available for download on LinkedIn. Michael recently relocated to New York to continue creating and investing in the companies of the future, and using venture as a force to profitably protect the environment.

Rachna Chowla MBA’09D
INSEADer of the month: December 2023
Rachna is a practicing clinician in London, and a Joint Director of Clinical Strategy at King’s Health Partners, one of eight Academic Health Science Centres in England, which brings together three NHS trusts and a World-Class University. She leads their collaborations with primary care on improving system-wide quality and outcomes, and on improving urban population health.
She is a member of the Global Compassion Coalition which promotes compassion-based dialogues. She has written and speaks regularly about Compassionate Leadership and Innovation in healthcare.
Rachna was a Louis Franck Scholar to INSEAD, and now serves on the committee which continues to support new generations of INSEAD scholars. She is proud to co-chair her MBA Class Reunions and Class Fund, and she sits on the INSEAD Alumni Fund. She also serves as an Executive in Residence at INSEAD's Healthcare Management.
Rachna is a poet at heart, has authored two collections of poetry, and founded The Swirling Leaf Press in 2017, which enables poets and non-fiction writers to share their words of love, truth and beauty.
And like most INSEADers, Rachna is multilingual, and speaks Hindi, English, Italian and French.

Tong Gu MBA’17J
INSEADer of the month: November 2023
Tong has spent her entire professional life in technology over the past 15 years; from TMT investment banking, and entrepreneurship to venture capital. She’s most recently launched Pact VC, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technologies that positively shape how we live and work in the next decades.
Starting her career in technology and media investment banking, Tong spent six years between Compass Advisers and Citigroup in London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. She completed five mergers and acquisitions in Europe and one of the largest M&A cross-border transactions between China and Israel. She then went on to launch a B2B data analytics company in Shanghai.
The business became one of the pioneers to employ machinelearning to gather and visualise market insights, empowering independent brands to compete economically with larger corporations. As the co-founder and COO, Tong built and scaled the team to 40 people and the business was successfully exited to a leading consulting group after two years of founding.
Tong was recently an Investor at ADV, an early-stage venture capital fund that invests across the UK. She led and managed investments in a range of sectors including deeptech, edtech and e-mobility. As an active board member, she frequently supported their portfolio companies on structuring their Asia strategy.
She studied Information Systems Engineering, a combined degree of Computer Science and Electrical Electronic Engineering, at Imperial College London and has an MBA from INSEAD.Outside of work, she spends time with friends on the open sea balancing her active life with work and family on land, and exploring places she would otherwise not be able to reach.

Robin Millington MBA’87J
INSEADer of the month: November 2023
Robin Millington is Founding Director of Planet Tracker, a non-profit sustainable finance think tank which is working to embed the value of nature into global capital markets to ensure sustainability of our environment and of the businesses and products dependent upon natural capital.
Having dedicated nearly three decades to environmental causes including climate, biodiversity/nature and wetlands/water, Robin is an experienced senior director with an extensive track record which includes Board experience; leadership of organisations; management roles in both large corporate and entrepreneurial start-ups; managed turn-arounds; strategic and organisational development; multi-million dollar fundraising; financial management and communications.
She is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of the Capitals Coalition, previously was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Gold Standard Foundation and serves on various advisory committees.
Robin was a Director with the European Climate Foundation for many years; Founding Director of Wetlands International; Managing Director of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels and in her early career, she worked in the IT industry for UK-based International Computers Ltd. (ICL - now a part of Fujitsu) in London, Central Europe and in Moscow where she was responsible for the largest IT joint venture in the ex-Soviet Union. Before completing her MBA at INSEAD, she spent several years in IT consulting. She holds dual BA degrees from Stanford University in International Relations and in Communications.
In September 2023 Robin was awarded Sustainable Business Leader of the Year, Global, by the Environmental Finance Sustainable Company Awards judges. This is the latest in a string of awards for Planet Tracker, which also won two awards at Environmental Finance’s Sustainable Investment Awards earlier this year.

Geoffrey David Ralston MBA’92D
INSEADer of the month: September 2023
Geoff was the president of Y Combinator from early 2019 until the end of 2022. He had been a YC partner since 2011. Geoff has worked with hundreds of YC companies like Stripe, Gingko, Clever, Helion and Boom and has personally angel invested in over 100 companies.
In the early days of the web, Geoff and his team created one of the very first web-based email products, Rocketmail. Rocketmail eventually became Yahoo! Mail when it was acquired by Yahoo! in 1997. At Yahoo! Geoff was a VP of engineering, ran a division for several years as an SVP/GM and completed his career there as Chief Product Officer.
Subsequently Geoff was CEO of Lala Media, which Apple purchased in 2010. When Geoff joined Y Combinator in 2011, he also co-founded and ran Imagine K12, the first educational technology accelerator which funded several well-known edtech startups including ClassDojo, Remind, and Panorama Education. Imagine K12 merged with YC in 2016.
Geoff graduated from Dartmouth College in 1982 with a degree in Computer Science, went out to California to work at Hewlett Packard and eventually returned to school at Stanford to complete his masters in Computer Science. Later, while living abroad in France, he earned his MBA at INSEAD.
Geoff still loves programming, has written software in every job he’s ever had (including as YC’s president) and is the proud author of Angelcalc, which is a popular free cap table / convertible modeling tool. Geoff is married with three children and lives in Atherton, CA.

Birger Magnus MBA’84D
INSEADer of the Month: August 2023
The President of the INSEAD Norwegian Council for the past 14 years, Birger is an active member of the INSEAD community. Serving currently as the Chair of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, NRK, he also chairs several international start-ups and scale-ups like Oda, WG2, and Xeneta.
Birger has also been serving on the Harvard Business Publishing board the last 11 years and is the Chair of Norsk Klimastiftelse, Holmenkollen Skifestival and the charity Active Against Cancer Foundation.
In addition to an MBA from INSEAD, Birger holds a M. Sc. from NTNU. Until 2010, he was the EVP and deputy CEO of Schibsted ASA. Before joining Schibsted in 1996, he was a Partner with McKinsey & Co Inc, heading the Oslo office and chairing the Nordic TMT Practice.
Previously Birger has been the Chairman of Storebrand ASA, Hafslund ASA, and several Schibsted companies, e.g., Aftenposten, VG, SvD, Aftonbladet, 20 min, and Media Norge. He has been the Chair of Statoil F&R and served on the boards of SAS and Aschehoug as.
He is happily married to fellow INSEADer Siri B Hatlen MBA’91 and together they have four lovely children.
Marinella Soldi MBA’94D
INSEADer of the Month: July 2023
Marinella was appointed Chairwoman of Rai, the Italian public service media, in July 2021 by the Draghi government.
Born in Italy and growing up in London, her current role is the synthesis of a career spent in media, technology and leadership coaching. She was CEO of Discovery Networks Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal and France) 2009-2018, and transformed its business from small, pure linear pay, to a diversified multiplatform portfolio with innovative content, making it at time the third largest media in Italy and the biggest market for revenue and audience outside of the USA for Discovery. Her first 18 months in the role are described in an INSEAD business case.
Marinella trained and worked as a leadership coach for nine years prior to her experience in Discovery. She began her career in 1990 at McKinsey Company for three years in London and Italy, and spent five years in senior roles at MTV Networks Europe, including SVP Strategic Development in London and GM, MTV Italy in Milan.
From 2019 to 2022, she was non-executive Chairwoman of the Vodafone Italia Foundation, creating an ecosystem and launching an app of gamified digital skills learning and open badges, to address the digital skills gap in Italy, especially targeted at NEETs.
She is currently also member of the Board of Directors of EBU-European Broadcasting Union, non-executive Director for Nexi SpA (Digital payments) and Ariston NV (Thermal Solutions).
Rémy Best MBA’93D
INSEADer of the Month: June 2023
The Managing Partner of the Pictet Group since 2003, and an Emerald Salamander recipient and a member of the INSEAD Board of Directors since 2010, Rémy chaired the Endowment Management Committee from 2010 to 2016. He was then appointed by the Board to chair the largest ever fundraising campaign of the university involving 45,000 alumni in 176 countries.
In 2020 Rémy was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC. He is a member of the ICRC's Recruitment and Compensation Commission, and has served his clients, colleagues and community members to create a positive impact and demonstrate that business can indeed be a force for good.
Rémy enjoys cultivating the arts and aesthetics in all their forms. He supports music, opera and dance and has a passion for gardening. He is a strong believer that access to education and culture are universal rights that deserve to be promoted and protected.
Lauren Chung EMBA'17D
INSEADer of the Month: May 2023
Lauren Chung EMBA'17D, CEO of Strategy and Communications Advisory, Asia Pacific at Teneo, is our INSEADer of the Month!
Lauren advises CEOs and C-suite executives in Asia on their strategic, reputational, transformational and stakeholder relations agendas. She has a particular focus on working with the ‘next generation’ of CEOs and business leaders, who are either inheriting multi-generational companies or building new businesses for the future.
She works with both public and private sector leaders, and ensures her work and counsel are focused on generating value for all stakeholders.
She served as a co-founder of a regional consultancy before it was acquired by Teneo in 2017, then became the firm’s COO in Asia Pacific and soon after her EMBA at INSEAD, the regional CEO.
Lauren has deep knowledge of the issues facing business leaders in the region, as illustrated in Teneo’s recent research study, Asia’s Next Generation of CEOs and Corporate Leaders Report, which found ‘purpose’ becoming a central theme of Asia’s rising leaders, as well as building resilience as an organisational muscle and social contribution as a dominant factor in their ESG strategies.
Like INSEAD, Lauren believes that business is a force for good as she lives Teneo’s ethos of partnering with clients to do great things for a better future.
Howard Shih MBA'12J
INSEADer of the Month: April 2023
A Research Associate for the Science Based Targets initiative, Howard spent over 11 years in the financial sector across the US, Europe, and Asia as a credit risk specialist at Bank of America and the Bank for International Settlements. However, amidst the pandemic in 2021, he decided to join the non-profit sector in the fight against climate change.
Howard now works to increase the climate ambition of financial institutions to set science-based targets on their portfolios and operations. He is juggling several projects to develop methods, criteria, guidance, and other resources to reduce the barriers to adoption of these emissions-reduction targets that are aligned with what scientists say is necessary for holding global temperature rise to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius.
Howard has engaged numerous banks, asset owners, asset managers, private equity firms, insurers, and other external stakeholders in support of their decarbonisation journeys. As of December 2022, he has helped independently assess and validate over 50 near-term science-based targets set by financial institutions.
As of December 2022, he has helped independently assess and validate over 50 near-term science-based targets set by financial institutions.
Nicole Sparshott EMC'21
INSEADer of the Month: March 2023
The CEO of Unilever Australia & New Zealand, Nicky has over 25 years of experience in developing and building brands, growing businesses, and transforming infrastructure and culture. She has worked across a broad range of organisations including Unilever, The CocaCola Company, P&G and George Patterson Y&R.
Recognised for her depth and breadth of expertise across FMCG, Retail, Luxury, and Ecommerce, Nicky also brings broader based category experience spanning food, beverages, health care and personal care. Nicky holds a Masters in International Business, which has been supported by significant global management experience across Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, USA and the highly diverse markets of Asia.
She recently completed an Executive MBA in Change, through INSEAD, graduating with Distinction and is also an HBDI certified practitioner. Nicky is a Non-Executive Director on the boards of World Wildlife Fund Australia and The Australian Food & Grocery Council and is Chair of NFP, Global Sisters.
She also sits on the Australasian Advisory Board of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and UTS Vice Chancellors Industry Advisory Board. She is a National Member of the Champions of Change Coalition; a Founding Member of the B-Team Australasia and Climate Leaders Coalition and is a member of Chief Executive Women.
She is a passionate advocate that businesses today must drive regenerative agendas that positively impact people, planet and profit and in doing so be a true force for good. She is also a TEDX speaker, encouraging Love as the new corporate currency, to drive exceptional creativity, discretionary effort and high performance.
The best advice she has ever been given was "when you are dancing on thin ice you may as well tap dance" and that is how she lives her life with her husband Graeme and their two children, Keira & Lachlan.
INSEADer of the Month: February 2023
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Asia Strategic Holdings, Enrico is an entrepreneur and investor driven by the opportunity to empower communities in emerging Asia and invest in a better tomorrow. Together with his fellow INSEAD classmates, Jonathan Kolb, CPA MBA’09D and Alain Thibault MBA’09D, they are growing Asia Strategic Holdings, a London-listed operator and developer of consumer businesses in emerging Asia.
Together, they proudly educate approximately 10,000 students every year and provide employment opportunities to over 2,200 professionals, while supporting the livelihood of over 10,000 people in urban and rural communities, including some conflict areas, in Myanmar and Vietnam.
Enrico is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at MACAN, a Singapore-based private holding company, backed by European families investing for many decades across emerging and developed markets. Aside from seeding ASIA Strategic, MACAN has been a founding shareholder in multiple companies across nuclear energy (newcleo) and health tech (Jonda Health), among others.
Enrico is an active member of the YPO Singapore Lion City and Yangon chapters and a Council Member at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. For merits in promoting bilateral relations, he has been conferred the honorary title of “Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy” by the President of the Italian Republic.
Enrico earned his MBA from INSEAD (MBA’09D) and a bachelor’s degree in Institutions and Financial Markets Management from Università Bocconi.
In true INSEAD spirit he is also happily married with Dr Suhina Singh (MD, MBA) GEMBA’21, chronic disease warrior and founder of Jonda Health.
Congratulations to Enrico on his achievements and contribution to INSEAD!
Paula Reichenberg MBA’07J
INSEADer of the Month: January 2023
A Swiss lawyer and entrepreneur with a knack for technology and the perseverance to build bridges between the legal and tech worlds, she embraced entrepreneurship at an early age, taking over her late father's wine estate at 18 while pursuing a law degree.
She then moved into the M&A and Capital Markets department of a major Zurich law firm, before her relentless focus on optimisation and innovation drove her to the next chapter of enrolling in the INSEAD MBA programme to “go beyond my corporate lawyer worldview and acquire the management acumen to run a state-of-the-art business, developing the right grounding and experience to eventually launch a new venture.”
Her interest in the entrepreneurship electives and winning the first prize at the 14th INSEAD Business Venture Competition led her to put this plan into action earlier than expected, founding “Hieronymus”, a start-up offering specialised support services to law firms.
Two children and ten years of steady growth later, Paula embarked on a new high-growth tech venture project, raising a CHF 1.6m seed investment to create the first legal and financial translation SaaS platform, tailored to the specific needs of the industry.
"Once again, INSEAD has proven instrumental in my career path: it is largely thanks to the alumni network that I was able to close our seed round in record time and even exceed our initial funding goal by 40%, despite the bear market of 2022."
After just a few months, “Neur.on” already boasts a prestigious client base in Switzerland and is preparing to conquer its first international markets by the end of 2023.

Andrew Booth MBA'03D is our INSEADer of the Month!
The Chief Financial Officer at AbCellera, he was the Director on AbCellera’s Board and has been involved with the company since its founding in 2012. While in his role as the CFO, Andrew has brought in over $750 million USD in financing to AbCellera which includes the company’s IPO on the NASDAQ in 2020.
AbCellera’s IPO was one of the largest #biotech IPOs ever and the largest biotech IPO in Canada, and its antibody discovery and development engine has been specifically designed to address the barriers of conventional discovery, and find the optimal clinical candidates with precision and speed that get therapeutics to the clinic and to patients faster.
Prior to joining AbCellera as the CFO, Andrew spent approximately 10 years at STEMCELL Technologies holding roles as the Vice President of Instrumentation, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Commercial Officer. During his time at STEMCELL the company grew from approximately $40 million in revenue and 250 employees to $250 million in revenue and over 1,300 employees worldwide.
Andrew joined STEMCELL from GE Healthcare based in London, UK where he led M&A activities for GE Healthcare’s EMEA and global Life Sciences businesses. He made his move to GE in the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program following the completion of his MBA from INSEAD in 2003.
He also has a BASc in Engineering Physics with honours from the University of British Columbia, after which he worked for Creo Technologies in Vancouver, and co-founded Zaber Technologies which produces and sells micro positioning equipment globally.
Andrew regularly participates in panels and advisory committees across Canada on innovation, entrepreneurship, and scaling companies, and lives in the beautiful outdoors of Squamish, British Columbia with his wife, Danica and their five children.

Ambareen Musa MBA’07D
INSEADer of the Month: November 2022
The CEO and Founder of Souqalmal.com, Ambareen founded the company in 2012 after setting up the consulting arm of MasterCard Middle East and Africa. Previously holding various roles in marketing, financial literacy, customer advocacy and e- commerce for General Electric’s (GE) financial arm, GE Money, she has also led the first online financial literacy initiative in the U.K., Moneybasics.co.uk. She also stepped into #entrepreneurship in 2001, starting RentFast – a property technology company in Australia.
She later relocated to the Middle East in 2008 where she consulted for Bain & Company Middle East, focusing on financial services projects such as growth strategies for banks in the region. Surprised to find no single comparison website for financial services in the region, Ambareen assembled a team and attracted the funding to bring Souqalmal to life within four years.
Souqalmal has been hailed as a market influencer and champion of financial inclusion and education, and the company empowers consumers with a transparent marketplace and unbiased data to enable commitment-free comparison shopping of financial and insurance products in the MENA region.
Souqalmal raised $10m during its latest series B funding round with the help of three major investors: GoCompare Group, Ryiad Taqnia Fund, and UAE Exchange, and in March 2022, SHUAA Capital acquired a majority stake in the company.
Outside of her professional life, this INSEADer of the month enjoys winding down with a game of golf or padel tennis.

Georgina Grenon MBA’99J
INSEADer of the Month: October 2022
After a career in sustainable policies, technologies and businesses, Georgina Grenon is now leading the sustainability challenge of the world's next big event: Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Starting her career in business development at YPF S.A., after obtaining an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires, she eventually continued her learning journey with an MBA at INSEAD (99J).
She then became a director at the international strategy consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, devoting herself mainly to energy and operations - with a nacent focus on sustainability - working in Europe, the USA, Japan and South America for nearly ten years.
Eventually, she joined the Directorate-General of Energy and Climate (DGEC), part of the French Ministry of Ecology and Energy, where she supported the development of renewable energy policies, markets and innovative clean technologies for six years.
She also represented France at the International Energy Agency, promoting international cooperation in the creation and deployment of clean technologies and markets, playing an active part at COP21 (and, among other things, helping to create the International Solar Alliance). After which, she moved to the ENGIE Group, becoming director of the New Business Factory at ENGIE Fab.
Since August 2018, Georgina is the Sustainability Director of the Organising Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, leading (among other challenges) the ambition to deliver the first Games fully aligned with the Paris Agreement.
She is also an Independent Board Member for Milano-based company Falck Renewables, and this proud mother of two teenage girls serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Mer Concept, a French leading ocean racing team and purpose-driven maritime innovation start-up.

Pierre-Francois Thaler MBA’99 and Sylvain Guyoton MBA’02
INSEADers of the Month: September 2022
When Pierre-Francois Thaler MBA’99 co-founded Ecovadis in 2007 with Frederic Trinel, one of his first challenge was to identify a sustainability and corporate social responsibility expert.
Thanks to INSEAD’s extensive global alumni network, he was able to connect with Sylvain Guyoton MBA’02, who became the company’s first team member and is now the Chief Rating Officer at EcoVadis.
Together they have transformed the organisation into a global leader for Business Sustainability Ratings, with a team of 1,400 now supporting 100,000 customers in 150 countries. Raising a new round of $500m in July 2022, EcoVadis has become one of the first sustainability software unicorns.
The same year, the organisation also became a "Purpose-Led Business" ("Entreprise a Mission"), as Pierre-Francois and Sylvain continued to spearhead efforts to increasingly drive impact at scale and guide all businesses towards a sustainable world.
Pierre-François brings 25 years of experience in Procurement, Sustainability and Cloud Technologies. He was CEO of B2Build, the first B2B marketplace for the European construction industry (co-founded with four other INSEAD MBAs), before becoming the Director of SAP Ariba Procurement BPO business in EMEA. He has been a strong advocate for sustainable supplychains, speaking at over 100 conferences in Europe and the US.
Sylvain brings 20 years of experience on sustainability, ESG and sustainable finance. Starting his INSEAD journey in 2002, he led the first ever ethical graduation pledge in a European MBA school. Sylvain teaches sustainable procurement in executive master classes, and regularly publishes articles on topics under sustainability and climate change.

Sonal Bahl MBA’09J
INSEADer of the Month: August 2022
Recognised as one of the Top 25 Career Coaches in the world, Sonal traded in a successful corporate career working as an HR Leader with Fortune 100 companies like GE, PwC and European firms like KPN and Lhoist, to set up her own entrepreneurial venture.
Based in Belgium, her firm, SuperCharge, works with senior to mid-level executives (including many INSEADers) across the world helping them land their dream jobs, get promoted, negotiate better pay, manage career transitions and return to work after career breaks. As a Career Strategist, Sonal strongly believes that a fulfilling career is a birthright, and not a privilege for the lucky few who have access to prestigious education, capital, and networks.
While working one-on-one with clients who can afford coaching, on the other front Sonal has been on a mission to democratise access to high value career advice. She executes on this mission with designing affordable digital courses, with her YouTube Channel (which has 115,000 followers and was awarded a silver play button by Youtube) and a podcast called ‘How I Got Hired’. The podcast is rated as one of the Top 25 career podcasts in 50 countries, to which listeners from 3,000 cities tune in weekly to hear career advice from ordinary people who have had extraordinary career success.
Sonal believes that her stint at INSEAD was the defining moment in her career and has been giving back for many years, volunteering at INSEAD Women in Business Club, INSEAD Alumni Fund and is a Board Member of the INSEAD Alumni Association of Belgium.
When Sonal is not cranking out live broadcasts on LinkedIn or coaching, she is a happy soprano in a 60-member choir. They perform regularly to raise funds for children's cancer research. She’s also frequently seen drinking lots of masala chai - which helps her to hit those high notes!
Having worked in Latin America, Asia and Europe, Sonal speaks English, Hindi, Spanish and French fluently - a true global INSEADer.

Mark Pathy MBA’98D
INSEADer of the Month: July 2022
The Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Montreal-based MAVRIK CORP., an investment firm with a particular focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and responsibleinvesting, Mark Pathy is also the Chairman of the Board of Stingray Group Inc., a publicly-traded leading music, media, and technology company based in Montreal.
Prior to founding MAVRIK, Pathy served as the President and CEO of Fednav International Ltd., an international dry bulk shipping company, and co-CEO of its parent company Fednav Limited. He continues to contribute as a member to the group’s Board of Directors.
Having obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in 1993 and a Master’s in Business Administration from INSEAD in 1998, Pathy continues to amplify INSEAD’s mission of #businessasaforceforgood. A dedicated philanthropist who serves on the Board of the Pathy Family Foundation, he is also member of the Board and Executive Committee of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Dans la Rue Foundation, an organization supporting at-risk and homeless youth in Montreal, Canada.
Recently, Pathy has become the third private Canadian, and the 12th Canadian overall to have travelled into space, in Pathy’s case, as a commercial astronaut on Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station, which took place April 8th to April 25th, 2022. During his time in space, he conducted important health science research, technology demonstrations, environmental impact observations, and educational outreach.

Sumitra Pasupathy MBA’01D
INSEADer of the Month: June 2022
Trained as a chemical engineer at Cambridge (MEng), Sumitra Pasupathy is now the Global Stewardship Lead at Ashoka. Focused on the Global South in Asia, she is mobilising inter-generational social innovators and funders with breakthrough ideas in the critical fields of Planet & Climate, Gender, Technology & Humanity, and New Longevity.
A social entrepreneur herself, her experience in the private and public sector spans over 25 years, and she is a frequent publisher on platforms like the World Economic Forum, guest on podcasts and moderator in conversations of driving action to build a better future.
After graduating from INSEAD in 2001, she stepped into Corporate Development in Bertelsmann; working in particular with the transformation of book and publishing businesses; and eventually pivoted to unlock innovations in the world of social change in 2006.
She co-founded Playeum, an organisation focused on raising the voices of children through play, in 2008. Through her love of working with children, she contributes to various efforts globally focused on learning, technology and mental health to create a better future for children by acting through new innovations. She is an Advisory Board member of Pratham Books, Bring Change Foundation , Avanti Fellows US (501c company) and contributor of the 2030 OECD Learning Framework. Most recently, she served in the Investment Committee of the Sofina Covid Solidarity Fund.
Her other achievements include being a Developmental Coach from the school of Integral Coaching (CfD) from University of Cape Town, an exco member of the YPO organisation, and a patent holder from her time in Procter & Gamble. Sumitra and Naveen Menon (MBA’01D) are Salamander donors, and both contribute to social impact globally in their private and public capacities. They have three boys aged 17, 15 and 11 and live in Singapore.

Claus Zieler MBA’91J
INSEADer of the Month: May 2022
The President of Established Markets at Astellas Pharma, Mr Zieler has built an international career in the pharmaceutical industry, living and working in Europe, the US, Latin America and Asia.
Trained as a Molecular Biologist in the US, Mr Zieler graduated from INSEAD in 1991 and joined Schering AG in Germany as a management trainee. He subsequently held roles of increasing responsibility in Sales & Marketing, R&D and General Management, including General Management positions for Schering in Germany and Argentina, and for Bayer in Belgium, Japan and Singapore. In 2019, he joined Astellas Pharma as President International Markets and took on his present role as President Established Markets in January this year.
Launching a novel anticoagulant in the Japanese market (which contributed to preventing stroke for millions of Japanese patients), Mr Zieler also built a new commercial division at Astellas, creating the International Markets organisation and strategy. Mr Zieler is an Extended Member of Astellas’ Executive Committee and a Board member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).

Siddhartha Chaturvedi MBA’15D
INSEADer of the Month: April 2022
Focused on harnessing innovative technologies to create positive impact for people and the planet, Siddhartha is currently a Director for Product Management at Microsoft's Strategic Missions and Technology division. His deep-rooted passion in health and social entrepreneurship began with his social impact initiative in rural India which sought to predict disease patterns to ensure planned societal interventions and improved access to treatment to under-served communities.
A part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and selected as the top 27 ideas for Lufthansa's Runways to Success, he started his MBA journey with INSEAD in 2015. Speaking about his experience, he said, “I learned that collaboration opens doors and breakthrough ideas cannot be thought of in silos. If we align a multi-disciplinary shared vision, we can create things that have not existed before.”
Graduating and continuing his mission, Siddhartha has worked on enabling deep technology productization of preventive engines through Microsoft Premonition and helped co-create Microsoft’s $60 Million AI for Health program in 2020, which expanded its scope to also include COVID-19.

Elisa Dierickx MBA’21J
INSEADer of the Month: March 2022
Dr Dierickx's interests lie in environmental sustainability, biodiversity and nature conservation. She studied biology at Harvard and holds a PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge, where her research focused on the genetics of the Raso lark, a rare bird only found on the tiny island of Raso in Cabo Verde. Dr Dierickx and colleagues set up the NGO Fundação Maio Biodiversidade on Maio Island in Cabo Verde, a multi award-winning nature conservation organisation that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. In addition, she has served as Eurasia Programme Development Manager at Fauna & Flora International, the world's oldest international wildlife conservation organisation.
Dr Dierickx received the inaugural Alumni Change Maker Award from the Financial Times for her work with INSEAD professors Ella Miron-Spektor and Ithai Stern, bringing the story of Fundação Maio Biodiversidade and Maio Island into the INSEAD MBA classroom through a multi-part case study supported by virtual reality footage. This case is used in Organisational Behaviour core classes and was an integral part of the INSEAD MBA’22J Master Strategist Day.
Today, Dr Dierickx is an associate at SYSTEMIQ, a systems change company that partners with business, finance, policy-makers, and civil society to make economic systems sustainable.

Suruchi Ahuja MBA’12D
INSEADer of the Month: February 2022
Suruchi Ahuja is Chief Executive Officer of Tillman Infrastructure. She is a founding member of Tillman Infrastructure’s team, having served as president and chief financial officer since August 2016. During her tenure as CFO, Ms. Ahuja helped take the business from inception to successful relationships with all of the major carriers in the U.S. and a pipeline of several thousand towers. In addition to her role at Tillman Infrastructure, Ms. Ahuja is a partner at the parent company, Tillman Global Holdings, the leading privately held digital infrastructure company in the U.S. with global operations.
Prior to joining Tillman Infrastructure, Ms. Ahuja worked as an investment analyst at MAST Capital Management, investing in high yield credit opportunities the telecom and satellite space. Ms. Ahuja started her career at Citi, in the Hedge Fund Services business.
She is a 2020 Young Leader of the French American Foundation. She is also a Director of the Ahuja Family Foundation, an organization focused on promoting peace, education, and empowerment initiatives, around the world.
She studied Operations Research at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University and completed her MBA at INSEAD.

Karen Hitschke MBA'97J
INSEADer of the Month: January 2022
Karen is the Chief Operating Officer of the WHO Foundation, and is working to make health more equitable and the world safer by funding initiatives with the greatest potential to improve world health.
Set up in mid-2020 to address our planet’s most urgent global health issues, the WHO Foundation supports the World Health Organization (WHO) and its global network of partners by mobilizing new funding from diverse sources — including philanthropists, corporate entities, and the public — to drive innovation and transform the global health ecosystem.
Karen has dedicated her career to social impact and wears multiple hats. As a trained biologist and a certified executive coach, she holds over 25 years of experience in the Biotechnology, Venture Capital, Consulting, Social Business, and Impact Investing sectors. Beyond the WHO Foundation, Karen is a Board Member and former Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Funds at Yunus Social Business Global Initiatives (YSB), a pioneering Impact Investing organisation that funds social businesses. Karen built and ran YSB’s worldwide Social Business Fund activities for nearly a decade. Karen holds additional board memberships at UnCap, an impact fund financing sub-Saharan entrepreneurs at scale, and at the Karman Foundation, which has the mission to foster collaboration for the good of society. Karen is also an advisor to Auxxo, a venture capital fund focusing exclusively on female founders. She is a member of the Investor Circle of btov, a Swiss-based VC and Business Angel network investing across Europe. Her prior positions include serving as Chief Financial Officer of Affectis GmbH, a German biotech company, as an Investment Director at Apax Partners - the pan-European Venture Capital Fund, and as a Consultant at McKinsey & Co.

Christian Vezjak MBA’17J and Jafar Shunnar MBA’17D - Co-FOunders, Kiitos Technologies
INSEADers of the Month: September 2021
Both studying for their MBA on our Asia Campus at the same time, Christian and Jafar formed a friendship and nurtured a common dream to give back to their native Palestine. Inspired to build technology with impact, in 2019 they founded Kiitos Technologies (based on the Finnish word for “thank you” and a nod to INSEAD Professor Ville Satopää), with a mission to build tech skills and create employment opportunities for Palestinian youth.
An example of using tech as a force for good, their company has grown rapidly and they plan to begin expanding globally in 2022, creating 5000 more jobs by 2030 in Gaza, the West Bank and other underrepresented places around the world.
Jafar has a background in software engineering, and now lectures part-time on IT Business Management, alongside his Kiitos duties; Christian’s path to INSEAD and beyond came via management in import/export and market development across industries.
Please join us in congratulating Christian and Jafar!

Marta del Rio Villanueva - CEO & Founder, Wasi Organics
INSEADer of the Month: August 2021
Born in Peru, Marta studied and worked in Europe for over 20 years, before returning to her native country in 2010. Drawing on the general management, marketing and corporate strategy experience she gained from working in the consumer goods, retail and financial services sectors between London and Madrid, Marta founded Wasi Organics that same year.
As a social entrepreneur, Marta believes that social impact, environmental and economic sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Even before her career change, Marta was actively involved in different NGOs on a pro bono basis, for example serving on the boards of NeSSt, an international NGO, and IPAE, the leading Peruvian development think tank.
In 2018, Marta was the recipient of the UN SDGs Female Entrepreneur Award for the Latin America and Caribbean Region. This award recognises businesswomen who are advancing the UN SDGs and inspiring people to create the world they want by 2030.
Please join us in congratulating Marta!

Simon Paris MBA’98J - CEO, Finastra
INSEADer of the Month: July 2021
As CEO of Finastra, Simon's vision and leadership steers the company towards its goal of unlocking the potential of people, businesses and communities everywhere, through its commitment to opening up the world of financial services. His focus is always on how technology can improve lives, from giving a shoemaker in India the means to trade internationally, through to bringing banking to the millions of unbanked around the world.
Simon chairs the World Trade Board and is particularly passionate about how technology and open trade can drive financial inclusion, opportunity and sustainable economic growth. He is also a Non-Executive Director of both Thomson Reuters and Everbridge.
Simon was named #2 in the 2021 Financial Technology Report’s Top 50 Financial Technology CEOs. Simon joined Finastra 2015, bringing more than 20 years of sales, management and global leadership expertise; he had been President, Industry Cloud, at SAP, and prior to that was a senior McKinsey & Company consultant.
Please join us in congratulating Simon!

Dare Okoudjou MBA’05D - Founder & CEO, MS Africa
INSEADer of the Month: June 2021
Dare Okoudjou MBA’05D, the Founder and CEO of MFS Africa, is our INSEADer of the month!
MFS Africa is a leading pan-African fintech company, operating the largest digital payments hub on the continent. Dare grew up in Benin.
The MFS Africa Hub connects over 320 million mobile wallets in 36 countries in Africa allowing merchants, banks, mobile operators and money transfer companies to take advantage of mobile wallets as a safe, convenient, and cost-effective transaction channel. MFS Africa was named by Fast Company as one of Africa’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in 2017.
Prior to founding MFS Africa, Dare worked at MTN Group, where he developed its mobile payment strategy and led its implementation across 21 countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. It was here he saw the vast potential of distributed, digital financial services across emerging markets and its transformational potential. MFS was founded in 2009.
Dare was recently named as one of the Endeavor Entrepreneurs of the Endeavor Network.
Congratulations to Dare for his achievements and embodying the spirit of business as a force for good!

Anastasio Labropoulos MBA'21J
INSEADer of the Month: May 2021
Anastasio – a Greek-Spanish-Venezuelan civil engineer – is currently a student at INSEAD, pursuing an INSEAD MBA, following time working in the construction industry. At INSEAD, Anastasio has launched himself into extracurricular aspects of the programme, in particular those that support and give back to the community.
Alongside many of his classmates, Anastasio has helped raise funds for The Robin Hood Scholarship Campaign, an INSEAD student tradition around solidarity. Led by our MBA students, this fundraising campaign aims to provide a need-based diversity scholarship to a deserving candidate from the following intake. Funds raised through previous Robin Hood Campaigns helped turn Anastasio’s dream into reality, so he decided to pay it forward and give a future candidate the same chance to live the truly life-changing INSEAD experience.
Additionally, Anastasio serves as a member of the INSEAD Student Impact Fund’s Impact Assessment Team. The Fund offers MBA students the opportunity to invest for impact and gain first-hand experience of venture capital investing at every stage of the investment cycle, in partnership with INSEAD alumni-founded Loyal VC. What’s more, over 80% of Loyal ventures seek to solve one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals!
We wish him and his fellow Class of July 2021 students the best of luck in their last stretch of the MBA programme before their #INSEADgrad graduation!

Paolo Senes MBA'01D, COL'11Dec
INSEADer of the Month: April 2021
Paolo Senes is our April 2021 INSEADer of the month!
A married father of 4, Paolo decided in 2017 to dedicate himself to confronting the global ecological crisis, after a 25 years-long career spanning investment banking and entrepreneurial endeavours in various capacities.
As an ecologically-concerned person, Paolo has undertaken several ventures, including divesting all assets without a clear ecological aim and reinvesting in – so far – 12 green start-ups, ranging from plant-based proteins and green energy to impact fintech and regenerative agriculture. Three of these companies are INSEAD alumni-run! He co-founded our Community Impact Challenge and also the Belgium InBoard chapter, which is an academy for non-executive directors run by INSEAD alumni, for INSEAD Alumni. Paolo sits on several Boards of Directors, including on two as Chair, and is responsible for the sustainability transition of one – experiencing first-hand the challenges of a carbon-net-zero and plastic-net-zero company journey.
We are proud of Paolo's dedication to eliminating his ecological impact – both personally and professionally – and applaud his commitment to influence others to do the same! Please join us in congratulating Paolo.

Laurence Capron - Professor of Strategy, INSEAD
INSEADer of the Month: March 2021
Laurence Capron, Professor of Strategy and the Paul Desmarais Chaired Professor of Partnership and Active Ownership, is our INSEADer of the Month!
Professor Capron’s research and teaching focus on Corporate Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions, Alliances and Portfolio restructuring. She is author of the award-winning book “Build, Borrow or Buy”, examining how companies select and balance their different modes of growth.
She has received multiple awards for her teaching and research, including INSEAD MBA Best Teacher Award, Academy of Management Best Paper Award, and LBS Sumantra Ghoshal Award for Rigour & Relevance in the Study of Management.
Joining INSEAD in 1997, Professor Capron became the first woman to receive tenure at INSEAD, be promoted to full professor, receive a Chair and to be appointed Dean of Faculty. As Dean, she spearheaded diversity and inclusion initiatives at INSEAD, recruiting 13 female faculty members and introducing a gender dashboard across research, teaching and programme direction. To help the school navigate the Covid-19 crisis, she helped develop a pro-bono teaching scheme and a fundraising initiative, the Faculty Fund, which raised €2.7 million for the school.
Congratulations to Professor Capron on her achievements and contribution to INSEAD!

Sharyanne McSwain MBA'91J - Chief Operating Officer, Echoing Green
INSEADer of the Month: February 2021
Sharyanne McSwain MBA’91J is Echoing Green’s Chief Operating Officer. She joined the organisation with 30 years of management experience, having worked in both financial services as well as non-profit management. She is also the INSEADer of the Month for February 2021!
After receiving an MBA from INSEAD, Sharyanne embarked on a successful career in international finance working on banking teams in North America, Asia and Europe. Her financial engineering work once won her “Asian Deal of the Year” accolades from International Financing Review, and she was the lead banker on the creation of the first US-based $5 billion structured investment vehicle.
At Echoing Green she is helping grow capacity and increase impact at the org, which funds and supports early stage social innovation leaders who create solutions to structural inequities throughout the world.
Her dedication to non-profit work does not end there. In her spare time, Sharyanne serves on the boards of Airbnb, Education for Women Now, based in Paris and the Mt. Holyoke College Alumnae Association. She was also Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at StoryCorps, a US non-profit organisation that preserves and shares humanity’s stories.
Please join us in congratulating Sharyanne as INSEADer of the Month - February!