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Emerging Markets Institute
Unilever Chaired Professor of Marketing
Academic Director
INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute
Our Mission & Expertise
The INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute (EMI) is a world class think-tank for the creation and dissemination of credible and timely information on issues related to business management, economic development and social progress in the emerging economies. This includes the development of cutting-edge pedagogical materials, research publications and data sets. INSEAD faculty have built up a significant body of academic and applied research on the emerging markets. Along with our Distinguished Fellows, they are also engaged in the development of pedagogical materials, research papers and documents related to the emerging markets.
Executive Director, INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute & Gender Initiative
Director, INSEAD Hoffman Global Institute for Business & Society, Asia
By 2050, the countries currently classified as “emerging” are projected to dominate the world's ten largest economies by GDP and purchasing power parity. Knowledge on these countries is an invaluable resource for leveraging their many opportunities. Based at the Asia campus in Singapore, and set up in partnership with the Economic Development Board of Singapore, EMI reflects the changing focus of global growth and emphasizes INSEAD's commitment to the region. INSEAD's three campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore and Abu Dhabi provide the unique advantage of geographical proximity to emerging countries across the globe. We invite collaboration from other organisations, policy makers, corporations and academic institutes with a shared goal for the enhancement and dissemination of knowledge on the world's fastest growing economies.
In the Spotlight
Forbes - Leadership
What Employers Need To Know To Succeed In The New World Of Work
16 March 2022
In the uncertain future of work, companies need to determine how to move forward in a way that attracts and retains the best talent.
INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast
"What Will Healthcare Look Like After the Pandemic?" featuring Chris Hardesty and Sejal Mistry
21 February 2022
Chris and Sejal joined Suhina to speak about the innovations accelerated during the COVID pandemic in the field of digital health across emerging markets.
Article
How DBS Became the ‘World’s Best Bank’
15 November 2021
The Singapore titan’s tech-charged quest to take the banking out of banking has paid off handsomely.
Research Publication
24 September 2021
A vital first-step for resource-starved entrepreneurs seeking funding for their scalable business-idea is to obtain referrals to early-stage investors, because such investors pay more attention to referrals from trusted contacts.
INSEAD Emerging Markets Podcast
Satellite internet for rural APAC by Christian Pataroux, founder of Kacific
10 August 2021
Christian Pataroux, the CEO and founder of Kacific, a satellite internet startup that has raised $300M+ and serves some of the most remote markets in emerging APAC such as Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu, joined us for our first episode.
Article
7 August 2021
News that ‘several’ firms are in line to be licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore has been met with fanfare within the industry.
A California Management Review Article
The Challenges of Work From Home for Organizational Design
31 July 2021
While WFH has proven to have certain advantages, organizations should be cautious before fully committing.
Article
How Africa Could Astonish the World
29 June 2021
Already the most dynamic and youngest continent, Africa could be the world’s next growth miracle – with the right type of leadership.
Article
27 April 2021
Covid-related setbacks require redoubled DEI efforts, but are companies delivering?
Article
Overcoming Barriers to Supply Chain Agility
26 January 2021
A careful look at how some firms responded to the Covid-19 crisis reveals a new, more effective supply chain frontier.
News
Reuters covering the INSEAD/Thomson Reuters Asian Business Sentiment Survey 2020Q4
23 December 2020
Asian business confidence gains steam, pandemic still top risk
Article
Four Steps to Business Model Innovation
17 November 2020
Success in this new era of accelerated disruption requires a holistic approach to technology.
Article
Scorched-Earth Strategic Thinking for Covid Times
29 October 2020
“Disrupt yourself first” is so five years ago. The new motto is “Burn your company to the ground then rebuild it.”
Emerging Markets Programmes
INSEAD programmes relevant to global emerging markets.
- Executive Degree Programme - TIEMBA
- Executive Education
- MBA electives
Emerging Markets Thought Leadership
Views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of INSEAD EMI
Africa is on the move, making great strides to overcome its challenges and unlock its tremendous economic and business potential. Undoubtedly, the region will be the world’s next big growth market in the decades ahead.
Dr. Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly
Vice President, Global Economy & Development, Brookings Institution
The pandemic will mark a watershed in respect of remote working possibilities. Over 60% of our employees are doing this today at extremely high levels of productivity. This realization will push organizations to making this a standard feature in the future of work.
Piyush Gupta
Chief Executive Officer and Director, DBS Group
As leaders scramble to secure their firms' survival during the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, they need to pay particular attention to how the rules of the past may no longer apply post-COVID. A deep understanding of the interplay between technology and business models will be even more critical as they lead their firms through uncharted waters.
Sameer Hasija
Associate Professor of Technology and Operations Management and The Shell Fellow in Business and the Environment, INSEAD
The old normal may be gone for good. The world economy is unlikely to return to the previous state of openness and interdependence any time soon. The longer the medical crisis lasts, the higher the damage to public and private balance sheets and to poor people and to vulnerable countries. The cure would be multilateral action but world leaders have not been doing well on that front either.
Beatrice Weder di Mauro
Distinguished Executive Fellow, INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute
This pandemic could be a turning point for entrepreneurship. While some sectors like remote work or medtech will obviously benefit disproportionately, all sectors could see an acceleration of the pre-existing “back-to-basics” trend. Thus, start-ups that solve essential problems through business concepts that give primacy to positive unit economics and profitable growth are more likely to survive and thrive.
Bala Vissa
Professor of Entrepreneurship, INSEAD
The tragic COVID19 crisis has highlighted the dangers of our unbalanced relationship with nature, and the need to revert to a ‘new normal’, where our production and consumption models are within the planetary boundaries. For WWF this crisis boosted a narrative and strategy that positions nature at the heart of a safe future for society.
Marco Lambertini
Director General, WWF International
Consumer behavior has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses are rapidly adapting their marketing strategies. At Facebook, we are focused on providing guidance to aid informed decisions around media and measurement strategy to help businesses best meet the needs of their customers.
Georges Mao
Director of Marketing Science for APAC, Facebook
People are our greatest asset and in times of crises that’s invaluable. We will emerge stronger and hope to make an even greater positive contribution as we help customers navigate the crisis and eventually adjust to a post COVID-19 world.
Johan de Villiers
Managing Director, ABB Singapore
Is the age of globalisation over? With travel restricted, supply chains in disarray, countries fighting over medical equipment, and rise in export restrictions, countries and companies have to rethink their international and internationalisation strategies. We may see a rise in digital globalisation accompanied by a physical deglobalisation.
Pushan Dutt
Professor of Economics and The Shell Fellow of Economic Transformation, INSEAD
In times of Covid19 the quality of great leaders is even more so of importance. The ability to listen and to take decisions on a daily if not hourly basis has become a must. Showing genuine trust in a worldwide pandemic crisis is key - we cannot get stronger, if we do not stay connected and united!
Marie-Louise Philippe
Senior Sales Director, Airbus Commercial Aircraft
COVID19 has forced organizations to go digital In a way that no CEO or CIO has been able to – because all remote work is all digital work. The question now is which organizations will be able to leverage what they learn from this forced experiment to re-design themselves afresh, not only to emerge successfully from this crisis but to become resilient for future ones.
Phanish Puranam
Professor of Strategy and The Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organisation Design, INSEAD
As a leader of a fast-growing Asian business, leading the way to pause and ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our employees was a critical first step. As CEO, my priority has been balancing calmness, compassion and clarity of decisions and medium-term purpose in my outreach to my team.
Hari V Krishnan
CEO and Managing Director, PropertyGuru Group
The pandemic has shown the importance of a resilient supply chain. Even in our digital world, a robust supply chain is critical for getting equipment and medicine to hospitals and clinics, for putting food on our tables, and for getting the basic necessities into our households. I salute the logistics and supply chain professionals around the world for their heroic efforts under these difficult conditions.
Enver Yucesan
Professor of Operations Management and The Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Chaired Professor in International Management, INSEAD
Policymaking under the pandemic pressure could be subject to cognitive heuristics, allowing the resulting policy uncertainty to influence the market negatively. The precautionary principle of policymaking, exemplified by Taiwan, helps to raise market volatility less and improve market sentiment.
Zhang Hong
Visiting Academic Fellow, Emerging Markets Institute, INSEAD
The Covid-19 crisis will have severe long-term consequences, and the poor will feel more pain than the rich. Somebody described the crisis as all of humanity being in the same storm, but not in the same boat. After the virus itself abates, the global community needs to come together to prioritize rebuilding the lives of people whose daily livelihoods are most affected worldwide.
Jasjit Singh
Professor of Strategy, The Paul Dubrule Chaired Professor of Sustainable Development and Academic Director, Social Impact Initiative, INSEAD
The Covid-19 pandemic has a strong impact on the exchanges in culture, education and science between France and Singapore. Thanks to the high-quality dialogue with the local authorities, we have succeeded in keeping regular exchanges on important matters and we are exploring with them innovative ways to develop new collaborations.
Anthony Chaumuzeau
Counsellor for Culture, Education and Science, Embassy of France in Singapore
This pandemic disruption is forcing the world’s effective leaders to challenge assumptions along many dimensions. We are striving to help more business leaders leverage the opportunity resulting from the disruption to facilitate benefits to society, including developing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Zoe Kinias
Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Academic Director, Gender Initiative, INSEAD
In times of significant challenges and uncertainties, we strive to contributing toward the society through our innovative R&D, commercial and sustainability initiatives. There has also been an accelerated transition and adoption of digital technologies into our ways of working, both internally and externally. The level of engagement has been maintained high, which in turn helps us to manage business and financials in a proactive approach.
Jasmine Zhong
CFO Asia Area, AstraZeneca
Evidence suggests that low-income workers are more likely to suffer health shocks and greater economic hardship related to COVID-19. In order to facilitate restarting the economy, governments should focus now on getting resources to those most in need and on preserving employment relationships where possible.
Mark Stabile
Professor of Economics, The Stone Chaired Professor in Wealth Inequality and Academic Director, The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Centre for the Study of Wealth, INSEAD
In Emerging Markets PE, high growth was implicit in investment theses - demand destruction, supply chain disruptions and likely anti-globalisation trends, makes the Covid-19 crisis a more intense ‘stress test’. Expect radical changes to business models, including leapfrogging of digital technologies, to drive success in EM PE portfolios over the next decade.
Nainesh Jaisingh
Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Affirma Capital Ltd
The pandemic will accelerate trends around digital innovation in many industries. Larger big tech companies will emerge from the pandemic stronger and in an ideal situation to create value in struggling adjacent industries like healthcare, retail, and logistics. Digital entrepreneurs will create new market categories that solve new problems in new ways of working and living. Some traditional companies will use the time to accelerate their digital transformation efforts. We’ll look back and realize this was digital's moment to shine.
Jason Davis
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise, INSEAD
While COVID-19 challenges the norm, we see an opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities, reset our operational model and bring about bold change. As a 200 year old company, Citi has witnessed such mega shifts and we are uniquely positioned to leverage our global presence with digital transformation to reshape the way we continue to stay even more relevant to our clients.
Amol Gupte
ASEAN Head and Citi Country Officer, Singapore
News
Forbes Singapore
27 August 2021
China’s Tech Giants Are Giving Away Their Money To Avoid Beijing’s Wrath
From e-commerce platform Pinduoduo to gaming and social media giant Tencent, a slew of companies and their billionaire cofounders recently unveiled plans to bankroll projects for education, agritech and poverty alleviation.
The Edge Singapore
26 August 2021
Corporates leverage on CVC to get a leg up on their rivals and stave off disruption
Corporate venture capital (CVC) has become a buzzword of sorts as more companies look towards entrepreneurship and investment as a gateway to grow their business during the pandemic.
Business Today Malaysia
19 August 2021
Scorched-Earth Strategic Thinking for Covid Times
“Disrupt yourself first” is so five years ago. The new motto is “Burn your company to the ground then rebuild it.”
The Business Times Singapore
10 August 2021
MCBs useful option for fund raising but yet to catch on: market watchers
They are not for everyone and may be a particularly tough sell in a difficult economic climate, they add; there are also significant risks, for investors.
News
Reuters covering the INSEAD/Thomson Reuters Asian Business Sentiment Survey 2020Q4
23 December 2020
Asian business confidence gains steam, pandemic still top risk
News
Reuters covering the INSEAD/Thomson Reuters Asian Business Sentiment Survey 2020Q3
23 September 2020
Asian business confidence rebounds sharply, pandemic casts shadow
News
Reuters covering the INSEAD/Thomson Reuters Asian Business Sentiment Survey 2020Q2
17 June 2020
Asian business sentiment plunges to record low on virus effect
News
Reuters covering the INSEAD/Thomson Reuters Asian Business Sentiment Survey 2020Q1
18 March 2020
Asian business confidence slumps on coronavirus impact
INSEAD Press Release in Asia
5 March 2018
Gender Equality in Asian Corporate Leadership Is an Achievable Reality
New research by INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute reveals emergent themes and major implications for gender parity in Asian corporate leadership
INSEAD Knowledge
How DBS Became the ‘World’s Best Bank’
The Singapore titan’s tech-charged quest to take the banking out of banking has paid off handsomely.
In Global Trade, Familiarity Breeds Commerce
Given time and experience, even countries far apart in geography and culture can build strong trade links.
The “Frenemy” Effect: When Strategic Alliances Go South
How to fuel – and cool – competitive wars.
How Executives Should – and Shouldn’t – Engage With Customers
When done the right way, customer engagement can turn into a lucrative opportunity.
How the Rural-Urban Divide Plays Out on Digital Platforms
Urban entrepreneurs on digital platforms have access to better offline information, which gives them an edge over rural entrepreneurs.
Calmer Waters: President Biden’s Prospective Foreign Policy
The new president’s foreign policy will differ from Trump’s in style, language and tone more than in substance.
What the War Between Alibaba and Tencent Says About Strategy
In emerging markets or nascent industries, plan-as-you-go has proved to be a winner many times over.
Green Shoots for Businesses in China’s New Normal
After a historic economic contraction, opportunities beckon nimble-footed companies.
To Save India's Economy, Think Big, Blunt and Fast
With unemployment pushing 30 percent, the world's fifth-largest economy needs a strong dose of fiscal and monetary intervention.
Climate Change: Evading the “Too Late, Too Costly” Trap
A new crop of rational, well-groomed climate sceptics is pushing a persuasive brand of defeatism that the world cannot afford.
India’s Quiet Digital Revolution
As China’s breakneck digitisation rivets the world, another Asian giant is unfurling its own transformation.
How Sugar Could Save the Borneo Rainforest
The right business model could unlock the economic and environmental potential of the Arenga palm tree.
Three Cornerstones of Global Retail Innovation
INSEAD experts and industry executives drill down to the basic human needs driving changes in retail.
Big Food Is Ripe for a Revolution
The wine industry shows how eco-friendly production can benefit both companies and consumers.
How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming the IT Hierarchy
The ability to adapt and learn quickly helps smaller IT companies compete against industry heavyweights.
Fund Management for Non-Profits
How charities can best manage their money in the long term
A series based on the forthcoming book Good Practices for Managing Funds for Non-Profit Organisations, by Boris N. Liedtke and Peter Lai.
Where Amazon Is Headed With Whole Foods
The search is still on for a viable omni-channel business model in the grocery industry.
Partners
Founding Partner
EMI has been set up in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) who is the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre. Their mission is to create sustainable economic growth with vibrant business and good job opportunities in Singapore.
Founding Partner
Mr. Finn. Rausing, MBA’81
“I deeply care about making people understand and appreciate the interplay between history, culture, people, education and free enterprise in economic development which enables liberal society to develop and flourish. Through INSEAD and this Institute I feel like contributing to a worthwhile quest.”
Institutional Collaborations
EMI is proud to work in collaboration with reputed institutional partners.
EMI invites collaboration with other organisations, policy makers, corporations and academic institutes with a shared goal for the enhancement and dissemination of knowledge on the world's fastest growing economies which will shape the future. For more information, please email EMI.
Who We Are
Core Team
Academic Director
Executive Director
Executive Assistant
Distinguished Academic Fellows
Academic Fellow
Professor of Economics and Chair of Economic Policy and International Macroeconomics, University of Mainz; President, Center for Economic Policy Research
Distinguished Executive Fellows
Visiting Academic Fellows
Visiting Fellow
Phoenix Chair Professor of Finance, PBC School of Finance; Director of China Finance Case Center; Director of Phoenix Healthcare Finance Research Center, Tsinghua University; Senior Fellow, Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research
Visiting Fellow
Fellow of the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight, Nanyang Technological University; Honorary Visiting Professor, Chaoyang University of Technology; Affiliated Faculty, Science of Networks in Communities (SONIC), Northwestern University
INSEAD Fellows
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship
INSEAD
Professor of Economics
INSEAD
Research Advisory Committee
Professor of Strategy
Professor of Marketing
Assisant Professor of Technology and Operations Management
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise
Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Emerging Markets Alumni Interest Group
Suhina Singh
President
Vincent Tordo
Faculty Relations & Compliance
Harald Eltvedt
Corporate Partnerships
Aishwarya Sridharan
Marketing & Communication
Nick Lall
Events
Anjali Chhabra
Operations & Governance
Emerging Markets Student Club
The Emerging Market Club is born from the collaboration of eight INSEAD students of the July 2020 class. The aim of the club is to raise awareness of the problems and opportunities that emerging economies face in their relatively stable growth.
Singapore
Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Fontainebleau
Co-Founder
Co-Founder
