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About INSEAD

In Memoriam - Michael Pich

1957 - 2016

Senior Affiliate Professor of Operations Management and Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise

Dean of Executive Education

One of our most distinguished professors, Mike joined INSEAD in 1996 as an Assistant Professor of Operations Management. His research, teaching and consulting activities spanned the globe. He worked with some of the largest companies in the world in the areas of innovation, project management, operations and change management.

During his career at INSEAD, he served as a programme director for some of our most challenging and important executive education programmes such as the Young Manager’s Programme and the International Executive Programme. His expertise, his knowledge and his passion transformed these programmes and helped executives understand how to manage change in their companies.

Since 2013, Mike was our Dean for Executive Education. During his deanship, he focused on providing our participants with unrivalled learning experiences through continuous improvement and innovation. He spearheaded the implementation of digital delivery across our programmes. Mike was known for his unique talent to engage with people and help them develop and reach their goals. Everyone who worked with him knows the personal impact that he had on their careers and lives.

Mike was proud to be among the pioneer cohort of faculty to move to Singapore in 1999. He was at the forefront of the vision to bring INSEAD to Asia. That thousands of executives and MBA students now come to our campus in Singapore is a testament to his commitment and passion for INSEAD’s presence in Asia.

Mike was an enthusiastic bridge between academia and management practice. He was a wonderful colleague for our staff and our faculty. He was innovative and deeply engaged in everything he did – from leading INSEAD courses worldwide, to writing books on management, to teaching and leading our Executive Education activities.

In an interview with Business Insider he once said: “I learned that if you are going to fail, it should be a failure of action rather than inaction.”

Take action.” That was Mike in everything he did. He will be greatly missed by everyone in our global INSEAD community.

Achievements

Mike joined INSEAD in the fall of 1996 and moved to Singapore three years later when the first six faculty arrived in Singapore in the summer of 1999. He was part of the pioneer faculty who strongly supported and believed in the future potential of the Asia campus and remains committed to this campus to this day.

He was Programme Director from 2000-03 of the Young Manager’s Programme (now MAP) and was Programme Director for International Executive Programme (now TGM) from 2003 for more than 10 years. He was appointed as Dean of Executive Education in Oct 2013.

Education

  • 1981 University of Idaho, Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management (Summa cum laude)
  • 1983 Yale University, Master in Forestry (Baton recipient, second in class)
  • 1993 Stanford University, PhD in Operations Research

Academic positions

  • 2013-2016, Dean of Executive Education, INSEAD
  • 1996-2016, Senior Affiliate Professor of Operations Management and Entrepreneurship, INSEAD
  • 2000 Director, Corporate Universy, Saba, Redwood Shores, CA
  • 1993-1996, Assistant Professor of Operations, School of Management University of Texas Dallas
  • 1992-1993, Senior Lecturer of Operations, Seattle University

Research/Publication/Teaching awards

  • 1993 Honorable Mention , George E. Nicholson Dissertation Competition, Operations Research Society of America
  • 1997 Operations Research Meritorious Service Award
  • 2002 Best Operations Case, ECCH
  • 2003-04 Outstanding Contribution to the EDP programme, INSEAD
  • 2004 Best Overall Case Award, Businessweek
  • 2007-08 Outstanding Contribution to the MBA programme, INSEAD
  • 2010-11 Dean’s Commendation for Excellence in MBA Teaching, INSEAD