Yahoo COO returns to IMD to address graduating class

Henrique de Castro, Chief Operating Officer at Yahoo! Inc graduated from IMD in 2000. Thirteen years after he graduated he returned to his alma-mater to guide IMD’s graduating MBA Class of 2013.  

Change was the underlying theme of the 2013 IMD MBA graduation. Not only have the 90 graduates embarked on an enriching degree program destined to bring change to their lives, the world is also changing faster than ever, bringing new challenges and opportunities.

Keynote speaker Henrique de Castro (IMD MBA 2000), who is now Chief Operating Officer of Yahoo! Inc., addressed the ways in which technology is driving change.

“Looking at many industries, travel, retail, media, financial services and more, we see an incredible impact coming from technology,” he said. He added that technology would also change how they think about the world and how their careers will be affect by the impact.[pullquote]Don’t take yourself too seriously. If you are not enjoying the journey you are on, then you shouldn’t be doing it[/pullquote]

“It used to be that research studies and executives needed focus groups in order to track trends and preferences,” de Castro said. “Today, internet search proves to be a focus group on steroids.” Simply by analyzing search, we are able to evaluate demand and, for example, can even make fairly accurate predictions on box office sales days before a film is released.

But as so much is changing and so quickly, de Castro warned graduates not to over plan their careers.

“Don’t always take yourself so seriously. If you are not enjoying the journey you are on, then you shouldn’t be doing it.”

De Castro also reflected on his time at IMD. “The experience had more impact on me than I ever imagined and students graduating today are going to feel the same.”

The second is to stay true to your personal values. “What do you believe in, and how are you going to communicate it? This is of key importance for leaders. We should always be obsessed by the power of being different and standing up for our own values,” Turpin said. The third is keeping an open, curious mind and being committed to lifelong learning, because “curiosity is a key value for success.”

Professor Martha Maznevski, the IMD MBA Program Director, described the 90 graduating students as “exceptional leaders—they are the future of business, dedicated to sustainable solutions.”

The final speaker was 2013 MBA graduate Truth Kee Yang, reminded graduates that each person has a story. “By examining the uniqueness of our lives we better reflect on who we are and what our destinies will be,” Yang said.

The following members of the MBA Class of 2012 graduated with honors: Hernan Casanova, Fabian Leopold Chessell, Rodrigo Craveiro de Freitas, Anastasia Kovaleva, Christophe Henri Eduard Lamon, Irena Majcen, Stefan John Palmer, Mikhail Sazonov, Andrea Splendiani, Isaak Tsalicoglou, and Bogdan Volostrigov.

Since 1985, IMD has given The Welsh Family Memorial Prize to the best all-round female student in the IMD MBA program. The award was given in memory of Gillian Welshe (IMEDE MBA 1984). Though 2012 was announced to be the last year of the award, prior award recipients have come together to continue the prize.

“The percentage of women graduating in today’s MBA class is not that different than in Welshe’s class. As today’s business world remains one where the playing field for men and women is not equal, we felt compelled to continue this honor,” Joan Beets, last year’s award recipient said in presenting the 2013 award to Irena Majcen.

The graduation closed with a noisy tribute to the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who passed away the evening before. The MBA class visited South Africa in July, and were strongly impacted by the inspiring people they worked with there. Maznevski highlighted Mandela’s characteristics of ambition, perseverance, and optimism, and encouraged the class to continue his legacy in their own leadership.

The Class of 2013 is the 42nd to complete the MBA program, which began in 1972 at IMEDE (one of the founding institutions of IMD).