• Continuing education,

A New Cohort Sets Sail: Executive International MBA at iaelyon

Published on September 22, 2026 Updated on September 22, 2026

The new Executive International MBA group at iaelyon School of Management began its journey last week with nineteen participants, one shared ambition, and a remarkable diversity of experience gathered in a single room.

The group brings together professionals from the food industry, energy, education, and construction – to name just some of them – holding roles that range from emerging managers to seasoned senior leaders.
Just as striking is the cultural mix: American Chinese, French, Armenian, Brazilian, Mexican, and Indian backgrounds, among others. This is internationalization not as a concept on a syllabus, but as a daily working reality for the year ahead.

The first day was deliberately not about content delivery. It was about laying foundations:
  • Starting to build the team, moving from a list of names to a group with a shared identity
  • Getting to know one another beyond job titles and CVs
  • Building trust, the prerequisite for candid exchanges that make executive learning valuable
  • Giving clarity on what is to come — the structure, the expectations, and the rhythm of the program

In a cohort this diverse, trust is not a nice-to-have. It is the mechanism through which difference becomes an asset rather than friction.

The year will ask a great deal of these participants: intellectual rigor, openness to perspectives shaped by very different markets and cultures, and the willingness to question their own managerial habits. The reward is equally substantial — professional and personal growth.

We wish all participants, lecturers, and everyone involved in the program an excellent start and a rich, inspiring learning journey throughout the year.

Bon vent to the new cohort.



THE EXECUTIVE INTERNATIONAL MBA

The iaelyon IMBA is a unique executive program, entirely taught in English over 11 months. International guest speakers, professors and practitioners come to share their knowledge and expertise with a culturally diverse classroom. Developed around a flexible part-time format, with classes taught on Fridays and Saturdays, the IMBA offers the  opportunity to follow courses all the while keeping a full-time  job, thereby minimizing any  potential disruption for candidates and employers.

The Executive International MBA
Contact :
For further information: Silvia DIDIER, IMBA Director : silvia.didier@univ-lyon3.fr
Thématiques :
Continuing education