NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

PREPARING LEADERS FOR A FAST-CHANGING WORLD

Mr Tetsu Horie dreamed of pursuing an MBA at one of the world’s leading universities since he was a college student. As a young, promising executive at Japan’s Sumitomo Group, he narrowly missed out on being sent by the company to attend an MBA programme at an Ivy League university.

Over the next few decades, Horie forged a successful career as a consultant, providing multinational corporations across Asia, the U.S. and Europe with executive coaching and consulting services.

He never lost sight of going to business school, however, and last year he turned his dream into reality when he was accepted into the Executive MBA (EMBA) programme at Nanyang Business School, at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The senior management consultant decided to apply for this elite programme to gain further insights into key megatrends of digitalisation and innovation.

As part of the 13-month Nanyang EMBA programme, participants can take courses with the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley in the U.S. and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in China.

With the Covid-19 pandemic restricting travel, many of the classes last year were moved online. The programme experience wasn’t compromised, Horie says he continued to benefit from relevant coursework and made valuable connections with his fellow classmates. “We can’t network physically or ask questions in person, but Zoom is effective for conducting lessons and breakout sessions. Going online is also productive, which is good when my work schedule is hectic. I can wake up at 8 am and start lessons immediately at my desk,” he explains.

Asian Focus

The Nanyang EMBA’s focus on Asia was another key draw for Horie. In particular, the programme aims to expand the participants’ views on leadership in an Asian context by analysing emerging market strategies. They gain further insights through cases from Nanyang Business School’s Asian Business Case Centre, which examines business experiences in the region.

“I was interested in learning more about Asian companies, which is the main focus of the EMBA. For most of my career, I have worked for global companies overseas. Five years ago, I started my own consulting company. This meant that my interactions were mainly with Japanese companies. So, I wanted to connect with the world again,” says Horie, who held senior positions with global consulting firms such as EY and Aon Hewitt, before starting Horie Consulting.

Enriching Curriculum

The Nanyang EMBA curriculum offers unique courses that delve into how digital technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics have disrupted businesses across a wide range of industries. This was an ideal fit for Horie to learn new ways of driving digital transformation, thinking innovatively and creating winning strategies.

“What I really wanted from the EMBA was insights into digitalisation and innovation, and both have been the highlights of the curriculum including the cutting-edge content delivered by top-notch professors.”

During the programme, he was able to learn about digital transformation in China and ASEAN through case studies on progressive companies such as DBS Bank, Ant Financial Services, Grab and Gojek.

As a business owner, modules related to entrepreneurship and leadership were another highlight. “I run my own company, so the classes on entrepreneurship help me with expanding my business. I have also worked in the area of leadership, so it is another area where I wanted to deepen my knowledge. The leadership classes during the UC Berkeley segment of the programme were really eye-opening and inspiring.”

Real-World Experiences

Situated within the technology and innovation ecosystem of NTU Singapore, Nanyang Business School is well-placed to collaborate with industry to equip its participants with the know-how to stay relevant for the future.

To this end, Nanyang EMBA participants take part in consulting-like projects that seek to address real-world problems for partner companies. In Horie’s case, he was part of a group of four participants who spent four months working with an e-commerce firm to help it develop a growth strategy for Asia.

The project required the group to engage with the client, conduct primary and secondary research and present their proposed solutions to the company’s board of directors. “It was like doing consulting work, but the difference was that it was in an area that I was not familiar with and working with people I didn’t know. So the group had to learn how to work together. In the end, the client appreciated the insights we were able to provide as a third party,” Horie says. As Horie has received numerous offers to be a senior advisor to Chief Experience Officers in multinational corporations, he believes that these experiences, together with other learnings gained during the programme, can be utilised when he takes up these assignments.

Virtual Networking Opportunities

The ability to network with senior executives is a major attraction for many MBA participants. This was no different for Horie, who formed many valuable relationships with fellow participants and professors despite only interacting virtually. “We have a WhatsApp group where we often speak, not just on school assignments but also on cultural and social topics. In the future, if I go to Singapore, China or Vietnam, or if they come to Japan, we will be able to connect in person,” he says. Through these interactions, he realised how “globalised” some of his classmates were. For instance, a fellow participant from China who had graduated from Tsinghua University is currently employed by a French multinational and has worked in France, the Philippines, China and Singapore. This person is also fluent in three languages. “Many of the participants are, more or less, like him.” Following his graduation in July this year, Horie plans to apply what he learned from the Nanyang EMBA to his roles as a consultant and professional coach. The Nanyang EMBA is a programme designed for senior leaders who wish to innovate and transform the way they lead their organisations. The programme employs a hybrid model featuring both face-to-face and online classes.

A SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE APRIL/MAY 2021 ISSUE OF FORBES ASIA DIGITIAL MAGAZINE.

The Nanyang Executive MBA is a part-time 13-months programme that is designed for senior leaders aspiring to innovate and transform the way they lead. The programme aims to embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to deliver a relevant curriculum to business leaders to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.

Download the Nanyang Executive MBA brochure

Click here to learn more about the Nanyang Executive MBA programme or contact us at execmba@ntu.edu.sg.