NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

AN ASIAN EDGE FOR GLOBAL LEADERS

After a three-decade-long career in the healthcare sector that took him across North America and Europe, Jean-Marc Gautier landed a senior leadership role in a consultancy firm overseeing the Asia-Pacific market in Singapore in 2018. Prior to that, despite managing teams covering dozens of countries and offering strategy and marketing services to life sciences companies, Greece was the farthest East that the Frenchman had travelled.

“I was very ‘Europeanised’ in my way of doing business, but I always thought it was too late for me to start a new career in Asia,” Gautier says. “So when this opportunity to work in Singapore came, I saw it as a blessing.” With more than three years, in the city-state have convinced him that Asia is where he wants to spend the rest of his career, with Singapore as a springboard for his ambitions and a new home for his family.

“Now that we have seen what the world has got to offer after having worked in different countries, my wife and I believe that Singapore provides us with everything that we need, whether it’s education or security. It is a great place to be,” he says. Beyond personal reasons, Gautier was also drawn to Asia for its growth potential and future business opportunities. “This part of the world is going to be an ‘El Dorado’ for many people, and we want to be a part of it.”

A Career Playbook

To realise his career ambitions, Gautier felt it would be important to develop a framework to consolidate his years of experience and knowledge, and overlay that with a distinctly Asian perspective.

“I looked at myself in the mirror and said: ‘Okay what have I achieved, and what do I want to achieve, and most importantly, what is the playbook for the rest of my career?’

“The Nanyang EMBA provides me with what is lacking in my body of knowledge so far, and that is a deeper understanding of the Asian way of things in general, and business in particular,” says Gautier, who started the programme in April this year.

Understanding Asian Business

The Nanyang EMBA’s extensive focus on Asia was a key attraction for Gautier, in particular, understanding the “codes” of doing business in different countries across the region. “Now that I have made it to Asia, I want to make sure that I am invited to stay, be seen as being from within as opposed to coming from the outside,” he says.

In this regard, Gautier has gained many insights into Asia through interactions with his diverse fellow course participants, particularly during classes on cultural intelligence. Reflecting its strength in this important topic, NBS is home to the Centre for Leadership and Cultural Intelligence, the world’s first research centre focusing on the subject.

“What made the classes unique were not just the self-awareness surveys and experiential exercises that helped me understand the challenges in handling cross-cultural interaction, but also the debates that came about due to the group being made up of people from so many different nationalities and backgrounds,” he explains. “I think combining the theory and associating it with the participants was interesting. I don’t think I would get that at an American or European University, where 90% or 95% of the audience are thinking the same way.”

The Nanyang EMBA also helps to expand participants’ views on leadership in an Asian context by analysing emerging-market strategies. The school’s Nanyang Centre for Emerging Markets provides global thought leadership on business-related issues in emerging markets. Further insights are offered through real-life examples from NBS’ Asian Business Case Centre, which examines business experiences in the region.

A Deep Dive into China

Gautier benefitted substantially from the programme’s overseas segment by Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in China. He believes that when it comes to doing business in Asia, developing an understanding of China is crucial for success.

“I wanted to not only learn how to better communicate with Chinese clients, but also to better understand the mindset of Chinese companies that I am competing with in other markets,” he reflects. “If we are competing for the same contract in Korea, for instance, I want to know how the Chinese will approach that opportunity.”

During the 13-month EMBA programme, participants will also attend sessions with the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley in the U.S.

Navigating Digital Disruption

For Gautier, NTU’s sterling international reputation was another key factor in his decision to enroll in the Nanyang EMBA. NTU stood 12th globally and second among top universities in Asia in this year’s Quacquarelli Symonds annual higher education ranking.

He was also drawn to the programme’s focus on technology and innovation — topics that are pertinent in today’s age of digital disruption. The Nanyang EMBA curriculum offers courses that explore ways in which cutting-edge technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are disrupting businesses.

“The healthcare sector, like many others, is undergoing digital transformation,” Gautier notes. “So, understanding the technology side of things, and combining it with a business perspective, and being able to apply the learnings to the real business world is highly attractive.”

“The next few years will be fundamentally influenced by today’s events. And only those who have the mentality and the ability to combine their experience and openness to the world will succeed.”

Preparing for the Future

The Nanyang EMBA is an important element in Gautier’s broader plan of making a new life with his wife and their nine-year-old daughter in Singapore. He believes the programme will equip him with the necessary tools to better understand Asia, putting him in a better position to succeed in this part of the world.

Looking ahead, Gautier expects the knowledge and insights gained from the Nanyang EMBA will provide him with a solid foundation to tackle the challenges that emerge from a rapidly-changing business landscape.

The Nanyang EMBA is a programme designed for senior leaders with the vision of innovating and transforming their organisations for success in Asia and beyond.

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.

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