UK and Sydney students gain global insight at INSEAD

An unforgettable global learning experience

This summer, three pupils from our leading sister school, Westbourne College Sydney, visited the INSEAD headquarters in Fontainebleau, on the outskirts of Paris, to take part in a cutting-edge business and entrepreneurship programme run by the world-leading business school. They were accompanied by two pupils from our UK IB Sixth Form, who attended the course virtually.

The intensive MBA-style, two-week summer programme afforded our students truly privileged access to expert academics and coaches in this field, as well as enabling them to meet and forge links with like-minded students from all over the world.

Featuring a world-class academic curriculum, company visits, talks with business leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as numerous cultural, team building and social activities, the sessions allowed the students the opportunity to finesse their skills and ambitions, build confidence, make global connections, and further develop a global future-ready approach to help shape their careers.

Westbourne is proud to have strong links to INSEAD, ranked #1 MBA school globally, through our Chairman Mr Mark Peters. We are the only UK school to provide students with exclusive access and application support to INSEAD’s intensive MBA style two-week Summer School, and this summer we also extended the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to the newest members of the Westbourne School global community at Westbourne College Sydney.

A recent business and entrepreneurship masterclass at WBUK

Nurturing the global business leaders of the future

The prestigious Summer@ INSEAD programme presents a unique opportunity for our IB1 students to widen and enhance their academic pursuits, as well as to meet other students from across the world who share similar aspirations and abilities. The values and culture of the Summer@ INSEAD programme complement Westbourne’s ambition to develop well-rounded, articulate, globally aware young people who are confident to tackle the ever-evolving demands of the working world.

Summer@ INSEAD provides students with a unique and transformative experience. More than just an incremental gain in factual business knowledge, the programme is designed to give participants the opportunity to develop their creativity and critical thinking skills while enhancing their confidence and ability to work across cultures and continents, nurturing the leaders of the future.

Westbourne students at INSEAD

“The INSEAD programme allowed me to interact with like-minded people that are driven and intelligent who I could share my opinions and ideas with freely. The competitive aspect of the course encouraged me to interact more in discussions which helped develop true friendships between me and my teammates. Overall it was an amazing experience created by the talented teachers that gave me a new global perspective in both business and life.”

WBUK IB student, Oomisha

Outstanding performances at INSEAD

We are very proud of all our students who took part in the programme this year, who each proved that they have the natural business acumen, skills, confidence and vision to excel in their future careers.

Of the three Westbourne College Sydney students who attended Summer@INSEAD, two led the teams that were awarded 1st and 2nd prize at the end of the programme for outstanding performances and contribution – an absolutely phenomenal achievement of which all of our pupils and staff can be very proud!

Westbourne students truly excelled on the programme this year, gaining some exceptional feedback from the INSEAD tutors, some of which you can read here:

“Jack was amazing to work with and be around from the very start. He was perennially cool headed and positive, always willing to help out his peers be it by lending his climbing expertise during the team building activities or magnanimously accepting his appointment as the CEO of Maywood Cycles for the YFCD program. Under his leadership, Team Oncilla stormed to a very deserved second place, with Jack doing a great job delegating tasks and stitching together the ideas of his team, and another counsellor informed me excitedly about the mesmerizing charm and energy that Jack displayed during the final strategy presentation. In work and play Jack was a real asset to the group and I am very lucky to have worked along side him, and I wish him all the best going forward.”

IB students at WBUK

“Tara was a key part of the team that won the Summer@INSEAD version of the world-renowned YFCD challenge. As COO, she worked creatively and diligently to ensure all ran smoothly at Maywood Cycles. She showcased her range of talents by producing a wonderful model of their new factory design, which helped the team deliver a strong performance in the strategy presentation. She should be very proud of her time at INSEAD and I am sure she will go on to achieve great things in the future.”

“It has been fantastic working with Samuel over the last two weeks. He has used the lectures and YFCD company takeover simulation to work on key ’soft skills’, such as teamwork, leadership and creativity, which add to his already impressive functional prowess. As CFO of his team, he was able to use all elements at his disposal to inventively offer the company some breathing room and generate much-needed cashflow. Samuel also demonstrated tremendous self-awareness, never being afraid to admit to a mistake, or credit anyone who helped him with any task or project. His attentiveness during lectures, and huge curiosity as we visited the famous Station F start-up incubator in Paris, further show a great eagerness to learn which, coupled with the aforementioned qualities, point to a very promising future.”

Congratulations to all those students who took part in a very successful Summer@INSEAD and some extremely bright futures ahead!

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UK and Sydney students gain global insight at INSEAD

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