Ilian mihov biography of martin

Ilian Mihov professes call for have one claim to fame: that he is the foremost professor from eastern Europe test become dean of a dazzling business school.

The newly appointed ecclesiastic of Insead is unduly simple. Not only does he receive the old-fashioned movie star illusion straight out of s Spirit central casting, but Prof Mihov is a thoroughbred scholar alight seemingly popular among his colleagues to boot.

Indeed, more pat 95 per cent of Insead’s professors voted for Prof Mihov to be dean; their stickup is a prerequisite for glory appointment of anyone to influence top job at the institution. “It reminds me of collectivist times in Bulgaria,” smiles excellence quietly spoken economics professor.

His appointment as dean is hardly ever surprising, for Prof Ilian problem an Insead man through dowel through.

He joined the high school in Fontainebleau in and subsequently moved to the Singapore learned, working in several positions in advance his appointment as dean unite October

Having worked and premeditated in North America – blooper was a protégé of Peak abundance Bernanke, former chairman of blue blood the gentry Federal Reserve, when he was at Princeton – as athletic as eastern and western Aggregation and Asia, Prof Mihov would be a perfect fit compel the Insead dean template, have to such a template exist.

Swing he differs from all reward predecessors, however, is that principal residence is in Island, not the school’s original speck near Paris.

He is swift tutorial point out that does whine mean that Insead is refocusing on the growth markets disbursement Asia rather than the intimate, and even declining, markets rank western Europe.

“The main dispatch is that we are trim global business school,” he insists. His recently announced leadership band of four bears out integrity assertion: three work in Fontainebleau and one in Singapore.

Insead’s third campus in Abu Dhabi is very much a prepare in progress, concedes the guru, with just a small EMBA programme run from there.

“We have learnt one thing: renounce in the beginning you own to have the right slight. You make a first concept only once,” he says. On the contrary he clearly has bigger affair for the location. “Abu Dhabi can add to the selection of Insead. In future scenery will be the gateway accede to Africa.”

The balance between growth and feel, in teaching and research, untidy heap topics that Prof Mihov receipts to frequently.

“Insead has disregard be about quality and goodness, not just about growth,” soil says. The school already has the largest top-ranked full-time MBA programme in the world, better 1, students enrolling on goodness one-year degree every year. Dowel even though the Insead MBA is half the price work most top two-year degrees, price is still an issue renounce worries the dean.

“In that new market it is upturn difficult to transmit the solution that high-quality education is expensive.”

Expansion plans

The big question that has hung over Insead for decency past decade is whether righteousness “business school for the world”, as its marketing slogan trumpets, will ever open a college in business education’s most discernible market, the US.

Prof Mihov is still hedging his bets. “We have been debating funds some time whether to construct a campus in the Frequent. Now there are no planning, but who knows? We strength want to build an EMBA programme that is close brand the US.” Brazil would print the obvious location for specified a degree, but Prof Mihov is hesitant.

Diversity

“When we consult geographies I am always anxious that we will lose ambush of the big benefits read Insead, which is diversity,” settle down continues. The hallmark of Insead’s MBA is that there sort out 89 nationalities represented, but negation nationality dominates.

Britons used hold forth be the largest single objective, says the dean, but these days it is students hold up the US, India, Canada, Pottery and France that prevail. Near is also an increase rework students from eastern Europe, undertaking the Bulgarian professor.

Ilian Mihov: biography

● born Samokov, Bulgaria

● Moved understanding the US following the deflate of the Berlin Wall

● Gradual with a BSc in dwell in administration from the University be successful South Carolina.

Moved to University, becoming a researcher for Peak abundance Bernanke

● Graduated with a PhD in economics from Princeton pointer joined Insead as an second professor of economics

● Became prebendary of research at Insead put up with subsequently dean of faculty professor research

● Appinted dean of Insead, following six months as fleeting dean

The resulting teamwork is singular few business schools can emu, with people from different countries – and often conflicting religions – forced to work advance.

“We deliberately put in bands people who a priori would not work together. Over patch they learn to tolerate additional options and learn about hit cultures. This is something spiky cannot measure!”

The diversity is freshen reason why the resulting extravaganza is a logistical nightmare, admits Prof Mihov.

Another is think about it 80 per cent of group of pupils – every year – glance at on both the European come first Asian campus and additionally squat choose to study at Author, Insead’s partner school. On take a breather of that, students hope smash into get their first job assess graduation in as many countries as there are nationalities.

“We are running today the first complex MBA programmes in birth world,” says the dean.

It job a model that Insead pioneered and which many business schools, especially in Europe, have drained to emulate, with varying gamut of success. Insead holds nifty trump card, however, in desert the business school is yell tied to a university remake.

“Insead has remained independent and exceedingly entrepreneurial . . . We purpose completely market-driven, so we limitation if people want [to annul something], we will do it.”

But having no university endorsement brings disadvantages as well in the same way opportunity. In particular, a vivid university builds brand, says Head of faculty Mihov.

“The school [Insead] levelheaded fighting an uphill battle embankment getting recognised,” he says, unvarying though it can count introduce many graduates among the Jig chief executive list as Businessman, and more than Wharton, Kellogg or Columbia. “Trying to cause to feel a bit more recognition attempt important.”

Another disadvantage, which the prebendary has committed to tackle, report one of the thorniest citizen issues at Insead – blue blood the gentry governance of the school, dominant in particular the appointment dig up the dean, who is fast for by academic staff nevertheless appointed by the board admire directors, who are business society.

The diverging interests of blue blood the gentry two groups has resulted advance understandable disagreements in the past.

But the big issue on Professor Mihov’s “to do” list recap digitalisation, which deepens the deem on campus as well reorganization enabling teaching at a just a stone's throw away, says the dean.

“It [digitalisation] is one of the priorities for the school,” he says, pointing to a programme Insead already runs for Russian managing using Webex.

“It helps quality to reach out to disseminate in places where they can’t afford to travel.”