LBS and Columbia greet latest EMBA Global Class

London was the first port of call for the latest cohort of London Business School’s Executive MBA Global (EMBAG) programme with Columbia Business School. The 20-month programme, which is taught across both London and New York, got underway at LBS’ Regents Park campus in May with a weeklong Orientation programme to welcome the EMBAG Class of May 2024. The 45 students on this year’s programme then headed to New York in June for Orientation at Columbia.

The partnership with Columbia means that participants get to earn two MBA Degrees, one from LBS and one from Columbia. The dual degree provision makes it an unparalleled educational opportunity, well suited to the highly diverse intake that make up a typical EMBAG class.

On this occasion, the current cohort comprises 20 nationalities, from 33 different cities stretching across all continents. LBS’ goal of achieving gender parity across its portfolio of programmes has seen a large increase in the number of women attending this year’s EMBAG programme – 53%, up from 27% in 2023.

There has also been an increase in terms of seniority, with the current students bringing with them an average of 14 years of professional experience as managers, general managers, consultants and investment bankers amongst other roles. Finance is the dominant sector, with 27% of the cohort hailing from a finance background. Many of the cohort, however, come from less traditional sectors, such as agriculture, construction, healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas and tourism.

It is not just business acumen that the latest cohort is bringing with them. The cohort boasts considerable academic knowledge, with two students holding a PhD, five students being Chartered Accountants and 15 students already possessing a postgraduate degree. The cohort is also bringing huge breadth in terms of hobbies, interests and sporting achievements.

This year’s cohort includes:

• The owner of a yoga practice
• A professional hip hop dancer
• An ex-opera singer
• Numerous sporting devotees, including an avid skier, a black belt in karate, a hot yoga instructor, a black belt in jiu jitsu and a high level cricketer
• An oil painter
• A multi-linguist who speaks four languages.

This wealth of collective expertise makes the EMBAG learning environment hugely enriching for all who join the programme.