Giugno 27, 2025 | NEWS
The decision to pursue an Executive MBA while managing senior-level responsibilities represents one of the most challenging yet rewarding commitments a professional can make. The USI Executive MBA recognizes that its participants are accomplished leaders with complex professional and personal obligations, designing a program structure that enables success without compromising performance in existing roles.
The Executive Dilemma: Maintaining Peak Performance Across Multiple Fronts
Senior executives considering an EMBA face a unique challenge: how to pursue advanced education while maintaining the high-performance standards expected in their current roles. Unlike traditional MBA students who can focus exclusively on their studies, EMBA participants must excel simultaneously as students, leaders, partners, and often parents.
The USI Executive MBA addresses this reality through a carefully crafted program design that respects the time constraints and responsibilities of senior professionals while delivering world-class business education.
Program Structure: Designed for Working Executives
Weekend-Intensive Format: The USI EMBA utilizes a weekend-intensive schedule that minimizes disruption to weekday professional responsibilities. Classes are concentrated into Friday afternoons and full Saturdays, allowing participants to maintain their leadership roles while progressing through the curriculum.
Modular Learning Blocks: The program is structured in discrete modules, each focusing on specific business disciplines. This approach allows participants to fully engage with material in concentrated periods rather than struggling to maintain attention across multiple subjects simultaneously.
Flexible Assignment Deadlines: Understanding that business crises and urgent projects can’t be scheduled around academic calendars, the program builds in flexibility for assignment submissions while maintaining academic rigor.
Technology Integration: Learning That Fits Your Schedule
The USI Executive MBA leverages technology to create flexible learning experiences that accommodate executive schedules:
Pre-Work Modules: Online components allow participants to engage with foundational material at their own pace, maximizing the value of in-person classroom time.
Virtual Collaboration Tools: Group projects utilize sophisticated collaboration platforms that enable teamwork across time zones and busy schedules.
Mobile Learning Platforms: Key concepts and case studies are accessible through mobile apps, enabling learning during commutes or brief breaks in executive schedules.
Team and Organizational Support: Building Understanding
Successful EMBA completion often requires organizational support and understanding:
Executive Sponsorship: Many participants work with their organizations to position the EMBA as strategic development, often with formal sponsorship and support from senior leadership.
Team Communication: Successful participants proactively communicate their schedule constraints to their teams while ensuring business continuity through enhanced delegation and process improvement.
Learning Application: The most successful participants find ways to immediately apply their learning to current business challenges, demonstrating value to their organizations while reinforcing their education.
Managing Energy, Not Just Time
Beyond time management, successful EMBA participants learn sophisticated energy management:
Peak Performance Scheduling: Aligning the most demanding academic work with personal peak performance periods maximizes both efficiency and learning quality.
Recovery Planning: Building in specific recovery periods prevents burnout and maintains high performance across all responsibilities.
Integration Opportunities: Finding ways to connect EMBA learning with current business challenges creates synergies that reduce the perceived burden while enhancing both academic and professional performance.
Long-Term Benefits: Skills That Enhance Work-Life Integration
The competencies developed through the USI EMBA ultimately improve participants’ ability to manage complex responsibilities:
Strategic Prioritization: Enhanced strategic thinking helps executives focus on high-impact activities in both professional and personal contexts.
Improved Delegation: Leadership development improves delegation skills, creating more time for both strategic work and personal priorities.
Stress Management: Executive education includes stress management and resilience training that benefits all areas of life.
Conclusion: Integration, Not Balance
The USI Executive MBA teaches that the goal isn’t perfect work-life balance—an impossible standard for senior executives—but rather skillful integration of multiple important priorities. Graduates emerge not only with advanced business capabilities but also with enhanced skills for managing the complex demands of executive leadership.
For senior professionals ready to take their careers to the next level, the USI Executive MBA provides both the education and the practical framework for achieving ambitious goals without sacrificing the relationships and responsibilities that matter most.
Giugno 27, 2025 | NEWS
In today’s competitive business landscape, senior executives face a critical decision when considering further education: will an Executive MBA truly deliver tangible returns on their significant investment of time, money, and energy? The USI Executive MBA stands out not just for its academic excellence, but for its proven track record of generating measurable career advancement and financial growth for its graduates.
The Financial Impact: Beyond Salary Increases
While salary progression remains a key indicator of EMBA success, the USI Executive MBA delivers returns that extend far beyond immediate compensation increases. Recent alumni data reveals that 89% of graduates experience salary growth within 18 months of completion, with an average increase of 35-50% over pre-program earnings.
However, the true value lies in the accelerated career trajectory. USI EMBA alumni report achieving C-suite positions 3-5 years faster than their peers, translating into millions in lifetime earning potential. The program’s emphasis on strategic thinking and global business acumen positions graduates for roles that command premium compensation packages.
Network Value: The Hidden ROI Multiplier
The USI Executive MBA cohort represents a carefully curated group of high-achieving professionals from diverse industries and geographies. This network becomes a powerful catalyst for career advancement, with 67% of alumni reporting that peer connections directly contributed to new business opportunities or career moves.
The program’s alumni network spans over 40 countries, creating global business opportunities that would be difficult to access otherwise. Many graduates leverage these relationships for board positions, consulting opportunities, and strategic partnerships that significantly amplify their career ROI.
Skills Premium: Leadership Capabilities That Command Higher Compensation
The USI Executive MBA curriculum is designed to develop competencies that are increasingly valued in today’s volatile business environment. Graduates emerge with enhanced capabilities in:
Strategic Decision-Making Under Uncertainty: Alumni report increased confidence in navigating complex business challenges, leading to recognition as key strategic leaders within their organizations.
Global Business Acumen: The program’s international perspective enables graduates to take on roles with global responsibility, typically commanding 20-30% salary premiums over domestic positions.
Digital Transformation Leadership: With modules focused on AI, digital strategy, and innovation management, graduates are positioned to lead their organizations through technological disruption.
Career Acceleration: Promotion Velocity and Role Advancement
Data from USI EMBA alumni shows remarkable career acceleration patterns. Within three years of graduation, 78% of participants have been promoted at least once, with 34% achieving two or more promotions. This acceleration is particularly pronounced for alumni who entered the program in mid-management roles and emerged ready for senior executive responsibilities.
The program’s case-study methodology, combined with real-world capstone projects, ensures that graduates can immediately apply their learning to drive measurable business results, making them attractive candidates for rapid advancement.
Long-Term Career Trajectory: C-Suite Readiness
Perhaps the most significant ROI comes from the program’s ability to prepare participants for C-suite roles. USI EMBA graduates are 4x more likely to reach executive leadership positions compared to professionals with equivalent experience but without executive education.
The program’s focus on developing executive presence, strategic vision, and stakeholder management creates leaders who are ready to take on the complex challenges of modern business leadership.
Conclusion: A Strategic Investment in Executive Potential
The USI Executive MBA represents more than an educational program—it’s a strategic investment in accelerated career development. With proven ROI across multiple dimensions—financial, professional, and personal—the program delivers measurable value that extends throughout an executive’s career.
For senior managers seeking to maximize their leadership potential and achieve significant career advancement, the USI Executive MBA offers a clear pathway to measurable returns that justify the investment many times over.
Giugno 18, 2025 | NEWS
Transforming Executive Leadership Through Immersive Learning and Cutting-Edge Research
The USI Executive MBA program presents an unparalleled opportunity for executive transformation through a comprehensive six-day immersion in Boston’s world-renowned innovation ecosystem. Scheduled for July 6-11, 2025, this intensive learning experience positions participants at the intersection of technological advancement, sustainable business practices, and ethical decision-making within one of America’s most dynamic academic and research environments.
Participatory, Personalized, Practical & International Learning
True to the USI EMBA philosophy, this Boston experience embodies participatory, personalized, practical, and international learning principles. Each session blends theoretical frameworks with real-world application through interactive case studies, live simulations, and hands-on projects that challenge participants to apply new concepts immediately. The program’s personalized approach ensures that learning objectives align with individual leadership goals, while the international setting provides a global perspective on innovation and sustainability challenges.
Core Learning Foundations
The Boston Innovation Experience is built upon five interconnected pillars that define contemporary executive excellence:
Ethical Leadership and Governance: Developing values-driven approaches to navigate global uncertainties and complex stakeholder relationships while maintaining organizational integrity and social responsibility.
Innovation Design and Strategic Thinking: Fostering creative problem-solving capabilities through design thinking methodologies, encouraging collaborative approaches to complex business challenges and systematic innovation processes.
Cross-Cultural Dialogue and Global Perspective: Building international leadership competencies through meaningful engagement with diverse academic institutions, research centers, and innovation experts across the American landscape.
Strategic Sustainability and Circular Economics: Integrating environmental stewardship and long-term thinking into core business strategies, exploring circular economic models and regenerative business practices.
Complex Systems Leadership: Mastering the ability to understand, influence, and lead within interconnected organizational and global systems, developing competencies in systems analysis and strategic foresight.
Immersive Program Structure
The experience unfolds across prestigious institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Tufts University, and UMass Lowell, complemented by specialized sessions at Swissnex Boston and dedicated innovation laboratories.
Day-by-day exploration begins with intensive workshops on ethical leadership and organizational governance at Swissnex Boston, where participants examine case studies in responsible leadership and engage with frameworks for values-based decision-making in complex global contexts.
The program transitions to hands-on innovation experiences through visits to specialized research facilities, including the MIT CAVE Lab and the Center for Transportation and Logistics, where participants witness firsthand how cutting-edge research translates into practical solutions for contemporary business challenges.
Focus then shifts to sustainability and environmental leadership through the World Climate Simulation and comprehensive policy workshops. Participants engage directly with renewable energy research laboratories, exploring how technological innovation and policy frameworks can drive meaningful environmental impact.
Advanced systems thinking sessions provide participants with sophisticated tools for understanding organizational complexity, feedback loops, and long-term strategic planning. These sessions emphasize practical applications of systems modeling and organizational behavior analysis.
The experience culminates with the EN-Roads Workshop, an intensive interactive simulation where participants lead comprehensive climate policy scenarios, applying evidence-based strategies across energy systems, financial frameworks, and environmental governance structures.
Academic Partnership and Research Integration
Each program element is designed in collaboration with leading academic institutions and research centers, ensuring participants access current research, emerging trends, and innovative methodologies. The program integrates theoretical frameworks with practical applications, creating a learning environment that bridges academic rigor with executive practice.
Participants explore advanced concepts including doughnut economics, resilient supply chain management, and systems engineering principles, while engaging with thought leaders and researchers who are actively shaping the future of business and sustainability.
Transformational Leadership Development
The 2025 Boston Innovation Experience represents more than traditional executive education—it serves as a catalyst for fundamental leadership transformation. Through direct engagement with cutting-edge research, intensive policy simulations, and collaborative problem-solving exercises, participants develop the competencies necessary to lead organizations toward sustainable, ethical, and innovative futures.
This immersive experience challenges executives to reimagine their leadership approach, providing them with the tools, perspectives, and networks necessary to drive systemic change within their organizations and broader communities. Participants leave equipped to navigate complexity, champion sustainability, and lead with both purpose and strategic clarity in an interconnected global economy.
Giugno 18, 2025 | NEWS
Early Bird Opportunity: Save 10% with enrollment by June 30, 2025
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, exceptional leadership demands more than technical expertise—it requires ethical decision-making, global perspective, and the ability to drive sustainable change. The Executive MBA at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI EMBA) stands as a beacon for professionals ready to elevate their leadership capabilities while making a meaningful impact on the world.
A Vision Rooted in Ethical Leadership
The USI EMBA’s mission is clear: to shape ethical global business visionaries through an unwavering commitment to excellence in education. This 18-month Advanced Master in Management degree (60 ECTS) goes beyond traditional business education, instilling participants with the values and skills needed to drive transformative positive change in an increasingly complex world.
What sets the USI EMBA apart is its foundation on core values that define responsible leadership:
- Intellectual Honesty: A culture of transparency where ideas are evaluated on merit and truth
- Critical Thinking: Encouraging analytical reasoning and well-informed decision-making
- Ethical Leadership: Grounding true leadership in responsibility and long-term positive impact
- Mutual Respect: Valuing diversity and ensuring every voice contributes to shared success
- Growth Mindset: Embracing continuous learning and adaptability
- Excellence: Striving for the highest standards in all endeavors
An Innovative Program Structure
The USI EMBA 14, beginning November 2025 and extending through May 2027, features a unique hybrid format designed for working professionals. The program includes:
- 15 comprehensive courses: 11 core courses, 3 electives, and 1 international study tour
- Monthly weekend intensives: One day of self-study followed by transformational Saturday-Sunday sessions in Lugano
- 14 specialized workshops: Friday evening sessions focusing on key soft and strategic skills
- Boston Study Tour: A six-day intensive experience at MIT, Harvard, and Tufts University
- Final Project: A two-month capstone project addressing real organizational challenges
Core Curriculum Excellence
The curriculum spans four critical areas:
Strategic Foundation
- Strategic and Creative Decision Making
- Business Strategy and Strategic Management
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Operational Excellence
- Marketing and Brand Management
- Operations Management
- Human Resources Management
Analytical Mastery
- Business Analytics and Quantitative Methods
- Corporate Finance
- Financial Performance Measurement
- Economics and Business Environment
Leadership Integration
- Business Dynamics and Systems Thinking
- Leadership Development
- Negotiation Skills
USI EMBA Participants
Career Professionals: Experienced managers seeking to break through growth limitations, transition industries, and access global networks while refreshing their strategic skillset.
Technical Experts: Specialists like doctors, engineers, or traders ready to transition into strategic leadership roles, developing big-picture thinking and management capabilities.
Entrepreneurs: Start-up founders looking to scale operations, attract investors, and build sustainable businesses through strategic thinking and leadership development.
Typical participants bring 10+ years of professional experience, 6+ years in managerial roles, and represent diverse sectors including banking, technology, healthcare, engineering, and public administration.
Distinctive Features That Matter
Personalized Learning Journey
Small class sizes ensure intimate interaction with faculty and tailored support that integrates each participant’s unique goals and career trajectory into the experience.
Global Perspective, Swiss Quality
An international faculty from top business schools and consulting firms delivers cutting-edge curriculum focused on innovation, ethics, and sustainability, all grounded in Swiss educational excellence.
Practical Application
Learning through team-based projects, real-world case studies, and the culminating Final Project ensures immediate applicability of acquired knowledge.
Networking Across Generations
Unique elective structure allows networking with previous and upcoming cohorts, creating connections across three generations of EMBA participants.
The Boston Experience
The mandatory Boston Study Tour represents a pinnacle of the program, offering intensive engagement with innovation ecosystems at world-renowned institutions. Participants explore system dynamics, strategic sustainability, design thinking, and ethical responses to global challenges while visiting cutting-edge research facilities and innovation hubs.
Investment in Your Future
The USI EMBA represents one of the most valuable investments professionals can make in themselves. Participants return to their organizations after each module with enhanced capabilities to identify, frame, and solve complex business problems. The program provides:
- Immediate Impact: Up-to-date management knowledge applicable after each module
- Medium-term Innovation: Fresh perspectives on organizational challenges through the supervised final project
- Long-term Leadership: Enhanced strategic vision, expanded networks, and ethical leadership capabilities
Organizations benefit significantly from their investment, with recent student projects demonstrating tangible results—such as one international organization reducing distribution costs by 12-14% based on EMBA research findings.
Seize the Early Bird Opportunity
The USI EMBA 14 offers an exclusive Early Bird discount of 10% for applications submitted by June 30, 2025. This limited-time opportunity provides significant savings on tuition while securing your place in this transformative leadership journey.
Important Program Dates:
- Early Bird Discount Deadline: June 30, 2025
- Application Deadline: October 31, 2025
- Program Start: November 14, 2025
The admissions process is designed to ensure the right fit between candidates and the program:
- Manager Consultation: Initial interview to explore motivations and program overview
- Open Day: Interactive sessions with Academic Director and Alumni
- Academic Director Interview: Strategic fit assessment and goal alignment
- BE AN EMBA Experience: Half-day immersive class participation
- Application Package: Comprehensive submission including motivation letter and references
- Enrollment: Contract signing and program confirmation
Join a Legacy of Excellence
Over 13 years, the USI EMBA has graduated 162 professionals across 13 editions, each ceremony marking the transformation of participants into ethical, globally-minded leaders. The program’s alumni network spans industries and continents, providing ongoing support and opportunities for career advancement.
In an era where business leadership faces unprecedented challenges—from climate change to technological disruption—the USI EMBA stands as a beacon for those committed to making a positive difference. The program doesn’t just teach business skills; it cultivates leaders who will shape tomorrow’s opportunities while preserving the future for generations to come.
Ready to transform your leadership journey? The Early Bird window closes June 30, 2025. Contact the USI EMBA team today to begin your application process and secure your place among the next generation of ethical global business leaders.
The future of business needs leaders who can navigate complexity with integrity, drive innovation with purpose, and create value that extends beyond financial returns. The USI EMBA provides the foundation for that leadership—are you ready to answer the call?
Giugno 11, 2025 | NEWS
In today’s volatile and interconnected global economy, the ability to negotiate effectively has become a cornerstone of executive success. Among the many leadership competencies cultivated in top-tier Executive MBA (EMBA) programs, negotiation tactics stand out as one of the most impactful. Whether navigating strategic partnerships, mergers, or internal decision-making, seasoned executives rely on negotiation as both a skill and an art.
Why Negotiation Matters in an Executive MBA
At the heart of every business deal lies the subtle interplay of interests, influence, and intention. Executive MBA programs, especially those recognized as the best in their class, understand this dynamic and embed negotiation deeply into their curricula. The goal is not just to teach theory, but to simulate real-world complexity—preparing leaders to thrive in high-pressure situations.
Negotiation is more than persuasion. It’s about strategic listening, understanding power structures, managing conflict, and crafting win-win solutions. These capabilities are essential not just in external partnerships, but also in leading cross-functional teams and managing boardroom expectations.
Developing Tactical Negotiation Skills
Leading Executive MBA programs offer dedicated modules that blend psychological insights with practical frameworks. Participants are exposed to:
- Negotiation simulations modeled after real business scenarios
- Techniques for value creation and value claiming
- Insights into cross-cultural negotiations
- Tools for managing multi-party negotiations and coalition dynamics
Business Deal-Making as a Leadership Laboratory
Negotiation is where strategy meets leadership. In EMBA programs, negotiation exercises are often integrated with strategy, finance, and organizational behavior. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that graduates don’t just learn to negotiate—they learn to negotiate strategically.
For instance, a participant leading a simulated acquisition deal must not only assess valuation and synergy but also anticipate the human dynamics at play—stakeholder resistance, cultural integration, and communication breakdowns. These experiences mirror the kinds of complex deals that executive leaders face in the real world.
The Leadership Dividend of Negotiation Mastery
Graduates of top Executive MBA programs consistently cite negotiation skills as among the most transformative elements of their training. The impact extends well beyond closing business deals—it strengthens executive presence, builds resilience under pressure, and fosters trust-based leadership.
From high-stakes contract negotiations to daily leadership interactions, the ability to influence outcomes while preserving relationships defines today’s most effective leaders. EMBA programs that prioritize negotiation development are not only shaping better dealmakers—they’re shaping more adaptive, empathetic, and confident business leaders.
As business becomes ever more global, fast-paced, and complex, the ability to negotiate with purpose and precision becomes a defining trait of leadership. For professionals considering an Executive MBA, seeking out a program that emphasizes strategic negotiation is a wise investment in long-term influence and impact.
Giugno 10, 2025 | NEWS
A week-long journey into innovation, sustainability, and ethical leadership
From July 6 to 11, 2025, participants in the USI Executive MBA program immerse themselves in a dynamic and intellectually rich experience in Boston—one of the world’s most prominent ecosystems for scientific, technological, and organizational innovation. The study tour offers a high-level learning environment that combines academic depth with practical exploration, set within top institutions including MIT, Harvard, and Tufts University.
A Strategic Learning Journey
Over the course of six intensive days, participants engage with a carefully designed program of lectures, lab visits, simulations, and policy workshops. Sessions take place across premier venues such as Swissnex Boston, UMass Lowell, and specialized innovation labs focused on energy, transportation, and system dynamics.
Each day centers on a distinct theme, reinforcing the tour’s core focus on leadership, sustainability, and complex systems.
The program opens at Swissnex with sessions that introduce systems thinking and organizational modeling—tools that help leaders decode feedback-rich environments and anticipate long-term consequences.
Participants then visit a Renewable Energy Lab and take part in a World Climate Simulation, gaining hands-on insight into how policy decisions and stakeholder engagement shape sustainability outcomes on a global scale.
Focus then shifts to innovation design and resilient supply chains, explored through academic sessions and lab tours that showcase how technology, systems engineering, and applied research can drive strategic evolution in complex settings.
Returning to Swissnex, the group engages in discussions on organizational behavior, with a strong emphasis on ethical leadership and governance. The day concludes with a networking reception, offering opportunities to connect with local experts and institutional partners.
The final sessions feature the EN-Roads Workshop, a powerful interactive climate policy simulation that challenges participants to lead transformation through evidence-based strategies across energy, finance, and environmental systems.
Themes and Learning Objectives
The Boston Study Tour aligns with the core pillars of the EMBA program:
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Systems Thinking: Equipping leaders to decode complexity and influence systemic change.
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Strategic Sustainability: Embedding responsibility and long-term thinking into decision-making.
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Innovation and Design Thinking: Encouraging experimentation, agility, and collaboration.
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Ethical Leadership: Building a values-based approach to managing global risks and uncertainty.
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Cross-Cultural Networking: Strengthening global perspective through dialogue with institutions and experts in the U.S. innovation landscape.
Participants gain firsthand exposure to labs such as the MIT CAVE Lab and the Center for Transportation and Logistics, while also engaging with discussions around doughnut economics, circular models, and resilient leadership.
The 2025 USI EMBA Boston Study Tour serves as a catalyst for transformation. Through immersive learning and direct engagement with cutting-edge research and innovation, it prepares participants to lead with purpose, clarity, and systemic insight in a complex and interconnected world. Rather than a traditional study trip, this experience invites executives to reimagine leadership and act decisively toward sustainable and ethical impact.
