Marc Maurer didn’t build ON by playing it safe. In this live conversation with IMD’s Alyson Meister, the outgoing Co-CEO explains why betting on purpose, rejecting hype, and ignoring the industry playbook paid off:

1. Culture over hype.
“We’re actually the anti-metaverse.” ON doubled down on real-life movement instead of pixels, and built a brand with soul.

2. Purpose-driven growth.
“Why do we need to grow 28%? Why not 20%? Who tells you it should be 28?” Maurer insists that growth must serve the purpose, not the markets.

3. Hire outsiders, build insiders.
“For the first 10 years or so, it was forbidden to hire from a competitor.” ON’s originality? No legacy thinking, just bold innovation.

With insights on sustainability, Gen Z expectations, and life after ON, this episode – recorded live at IMD’s flagship event Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) – is a masterclass in leadership.

Three alumni. Three decades. One question: What makes IMD’s leadership journey so lasting?

What do a former Olympic basketball player, a Japanese strategist in London, and a Swiss energy executive have in common? IMD.

In this special MBA reunion episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach welcomes

- John Hatch (MBA 1990)

- Kazumi Nakayama (MBA 2015)

- Aurore Amaudruz (MBA 2020)

for an honest, funny, and reflective conversation on what IMD taught them - and how it shaped the leaders they’ve become.

From pandemic pivots to circular economy lookouts, the three alumni explore how IMD’s emphasis on self-leadership, global perspective, and shared values continues to influence their careers. “I provide a secure base for the team I work with,” says Aurore. “That’s what IMD brought me.” Adds Kazumi: “My perspective matters. That was a discovery.”

And John, now a sustainability board leader, reflects on the future leaders: "We're going to be faced with a generational change which is just going to hold us to account much differently than what we're currently being pressured."

Tune in for an unusual intergenerational reunion that explores how to lead differently.

Global deans on leading through turbulence — and why optimism, not certainty, is the real power in today’s business education.

In today’s episode, IMD President David Bach discusses how the rapid global shifts of the moment impact leadership education, with two of his peers:

– Catherine Duggan, Dean of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business
– Darren Dahl, Dean at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia

Duggan challenges prevailing assumptions about the Global South, calling African leadership “a masterclass in managing volatility.” Dahl reveals how political instability in the US has made Canada re-evaluate its economic dependence – and sparked a surprising boom in university applications.

This episode is packed with unplugged moments, like when Duggan compares running a business in Africa to “playing video games on hard mode,” and Dahl admits: “We’re not teaching students how to fall down.”

If you’re in leadership, higher education, or just trying to make sense of this moment in history – don’t miss this one.

Leaders Unplugged features real talk with the impactful. Candid, honest, actionable, and fresh from behind the scenes. It is presented by IMD in collaboration with Remote Daily.