Global MBA XIX: a new chapter begins

23 September 2026

A new chapter of your life begins, together. This is the message chosen to mark the beginning of the XIX edition of the Global MBA at Bologna Business School. From September 14 to 17, 2026, participants took part in four days designed to welcome them into the program and, at the same time, mark the beginning of a shared journey.

The kick-off combined orientation sessions, learning activities, discussions with managers and professionals, networking opportunities, and time to discover the city. From the very beginning, this structure reflected some of the defining elements of the Global MBA at BBS: learning through exchange, an international outlook, strong connections with companies and organizations, and the development of a Community that accompanies participants before, during, and after their Master experience.

The first day began with arrival at Bologna Business School, registration, and a welcome breakfast, followed by opening remarks from Marcello Russo, Director of the Global MBA, and Matteo Mingardi, CEO of Nespak by Guillin Group. It was a first opportunity to get to know the School and the people with whom participants will share an especially intensive year, before moving straight into the program activities.

The program began with a hands-on approach. George Wernicke, Associate Professor of Strategy at HEC Paris, guided participants through the “GlobStrat Challenge,” a business game held across the first two days. Working through a simulation allowed the class to engage from the outset with strategic decisions, competitive dynamics, and teamwork. The individual experience of returning to the classroom immediately became a collective one: looking at a problem from different perspectives, making decisions together, and dealing with the consequences of those choices.

Less formal learning moments also played a specific role. The networking lunch on the first day created an initial opportunity for participants to get to know one another, while on the afternoon of September 15, the session “Is the GMBA worth for my career?” brought the perspectives of industry leaders and Alumni into the classroom. Career development was therefore addressed from the very first days. At BBS, it is not a question to be postponed until the end of the Master, but an important part of the process of reflection and awareness that accompanies the learning experience.

The third day shifted the focus to the relationship between leadership, sustainability, and environmental transformation. Riccardo Angelini Rota, VP Sustainability and Head Climate and Environmental Strategy at Leonardo, joined a Leadership Talk addressing issues that are increasingly shaping the strategies and responsibilities of organizations. The program then took the class beyond the Campus: first with free time for lunch in the city and then with a guided tour of the UNIBO Museum, offering participants an opportunity to begin discovering Bologna, the city that will be their home over the coming months.

The final day introduced a different perspective. During the Médecins Sans Frontières Lab, participants took part in a simulation focused on responding to a climate and flooding emergency in Kurway, South Sudan. The team activity, followed by a session in which participants shared the outcomes of their work, placed the emphasis on decision-making in complex conditions, collaboration, and the management of situations in which resources, time, and information are inevitably limited.

Two Leadership Talks completed the program. Stefano Di Carlo, Director of MSF Italy, brought the perspective of an organization working every day in emergency contexts, while Mauricio Macri, former President of Argentina and Boca Juniors and Sport Manager, closed the afternoon with a further discussion on leadership. Two very different experiences offered the class complementary perspectives on the relationship between decision-making, responsibility, and managing complexity.

These four days anticipated the variety of perspectives and approaches that will characterize the Global MBA: strategy and business, sustainability, social impact, leadership, and professional development. But the kick-off also served another purpose: turning a group of participants from different backgrounds into a class that will learn not only through academic content, but also through relationships, experiences, and mutual exchange.

The title chosen for these days, “A new chapter of your life begins, together,” captures this dimension well. Starting an MBA means opening a new phase in one’s professional journey, challenging existing knowledge, goals, and perspectives. Doing so together means being able to rely, from the very first day, on an international Community with whom to share questions, decisions, and opportunities.

For the XIX edition of the Global MBA at Bologna Business School, the journey began here: in the classroom, with the first challenges tackled as a team, through encounters with leaders from different fields, and by discovering Bologna. A first step toward building, together, everything that comes next.