ESEM | The School | About ESEM
What if we reimagined a business school?
There are 13,000 business schools on Earth. That is 13,000 too many.
Martin Parker

About ESEM

Inspired by the critics, our school and programmes have been designed in response to the business education standards challenge.

Deploying The ESEM Method we provide premium, personalised business education experience, grounded in industry needs and real business issues and opportunities. Great teachers, great professionals, all in one place – ESEM – available for you to learn from and learn with.

We exist to ignite human potential

Our Purpose

In an uncertain world, the brave and the creative make all the difference.

In a state of continuous change, self-disruption and reinvention keep us ahead.

In a technology-based reality, humanity of business keeps everything in check.

We are building authentic future-proof leaders capable of continuous sustainable growth.

Always at the forefront of knowledge and the needs of practice. Challenging ourselves first, as well as our partners and students. Customising and personalising the learning solutions and transformation journey for individuals and organisations.

At ESEM, we believe potential exists in every business and every human. And we exist to help ignite it for immediate, yet lasting impact.

ESEM, igniting human potential.

ESEM | The School | Our Purpose
We exist to help ignite the inherent potential of every business and every human

Our Mission

At ESEM, we are driven by our mission to nurture ethically anchored, socially aware and dynamic leaders through innovative, personalised and continuous learning and development.

We bring world-class education to the region of Southeastern Europe aspiring to make social impact by expanding the horizon of possibilities and having the business education as a foundation for responsible and sustainable business practices.

Our Values

We believe

  • Learning and growth never stops
  • Education matters and great education matters most
  • Everyone deserves dedicated approach and attention
  • High ethics, respect for all and inclusive mindset should guide actions and growth
  • Transformation and impact have to be tangible

We inspire

  • Doing things the right way, not the easy way
  • Expansion beyond silos of disciplines, methods, geographies, and our own limits
  • Courage to experiment, learn, create and change together with our students, client companies and partners
  • Achieving the immediate as well as the lasting impact
  • Pursuing individual, organisational and societal purpose and fulfilment

Programmes with
immediate impact

Over 2/3 of firms are dissatisfied with skills gained in education system — not applicable, not up-to-date.
Source: Skills for More and Better Jobs in Serbia, World Bank, 2019

What we offer

ESEM programmes are carefully designed to unlock potential at any stage of your development journey. They range from immediate needs boosting your knowledge in a specific area to extended time investment for a transformational journey in all aspects of leadership and management.
Our programmes Early career Mid-career Executive Senior executive
Business Fundamentals Programme (BFP)
Leadership Momentum Programme (LMP)
Executive MBA
Executive Courses and Short Programmes
Custom Education Solutions
Consultancy Solutions
ESEM MasterClasses

Personalised.
Experiential. Mentored.

Top 30 business schools deliver only 18% of the learning deploying team projects and experiential learning.
Source: Business schools reporting to Bloomberg Businessweek, 2012

How we teach

Forged in theory and practice, The ESEM Method is a novel pedagogical concept that improves on active experiential learning and action-reflection pedagogy, fundamentally shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Acquire academic knowledge, practise it immediately on real projects and grow individually as a leader.

The ESEM Method

ESEM | The School | The ESEM Method
  • Personalised experience
  • Dedicated mentoring
  • Immediate application
  • Engaging classes
  • Cross-functional approach
  • Collaborative learning
  • Guided reflection
  • Blended learning format

Personalised experience

We customise your learning journey based on your existing knowledge, your individual learning needs and your business challenges. This 3-stage approach to personalisation allows you to receive the most relevant skills and tools for you and your organisation.

Dedicated mentoring

During each programme you are guided by expert mentors that support your learning on an ongoing basis. They track your development, guide you through the learning process, facilitate peer discussions and support you in completing real business assignments.

Immediate application

Learning through doing and immediate application in real-world business projects will allow you to connect theory and practice. To test and implement the acquired knowledge you complete assignments in your own or in our partner companies, creating tangible solutions and real impact.

Engaging classes

The role of professors is not to deliver lectures. They guide and stimulate deep and insightful exchange on cutting-edge concepts and tools, creating a dynamic and enriched class experience.

Cross-functional approach

Business challenges always require solutions connecting multiple fields and functions. Cross-functionality is embedded in your learning journey across class discussions, case studies and practical assignments, enabling you to tackle business issues from different perspectives.

Collaborative learning

Peer-to-peer learning is not a side benefit but a purposefully designed and integral part of the learning process, facilitated by your mentors and expert faculty. You benefit from the variety of your peers’ insights and experience. The richness comes from the international setting of the programme, meeting your peers from the region or other locations where ESEM would be taking you to.

Guided reflection

Guided by your mentor at every stage of the learning journey you pause and reflect on the learnings and implications, developing a practical handbook for your future actions.

Blended learning format

A part-time flexible model designed to accommodate your tight schedule effectively combining distance learning and class immersions.

Making societal impact through business education

Who we are

ESEM business school has been conceptualised and designed in response to challenges to existing business education standards. The founders come from academia and business and they were inspired by the fundamental and concrete impact that business education and MBA programmes bring to individuals and organisations.

Ana Bovan, PhD Dean

ESEM

Salvatore Cantale, PhD Chairperson, Advisory Council

IMD Business School

Nataša Đurđević, PhD Chairperson, Executive Board

ESEM

Enrico Diecidue, PhD Chairperson, Advisory Board

INSEAD

Filip Bovan, CFA Co-founder, Advisory Board

J.P. Morgan

Inspired? Curious? Ready and able to embark on a real development journey?

We are happy to meet you and help you choose the right learning plan.

Contact us