The INSEAD Alumni Association and INSEAD recognise outstanding alumni for their positive impact to business and society

Eight exceptional alumni received awards in four categories

Three alumni have received the first-ever INSEAD Force for Good Award, an award that recognises INSEAD alumni who demonstrate exemplary social impact in their professional or community work.

INSEAD believes that management education and business activities can be a catalyst for positive social change by improving economic situations and lifting people up around the world. The school prioritises teaching and research around business and society topics to encourage students, participants, our alumni and leaders everywhere to consider how business can create value for communities.

The Force for Good Award recognises alumni who exemplify the values of the school, with the aim to strengthen these efforts and inspire business and government leaders around the world to be a force for good.

The award recipients are:

Marcelle Speller MBA’82, Founder of Localgiving. Marcelle believes that using business to solve the greatest problems in the world by collaborating with NGOs and governments is the surest way to create change. Localgiving.org has raised more than £20m for 5,000 organisations.  

“I didn’t want to just write cheques; I wanted to be involved in building things, doing things and leveraging my money.”

Denis von der Weid MBA'61, Founder and Director of Antenna Foundation. Denis established Antenna Foundation to lead scientific research for technological, health and economic solutions to meet the basic needs of marginalised populations in developing countries. 

“We are not pretending to change the world, but let’s do what is within our reach.”

Sameer Hajee MBA'04D, Co-Founder and CEO of Nuru Energy. Sameer believes in the power of technology to create a better world. He founded Nuru Energy to provide clean energy access to households living below the poverty line in both Africa and South Asia.

“Even the most basic technology can significantly transform the lives of the poorest.”

Ilian Mihov, Dean of INSEAD, says that, “It is a privilege to honour these exceptional leaders and the good work they are doing in their communities and organisations. We are proud that our unparalleled and growing alumni network – currently standing at over 56,000 members in 174 countries – is stronger than ever. Our alumni are more engaged than ever, making our school better equipped to advance our mission and achieve our vision of business as a force for good.”

The Force for Good Award is among the four categories of Awards jointly produced by INSEAD and the INSEAD Alumni Association (IAA). The other three categories are: Global Entrepreneurship Award, Emerging Entrepreneur Award and Volunteer Leader Award.

Sadia Khan MBA'95D, President of the INSEAD Alumni Association, says that, “We have a vibrant alumni community doing excellent work in countries around the world and embracing our INSEAD values. These awards recognise alumni who are delivering value beyond the bottom line of the companies they lead. Today, we shine a light on the positive impact our alumni have on business and society – and we recognise those who support our community and enable and encourage these efforts.”  

INSEAD Alumni Global Entrepreneurship Award 2018

The INSEAD Alumni Global Entrepreneurship Award 2018 recognises exemplary and innovative impact of alumni through entrepreneurship and in managing ventures with a market capitalisation of over US$500M.

Award recipient Kevin Ryan MBA’90D is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of AlleyCorp. His business experience includes leading DoubleClick from a 20-employee start-up into a 1,500-employee online advertising giant with his strong vision and passion for online ventures. The company sold for US$1.1B in 2005. Today, as Founder and Chairman of AlleyCorp, he helps launch and invest in online start-ups. One recent success is MongoDB (valued at $3b) where he is also its Founder and Chairman.

“It [the experience] made me a better businessperson and put me in a position to have judgment and expertise that was helpful in managing the CEOs of the new companies I started.”

INSEAD Alumni Emerging Entrepreneur Award 2018

The INSEAD Alumni Emerging Entrepreneur Award is presented to INSEAD alumni to recognise exemplary and innovative impact through entrepreneurship and ventures that are less than 5 years old.

Award recipient Harjeev Kandhari MBA’02J is the Founder and CEO of ‎Zenises, the world’s first premier global tyre subscription service where ten percent of company profits go toward initiatives to educate and feed impoverished children in the developing world through the Zenises Foundation.

 “Anybody can write a cheque, but it’s very difficult to build a sustainable organisation that will continue going forward to educate children, build homes and feed people.”

INSEAD Alumni Volunteer Leader Award 2018

The INSEAD Alumni Volunteer Leader Award is presented to INSEAD alumni who have provided exemplary volunteer service to INSEAD, the INSEAD Alumni Association, the INSEAD Alumni Fund or other INSEAD-affiliated volunteer groups.

The award recipients are:

Leonidas Los MBA’75, Retired Shipping Agent and Broker, Tri-Marine S.A.,  Leonidas has been engaging alumni as well as  leading fundraising efforts as Chairman of the INSEAD Alumni Fund Board for many years. He was a member of the INSEAD Board and has been an INSEAD Circle of Patrons Member since 2014.

“By making the necessary funds available to our Dean to invest in the future of the school, we will all be winners.”

Alexandra von Schroeter MBA’87J, CFA, IDP-C, Partner and Co-Owner, Cumberland Private Wealth Management. Alexandra had taken over as INSEAD Fundraising Chair for Canada and eventually joined the INSEAD Alumni Fund’s Global Board, serving three terms in 15 years.  

“The most fulfilling aspect of the work is knowing that I’m invested in INSEAD.”

Tsunehiro Nakayama MBA’75, Retired Chairman, Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co. Tsunehiro helped re-establish the INSEAD Japan National Council as President and leveraged his strong network with the Japanese business community to boost INSEAD’s profile in Japan.     

“You felt you were working among peers on an international level [during his time at INSEAD], and that kind of experience gave me an open-mindedness.”

Beyond these awards, INSEAD and the IAA continue to develop new initiatives, programmes and events that benefit all alumni. From creating lifelong learning opportunities to organising world-class reunions to hosting global alumni forums, the school helps alumni stay connected to INSEAD while giving them the tools and knowledge to make the world a better place.

To find out more about the awards and these alumni’s achievements, visit www.insead.edu/alumni/awards.

About INSEAD, The Business School for the World

As one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to change lives and to transform organisations. A global perspective and cultural diversity are reflected in all aspects of its research and teaching.

With campuses in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore) and the Middle East (Abu Dhabi), INSEAD's business education and research spans three continents. The school’s 145 renowned Faculty members from 40 countries inspire more than 1,400 degree participants annually in its MBA, Executive MBA, Executive Master in Finance, Executive Master in Consulting and Coaching for Change and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 10,000 executives participate in INSEAD's executive education programmes each year.

In addition to INSEAD's programmes on its three campuses, INSEAD participates in academic partnerships with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia & San Francisco); the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University near Chicago; the Johns Hopkins University/SAIS in Washington DC and the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York; and MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In Asia, INSEAD partners with School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai. INSEAD is a founding member in the multidisciplinary Sorbonne University created in 2012, and also partners with Fundação Dom Cabral in Brazil.

INSEAD became a pioneer of international business education with the graduation of the first MBA class on the Fontainebleau campus in Europe in 1960. In 2000, INSEAD opened its Asia campus in Singapore. And in 2007 the school began an association in the Middle East, officially opening the Abu Dhabi campus in 2010.

Around the world and over the decades, INSEAD continues to conduct cutting edge research and to innovate across all its programmes to provide business leaders with the knowledge and sensitivity to operate anywhere. These core values have enabled us to become truly "The Business School for the World”.