Indonesia's rise as an economic destination in Southeast Asia calls for similar progress in local management skills to engage the global market.
"The international flavour of higher education is needed nowadays because our graduates must be ready for global exposure," says Yennah Winata, CEO of IPMI International Business School.
IPMI stepped up to the plate in 1984 as the Indonesian government began wide-ranging deregulation. Applying the business case learning approach, it pioneered business management education in the country with the help of founding faculty from Harvard Business School and INSEAD.
The pioneering move has equipped around 5,000 alumni to take on business leadership roles. In turn, they serve as channels for a continuing industry-academia link that is transforming industries all across the country.
"Through education, we believe that we can promote Indonesia as a study destination and bring in expertise from overseas and connect it with local expertise," Winata says. "Because IPMI has high international standards and deliverables, there is no opportunity loss in pursuing higher studies here, rather the prospect of gaining networks in the industry."
An alumna from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and IPMI herself, Winata is focused on building up the institution's international partnerships. The Strategic Management Programme, a joint programme of IPMI with the United States' Kellogg School of Management and Portugal's Catolica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, runs in Jakarta, Lisbon and Chicago.
