Some of the largest employers of MBA students recruit into leadership development programs: fast-track, rotational courses designed to prime high-potential candidates for senior management roles with leadership skills training and mentorship.
There are hundreds of MBAs each year who get hired into Amazon’s Pathways Leadership Development Program alone, and the Microsoft Aspire Experience MBA track is another highly popular destination for recent graduates.
These are just some of the major firms offering such schemes. So, read on to find out more about the top companies offering MBA leadership development programs, and what you stand to gain from each scheme that's on offer.
1. Sanofi
Program name: Management Associates Program (Leadership Development Program)
Length: Three years
Available to: MBAs
The Management Associates Program (MAP) is a rotational, tailored scheme that prepares you for a commercial leadership position by working with one of the world’s largest global healthcare companies.
The scheme offers several US-based rotations lasting up to 12 months. These are designed to increase your knowledge in areas such as Field Sales, Marketing, Immunization Policy, Strategic Planning, Business Development, and Market Access.
As part of the MAP, you will also be given the opportunity to work with some of the most senior leaders and stakeholders within the company to gain cross-functional insight into the operations of the business.
One of the core values of Sanofi is diversity and inclusion, which is at the forefront of the company’s considerations when recruiting for the MBA leadership development program. After completing the program, participants typically join Sanofi in a senior management position.
2. Microsoft
Program name: Microsoft Aspire Experience MBA track
Length: Two years
Available to: approximately 200 MBA graduates per year
The Microsoft Aspire Experience MBA track could be your stepping stone from business school to a top role within a global tech giant.
With a unique onboarding experience, Microsoft hires top graduate talent directly from business school who undergo two years of targeted training to accelerate the level of impact they can have in the company.
Across the two years, hires will mingle with a global cohort, meet mentors in leadership positions, and work across teams to develop future strategies within the company.
With the program’s commitment to seeking out new talent and perfecting vital leadership skills—such as working with others and creative problem solving—it’s no wonder it appeared on MBA Exchange’s 2024 list of the top 10 MBA leadership development programs in the technology sector.
READ: What’s It Like Working At Amazon, Google & Microsoft?
3. Amazon
Program name: Amazon Pathways Leadership Development Program
Length: Three years
Available to: MBAs, MSc graduates or those with a military background
Are you a natural born leader? The Amazon Pathways program is specifically designed to help MBA graduates who aspire to lead large teams progress quickly into high-level management roles in the company.
As a top employer of MBAs, Amazon has a wealth of experience when it comes to recruiting b-school talent. Throughout the three years of the MBA leadership development program, you will move up the ranks from junior to senior management positions, with the chance to work across the company’s global offices.
The program gives an insight into every level of Amazon's operations, allowing you to see the workings of the company as a whole and therefore manage it effectively.
If you’re committed to pursuing a leadership position at a big company, this may be the perfect opportunity.
4. Siemens
Program: Siemens XPS Leadership Program
Length: 24 months
Available to: MBAs with a background in a technical or engineering discipline
Do you have what it takes to become an innovative leader in a global enterprise? The Siemens XPS Leadership program hires the best and brightest MBAs and trains them to tackle top-level strategic challenges.
The 24-month program is open to just three to five candidates each year, and sees each MBA take on a senior leadership role in a specific area of innovation, while accessing leadership skills training, mentorship, and international networking opportunities.
The comprehensive training program, paired with Siemens' efforts in the renewable energy space, meant the program was named the number four MBA leadership development opportunity in the energy sector by MBA Exchange.
READ: Ab InBev, Danone & 15 Top Consumer Goods Companies To Work For
5. AB InBev
Program name: AB InBev Global MBA program
Length: 10-12 week internship leading to a year-long program
Available to: MBAs
Multinational brewing giant AB InBev, which owns brands like Budweiser and Stella Artois, offers fantastic opportunities for MBAs to train up within a global company.
Starting with an internship before progressing into a year-long course, the Global MBA leadership development program is a hands-on, rotational training scheme that throws hires in the deep end from day one.
During the program, recruits are challenged to come up with creative solutions to real challenges within diverse groups, and are expected to take the lead on projects. The success of the program has led to MBA Exchange naming it the best MBA leadership development program in the consumer category.
This article was first published in August 2020 and updated in February 2025
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