Want to join a top multinational company after your MBA? These five firms offer MBA leadership development programs to support your journey to the C-suite
Some of the biggest employers of MBA students also recruit into leadership development programs; fast-track, rotational courses, designed to prime high-potential candidates for senior management roles.
Take Owen Geng, for example, who joined Sanofi Pasteur's China Elite Program after his MBA from Tsinghua University and HEC Paris, and is now en route to becoming one of the company’s future leaders.
Or, there are the hundreds of MBAs each year who get hired into Amazon’s Pathways Leadership Development Program.
Find out more about the top five companies offering leadership development programs for MBA graduates.
Program name: Management Associates Program (Leadership Development Program)
Length: Three to four 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 and potentially international rotations lasting from nine to twelve 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 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 their considerations when accepting MBA applicants onto the program.
Program name: Microsoft Aspire Experience MBA track
Length: Two years
Available to: approximately 200 MBA graduates per year
For MBA graduates, the Microsoft Aspire Experience could be your stepping stone from business school to a top role within a global tech giant.
In a unique onboarding experience, Microsoft hires top graduate talent directly from business school who will 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 strategy within the company.
With the program’s commitment to seeking out new talent and perfecting vital leadership skills like working with others and creative problem solving, it’s no wonder it topped MBA Exchange’s 2020 report as one of the top ten MBA development opportunities in the technology sector.
Program name: Amazon Pathways Leadership Development Program
Length: Five 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, we like to think Amazon know what they’re doing when it comes to recruitment. Throughout the five years of the Pathways 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 most effectively.
If you’re committed to pursuing a leadership position at a big company, this may be the perfect opportunity.
Available to: MBAs, BA/MA engineering and IT grads
Do you have what it takes to become an innovative leader in a global enterprise? The Siemens CEO program hires the best and brightest MBAs and trains them to tackle top-level strategic challenges.
The 24-month program sets three assignments fostering innovation on a macro-scale. Challenges range from ways to create growth while reducing energy consumption to how to drive the shift of industry in the digital era.
Hires receive guidance from senior executives and the chance to choose assignments they have the most personal interest in. This, paired with Siemens' efforts in the renewable energy space, meant the program was named the number two MBA leadership development opportunity in the healthcare sector by MBA Exchange.
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Sarah
Verified
18/03/2022
On Campus
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Student
Verified
29/10/2021
On Campus
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Veronique
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Ghadi
Verified
11/06/2022
On Campus
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
Student
Verified
27/03/2022
On Campus
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
Lb
Verified
26/03/2022
On Campus
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
Rajarshi
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Student
Verified
19/10/2021
On Campus
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
Student
Verified
7/07/2022
On Campus
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Sarah
Verified
18/03/2022
On Campus
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Student
Verified
29/10/2021
On Campus
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Veronique
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Ghadi
Verified
11/06/2022
On Campus
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
Student
Verified
27/03/2022
On Campus
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
Lb
Verified
26/03/2022
On Campus
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
Rajarshi
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Student
Verified
19/10/2021
On Campus
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
