Thirteen years ago, we met in a place designed not just to teach business, but to challenge identities, shift perspectives, and stretch the boundaries of who we thought we were. That place was INSEAD.
This summer, Elie and I reunited — not just the two of us, but with our families. And somehow, the experience was just as powerful as that first meeting all those years ago.
It wasn’t just nostalgia. It was deeper than that.
Back in 2012, we entered INSEAD not knowing what awaited us — just that it would be intense, fast-paced, and incredibly international. What we couldn’t fully grasp at the time was how much that experience would shape us long after the classes ended. How the people we met would become life-long friends, and how the conversations we had — about leadership, identity, ambition, and belonging — would continue echoing in our lives.
This summer’s reunion reminded me of all that. But it also showed me something new.
We weren’t just catching up. We were sharing our lives — the families we’ve built, the people we’ve become, the lessons we’ve internalized. Our kids played together while we talked about where we are now, the paths we’ve taken, and the challenges we still wrestle with. It felt like a full-circle moment. What began in the intense classroom discussions of Fontainebleau now lived on in who we are outside the classroom.
We missed our friend Osama deeply (to whom we sent this picture), and so many others from that transformative time. You were in our thoughts, and in many ways, you’re still part of this continuing journey. We carry the shared experience — the spirit of INSEAD — with us.
I kept thinking back to a quote from Gianpiero Petriglieri, spoken during a powerful session with Esther Perel:
“The difference is desirable.”
It’s such a simple phrase, but it carries the full weight of what INSEAD stood for. It’s the belief that diversity isn’t a challenge to overcome — it’s the very thing that pushes us forward. That embracing differences — of thought, culture, identity — is the only way to truly lead, connect, and grow.
INSEAD didn’t just give us tools. It gave us the courage to become connectors — to bring people together across the very divides that often keep us apart. That mission feels more important today than ever.
And this summer, I saw it living on — not just in old friends reconnecting, but in our families learning from each other, in the next generation laughing and playing without barriers, without assumptions.
Thirteen years later, I still believe in that mission.
I still believe the difference is desirable.
And I still believe that connection is the most powerful force we have — in business, in leadership, and in life.
Here’s to the people who helped shape who we are. Here’s to continuing the journey — together.
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