Truly global, distinctly personal.

Next Start 26 Sep 2025
Duration 18 Months
Language English
Format Modular
Avg. working
experience
16 years
Where Milano, Roma, Toronto, Mumbai, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Shanghai, São Paulo

The Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA (Master in Business Administration) is a modular program that combines the expertise and perspectives of a leading European and a leading North American business school in a transformative journey hosted in international business hubs. A launching pad for future career phases and an integrated preparation for senior management roles, GEMBA provides a highly personalized focus on leadership development, and introduces participants to a global network of exceptional managers, faculty, executives and thought-leaders.

 

This unique 18-month program, spanning eight cities in four continents, will change the the way you think, network and do business in some of the world’s biggest markets and will give you a wider range of opportunities, contacts and experiences. The Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA is offered in partnership with the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in Canada.

 

Who is it for?

The Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA will expand your global understanding, and personal horizons as a future leader. GEMBA is the right program for you if:

  • You want to benefit from an inclusive outlook that bridges continents as you earn two credentials from top-ranked Schools with connections worldwide.
  • You want to experience a transformative program hosted in eight key business hubs, immerse yourself in local cultures, while building knowledge and skills for an ever-changing, interconnected world.
  • You want to gain insights into sectors where our schools have special expertise, and compare perspectives in our home cities: Milano - Italy’s entrepreneurial, industrial, and financial center - and Toronto - Canada’s multicultural financial capital and innovation hub.
  • You want to develop a highly personalized focus on leadership challenges and enter a global network of exceptional managers, executives, and thought-leaders.

 

 


 

My GEMBA in 60 seconds - Alfonso Lavorgna

My GEMBA in 60 Seconds - Salome Pirtakhiya

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Why choose us?

1. Global Advantage: Europe, Americas, Asia

Milano, Roma, Toronto, Mumbai, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Shanghai, São Paulo: immerse yourself in the local cultures of eight international business centers, cross borders, bridge continents and transcend insular thinking.

2. Two credentials and two networks

A Global Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. The combined strength of these brands will position you for lifelong success.

3. Insight sharing with thought leaders

Learn from globally focused faculty, who can offer guidance, act as mentors and open doors to new opportunities. And share firsthand insights into global business challenges with corporate leaders on campus and on site tours.

4. Flexible format, timing and location

Combine professional, personal and learning opportunities no matter where you are located, through the flexible executive format that blends residency modules around the world with distance learning.

5. Personalized Leadership Development Program

Grow your potential as a leader through regular personal assessments, skills workshops, coaching conversations and a leadership retreat.

Highlights

#7
WW

QS Executive MBA Rankings 2024:
Joint Programmes

2
Credentials

from top-ranked Int'l schools

8
Cities

Milano, Roma, Toronto, Mumbai, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Shanghai, São Paulo

Rotman

In partnership with
Rotman School of Management

Scholarships and Tuition Waivers

The GEMBA Class

16
Years

Average Work
Experience

40
Years

Average Age

51%

Women

35
Participants

Class Size

Inside My GEMBA SDA Bocconi programs offer a unique and personalized learning experience. Enter the world of GEMBA to discover its unique contents.

“At SDA Bocconi we take the GEMBA meaning seriously. It is a “global” executive MBA, designed to equip future leaders to manage global challenges: an indispensable prerequisite to prosper with your organization and reinforce your career development.”

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Ferdinando Pennarola
Director

"It is not easy to create truly sustainable value for a business — or for yourself. In this program, we teach you the former and help you achieve the latter, all with a truly global lens."

Jan Mahrt-Smith
Academic Director, University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management

"GEMBA is not only an exceptional program, remarkable for its depth and the international exposure it offers participants, but it also provides a truly transformative experience. It seamlessly combines valuable knowledge with meaningful relationship-building, both professionally and personally. I would describe it as a life-changing journey. Being part of this and accompanying participants along the way is a privilege and an immensely rewarding experience".

Emilia Paolino
Coordinator

What they say about us

Why did you choose to undertake the Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA?
In life, learning is an ongoing process. This philosophy is my natural engine in both my personal and professional life. The global pandemic emphasized the necessity to question the rules, and now the world is going through fundamental changes. It is great to be part of the SDA Bocconi international community to learn together and from each other new ways to approach business, brands and people.
Which personal/professional needs/motivations lie behind your choice?
I am a woman from centuries old civilization renowned for inherent entrepreneurship and meaningful life philosophies. I would love to unite my western mindset with these foundations and propose a new profile of leadership.
What are your expectations for the upcoming months within the GEMBA program?
Learn, share and grow on a human and intellectual level.
Your GEMBA program in 3 words.
Structure. Vision. Empowerment.
If you really believe in it you can do it. 
So just do it.

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Eva Majidi - German
GEMBA 2023

Why did you choose to undertake the Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA?

 

I chose Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA for a strong motivation for personal and professional growth, without neglecting internationality as a driver. And the map of destinations chosen from this journey covers the whole world. I feel like an entrepreneur:  not only Italian, not only European too, but really a global one.

 

Which personal/professional needs/motivations lie behind your choice?

 

I chose Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA because it immediately seemed the path that best suited my personality and my desire to gather as much knowledge as possible at international level though. This path allows me to develop both personally and professionally a GLOCAL mindset (Global and Local).

 

How is this choice satisfying your needs?

 

It is a path that fits perfectly with my needs, I work in my family's company and a Full Time MBA would have been unthinkable. In this way, every two months I can devote a week to the MBA, and I can also combine business trips to the same destinations. Training + business.

 

What is your most important takeaway in attending international modules across the world?

 

This path has led me to get out of mental patterns, it has led me to a greater mind openness, it has led me to greater resistance and every time I return from a module I return to my company with a lot of positive energy and motivation.

 

Describe your GEMBA experience in 3 words/adjectives.

 

Intense. Dynamic. Cool.

 

Anything else - like a personal note - you may wish to add.

 

Choose this path considering that it is the right moment in one’s life, since it requires a lot of resilience and constancy. But I can say it was one of the best choices in my life to date. 

 

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Giulia Faresin - Italian
GEMBA 2024

Meet GEMBA

Upcoming face-to-face meetings
18
Jan 2025 10:00 - 16:30 | LOCAL TIME
MBAs OPEN DAY
Language ITALIAN / ENGLISH
Learn More
24
Jan 2025 09:00 - 20:00 | LOCAL TIME
Orientation Meetings - Mexico City
Language ENGLISH
Learn More
Upcoming online sessions
29
Jan 2025 18:00 - 19:00 | CET
Chat with the GEMBA Director
Language ENGLISH
Learn More
27
Feb 2025 18:00 - 19:00 | CET
Chat with the GEMBA Director
Language ENGLISH
Learn More
Personalized Orientation

The Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA is a challenge to be taken on with a strong dedication. The Recruiting & Admissions team will be happy to arrange an individual informational interview at school to answer your questions and give you personalized advice. We can also do this when traveling to your part of the world, and by phone or remotely.

 

Moreover, every year the school presents the Master through a series of public events, both online and offline. This is an opportunity to speak directly with directors, faculty, alumni, and staff.

 

See all events 

Contact us for more information, to arrange a meeting, request to visit the school, or attend a class.

 

To learn more about our partner Rotman School of Management, visit the page University Of Toronto’s Rotman School Of Management

 

Next Steps

Nov 2024
Application Review Start

Go to admission

16 Dec 2024
1st Tuition Waiver Deadline
5 June 2025
Application Deadline
26 Sep 2025
Program Start
Mar 2027
Program End

News & Social

17 July 2024
Global Excellence for the Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA: 7th ww in the QS Executive MBA Rankings
Gaining one position in the general ranking, the joint Global Executive MBA excels in Employer ...
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19 June 2024
Celebrating unity and enduring bonds: SDA Bocconi’s 2024 MBA Reunion
Learn More

More about the Global Executive MBA

Program

Structure, Learning Model
MBAs Open Day: 18 Jan 2025

Learn more about the SDA Bocconi MBAs and interact with the Directors, Students, Alums, Guidance & Recruitment and Career Development.

Find out more