NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The six-day Harvard Business School–Accion Program on Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance offers leaders from around the world an exceptional opportunity to connect with peers while engaging with some of the HBS faculty’s foremost thinkers in business strategy and management. The HBS Executive Education learning model immerses the world’s most promising managers in a transformational experience that combines the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and tools with professional, intellectual, and personal development.

Two years ago the program adopted a new name: the HBS-Accion Program on Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance. The name change confirmed a shift in course focus and approach that had been underway for some time, from an exclusive focus on microfinance to a broader financial inclusion scope.

In the past, HBS and Accion have brought together leaders from roughly 100 countries – including over 300 CEOs, presidents, managing  directors, and other high level executives from some of the field’s leading microfinance institutions and financial service providers. The course marries the best in strategic business thinking with the most important advances in financial inclusion and impact investing through:

* A thorough immersion in the financial inclusion industry and the operations of leading financial institutions that serve lower income clients;

* Examination of how new business models in this space, especially technology-enhanced models, succeed or flounder;

* Addressing key challenges of doing business at the base of the pyramid, including succeeding in highly competitive markets, maintaining a social focus in a commercial setting, and evolving products and delivery channels;

* Engaging participants in captivating, thought-provoking, and even inspiring discussions through the famous case method approach pioneered by HBS.

The program addresses key strategic issues arising out of the dual goals of economic and social value creation that define microfinance. Topic areas include industry change, managing in competition, organizational growth, and creating economic and social value.

Click here to apply.