In 1956, IMEDE (Institut pour l’Edude des Méthodes de Direction de l’Entreprise) was established in Lausanne by Nestlé in coordination with Harvard Business School. In 1989, the institute merged with IMI in Geneva to create IMD and its Lausanne-based campus, with a vision to develop global leaders.
IMD’s strong ties with Nestlé continued, and in 1997, the IMD MBA Nestlé Scholarship for Women was launched, and it has supported future women leaders ever since.