Hellmut Schutte: INSEAD’s Programme of New Beginnings for ‘Oldies’

In Series 10 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox explores how higher education is reinventing itself for ageing societies—helping experienced leaders and professionals navigate longer lives, extended careers, and purposeful transitions beyond their peak corporate years.

In this episode, Avivah speaks with Hellmut Schütte, Emeritus Professor of International Management at INSEAD, about INSEAD’s groundbreaking new programme, AI Ventures - Empowering Your Life Transition. Launched in early 2024, the course quickly became the school’s most popular lifelong-learning offer, designed for senior professionals seeking renewal after formal careers. Hellmut explains how the initiative blends longevity, AI and entrepreneurship to help alumni rediscover meaning, develop “dream projects”, and master emerging technologies. He shares what the programme reveals about purpose, pride, and the untapped potential of later-life learners—and why business schools must rethink their role in this new demographic era.

Hellmut Schütte is Emeritus Professor of International Management at INSEAD and former Dean of INSEAD Singapore and CEIBS in China. With a career spanning Europe and Asia, he is widely recognised for his expertise in global strategy, emerging markets and cross-cultural leadership. Since joining INSEAD in France, he held various other academic roles in the US, Japan, Switzerland and Central Europe. In recent years, Hellmut has turned his focus to longevity and lifelong learning, spearheading INSEAD’s innovative AI Ventures - Empowering Your Life Transition programme.

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