INSEAD recently commemorated the fifth anniversary of its San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation during its second Americas Conference 2025. The event, held on February 7-8, gathered over 250 business leaders, government officials, INSEAD alumni, faculty, and staff. Discussions focused on the theme: "The Future is Now: Bridging Business, Technology, and Humanity." Participants explored how to maximize the potential of AI while ensuring human well-being.
Francisco Veloso, Dean of INSEAD, Vic Woo, Senior Director of the INSEAD San Francisco Hub, and Kristin Skogen Lund, Chairperson of the INSEAD Board, launched the celebration with a traditional lion dance.
"Celebrating five years of excellence of our San Francisco Hub is a significant milestone for INSEAD," Veloso remarked. "It reflects our vision, resilience, and strong foundation to make an even greater impact in North America."
The San Francisco Hub, inaugurated in 2020, has grown significantly, achieving key milestones in business education and innovation. It expanded custom programs in the U.S. and collaborated with prestigious institutions like the World Economic Forum and Harvard Business School. Over the years, the Hub hosted the inaugural INSEAD Americas Conference and launched the INSEAD Business Sustainability Series.
This year's conference marked the launch of the INSEAD Institute of Human and Machine Intelligence, announced by Dean of Research Lily Fang. The Institute aims to study technology's impact on business and society. Hyunjin Kim, Assistant Professor of Strategy, introduced The AI-First Entrepreneurship Lab to support global entrepreneurs in creating high-growth startups using AI.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu declared February 7 as "INSEAD Day," acknowledging INSEAD's role in fostering collaboration between government, business, and academia. "INSEAD—an international management education institute, expanding its impact in North America—perfectly aligns with the city’s aspiration to be a world-recognized center for social and economic growth," Chiu said.
The conference also included the Second INSEAD Business Sustainability Award, led by Professor of Strategy Karel Cool. Winners included Paul Manwell, Georgina Grenon, Zach Brown, and Rafael Zanardo Nascimento for their achievements in sustainability.
For further details on the INSEAD San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation, more information is available for interested parties.