Warm welcome to this 13th issue of our periodical newsletter i-MBA SCOPE. It is also the moment to welcome to our community the new cohorts of i-MBA students, the 27th intake! The class profiles of our new students, ready to embark on their transformational MBA journey, can be found in the News Section.

Since Issue 12, we have launched a new initiative, taking i-MBA SCOPE more dynamically online, by launching it as a LinkedIn Newsletter. Regular postings of new and classic SCOPE articles, in combination with exclusive content, contribute to diffusing knowledge on timely business trends and practices from professors, alumni and business partners of the MBA International. Welcome to follow!

This 13th issue focuses on International Business, that we approach from different angles, including delving into the ingredients of a successful international career from the perspective of those who did it, four of our many i-MBA graduates thriving in an international career.

With escalating wars and other geopolitical conflicts, the emerging of climate refugees on top of an already over-stressed refugee situation, the upcoming U.S. elections, and the increasing polarization in the political landscape both regionally and globally, the international context for doing business is more than challenging. Adding also to this the escalating conflicts between the European Union and the U.S. Tech Giants, with Apple deciding to not (yet) roll out its most advanced new AI enhanced (Apple Intelligence) i-Phone 16 in the EU due to the EU AI Regulation Act of 1/8/24, and the 9/9/24 Draghi Report sounding heavy alarm bells about Europe’s future global competitiveness, we seem to be up for a perfect storm in the global context in the years to come.

We like to add a perspective of optimism and resilience in contrast to the above, through the articles in this issue. In the first article, touching upon one of the factors essential for international business in the mix of turbulent circumstances, global transportation networks, Visiting Professor Amit Bhatnagar describes how China’s quest for a New Silk Road through the China-Europe Railway Express has taken shape.

Bringing the perspective to the level of an international Career, i-MBA alumnus Vasileios Moiras, Global Product Manager, Siemens, describes his career abroad leading large-scale digital transformations projects and reflects on the related success factors. In the third article, continuing on the path of international careers in the shape of an interview with three i-MBA graduates, Lambrini Litsa (Canada), Serafeim Kotrotsos (Qatar) and Fotini Zerikioti (Switzerland), we learn more about the whys and hows of choosing an international career, and how to prepare for this, including exploiting the resources of the i-MBA program.

A new important initiative launched for this year’s final semester students is the i-MBA Mentoring Program. We have engaged members of our Business Advisory council together with prominent alumni and other managers close to the program, to act as mentors to our soon-to-graduate students. In the News Feed, we present this highly value-adding initiative in more depth.

As always, this 13th issue of i-MBA SCOPE also contains program and alumni news. The i-MBA Alumni Association welcomes the new students and presents new initiatives in the thriving alumni community. I also like to emphasize the impactful and highly successful March 2024 Energy Summit Event “Energizing 2030”, organized by students of the Energy and Sustainable Development Club, and the 21^st Annual Career Fair that took place in May, with important participation of leading companies in the market. We also suggest links to interesting articles, reports and readings related to the international business landscape.