Gary P. Keegan will take up the position of Chief Development and Alumni Relations Officer in November 2020.
Keegan will be working closely with IMD President and Nestlé Chaired Professor Jean-François Manzoni, corporate partners and IMD’s academic and alumni communities. In this role, Keegan will build on recent alumni initiatives and support existing alumni communities while driving a robust strategy to enhance IMD’s engagement with supporters, partners and donors.
“We are looking forward to welcoming Gary Keegan to IMD,” said President Manzoni, “He is an outstanding leader who will significantly advance our fundraising vision and meaningfully engage our international alumni.”
Fuelled by a passion for start-ups
Keegan joins IMD after six years as Director of Development of Cambridge University Medicine and Cambridge University Health Partners, where he led the university’s activities in strategic fundraising and international partnerships.
It is exactly this type of start-up environment experience that drew Keegan to IMD, as it expands on the development of alumni relations: “I am passionate about start-ups,” he said. “The thrill for me will be in building a development and alumni relations program, together with colleagues, that is inspiring, exciting and sustainable.”
Although IMD is a well-established institution, Keegan believes its extraordinary network of alumni and supporters hasn’t yet fully realized its potential.
“IMD has an interesting edge as an institution – its close-quarters existence between academia and industry,” Keegan said. “It is our responsibility to provide real lifelong engagement for our alumni family and we must make sure we are providing opportunities for people to connect with us in ways that are meaningful for them.”
IMD’s outstanding alumni network
With approximately 10,000 degree and long program alumni worldwide, IMD succeeds in maintaining a close-knit global community in a complex business environment. Hundreds of alumni volunteers choose to get actively involved in the network, where they build alumni clubs and communities, as well as support MBA and EMBA candidates through mentoring, interview training and referrals.
Keegan’s arrival is very timely, as IMD is finalizing the launch of a new platform to help alumni connect to both the institution and each other.
The task of growing sustainable long-term philanthropic income for IMD is both a challenging and highly rewarding task that depends greatly on the generosity of alumni, friends, trusts and foundations, and corporate partners.
“No institution can live without the support of its alumni,” said Keegan. “We are lucky to have such an extraordinary group of alumni all around the world, but we must work hard to win their support.”
