SMU has teamed up with the IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, to launch a blended MBA programme that combines face-to-face teaching with online interactions. Academic Director of this new MBA at SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Associate Professor of Operations Management Lieven Demeester said that the programme methodology enhances the “ability to leverage online technology for cross-border collaboration in today’s global business environment”, and stressed that it is ideal for the increasingly mobile executive as most of the curriculum can be completed remotely. SMU’s strength is its familiarity with and expertise in the Asian style and model of management, which complements IE Business School well. Associate Prof Demeester added that by offering insights into Asia-Pacific markets, it would strengthen their MBA students’ “competitive edge in their career development”.