Leading Armenia's Next Chapter

Armenian companies are scaling rapidly, and with growth comes a new set of challenges that didn't exist before. At the Alexander Hotel in Yerevan, thirty companies gathered to discuss what keeps them up at night. What emerged wasn't just a list of problems; it was the blueprint for a partnership.

The Questions That Matter

Growth has transformed Armenia's business landscape, and the executives we met are navigating uncharted territory. These four questions kept surfacing:

1.     How do we keep our best people?

Armenia's talent market has become intensely competitive. Good people now have options, and salary alone won't hold them. They want development, progression, and the sense that their company is investing in their future as much as they're investing in the company.

2.     How do we develop leaders fast enough?

A company that doubles in size needs more people capable of leading teams, making decisions, and representing the organisation. Recruitment alone can't solve this. Leaders must be grown internally, yet leadership is a human skill developed through experience over time. There are no shortcuts. Quick fixes have disappointed everyone who's tried them—and everyone has tried them.

3.     How do we manage constant change?

Technology shifts, markets evolve, regulations change, and geopolitics intrudes. The executives we met are running their businesses while simultaneously transforming them: opening new facilities, entering new markets, integrating acquisitions, implementing new systems. Each transformation project carries real stakes because delays cost money and missed opportunities don't come back.

4.     How do we find time to learn anything?

Every leader we spoke with was busy. Whatever development they undertake must fit around the demands of running a business, must be practical, and must be applicable immediately. Theory disconnected from practice is a luxury no one can afford.

What These Questions Revealed

From these conversations, clear priorities emerged. Change leadership, digital transformation, and executive communication surfaced as the capabilities that matter most right now. Cross-cultural leadership and strategic negotiation became central for companies pursuing international expansion. Weekend delivery made sense because it respects the reality of working lives. Learning in Armenia, with an optional UK study trip, works for leaders who can't step away for months at a time.

The Moment It Clicked

Some moments in the room stood out.

When we described busy leaders living busy lives, the recognition was visible.

We ran an exercise on anchoring bias. Everyone in the room knew the theory, yet everyone still got influenced. The laughter that followed was the laughter of recognition, because the gap between knowing something and doing something about it is precisely where leadership development either works or wastes time.

A Partnership, Not Just a Programme

From these conversations, ChangeSchool and Armenian business have built an Executive MBA together. The curriculum centres on organisational behaviour, informed by Dr Richard Kwiatowski's globally recognised programmes, because leadership is ultimately about how people actually behave under pressure. An advisory board of Armenian business leaders will ensure the programme stays relevant as needs evolve.

This work wouldn't have been possible without the British Embassy Yerevan, the British Council, and the Armenian British Business Chamber (ABBC), whose commitment to strengthening ties between UK and Armenian business created the foundation for this partnership.

The Right Questions, Real Answers

Armenia's companies are asking the right questions. This programme exists to help answer them. At ChangeSchool, we believe the best executive education comes from listening first - understanding the real challenges leaders face, then building programmes that respond to those needs with practical, applicable solutions.

The Armenian Executive MBA represents a new model of partnership between education and industry, where the curriculum isn't handed down but built together. It's executive education designed by the people who need it most.

Learn more about our Executive MBA programme here

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