What the world’s most exclusive school can teach us about raising future-ready leaders

Adaptability is further tested through the school’s dual-campus system. Since 1916, Le Rosey has decamped to Gstaad in the Swiss Alps each winter. Life changes for those three months. “It’s a different type of pressure, different types of activities and you’ll also have different relationships. There are a lot of dinners out with teachers, a lot of connection happens more naturally, but it’s short enough that it doesn’t evolve into something too relaxed. We deepen our bonds but we know we’re going back to the main campus,” says Gudin. “The added benefit is it requires adaptability, because you have to adapt to all those changes constantly. Something I always hear from people is how Roséens are able to adapt to different situations very well. And I think this plays a role.”

Beyond adaptability, Gudin highlights other qualities that Le Rosey fosters in students, including a curiosity to try new things and an interest in new people and what they have to say, as well as an openness and respect for different views and opinions. Finally, there’s resilience. “I think you build resilience in most boarding schools because, in a way, you have to deal with things on your own,” says Gudin. In recent years, Le Rosey has been focused on expanding its wellness support, particularly regarding mental health. “The pressure the students put on themselves is higher,” says Gudin, acknowledging that this has resulted in university acceptance lists growing, particularly for the world’s top schools, but this has come with a mental health price tag. To address this, the school has grown its well-being department. “It’s a key element: how do we make sure students are driven and achieve their goals and go to the top universities while remaining healthy doing so?”

Le Rosey has also been adapting to technology. While AI is incorporated into classes and projects, the school also emphasises purposeful disconnection and crafting time into the students’ day, week and year where they are not connected, “so that you have to connect on a human level without technology”, says Gudin. “We want students to be cognitively engaged.” This has pushed the school to review assessment methods and to look at the role of technology in the everyday—phones must remain in students’ bedrooms and the school provides computers to ensure full visibility of what tools are being used. Then there is full digital detox, for example, during expeditions in the mountains or when they visit the school’s campus in Kenya, where they spend a week disconnected.

“That is always fascinating because they go in moaning, but consistently come out saying that to not have any connection was one of the best parts of the trip. So I do think these digital detoxes are incredibly powerful. We’ve done them for a while and we’re increasing the number that we’re doing … and [the students] fully understand why.”

Le Rosey is often cited as one of the world’s most expensive schools, if not the most. Its high fees put it in a position to offer extraordinary opportunities: not just a well-rounded education but a range of activities, talks, trips, the dual-campus system and more, including the brand new φlo (philo) building, also known as the Centre for Science and Entrepreneurship, with cutting-edge labs and a startup residency programme in partnership with MIT.

At the same time, Gudin stresses that there’s an emphasis on the privilege that comes with wealth. Students are exposed to philanthropy and impact-driven projects, from wildlife conservation and reforestation initiatives at the Kenya campus to involvement in soup kitchens and game nights with elderly people locally, to refugee education and homelessness support projects.

“We want the students to always think of wealth as responsibility. Obviously it gives you privileges but I think all of them know it’s a responsibility as well. [Such initiatives] used to be something for students that were keen but we’ve grown it to be something where all students will take part. Some will go further, but all students are exposed to it.”

And as for the school’s reputation as the “school of kings”, Gudin is keen to dispel some misconceptions.

“I think the first surprise for most people is that [Le Rosey] feels like a very normal school: a school where you can do a lot of things, of course, and a beautiful school, but money has very little to do with life on campus. There’s a level playing field—far less snobbery or talking about money than in [other] schools,” says Gudin. He believes that Le Rosey offers an opportunity for individuals to be themselves and to “have an identity beyond whatever their parents are”. For many, that’s the rarest opportunity of all.

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