As climate change, AI and geopolitical tension reshape the world, business schools are being asked to do more than simply produce high‑performing graduates. With executive education able to prepare leaders to drive meaningful change, Nottingham Business School’s Mel Bull outlines how institutions can partner with organisations to design programmes that serve the regions around them Classrooms that change communities
A s societal challenges evolve, so too does the value of business schools. Around the world, organisations in both the public and private sectors are grappling with complexities arising from climate change, the adoption of AI and geopolitical tension. In this era of uncertainty, schools are increasingly called upon to contribute more meaningfully to the societies and regions in which they operate as partners in progress. Executive education can act as a powerful vehicle for achieving this ambition. While undergraduate and many master’s-level programmes are suited to the needs of the next generation of leaders, executive courses provide current leaders with the necessary skills to implement change in real time. When tailored to local or regional needs, leadership training enables business schools to drive meaningful change beyond the business ecosystem. Re-imagining executive education Executive education has evolved from improving organisational performance to helping leaders manage digital and sustainability transformations. Now, the universal nature of many such challenges is feeding the demand for executive training beyond the traditional business audience. Public services, local authorities and voluntary organisations are also having to deal with issues stemming from constrained resources, systemic complexity and the need for innovation.
Business schools are well-positioned to help, given their access to the latest academic research and multidisciplinary expertise.
By co-creating executive courses that serve cross-sector needs, they can help regions build the necessary leadership capacity to tackle issues such as health inequalities, sustainability transitions and economic renewal. At Nottingham Business School, we have put this into practice in the new East Midlands Leadership Transformation Programme (EMLTP), a regional initiative that aims to strengthen public service leadership. The course’s foundations lie in earlier collaborations with the local community. The Nottingham Leadership Transformation Programme (NLTP) was launched by the business school in partnership with Nottingham City Council in 2022. Since then, the programme has supported the leadership development of more than 90 leaders from Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Nottinghamshire Police and the Integrated Care Board, as well as the City Council itself. The programme was built on an understanding that complex challenges must be met with collaborative solutions. We brought together middle-to-senior leaders from different public sector bodies to learn together, address shared challenges and develop the skills they need to lead across organisational boundaries. Participants engaged in 10 days of classroom learning, supported by action learning sets that allowed them to test and refine their
18 Ambition • ISSUE 5 • 2026
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