Meeting the challenge of a dean’s evolving role The need for business school deans to stay grounded and vocal in their values was highlighted in a keynote address from BlueSky Education CEO Matt Symonds at the end of the conference’s first day. Deans are no longer mere academic leaders and administrators, Symonds stressed, but also diplomats and ethical anchors, noting that business schools are increasingly politicised spaces: “You’re navigating politics, economics and social expectations. In a world that’s shaped by geopolitical conflict, disinformation and polarised values, the role of the dean has evolved.” The BlueSky CEO believes it’s increasingly difficult to avoid taking a stand, arguing that “there’s a sense that neutrality is no longer an option and that silence can be complicity.” His advice, therefore, is for deans to act as a moral compass for their institution by being anchored in their mission, transparent in their communication and aligned with school values. Those values, according to Symonds, should encompass core principles, such as academic freedom, research integrity and diversity and inclusion. Transparency, meanwhile, equates to speaking out early, honestly and frequently, while engaging with stakeholders meaningfully. In this way, Symonds believes that the challenge of being under constant scrutiny can become an opportunity for a dean’s institution. Reacting to crisis & owning disruption On the conference’s second day, an expert panel revealed how their organisations have adapted to crisis and disruption, in a session chaired by QED’s head of advisory services, Joanne Powell. At Lagos Business School, a new role was forged in reaction to rising costs and inflation brought on by government legislation, as its dean, Olayinka David-West, explained: “In macroeconomic reforms, the government is distant from the business community, so we had to be a convener of conversations and positioned our research to inform policies and their implementation.”
At the American University of Beirut (AUB), one outcome of multiple crises over the past five years has been a brain drain. However, director of strategic initiatives & continuous improvement Abir Sinno detailed how AUB has managed to keep student and faculty numbers at pre-2020 levels through support schemes, strategic recruitment and by leveraging its alumni network overseas. “We’ve been able to bounce back throughout by realising the value that we’re creating as a business school,” Sinno reasoned. A key challenge at Gordon Institute of Business Science, meanwhile, related to a loss of corporate programme participants in the context of Covid-19 and the rise of online education. Dean Morris Mthombeni recounted the school’s realisation that it “needed to be lot clearer about where we want to distinguish ourselves”. After asking its community how it could help African businesses become more competitive globally, it decided to branch out. “We needed to move into the worlds of science, technology and the environment to become more relevant,” Mthombeni added. “politics and world events are impacting student preferences and mobility”. Although they are unlikely to abandon their studies entirely, students may choose to defer them due to financial concerns. Other trends highlighted included the boom in demand from Chinese and Indian candidates, as well as the belief that language is not the barrier it once was, meaning that students may seek to pursue degrees in countries they would not have previously considered. Shifting dynamics in student mobility GMAC CEO Joy Jones started her session by noting that The Middle East region, which is showing evidence of greater investment in partnerships and offering foreign-friendly visa schemes, is said to be more appealing than ever, while new measures to encourage international study have been put in place in a number of Asian countries, including South Korea, Vietnam and Japan. “Demographic shifts call for new approaches”, highlighted Jones, citing figures that show there will be 57,000 additional
QED head of advisory services Joanne Powell (far right) chaired a panel of experts on the topic of overcoming adversity
Matt Symonds, CEO of BlueSky Education, urged deans to be moral compasses for their institutions
AMBA & BGA’s Shikha Taunk (far left) helmed a panel of deans from leading business schools in India
20 Ambition • ISSUE 4 • 2025
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