AMBA & BGA CAPACITY-BUILDING WORKSHOPS
The speaker’s perspective: Michele O’Dwyer, MBA programme director, Kemmy Business School, Ireland What was the aim of your session? “To stimulate discussion about the impact of AI on MBA programmes, with the premise that technology is redefining the qualification’s purpose around the ‘human premium’. While AI can add value, it cannot replace the judgement, leadership, ethical oversight and synthesis that MBA programmes nurture.” How are employer expectations around graduate skillsets changing? “There’s a shift in expectations. Employers still expect strong general business knowledge from MBA graduates, but they also now expect business acumen to be amplified by technology and more keenly applied to industry. They don’t necessarily expect MBAs to be AI proficient, but they do expect them to be AI literate and know how to use the technology to strengthen the business and increase efficiency and impact.” Should business schools be teaching ‘agentic AI’ leadership? “I feel we should teach agentic AI leadership as a business capability but not necessarily as a subject, in the same way we might approach Excel, for example, as a tool. Our students need to understand how to delegate work to agents, how to design a workflow around them, how to interrogate agents’ outputs (while managing risk and authenticity) and how to make decisions based on those outputs – and why that should remain the responsibility of humans.” How is the MBA at Kemmy Business School evolving to focus more on the ‘human premium’? “We see an increasing emphasis on developing expertise in the strategic integration of the core business functions. In the next few years, this will be coupled with an increased focus on nurturing students’ creativity, judgement, ethical reasoning, leadership, resilience and accountability/responsibility.”
The delegate’s perspective: Jerry O’Connell, head of postgraduate studies and senior lecturer, Dorset College Dublin, Ireland What was your top takeaway from the workshop in Dublin? “The idea of a flexible MBA improving access for more people and the discussion around the future of the MBA, whether it’s still fit for purpose and whether microcredentials may prove to be more popular in the future.” Is your school planning any initiatives in the areas discussed? “Yes, we have been approved by Quality Qualifications Ireland to deliver blended learning and are looking at redefining some programme modules and assessments due to the impact of AI. We’re also looking at developing microcredentials.” Do you think business schools need to redesign their business model and value proposition? “Business schools constantly need to look at redesigning their business models and value propositions due to the rapid and ever-evolving changes taking place in global business. “This is the only way to ensure we deliver programmes that equip leaders with the tools, techniques and critical thinking that are contemporary and relevant to their business environments.”
• The AMBA & BGA capacity-building workshop series continues with an event focused on experiential learning and how schools can prepare future-ready graduates in Frankfurt, Germany on 4 November 2026.
Business Impact • ISSUE 5 • 2026
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