With the rise of alternative providers such as LinkedIn and Coursera, how does the MBA need to reinvent itself in order to remain relevant in the 21 st century? “Alternative providers are not a threat; they are a signal. Leaders want flexibility, relevance and learning that keeps pace with change. The future MBA must, therefore, move beyond content delivery and focus on sense- making, application and leadership judgement in complex and pressured contexts. “That thinking underpins our new MBA in Technology & Digital Strategy. It integrates business leadership with technological understanding, with an emphasis on digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, ethical innovation and leading change. Delivered fully online, it expands access for mid-career professionals while maintaining academic rigour through live engagement and real-world projects. “Importantly, the
How does your institution ensure that it equips future graduates with the strategies necessary to embed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices responsibly in complex, real‑world scenarios? “While the strategic importance of DEI is widely recognised, in some parts of the globe implementation has become more complex in an era of political polarisation, regulatory change and heightened scrutiny. However, in Australia we have had a series of new legislation. This philosophy is embedded in the work of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work, which is a cornerstone of our school’s responsible management agenda. “The Gender Equality@Work, the centre’s flagship product, integrates national datasets, organisational data and high-quality academic research to provide a transparent, comparable and longitudinal picture of gender equality across sectors and organisations. This enables leaders to benchmark performance,
MBA sits within a broader lifelong- learning ecosystem, complemented by
identify hotspots of concern and assess the real impact of interventions over time. “Crucially, this work directly informs our teaching and executive education. Through curriculum, case-based learning, students and
Sydney Executive Plus. This format offers short, high-impact learning sprints that respond to the rapidly shortening half-life
of knowledge and draw on expertise from across both the university and industry – whether that is quantum, generative AI, or geopolitics.”
The business school’s new MBA in Technology & Digital Strategy integrates business leadership with technological know-how
senior leaders engage with the same evidence used by governments and industry to respond to new legislative obligations, including heightened expectations around workplace culture and safety and the positive duty to prevent sexual harassment. “This ensures graduates are equipped not only with values‑based intent, but with the analytical capability to embed inclusion responsibly in complex, real-world organisational contexts. Some practical leadership development examples include the LGBTQIA+ fellowship and the Dr John Yu Fellowship for culturally diverse leaders.” While management education is a truly global sector, are there any specific challenges that schools in your region face? “Business schools in Australia face a distinctive combination of challenges: shifting government priorities, including international student caps, rising visa costs and increasing regulatory obligations. Related to this we have also seen changing patterns of demand across both undergraduate and postgraduate markets, as well as a
How has management education evolved since you started your career? “When I began my career, management education was more linear and discipline-bound. Today it is necessarily interdisciplinary, technology-infused and deeply connected to practice. In Australia, we also needed to create education that was for the region, realising the value of educational exchange as soft power to build regional influence, foster goodwill and learn from our neighbouring countries. Leaders are expected to navigate ambiguity and manage across sectors and cultures, as well as integrating ethical, social and environmental considerations into decision-making. “Initiatives such as Skills Horizon reflect this evolution. Rather than focusing on narrow competencies, the report identifies interlocking shifts shaping leadership – values, technology, geopolitics, climate and workforce transformation – and translates them into educational priorities across our degree and executive programmes.”
14 Ambition • ISSUE 2 • 2026
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