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stronger emotional connection with customers. In this context, leadership is less about authority and more about judgment, resilience, the capacity to guide organisations through complexity and collaborate across sectors. “On our programmes, we encourage students to develop the critical thinking and ethical reasoning needed to navigate these expectations. We train them in stakeholder management, crisis & reputation management and decision-making in increasingly polarised environments. Through case discussions, simulations and interdisciplinary projects, they examine real situations in which companies must respond to societal demands, whether related to climate action, diversity or responsible supply chains. “Issues such as climate action, social equity, the circular economy and ESG frameworks are evolving rapidly; we aim to help our students recognise that these sustainability issues are a source of long-term competitiveness. Ultimately, our goal is to prepare leaders who can take principled positions, recognising that every decision they make communicates a position while maintaining a clear strategic perspective.” Sandra Richez: “MBA students are challenged from day one to take a stand for the environment and for underserved communities. They defend sustainability initiatives during the Sustainable Impact Challenge, often convincing even sceptical executives to enact new environmental or social policies. MBA clubs also offer a training ground for advocacy. “For example, last year, students organised a conference called Redefining Diversity & Inclusion, where, together with the local business community and European DEI experts, they challenged the status quo and brought difficult topics to the table at a time when DEI has become a polarising subject. “Beyond these opportunities, our Lead360 programme, led by Professor Inge De Clippeleer, includes Socrates sessions, where the cohort can practise taking a stand, defending a topic with data‑backed arguments. On our business ethics course, students likewise take sides on thorny ethical issues and debate them in class under the expert guidance of ethics professor Geert Demuijnck.” Adrian Buss: “Indeed, in today’s environment, effective managers must not only devise sound corporate and financial strategies, but they must also be able to implement those strategies within their organisations, as well as being cognisant of the environment in which they operate. Accordingly, our overall teaching, but in particular our leadership teaching and coaching, carefully integrates discussions of ethics and sustainability. “Students explore the relationship between business and society, as well as the complexity of managing ethics and social corporate responsibility in a global landscape. This prepares them to design and shape resilient organisational structures that can thrive within society. Furthermore, we have just introduced a new elective course on Power & Politics that examines how economic interests are represented in politics and how state-business relations shape public policy.”
Adrian Buss MBA programme director and professor of finance, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Eva Guerra-Leal Associate academic dean EGADE Business School Monterrey Institute of Technology
Nick Quinn MBA director Adam Smith Business School University of Glasgow
Sandra Richez Global MBA director EDHEC Business School, Nice
Ambition • ISSUE 2 • 2026 19
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