Business Impact covers the big challenges facing global management education as the world asks more of its future business leaders.
ISSUE 2 2026 VOLUME 30
THE MAGAZINE OF THE BUSINESS GRADUATES ASSOCIATION (BGA)
LEADERS NEVER STOP LEARNING
Africa in the ascendant
From industry outliers to pillars of progress
• INFINITE GAME: THE EVER-EVOLVING NATURE OF SELF-AWARENESS • WALKING THE TALK: DELIVERING IMPROVEMENT THROUGH DIALOGUE • QUANTIFYING IMPACT: RUNNING THE NUMBERS ON PUBLIC VALUE
INSIDE
DUBLIN
CAPACITY-BUILDING WORKSHOP
MONDAY 15 JUNE 2026 | 09:30-17:00 DUBLIN CITY CENTRE
REDESIGNING A DEGREE’S VALUE PROPOSITION
As student debt concerns continue to grow and generative AI reshapes the graduate employment landscape, business schools face a unique moment of reinvention. This workshop will take a forward‑looking approach to explore what makes a business school degree valuable, balancing knowledge enhancement with the need to provide flexible, inclusive and career‑relevant learning experiences.
Scan the QR code to register for your free place or register here: https://www.amba-bga.com/events
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Contents ISSUE 2 • 2026 • VOLUME 30
05 EDITOR’S LETTER Why constant reassessment and recalibration is essential for business schools in today’s turbulent environment 06 BUSINESS BRIEFING The latest selection of news and research from institutions across BGA’s global network 10 COVER STORY CONTINENTAL SHIFT The growing prominence of Africa’s leading institutions on the world stage and what it means for the industry as a whole
30 DEMYSTIFYING THE SELF-AWARENESS DEBATE The importance of self-reflection in leadership development 34 IN FOCUS Newcastle University Business School on sustainability 36 GUEST COLUMN Addressing the “ethnicity career progression gap” in organisations 38 DIRECTOR’S DESPATCH The ‘paper walls’ that stifle progress
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16 DATA POINTS Graduate views on lifelong
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learning at the centre of AMBA & BGA’s exclusive new report 24 DIALOGUE THAT DELIVERS How a forum for knowledge exchange helps deliver continuous improvement at the American University in Cairo 28 PREPARING TOMORROW’S LEADERS CEMS research on the skills needed to lead in our AI-driven future, with recommendations for business school educators
19 THE PUBLIC VALUE BUSINESS SCHOOL
How public value and a bespoke set of grand challenges guide programmes and initiatives at Cardiff Business School, with the aim of nurturing students’ moral compass and awareness
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ALMATY
CAPACITY-BUILDING WORKSHOP
FRIDAY 17 APRIL 2026 | 09:30-16:30 ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN
This collaborative, in-person workshop will explore how bold leadership is shaping higher education in Central Asia. Join us for practical insights into effective international strategies, cross-continental partnerships and institutional reform that can embody educational excellence in the region. Scan the QR code to register, or visit the AMBA & BGA website: www.amba-bga.com/events ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP & INTERNATIONALISATION
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EDITOR’S LETTER
EDITORIAL
Content editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul t.dhoul@amba-bga.com Head of editorial Colette Doyle c.doyle@amba-bga.com Art editor Sam Price
PERPETUAL PROGRESS
A s the age-old business adage goes, “standing still is not an option” and not least in today’s turbulent environment. To quote To quote the website of the professional services giant, EY, “the pace of change has never been faster. Building trust, embracing transformation and realising business growth have never been more vital.” While it’s fair to say that business schools haven’t always enjoyed the same freedom and capabilities as corporations to move at speed, this issue of Business Impact highlights the imperative of pursuing processes of constant reassessment and continual improvement. In our cover story, for example, schools are advised to wake up to the growing stature of institutions in Africa if they want to maximise their position in business education’s shifting global market. Detailing ongoing developments in the region, Rabat Business School dean Nicolas Arnaud argues that those who don’t update their thinking “risk arriving late to partnerships with the potential to shape future talent pipelines, research agendas and international influence.” Our feature from the American University in Cairo (AUC), meanwhile, further underlines the growing role that institutions from the region are playing in leading events that bring global peers together to discuss trends, exchange notes and help deliver continuous improvement. In this case, the event in question is the annual AUC Business Forum and its value, according to professor
Institutions must engage in regular reassessment and self-analysis to keep abreast of business education’s shifting global market
Sub-editor Heather Ford
of accounting Ahmed Abdel Meguid, is that of “a sounding board used to check the relevance and impact of both teaching and research and to recalibrate as needed.” Elsewhere, we turn to a trio of topics united by their need for constant attention and analysis. Reflecting on the progress of a strategy to pursue public value across all its endeavours, Cardiff Business School’s Peter Wells reminds us of the fluidity of this aspect of social legitimacy. “Public value is a work in progress, as this is key to its inclusive and evolutionary character.” Similarly, self-awareness is described as “ever-evolving in nature” by Henley Business School tutor Julia Carden, who adds that “the minute we think or say we are self-aware is often the moment we tip into self-delusion, self-deception or hubris.” In outlining its importance to leadership success, Carden argues that “it is something to be returned to continually” in programmes. Lastly, in her guest column on addressing the lack of opportunities for under-represented groups to progress, Marcelle Moncrieffe-Newman comments that the goal of building organisations where everyone can thrive must be pursued as “an enduring strategic priority, rather than episodically.” The common thread here is that so much of both operational and educational life at business school is a continuous journey that warrants ongoing evaluation. Only then can schools adapt and update as needed to keep pace with change.
Insight, content & PR manager Ellen Buchan e.buchan@amba-bga.com CORPORATE
Director of business school engagement Debbie Kemp d.kemp@amba-bga.com Head of business development – BGA Richard Turner r.turner@amba-bga.com Senior marketing executive – digital lead Shareen Pennington s.pennington@amba-bga.com Commercial assistant Georgia Herbert g.herbert@amba-bga.com Commercial relations director Max Braithwaite m.braithwaite@amba-bga.com Head of marketing & communications Leonora Clement l.clement@amba-bga.com Finance & commercial director Catherine Walke r Director of accreditation & director of BGA services Mark Stoddard Chief executive officer Andrew Main Wilson
GENERAL ENQUIRIES bga-membership@amba-bga.com
Tim Banerjee Dhoul Editor , Business Impact
Copyright 2026 by The Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association . All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. While we take care to ensure that editorial is independent, accurate, objective and relevant for our readers, BGA accepts no responsibility for reader dissatisfaction rising from the content of this publication. The opinions expressed and advice given are the views of individual commentators and do not necessarily represent the views of BGA. Whenever an article in this publication is placed with the financial support of an advertiser, partner or sponsor, it will be marked as such. BGA makes every opportunity to credit photographers but we cannot guarantee every published use of an image will have the contributor’s name. If you believe we have omitted a credit for your image, please email the editor.
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BRIEFING The positive societal impact of board directors branching out, why ski season is at the centre of a climate-innovation conundrum and a project to reduce data centre energy emissions all feature in this round-up of news and research from BGA schools. Tim Banerjee Dhoul , Ellen Buchan and Colette Doyle report THE LATEST NEWS FROM ACROSS BGA’S NETWORK Business
HOW BOARD DYNAMICS CAN AFFECT ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL PERFORMANCE
corporate networks. It found that firms occupying central positions within these networks tend to demonstrate enhanced environmental performance. “The configuration of the board of directors or their networks is crucial for organisations seeking to generate value beyond the purely financial,” explained Erica Salvaj, study co-author and a management professor at Universidad de San Andrés. “Being integrated into director networks facilitates early access to emerging practices, increases visibility and generates imitation pressures that encourage the adoption of sustainability standards.” However, organisations also tended to align themselves with socially accepted non-financial standards and Salvaj noted that “conformist imitation,
responding only to external pressures, can limit innovation in sustainability.” Moreover, the study found that greater board activity and board size are negatively associated with environmental performance. The suggestion is that frequent board meetings indicate pressing issues that push environmental sustainability off the list of priorities, while larger boards simply struggle to reach agreements on potentially contentious topics. Having said that, increased board activity did correlate with improved social performance in the study’s results. Co-authored with colleagues at Universidad Del Desarrollo in Chile, the study was published in European Research on Management and Business Economics . TBD
SCHOOL Escuela de Negocios, Universidad de San Andrés (Udesa), Argentina
nteractions and learning among board directors have a significant influence on
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companies’ environmental and social performance, according to a new study. The analysis of 522 US companies listed on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 indices for the years 2016, 2018 and 2020 assessed environmental and social performance using the Bloomberg ESG database. It also considered board characteristics, with a focus on directors who simultaneously serve on multiple boards, thereby connecting different
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NEWS DIGEST
“Artificial snow has delayed difficult decisions and diverted attention from the fact that climate conditions are fundamentally changing”
climate conditions are fundamentally changing, with average temperatures continuing to rise and forcing a rethink of the underlying business model,” Aversa added. Scientific reports show Alpine snow cover has fallen sharply and that Italy is now the world’s most artificial- snow-dependent ski nation. Around 90 per cent of slopes rely on artificial snow in the Winter Olympics host nation – far higher than figures in Switzerland (54 per cent) and France (39 per cent). Producing artificial snow requires vast quantities of water and electricity, consuming up to 150 million cubic metres of water a year in Italy, equivalent to the annual water usage of more than 1.5 million people. “The Alpine ecosystem needs to be protected; it is up to us as researchers to find new ways to match the long-term sustainability of winter sports with the protection of the Dolomites UNESCO world heritage site”, noted co-author and associate professor at the University of Trento Alberto Nucciarelli. CD
STUDY WARNS OF MOUNTING PRESSURES ON GLOBAL SKI INDUSTRY
study found that resorts are increasingly turning to technology to minimise the uncertainty linked to global warming, as natural snowfall declines and dry seasons lengthen. “Artificial snow, also called ‘technical snow’ by industry actors, is at the centre of a climate-innovation conundrum. It has allowed the industry to survive and, to a certain extent, thrive in the short term,” commented Paolo Aversa, one of the report’s authors and a professor of strategy at King’s Business School. “But it has also delayed difficult decisions, locked resorts into rising costs and diverted attention from the fact that
SCHOOL King’s Business School King’s College London, UK
ith global attention on the Winter Olympics in Italy, new research has highlighted how
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environmental change and economic pressures are reshaping the future of skiing in Alpine regions and challenging the creation of value for communities and business stakeholders. With a focus on the Dolomites and surrounding Alpine regions in Italy, the
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ENERGY OPTIMISATION PROJECT FOCUSES ON AI DATA CENTRES
SCHOOL La Trobe University Australia
L a Trobe University has announced its participation in a new project aimed at optimising energy use and emissions in Australia’s data centres
and supporting the sustainable development of AI technologies.
With a view to building a next-generation energy management prototype, La Trobe researchers plan to develop a framework for managing heating, ventilation and cooling systems more efficiently. Right now, cooling systems account for up to 30 per cent of a data centre’s energy use. “This project builds the skills and expertise needed for the next generation of researchers and innovators and will guide the operation of sustainable AI data centres,” declared Theo Farrell, vice‑chancellor and president of La Trobe. Partners in the project include the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Centre for Quantum Information, Simulation and Algorithms (QUISA), NEXTDC, Fujitsu and AQ Intelligence. “As AI accelerates, the challenge is not simply to produce more energy but also to orchestrate it intelligently,” noted NEXTDC CEO Craig Scroggie, expressing the company’s hope that the project will allow Australia to lead research in “sustainable, high-performance AI computing systems”. “By combining advanced quantum and AI techniques with industry-scale testing, we aim to show how emerging technologies can directly reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions,” added Jingbo Wang, QUISA director and head of physics at UWA. EB
CEOs’ CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES SHAPE THEIR APPROACH TO SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE
“Our research shows that many CEOs consider labour safety a very serious matter,” stated Michel Magnan, study co-author and a professor in the Department of Accountancy at the John Molson School of Business. “Less powerful CEOs may back down under pressure from their boards when confronted with arguments that better workplace safety entails higher costs. But if you are a powerful CEO who believes it is important and a value creator, you’ll charge ahead,” Magnan continued, noting the finding’s relevance for boards, investors and policymakers. While safety is important for all workers and employers, it also has significant social and economic implications. In the US, for example, government and NGO data suggests that there were more than 2.6 million workplace injuries in 2023, costing some $176 billion and 103 million work days. EB
SCHOOL John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Canada
EOs who lived through natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods or
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hurricanes, in their childhood are more focused on safety in their organisation than those who did not, according to new research. The study showed that organisations run by CEOs who had personal experience of a natural disaster during their formative years reported approximately 24 per cent fewer work-related injuries than other firms. These results were even more pronounced among what is termed “powerful CEOs” and those operating in industries with weaker unions. The age and gender of the CEOs involved was not found to be significant.
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NEWS DIGEST
SURVEY UNPACKS THE VOTER EXPERIENCE AND MINDSET IN COLOMBIA
SCHOOL EAFIT University Colombia
A lmost half (44 per cent) of Colombians believe that it is essential for citizens to participate in the country’s political decision-making, although 62 per cent feel that democracy there is under threat. These are some of the results of a national survey conducted by the Protect Democracy initiative, spearheaded by three locally based organisations and 11 universities, including EAFIT. Nearly 70 per cent of the 1,700 people polled by the study believe that recent events can influence their satisfaction with the functioning of democracy. When asked about the factors that most influence this perception, corruption (42 per cent) and inequality (39 per cent) top the list, followed by political clashes (34 per cent), poverty (33 per cent) and protests (31 per cent). “Making these findings visible and convening public discussions is a way to influence the upcoming electoral process in the country,” explained the dean of the School of Finance, Economics & Government at EAFIT University, César Tamayo Tobón. Among those surveyed, 92 per cent believe voting is important because elections can make a difference, in a country where turnout has historically hovered between 50 and 60 per cent. “The challenge lies in connecting this positive perception of voting with the actual act of going to the polls,” noted Andrés Preciado, a researcher at EAFIT’s Centre for Public Value. CD
THE STUDENT VIEW ON THE VALUE OF FACULTY DIVERSITY
faculty members’ “cultural distance”, or the fact that they differ from them in terms of geographical origin or perspectives, with these differences perceived as enriching the learning experience. However, the overall picture masks layers of nuance, as Bashirzadeh cautioned. “When you delve deeper into this observation, everything becomes more complex.” This complexity is particularly pronounced when looking at female professors slightly higher than male professors, while male students tended to do the same for male professors. Gender also had a significant impact on the relationship between a professor’s age and their evaluation scores, as Bashirzadeh detailed. “Male professors’ ratings decline as they age, while female professors’ ratings are low at the beginning of their careers, peak around age 48 and then decrease; but they remain higher than those of their male colleagues until the end of their careers.” TBD diversity of gender. Female students were found to rate
SCHOOL GEM Alpine Business School, France
ith some notable political exceptions, business schools are generally encouraged
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to promote faculty diversity. It accounts for 10 per cent of the final score in the Financial Times ’ master’s in management rankings, for example and makes up one of three sections relating to faculty in the BGA accreditation guidelines. A new study led by GEM Alpine Business School assistant professor Yashar Bashirzadeh, however, sought to find out if faculty diversity is valued by schools’ key stakeholders – students. To do so, it analysed evaluations given by almost 20,000 students to approximately 1,000 teachers over a period of nine years at a French business school. “At first glance, students see the diversity of their professors as a plus,” Bashirzadeh shared. What students value most, he revealed, is
SHARE YOUR NEWS AND RESEARCH UPDATES by emailing Business Impact editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul at t.dhoul@amba-bga.com
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Rabat Business School dean Nicolas Arnaud offers a comprehensive guide to the growing prominence of Africa’s leading business schools on the world stage of management education and reveals how the region is beginning to reshape competition, collaboration and internationalisation shift Continental
I n a context shaped by the traditional divide between the Global North and Global South, many business schools in the Northern hemisphere have tended to see African institutions primarily as partners in student mobility. This approach has also reflected certain historical realities, while enabling institutions to be valued for the international exposure, tuition flows and diversity they bring. However, a new dynamic focused on mutual learning, institutional capacity building and the rapid strengthening of business schools in Africa is emerging to complement and even challenge this relationship. In this evolving landscape, there must be a shift from partnerships formed with a largely commercial logic towards those that are more balanced and genuinely collaborative.
Across Africa, a growing number of institutions have reached levels of academic quality, governance, research intensity and international alignment comparable to global standards of excellence. Their progress has been driven by deliberate institutional investment, the pursuit of the most demanding international accreditations and a strategic focus on providing relevance to both local and global economic ecosystems. This is enabling business schools in the region to play an increasingly significant role within the global management education ecosystem. They are increasingly credible strategic partners and, in some segments, emerging competitors capable of co-designing programmes, contributing meaningfully to international research projects and shaping the industry, while attracting and retaining more local and regional students. In short, Africa’s leading business schools are no longer simply gateways to student markets;
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
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solutions to local and global issues. In terms of scale, the emerging generation represents an extraordinary pipeline of undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA and executive learners who are set to position Africa as an indispensable presence in the global business education landscape over the next decade. In response, business schools in Africa are forgoing the wholesale replication of Western models. Instead, they are seeking to align with international standards, while remaining deeply embedded in their local and regional ecosystems. This dual positioning of global alignment and local relevance mirrors the early trajectories of institutions in China and India that are now fully integrated into the global elite of management education. Market signals & lessons from Asia The evolution of business schools in China and India provides a useful lens for understanding Africa’s current moment. In each country, academic recognition did not precede internationalisation; it followed it. Institutions first invested in governance reform, faculty internationalisation, research
they are anchors for long-term partnerships that enable mutual value creation, deeper academic and societal impact and shared legitimacy in a rapidly evolving global landscape. Any institution based outside the region that fails to recognise these changes risks missing a critical opportunity. The key question for the global industry is, therefore, not whether business schools in Africa matter, but how their growth reshapes competition, collaboration and internationalisation strategies across management education. From blind spot to global pillar For a long time, Africa was not seen as a strategic space for global management education. Much like China and India in earlier phases of their development, the continent stayed stuck at the margins of the global business school landscape to outside eyes. Its presence in international rankings, research networks and institutional partnerships remained limited, with engagement largely concentrated on student mobility and recruitment. Yet, this perception overlooked the structural conditions that make Africa a natural environment for the emergence of a new generation of business schools, as was also the case in Asia two decades ago. Today, Africa combines powerful demographics with sustained economic growth in multiple regions, increasing managerial complexity and a growing openness to international academic collaboration. Taken together, these forces are reshaping demand for high-quality management education at undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA and executive education levels. As mentioned, the continent’s transformation is based on powerful demographic fundamentals. Africa has the youngest population in the world, with young people making up approximately 60 per cent of the continent’s total population. In total, there are nearly 220 million people aged between 15 to 24; a figure UNESCO predicts will rise to 350 million by 2030. This segment of the population underpins rapid growth in an economy where informality remains highly prevalent and where necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship play a central role in job creation and innovation. The major social, environmental and institutional challenges facing the continent reinforce the importance of training leaders who can navigate complex contexts and implement sustainable
“The question is no longer whether African institutions matter, but how best to engage with them”
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
100 programmes, compared to 11 in 2020 and eight in 2016. This steady increase reflects a broader shift rather than isolated success stories. Moreover, the presence of three Chinese institutions in the ranking’s latest top 10 confirms how previously emerging markets can rapidly reposition themselves at the highest levels. While at an earlier stage, Africa’s trajectory is following a similar pattern, with Rabat Business School now placing inside the top 20; a milestone that would have seemed improbable a decade ago. In executive education, the trend is even more established and several business schools in Africa are regularly ranked by the Financial Times for their open and custom programmes. Institutions such as Lagos Business School, the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, Henley Business School Africa and the Onsi Sawiris School of Business at the American University in Cairo have become recognised players in a highly competitive global market. Of course, ranking placements should not be interpreted as endpoints, but as signals of deeper institutional transformation. Increased programme internationalisation, the professionalisation of executive education and closer alignment with global standards are taking place at a number of leading schools, alongside a strong anchoring in their local and regional ecosystems. Taken together, these developments indicate that Africa is now an integral part of the global management education landscape, rather than an emerging exception. A bridge in an evolving ecosystem The case of Rabat Business School offers an illustration of how institutions in Africa are positioning themselves within an evolving ecosystem. Having secured AACSB accreditation in 2020 and EQUIS more recently as well as holding BGA membership, the school has now also begun the process of obtaining AMBA accreditation for its executive MBA programme, signalling its commitment to international standards of excellence. In addition, 90 per cent of its academic partners hold international accreditation. Beyond accreditation, Rabat Business School has invested heavily in international, English-language programme design and faculty development. In 2024, for example, a bachelor’s programme was
capacity, accreditations and global partnerships. Rankings and reputational recognition came later, once these structural transformations were sufficiently advanced. Africa now appears to be at a comparable stage. Across the continent, leading business schools are undergoing rapid upscaling, supported by institutional investment and a clear will to align with international quality benchmarks such as AACSB, AMBA, BGA and EQUIS. These accreditations are not pursued as branding exercises alone, but as frameworks for an institution’s internal transformation, professionalising executive education, strengthening assurance of learning processes and embedding ethics into curricula. This phase of institutional development is often underestimated by external observers, as the cases of China and India have demonstrated. However, the recent history of schools in Asia also suggests that once institutions in Africa reach maturity in their processes of alignment, they will be able to become key actors in the global system, not as outliers but as peers. Rankings provide imperfect but powerful signals of structural change and recent data illustrates the growing integration of both Asia and Africa into the global management education market. The master’s in management ranking from the Financial Times is particularly revealing. In 2025, 17 business schools based in the Asia-Pacific region appeared in its list of
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a lot more than simply access to new student pools. It provides an opportunity to participate in regions where economic transformation, regulatory evolution and societal change are unfolding simultaneously; conditions that are invaluable for teaching, research and executive learning. The rise of business schools in Africa inevitably raises questions for the rest of the global industry. For established institutions, the question is no longer whether African institutions matter, but how best to engage with them. Should they view them as competitors for the region’s most talented students and faculty? Or as partners capable of expanding global reach, impact and access to new talent pools? In truth, framing this as a binary choice risks oversimplifying the reality. This is because Africa’s rise introduces dynamics that are both competitive and collaborative, much as the rise of business schools in Asia did in the previous decades. Competition for top faculty, doctoral candidates and high-potential students is already increasing, particularly within Africa itself. This is a sign of market maturation rather than threat. At the same time, the partnership opportunities are substantial. For global schools, collaboration with African institutions can serve as a lever to extend student and alumni pipelines through strategic, win-win partnerships. It can provide access to unique research fields, including sustainability, entrepreneurship, demographic change and intercultural leadership. It also enables the co-design of programmes with meaningful local and global impact, particularly in executive education and applied learning. Taken this way, Africa’s growing business education market is less a zero-sum game and more an expansion of the global ecosystem and one that will reward institutions willing to engage early and strategically. A window into the future Perhaps most importantly, developments in Africa are increasingly enabling its institutions to function as a laboratory for rethinking management education itself. After all, economic and social realities across the continent challenge traditional, siloed business school models and require more interdisciplinary approaches that blend management with public policy, technology, sustainability and social innovation.
launched in conjunction with IÉSEG School of Management in France and HEC Montréal in Canada, enabling students to earn three degrees across three continents. This model reflects a shift away from one-way student mobility and towards genuinely integrated academic collaboration. The school has also built a highly international faculty that represents more than 20 nationalities and produces research with growing academic and societal impact. Crucially, internationalisation has not come at the expense of local relevance. On the contrary, it has strengthened the school’s engagement with economic ecosystems in Morocco and across Africa, reinforcing the idea that global standards and regional anchoring are not mutually exclusive. Morocco – and Rabat Business School in particular – is increasingly seeking to become an interface between Africa, Europe and the Arab world. This is a geostrategic positioning that echoes the role played by emerging academic hubs in Asia some 15 to 20 years ago, when platforms for international collaboration were formed by leveraging geography, culture and economic connectivity. A bridging role creates fertile ground for partnerships across multiple dimensions: double and joint degrees, two-way mobility for faculty and students, applied research projects and executive education initiatives. Given their relevance to both emerging and developed markets, finance, supply chain management, agribusiness, sustainability and public-private partnerships are among the most suitable subject areas for cross‑regional collaboration. Engaging with institutions in Morocco and across Africa can therefore offer global business schools
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
learning and research at a depth that many schools outside the region are now striving to replicate. The bottom line is that the continent’s business schools are far more than simply educational institutions. They play a pivotal role in shaping both public and private sector leaders, actively support the development and implementation of public policy and help structure vibrant entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems. Furthermore, they contribute significantly to regional integration, whether within Africa itself or between Africa and the Global North. Their mission is therefore not only academic, but also economic and societal, positioning them as key agents of transformation across multiple spheres. In this sense, the industry’s development in Africa is not a departure from global standards, but an early signal of where global management education is heading – more interdisciplinary, more digitally integrated, more connected to society and more accountable for real-world outcomes. For faculty and professional staff attached to institutions worldwide, the implications are therefore clear. Africa’s leading business schools are rapidly asserting themselves as structurally important actors whose growth affects competition, collaboration and legitimacy across the global business education industry. Institutions that continue to overlook this shift risk arriving late to partnerships with the potential to shape future talent pipelines, research agendas and international influence. Those that engage early with humility, strategic intent and a willingness to co-create stand to benefit from Africa’s rise as an emerging pillar of global business education. The question is no longer whether African business schools belong in the global conversation. It is whether the rest of the industry is ready to recognise them as peers.
This transformation is being driven in large part by Africa’s rapidly expanding cohort of young people, a demographic that will continue to grow significantly over the coming decade. This generation is already digitally active: one in five Africans aged between 15 and 24 has purchased a product or service via a mobile phone. Moreover, their expectations around education, work and connectivity are fuelling demand for flexible, digital and experience‑driven learning. In this light, the onus is on business schools to innovate at speed. Consequently, many of the continent’s institutions are rethinking digital delivery, experiential learning and ecosystem-based education models. In the process, they have often anticipated changes that are only now beginning to take hold in more mature markets. For example, digitalisation and impact are increasingly embedded at the core of programme design rather than being treated as add-ons. The tilt towards innovation among schools in Africa is reinforced by their close ties with societal and economic challenges, from inclusive growth and entrepreneurship to climate resilience. By working closely with SMEs, multinationals, public institutions, startups and development actors, they support applied
Nicolas Arnaud i s dean of Rabat Business School, part of Université Internationale de Rabat, Morocco, where he leads its promotion of academic excellence, innovation and global impact. Previously, he served as dean of programmes at Audencia Business School, France
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Data points A new lifelong learning report from AMBA & BGA highlights that while almost all graduates consider themselves to be lifelong learners, fewer than half return to their business school to upskill. Tim Banerjee Dhoul outlines the key findings
MOTIVATION COMES FROM WITHIN Intriguingly, AMBA & BGA’s results suggest that there is an internal focus on the self among graduates looking to upskill, as opposed to a reactionary approach to perceived demands imposed by the evolving job market. When asked what their motivations were for pursuing lifelong learning opportunities, 62 per cent cited staying competitive in one’s career. However, this answer was a lowly fourth for popularity among the choices provided. Standing ahead of it were personal growth and self-improvement (92 per cent); curiosity and a desire to explore new ideas (74 per cent); and developing new skills and knowledge for future opportunities (70 per cent). Just
lthough the concept of lifelong learning has become an accepted and pronounced part
In this context, there would be appear to be plenty of room for improvement in the way schools currently engage their alumni in lifelong learning programmes and activities. Right now, courses and qualifications (cited 70 by per cent); workshops, seminars and conferences (68 per cent); and microcredentials or online courses (48 per cent) top the list among those who indicated that they had chosen to update their knowledge and skills. Alumni events and networking opportunities (cited by 57 per cent) and online learning resources or courses (43 per cent), meanwhile, were the most popular choices among those who said they had accessed lifelong learning through the business school from which they graduated.
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of professional life, only 41 per cent of business school graduates have accessed resources in this area from their alma mater , while 55 per cent said they had not. This is a standout finding from a new report from AMBA & BGA, entitled Never stop learning: How business school graduates upskill and connect . Of the 359 global respondents to the AMBA & BGA survey on which this report is based, 98 per cent described themselves as lifelong learners. In addition, 67 per cent said that lifelong learning is extremely important to them on a personal level, while a while a further 30 per cent said it was very important.
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AMBA & BGA RESEARCH
34 per cent said that their foray into the lifelong learning market revolved around meeting the demands of a particular job or industry. ALL FORMATS WELCOMED Another revealing finding is that graduates welcome all formats of continued learning, suggesting that business schools may be best served by offering a mixed portfolio of programmes and activities. When asked which formats of lifelong learning they prefer, 64 per cent listed self-paced, online learning, only marginally more than those who opted for a hybrid format (62 per cent) and in-person workshops or classes (59 per cent). Less popular are synchronous virtual sessions, cited by 38 per cent. Schools that are considering widening their portfolios and activities around lifelong learning may also be interested to learn that graduates are generally happy with the type of offerings currently available in the market. Among those who had accessed lifelong learning opportunities through their business school, 86 per cent said they were either “very satisfied” (45 per cent) or “fairly satisfied” (41 per cent) with the programmes or modules they had completed. The upshot here is that business schools appear well-placed to grow their lifelong learning audiences, if they can increase the number of opportunities on offer and their ability to reach and engage their global alumni networks. • The full report is available to download from the research section of the AMBA & BGA website: www.amba-bga.com/insights
OF BUSINESS SCHOOL GRADUATES HAVE ACCESSED LIFELONG LEARNING RESOURCES FROM THEIR OWN INSTITUTION 41 %
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CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP
INTEGRATING CSR & SUSTAINABILITY INTO CURRICULA & CULTURE WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL 2026 16:00-18:00 | ONLINE
Scan the QR code to register, or visit the AMBA & BGA website: www.amba-bga.com/events CBW This online workshop is designed to help business schools in Latin America explore practical ways to embed CSR and sustainability into their programmes and operations, offering insights into ethical leadership and strategies for building a values‑driven institutional culture.
SOCIAL IMPACT
The public value business school For more than a decade, Cardiff Business School has made public value a fulcrum of its strategy, devising its own grand challenges and seeking to nurture students’ moral compass, personal values and social awareness. Pro-dean Peter Wells fills us in on the mechanics, initiatives and numbers involved
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C ardiff Business School’s public value strategy was launched at a dedicated event in October 2014, emerging from the synergistic combination of two antecedents. One of these was the growing body of work on the role and purpose of public institutions that needed to demonstrate their social legitimacy. This resulted in the core notion of public value, but the implicit normative values of many staff at the school were also a key factor. These values were fundamentally social, emergent and democratic in character, but lacked formal institutional expression, so individuals at school leadership level set about curating these values into a series of statements around what public value meant to us, along with principles to guide how those values could be realised. Grand challenges & school integration The result was a unique and powerful force within the school, underpinned by enormous staff commitment and support because it was created by us and for us. This force for public value was later crowd-sourced
by the school’s former deputy dean, Calvin Jones and distilled into the following five grand challenges: • Fair and sustainable economies • Good governance • Responsible innovation • Decent work • Future organisations There was resonance with the government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations of Wales Act and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, both of which came into being in 2015. Overall, there was a sense that the world needed stronger guidance on achieving sustainability and the school’s grand challenges reflected the urgency and optimism of that time. Indeed, these challenges were always more than a guide to teaching or research; they were intended to pervade all our activities and relationships, for both academics and professional services. In this way, the public value strategy matured into an ethos. Public value is a living entity, constantly reshaping and enriching itself because staff are empowered to create and co-create its meaning and actualisation. While mindful of academic freedom, the process of broadening and deepening public value was progressively introduced into every aspect of school life over which we had some control, as well as in innovations or initiatives that reinforced its message.
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SOCIAL IMPACT
Initiatives & themes to reinforce public value
Output
Key numbers since 2014
300+ since 2016, attracting typically 100-200 attendees per session
Business breakfasts
9 new centres established: - Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence (2014) - Sustainable and Responsible Supply Chain Forum (2017) - Centre for Innovation Policy (2021) - Environmental, Ecological and Extinction Accounting, Governance and Economics Research Group (2021) - Centre for Public Value Procurement (2022) - Cardiff Sustainable Finance Research Group (2023) - Data Lab for Social Good (2023) - Modern Slavery and Social Sustainability Research Group (2023) - Public Management Research Group (2025)
Research centres
24 episodes since 2021 , with nine more scheduled for release from October 2026
Podcasts
Successive deans at Cardiff Business School have provided leadership for public value, with its conceptual foundations solidified through a series of further academic contributions. The post of pro-dean for public value was created in 2021, with a specific remit to reinforce this focus in key school committees and activities, including the school’s management board, research, teaching, external engagement and promotions. In parallel, a shadow management board was established to hold the school’s management to account and provide a source for ideas to further enhance public value. In terms of school life, we integrated public value as an explicit element in many of the levers through which we could change what staff did and how they did it. These levers included recruitment and promotion criteria; module content and course revalidations; new courses; new modules within courses and new methods of assessment. We also introduced new ways of including academic and student voices (for example, through the creation of the aforementioned shadow management board in 2015, a race equality committee in 2020 and, this year, a student advisory board). Alongside these, other levers included new research centres; the allocation of seed corn funding; supporting applications for research leave; public value podcasts; public value engagement fellowships (PVEFs); research excellence framework (REF) impact
3 awards per annum , covering fees and stipend from 2021-22 (2 per annum from 2018-19)
PhD scholarships
8 impact cases underpinned by public value for the school’s REF 2029 submission
Research excellence framework
3 , including a new MSc in Sustainable Supply Chain Management (2018/19); an MBA redesigned around the school’s grand challenges (2019/20); and a new foundation undergrad module on Economy & Society (2019-20)
New and changed courses
36 since 2016
ESRC Impact Acceleration Account awards
19 since 2016, awarded on merit to academic and professional service colleagues regardless of grade level 2 in post per annum since 2016 , representing local small businesses and social enterprises 186 SME businesses reached across 20 cohorts between 2021 and 2026. 90%+ satisfaction rate among participants
Public value engagement fellowships (PVEFs)
Public value entrepreneurs in residence
Help to grow
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In one PVEF, Cardiff University lecturer Aled Singleton set out to explore how to visualise energy futures, both in Wales and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan. Using serious games and video-based mapping techniques, Singleton sought to create a dialogue between two different energy geographies, building on an existing research project and leveraging multiple partnerships. Key to this project has been the democratisation of discussions over the location, scale and type of future energy infrastructures, using techniques that include online walks via Google Maps. Singleton has since published a 15-minute film of the project and continues to work with the communities involved. In addition, the school has used podcasts and business breakfasts to reach out and bring in those who share our vision for positive change and our notion of being a business school with a genuine social purpose. The Power of Public Value podcasts, for example, comprise a series of informal discussions between staff, our public value entrepreneurs in residence and supporters from our external advisory panel. Put together, they offer a fascinating insight into how individuals and organisations have taken public value and really run with it. We have also worked closely with the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and Business in the Community, as well as pioneering work on the
cases; and applications for accreditation. For details, please refer to the table on page 21, while noting that some activity paused during the Covid-19 pandemic. Engagement & outreach The explosion in creativity and motivation has been extraordinary, while being inclusive of all academic and professional services colleagues. It is also a million miles away from the tick-box exercise of meeting static and largely alien requirements seen elsewhere. Our grand challenges have become an enabling ethos, giving our people permission to do more and reconcile what they do with their values and the desire to contribute beyond traditional academic metrics. Nevertheless, our academics have also emerged at the publishing forefront of important new research centres and themes on topics that include modern slavery, fintech, the circular economy and sustainable finance. Faculty and staff members have created exciting and distinctive new courses, while reinvigorating core offerings in economics, business studies, operations management and across our MBA programmes. The school’s innovative MSc in Sustainable Supply Chain Management, for example, is a direct outcome of the desire to embed public value in our teaching. It addresses the subjects of modern slavery, social equity, net-zero carbon production and consumption and the circular economy, among others. This allows us to tackle the core skills expected in logistics and operations management, interweaving them with the strong thread of our grand challenges. Meanwhile, PVEFs were introduced as one mechanism for allowing faculty and staff to explore ways in which their skills and passions could be applied to specific social or environmental issues. Open to employees at all levels, PVEF recipients were granted time on their workload model, as well as modest funding, over the course of 12 months. The ensuing projects have ranged from the provision of sanitary products to women in Nepal to the application of collaboration platforms and tools in co-operatives, as well as marketing assistance around the founding of a dedicated centre for disabled children to explore their potential for active and therapeutic play. Some of these PVEF projects have been built into impact case studies for REF 2029, the next instalment of the UK’s system of research quality assessment, while others have simply made a difference to the communities we care about.
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