INTERVIEW WITH THE DEAN
As a female dean, how do you think the ‘leaky pipeline’ phenomenon affects other female academics in their careers and have you had to deal with any difficulties being a woman in a male-dominated sector? “It is always an additional challenge to be a woman in a male- dominated sector. In academia, there are pros and cons. When I was doing my PhD, I had two children and academia gave me some flexibility to balance family responsibilities with finishing my dissertation. But that flexibility also has limits. “Once you are on a tenure-track academic career path, you need to publish, build your academic profile and compete for opportunities. If you take time out, or slow down because of family responsibilities, that can create disadvantages later, even if things are changing and it is now more normal for men also to take time off for children. “There are informal barriers too. Women can hesitate to put themselves forward or wait until they feel completely ready, while men often apply even without meeting all the criteria. My advice to women would be to practise showing what they are
management education is evolving; we are also updating our policies and expectations around AI, so students have clarity on appropriate use, disclosure and responsible practice. “AI also affects assessment. If students use generative tools for writing, analysis or preparation, assignments must focus less on reproducing information and more on applying ideas, comparing perspectives, solving real problems and explaining reasoning. The priority is to help faculty use AI to raise the level of learning through stronger capabilities, redesigned assessment and clear principles for responsible, human-centred use.” With the ongoing geopolitical unrest around the world, climate change concerns and socio- economic uncertainty, do you believe there is still room for optimism when it comes to the future of the business school sector? “Yes, I do think there is room for optimism, but not in a naïve way. Geopolitical unrest and climate change are not new phenomena, but the scale and complexity of the challenges today make the role of business schools even more important. “At Esade, we are placing
good at – they shouldn’t be scared of putting themselves in the limelight. Leadership also requires qualities such as listening, networking and building relationships; women often excel in these areas and such characteristics can be undervalued. It matters that women see other women in leadership roles, because it expands the range of what people can imagine and sends a signal about who can lead.”
stronger emphasis on areas such as business technology, global governance, responsible leadership, societal engagement and the ability to connect business decisions with their social, environmental and institutional consequences. “Business schools train future leaders of corporations
Esade places an emphasis on areas such as business technology, global governance, responsible leadership and societal engagement
and other organisations that generate jobs, solve
problems, influence markets and hold significant economic power. That gives them a lot of influence – it makes the question of how we train future business leaders increasingly important. Are we preparing people who can only manage in the context of short-term results, or are we preparing people who can understand complexity, think about society and contribute to solving problems such as climate change or inequality? “At Esade, this commitment is also reflected institutionally. The school has worked on measuring its own impact, promoting initiatives such as Sustainability Week and participating in AERO, the Alliance for Environmental Responsibility in Business Schools. We also recently hosted GRONEN, the leading research conference on organisations and the natural environment. “I find optimism in students. Many seek professional success, but they also want to make an impact and build purpose into a meaningful career. For business schools, the opportunity is to educate competent professionals who also care about society and the world they want to help shape.”
The impact of AI and other generative algorithms such as ChatGPT on management education has been well documented. How can faculty best adapt to the technology to maximise its potential for future business leaders? “AI is changing very quickly and faculty cannot simply ignore it or treat it only as a threat. The question is how to use it in a way that strengthens learning. I believe the key is that students must know how to think with and without AI, rather than outsourcing thinking to the technology. If a tool can produce an answer quickly, we need to design learning that requires judgement, interpretation, critical thinking and the ability to go deeper. “Faculty can help students use AI effectively but also question it: where the information comes from, what assumptions are built into the answer, whether the evidence is reliable and what might be missing. At Esade, AI is increasingly part of the conversation across programmes. The new bachelor’s in business and artificial intelligence is one clear example of how
Ambition • ISSUE 4 • 2026 15
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