ROUNDTABLE REVIEW
Richard Hodgett: “The first one would be in AI training, for staff as well as students. I think every organisation is currently struggling with that and it’s certainly something we could do better at internally. The second would be employer and alumni engagement, while the third would be around data management because we’ve got all these legacy systems that are disconnected and I’d love to be able to answer questions with more connected data sources.” Donald Lancaster: “Universities have a habit of wanting to develop in-house IT solutions for individual problems and ultimately, you get left with legacy platforms. I would get rid of those completely and invest in professional platforms that are joined up and can talk to each other. However, the biggest thing for me is investing in reputation, which means people, experience and the right students all coming together.” José Martínez-Sierra: “My answer is simple; I would invest in talent. It’s extremely important that we put our resources into ensuring we get the right fit in relation to our students, staff and faculty.”
Tiago Botelho: “I would invest more in finding the right student talent because a cohort is only as good as its weakest element.” Dan Pearson: “I would home in on providing personalised careers and employability support. I think that’s what students want now. I would also have more personalised and ongoing support throughout the MBA journey to help them translate their learning into the workplace, with each student receiving named and customised support to make their aspirations a reality.” Marian Garcia: “I would invest in our core business, which is our students. Yes, we can be all about the degree, but I have been thinking about what we can offer beyond the degree. Module- level certification, for example, would enable students to stand out earlier on in their programme and could help them, while studying, to get that all-important summer internship.” Macarena Cuenca: “It often feels like industry and academia live in two separate worlds and we need to bring these worlds closer together to understand each other better. So I would invest in bringing our teachers and lecturers on to platforms with corporations and not just with other universities. In addition, I would support more faculty consultancy projects in industry and find ways to bring more people from corporations into our school, such as through our planned DBA programme.”
Supportive systems
Instructure is a global education technology company focused on helping learners and educators thrive in a rapidly changing world. At the heart of its ecosystem is Canvas, a modern, cloud-based learning management system trusted by universities and business schools worldwide. Canvas provides a flexible, intuitive platform that supports engaging, high-quality learning experiences—whether on campus, online, or in hybrid environments. For business schools, Canvas offers the agility to support case-based learning, executive education, global cohorts and lifelong learning initiatives, integrating easily with a wide range of tools and systems. www.instructure.com/canvas/en-gb
Ambition • ISSUE 4 • 2026 35
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