INTERVIEW
In May 2022, Claire Leitch was appointed Executive Dean of Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), following positions as Deputy Dean, Associate Dean, and most recently, Acting Dean. Days after the announcement of Leitch’s permanent appointment, Ambition spoke to her to find out more about her plans for the School, as well as her role in a joint project addressing gender inequality in Business Schools. What are the biggest challenges facing international Business Schools right now? There are critical challenges facing international markets due to the geopolitical landscape in which we are operating – including the war in Ukraine, and the continued threat of Covid-19. This is likely to affect student numbers in the short to medium term as we continue to witness varying responses and control measures across countries and continents which will impact student mobility and confidence to travel for further study. Closer to home, the cost-of-living crisis we are all facing in the UK will certainly impact staff and students. The higher education sector will need to respond and become more competitive than other institutions. To offer our students the very best education and experience, we need to attract and retain the very best talent. Offering competitive salaries will need to come into sharp focus. With purse strings tightening, Business Schools will also need to be focused on the competitive offer for students – ensuring they get the
Business Schools need to be deeply engaged and embedded in issues such as this. They need to work hard – in partnership with business and a wide range of stakeholders, including policy makers, regional bodies and sector leaders, to a much greater extent – in order to stay one step ahead. LUMS’ ambition as a responsible Management School is to do the right thing, not only by our students, staff and local community – but also by the wider economy and for communities’ quality of life. As anchor institutions, Business Schools have civic duties; in challenging times, these should come into sharp focus for campuses and their surrounding communities, right around the world. How has Covid-19 changed your School for the long term – and what are your top lessons learned? The shift to online learning in 2020 revealed a whole suite of benefits for us, which has led to some refreshed thinking and a more blended approach to learning and teaching opportunities. It was incredible witnessing our Lancaster community rise to the challenge of ‘daily business’ in the ‘new normal’ that 2020 served up – it was heartening to see staff roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. There were barriers to overcome, but they upskilled themselves and went above and beyond in so many ways, remaining committed to giving our students the very best they could, even in the most tricky of circumstances. This, in turn, has enabled us to gain more
very best value and experience with us. While there are numerous challenges on the horizon, we shouldn’t lose sight of the enormous opportunities these also bring. In our ever-changing world, good business practice and exceptional management have never been more crucial. Our engagement with businesses reaps huge rewards – not only for the sector and industry, but also for wider economies. With our fingers on the pulse of the business landscape, and deep understanding of the burning issues organisations face, Business Schools are in a prime position to provide solutions to some of society’s biggest problems. How important is it that Business Schools are ahead of the curve here and what more could and should they be doing? It is absolutely critical. Business and Management Schools are responsible for developing the leaders, managers and change agents of the future. We need to predict accurately what issues companies will face in the future, and how our students will need to respond, so that we can equip them now with the foundations they’ll need to succeed in their careers. At Lancaster University Management
School (LUMS), we’re currently developing our cyberskills offer, for example. In an increasingly
interconnected world – and with all the risks and opportunities such a world presents – cyberskills will be needed right across the board, and will touch all disciplines and aspects of organisations.
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