Global Business School Leaders Face Increased Tension and Anticipation
The rise of AI, fragmented geopolitics and a risk of divergence fuel heightened uncertainty, our panelists say.
From left: Francisco Veloso, Susan Christoffersen, Stephen Shih and David Bach.
Photo illustration: 731; Photos: Getty Images; HKUST; IMD; Insead; University of Toronto Rotman School of Management
With the world today facing seemingly constant disruption, including the rapid spread of artificial intelligence, fractured geopolitics and volatile economies, leading a graduate business school can be a tough proposition. As we approached September and the publication of our 2025-26 Best B-School Rankings, Bloomberg Businessweek convened a group of deans from around the globe to talk about some of the hardest issues they now confront and ponder where graduate business education is heading. Our panel—David Bach, president of IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland; Susan Christoffersen, dean of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management; Stephen Shih, associate dean overseeing MBA programs at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Francisco Veloso, dean of Insead, based in Fontainbleau, France—met remotely for 70 minutes to discuss how to best prepare students to thrive given the upheaval and to recognize opportunities in unlikely places.