AACSB Pulse

Why Finance Leaders Must Lean Into AI

Inside AI’s impact on finance and accounting: Meta’s Jason Pikoos discusses shifting roles, smarter strategy, and new expectations for graduates.
Host Eileen McAuliffe, AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, has a conversation with Meta’s director of modern finance, Jason Pikoos, on how AI is reshaping the finance industry—and what that means for how business schools need to prepare future finance leaders. She delves into three big questions:
You’re working at the forefront of technological innovation at Meta, and you’re in a finance role that’s especially ripe for AI-driven transformation. Given that vantage point, what does the future of finance look like?
How is AI changing the way companies structure themselves and develop their people?
Thinking about the next generation of finance leaders, what skills and competencies will matter most—and how should business schools evolve to prepare them?

Building Business Education in China

AACSB president and CEO, Lily Bi, guest-hosts this episode of AACSB Pulse, featuring Xiongwen Lu, dean of the Fudan University School of Management and an AACSB board member. From the Elevate: Asia Pacific Conference in Hong Kong, Lily and Xiongwen discuss the evolution of business education in China and how Fudan's School of Management built its programs, reputation, and industry connections over 40 years. They center their conversation on three big questions:
Fudan’s School of Management recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. What do you think has driven that success, and how do you sustain momentum as the school matures?
Fudan University sits at an intersection of Eastern and Western approaches to business education. What are the biggest differences and similarities between how business schools in China and the West prepare future leaders for a global economy?
Fudan University has a deep tradition in the humanities and arts, while the School of Management is also investing in areas like AI, data science, and other technologies. How can these diverse disciplines work together with core business disciplines to meet the evolving needs of students, employers, and society?
To view a full transcript of the episode, visit https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2026/aacsb-pulse-building-business-education-in-china. 

Business Schools, Rankings, and the Media

A discussion on the power and limits of rankings, and how business schools can redefine excellence around mission, impact, and relevance.
Host Eileen McAuliffe, AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, sits down with Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer at Times Higher Education, while at the World Academic Summit in Saudi Arabia. The two discuss Times Higher Education’s rankings and their influence, and how to best convey an institution’s purpose and impact to the public. They examine the following three big questions:
The World University Rankings were first launched over 20 years ago. Can you talk a bit about the origins of those rankings and how they grew to be what they are today?
Rankings can be a contentious issue among higher ed institutions—particularly those that aren’t often represented in the top numbers. How well do you think rankings reflect the excellence of a university?
Since much of the media narrative around higher education is about cost and return on investment, how can business schools leverage their expertise in measuring value to reshape this conversation in the public sphere?
To view a full transcript of the episode, visit https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2026/aacsb-pulse-business-schools-rankings-and-the-media.
 

Leading With Knowledge, Caring, and Courage

This episode explores how identities shape the leadership experience and the role of business schools in fostering inclusive, forward-looking institutions.
Recorded at the Deans Conference in Toronto, host Eileen McAuliffe, AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, sits down with Minna Martikainen, rector at the University of Vaasa, to discuss how a leader’s identity influences their actions. As two women leaders, they explore the role of gender in leadership and whether it is—or should be—a factor in leading today’s business schools and beyond. They examine the following three big questions:
How much of your leadership journey has been influenced by your identity as a woman, and how has that identity influenced the way you lead?
How do you make sense of the uneven progress women have experienced in leadership opportunities in recent years, and what responsibility do business schools have to sustain forward momentum globally?
What actions can institutions take to ensure that more women have access to—and support in—top leadership roles worldwide?
To view a full transcript of the episode, visit https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2025/aacsb-pulse-leading-with-knowledge-caring-and-courage.

A New Vision for Business Schools

How can business education evolve to reflect new societal expectations and redefine its true purpose?
 
Host Eileen McAuliffe, AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, holds a live, thought-provoking session at the AACSB Deans Conference in Toronto with Andrew J. Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business. The two discuss how today’s business schools have strayed from their original purpose and explore ways they might find their way back to meaning and relevance for a changed world. They examine the following three big questions:
How has the role of business schools changed in society, and where have you seen good examples of schools rejuvenating their curricula to align the power of business with its current role?
How do you see the student-faculty dynamic evolving amid rising program costs and a growing consumerism mindset, and what can business school leaders do to better support that change?
What role do business school deans play in driving the kind of transformation needed to better serve stakeholders and society in general?
To view a full transcript of the episode, visit https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2025/aacsb-pulse-a-new-vision-for-business-schools.

Financing the Future of Business Schools

From executive education to AI innovation, explore the financial models redefining business schools.
Host Eileen McAuliffe, AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, discusses innovation in business school financing with Serguei Netessine, senior vice dean for innovation and global initiatives and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She asks three big questions:
What are the limitations of the traditional business school model in adapting to major global shifts, such as changing demographics, a volatile economy, and geopolitical uncertainties?
How can deeper engagement with industry and external partners help business schools diversify revenue streams, without compromising their academic mission?
What is the potential for AI to reshape how business schools create and deliver value to students, employers, and society?
View the full episode transcript at https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2025/aacsb-pulse-financing-the-future-of-business-schools.

Positive Business School Impact

What if business schools were evaluated not by rankings but by how students and faculty perceived their impact on society?
Host Eileen McAuliffe, AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, asks Katrin Muff, president and co-creator of the Positive Impact Rating, three pressing questions related to the impact of business schools on society:
What inspired the creation of the Positive Impact Rating, and how did you and your collaborators shape its methodology to reflect values beyond traditional rankings? 
Who takes part in PIR, and how can business schools use their PIR results to accelerate institutional change
How might schools leverage the PIR framework to better identify or refine their societal impact focus?
View the full episode transcript at https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2025/aacsb-pulse-positive-business-school-impact.

Business Schools as Leaders

In this inaugural episode of AACSB Pulse, host Eileen McAuliffe, who is AACSB's executive vice president, chief thought leadership officer, and managing director of EMEA, talks with Sherif Kamel, dean of the Onsi Sawiris School of Business at the American University in Cairo, as well as chair of AACSB's 2024-25 board of directors. Eileen and Sherif discuss three pressing questions related to business schools as leaders today:
How have geopolitical shifts impacted the strategic priorities of business schools?
What role does collaboration play in ensuring a culture of continuous innovation in business schools today, and how is AACSB supporting such collaboration?
How effectively are business schools today leveraging emerging technologies—from data analytics, to AI, to immersive learning—in their curricula, research, and operations, and where do they have opportunities for improvement?
Tune in to learn more! 
View the full episode transcript at https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/podcasts/2025/aacsb-pulse-business-schools-as-leaders.