The world is changing and has been changing for a long time. Increasing sustainability to ensure we protect our planet and the resources we depend on has been at the forefront of conversations for a long time now. More recently, artificial intelligence has permeated a variety of sectors, along with the questions and challenges it brings. How should business schools react to this changing world?

We spoke with Bruno van Pottelsberghe, the new President and Rector of Corvinus University of Budapest, about business school leadership, the challenges schools will face in the years to come, and his hopes for the future.

Please introduce yourself and your career to date.

I started my role as President and Rector at Corvinus University of Budapest in August 2024. Prior to that, I was the Dean of the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (SBSEM), a faculty of Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). I also chaired the QTEM Network, which I initiated in 2011 and co-founded in 2012 with four other Schools.

After studying for my Bachelor’s and Master’s at Université libre de Bruxelles, I pursued a PhD, during which I was inspired by authors from the US and Japan. This interest led me to collaborate with a Japanese professor in Tokyo for six months, before returning to Brussels and then working with another professor in New York at Columbia Business School.

Before the end of my PhD, I was recruited by the OECD in Paris to perform empirical analyses directly related to my research, on the effectiveness of science and technology policies. I ended up finishing my PhD while working at the OECD. After a couple of years, the Solvay Company offered the first privately funded chair to ULB. They contacted me and I successfully applied.

I then became a full-time professor funded by the private sector at Solvay Business School, teaching and doing research in my fields of interest: innovation policy and intellectual property. Through my work at OECD and my PhD, I had developed expertise in these areas and regarding the crunching of raw patent databases, I was one of the few experts in the world at the time.

In 2005, the European Patent Office (EPO) contacted me to become its Chief Economist in Munich; a fantastic opportunity to work at the heart of my research topic. I was researching patents and innovation and suddenly I was at the core of the Innovation and intellectual property processes in Europe.

Eventually, I went back to ULB as I was more interested in academic freedom at that time, excited by the perspective of an intensive research activity on the effectiveness of patent systems. Four years later, I became Dean of SBSEM and ignited the QTEM network venture.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Corvinus University of Budapest so far?

What I’m most pleased about is to contribute to the governance and strategic renewal of the university, with a clear focus on internationalisation of students, faculty, and research ventures. Our main objective is to internationalise, obtain the three major accreditations, and increase our research activity. Of course, these issues are closely connected. We have started by an adaptation of the governance, aiming at a more collegial management process and hopefully a stronger collective dynamism. We are now working on new strategic priorities for the next four years.

I called the strategy project, the “bridge strategy”, clearly inspired by Budapest’s bridges, and as well by their fundamental impact on a city’s growth and welfare. We can interpret the bridge strategy as a stronger will to connect east with west, to connect the university with its private and public ventures, and ultimately to connect globally with top level universities.

As the new Rector at Corvinus University, what qualities do you believe are most important for business school leaders?

Business school leaders should ensure they themselves are convinced by the vision of their institution and then convince their colleagues to collectively adopt new strategic priorities and implement them. I come from a university that is essentially democratic; you have to convince your colleagues to generate and adopt new ideas, and never force them through. Critical thinking and open debate are essential ingredients of successful organisations. Of course, once a strategic orientation is adopted, it is then important to implement it effectively and swiftly.

To be a successful academic institution, you need talented colleagues, and talented individuals have several opportunities to choose from. Therefore, you need to not only attract them but keep them on board, and this can be achieved through a collegial decision process.

A leader should also be visible and present for his colleagues. For example, if going through a difficult period, it is important to be involved and available, explain what is happening. When you explain and take responsibility, it becomes less frustrating for your colleagues.

It also matters to be open-minded and accept different ways of thinking. Sticking with the status-quo can be comfortable, but it can lead to missing out on innovative ideas or fresh solutions. For example, I don’t speak Hungarian and I’m not from Hungary, which means I may take time to fully understand complex institutional dynamics within the University. But I do come with new ideas and different ways to look at things, which generates exciting discussions and ideas within the executive committee and with several stakeholders.

When you have been with an institution for a very long time, you may be reluctant to change, as you are used to the old ways of doing things. Those brought in from the outside bring a new perspective. I advise recruiting people from outside from time to time, from a different industry or different countries. They can challenge things that have been the same for a while and that’s okay, as it could lead to something even better.

What challenges do you believe business schools will face in the coming years? How can they tackle these challenges?

I’d say the three biggest challenges are timeframe shrinking, the demand for “instant” knowledge conversion, and internationalisation. Year by year, the labour market-pull forces become stronger, even while students are still in university. Students are less willing to dedicate their time solely to studying and training; they want jobs, entrepreneurial ventures, and, first and foremost, salaries and a feeling of competence earlier, and have less patience for acquiring classic academic knowledge.

One solution could be for universities to form even closer collaborations with the business sector and public institutions, integrating external expertise more thoroughly into pedagogical programmes. Another effective strategy is to offer programmes with varying depths and durations within a field, such as one- and two-year master’s programmes.

The second major challenge is students’ expectation for immediate or “instant” knowledge conversion. They want what they learn to be directly applicable in the workforce. This brings up the perennial question: do we give them a fish, or do we teach them how to fish (including how to protect the system in which fishes reproduce themselves)? In the long run, the latter is more beneficial and requires more in-depth scientific knowledge generated by a sound research activity.

The third and quite important challenge is related to the international recognition of a degree. When you are a national flagship university or programme, you must enter the European league to gain international reputation and attractiveness: nowadays all top schools have a substantial international impact. This challenge requires to secure high-quality research activity and collaborate with an international faculty. How to attract and keep these talented students and faculty are our daily challenges.

What are your hopes for the future of Corvinus University and the future of business education?

When it comes to Corvinus, as a national champion, it has everything it needs to level up and compete on the international stage. We are home to highly talented students and faculty, and it is not enough to be good; we also need to be seen as pioneers on an international level. That’s why I expect significant advancements in our international branding, internationalisation is a huge priority, for all stakeholders.

Regarding the future of educational and research services at Corvinus, I see three key decisive factors: artificial intelligence, sustainability and multidisciplinary approaches.

Firstly, artificial intelligence (AI): like it or not, it is growing fast, and it does affect the way we learn, the way we do business, and the way we live together in our society. Our university must be at the forefront of the pros and cons of AI, being able to leverage new technologies as they emerge, and being able to cope with their negative side effects. Our university must address these shifts effectively to equip our graduates with the necessary skills to grow personally and professionally.

Second, and perhaps the most critical and unavoidable component of the future of business education, is a focus on sustainable thinking. We can no longer treat our environment as an externality, it is our duty to protect this awe-inspiring habitat and resource on which our very future ultimately depends. Economics, political and business education carries a huge responsibility in instilling this understanding among the forthcoming influential actors of our society.

Thirdly, interdisciplinary learning is more essential than ever. From business to economics and political sciences, all graduates need to be exposed to multidisciplinary programmes. An economist cannot be effective without understanding the basics of sociology, history, and philosophy. Similarly, a business leader must cope with a sound understanding of psychology and economics and history. The world is becoming more complex and uncertain, and we have to train our students and learners to cope with this environment through a systemic and multidisciplinary approach.

These three perspectives are also reflected in Corvinus’s leadership structure. We plan to appoint two deans in transversal roles: one specialising in AI and the other in sustainability. Additionally, we are addressing a long-standing gap by incorporating a dedicated Vice Rector of Student Affairs into the leadership team, to make sure that all our stakeholders are taken care of.

For additional insights, announcements, and perspectives on business school leadership, visit the conversation here.