Julian Birkinshaw became Dean of Ivey Business School in August 2024 after 25 years at London Business School. We speak to him about his role as Dean, the future of business education and his vision for Ivey. Here’s what he had to say:

What is your favourite part of your role as Dean?

It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to shape a great institution like Ivey Business School. Ivey has a long and proud history – we celebrated our hundred-year anniversary recently – but of course the business world is changing quickly, and it’s exciting to identify and act on the opportunities to steer Ivey in the right direction. A lot of my academic research has been on entrepreneurship in established organisations, and it’s good to have a chance to practice what I have been preaching for all these years.

How is business education adapting to the changes in the education and business landscapes?

The business education market has become increasingly global, and all the top schools in the world have really diverse student bodies and faculties. So, for a school like Ivey, with a really strong domestic base in Canada, there is a pressing need to build a presence and a reputation that works across the world. 

In terms of big business trends, Artificial Intelligence is having a huge impact already, and it is forcing business schools to change both what they teach and how they teach. Of course, there are other critical issues business schools have to address as well – from sustainability to geopolitical change to diversity – and in all these areas business schools need to keep adapting their curricula to make sure students are learning the things that matter to employers.   

What hopes do you have for your business graduates?

Our students come to Ivey because they want a transformative learning experience – through our strong adherence to the case method – and they want to build the networks and connections to help them launch their business careers in whatever direction excites them. 

We want them all to be successful on their own terms – and increasingly that means building their own career paths and founding new ventures, not just joining a large bank or consulting company. Finally, we want them to be positive forces for change in the world, not afraid to take bold action to support whatever cause they believe in.

How do you see business education evolving in the future?

Artificial Intelligence is a game-changer. Thanks to Chat GPT, business knowledge is now a commodity, and all our old assumptions about how to teach and assess students have been thrown out the window. The onus lies with us – faculty and program directors – to rethink the learning experience to help students harness Generative AI and to build the softer skills around relationship-building, self-awareness, critical thinking, and judgment that will serve them well in the workplace.

At Ivey, we are actively developing new AI tools to help students prepare for class and to give them personalised feedback, and we are adapting our teaching methods in the classroom as well.

What distinguishes Ivey’s approach to teaching from its competitors?

Alongside Harvard, Ivey has been the strongest proponent of case teaching in the business school world. We are the second-biggest publisher of teaching cases in the world, with more case authors in India and China than any other school. We promote case writing and case teaching around the world. 

I think this is an exciting source of competitive advantage for Ivey, because in a Generative AI world, the case method – with its focus on critical thinking and dialogue – is more important than ever. Many of my key initiatives are about Ivey doubling down on this historical area of expertise and taking it to the rest of the world.

What’s your vision for the future of Ivey Business School?

Our vision is to reimagine experiential business learning for the world. There are two parts to what this reimaging looks like. One is technology driven – we will be in the vanguard of new ways of teaching through AI; for example, we are building a software app that simulates a case discussion, as a way of helping students prepare for classes. The other part, linking back to what I said at the outset, is about global reach. 

We want to take Ivey – and our distinctive view on teaching and learning – to the world, and to do it in an accessible way. This means making it available to more students at different points in their adult lives, and through multiple pedagogical methods. I want Ivey to become one of the most respected and recognised business school brands in the world.

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