Innovation & student transformation key to MBA director role, says new survey

In addition, 27 per cent of respondents said they welcomed the opportunity to transform students, while gaining accreditations was referenced by 20 per cent and leadership opportunities by 17 per cent.

The club was set up by AMBA & BGA head of membership Debbie Kemp, who was formerly MBA director at Kent Business School. The intention behind it is to “build a community dedicated to empowering MBA directors to excel at managing their programmes, delivering meaningful value to the MBA community and enhancing professional growth”.

Looking at directors’ motivation for taking on the role, most respondents described it as a leadership opportunity (51 per cent), followed by the chance of working with more experienced student cohorts (13 per cent), to broaden their knowledge and gain industry connections (11 per cent), or for a promotional opportunity (four per cent).

The study also asked participants what they wished they had known before taking on this role. Their responses ranged from “the critical importance of recruitment quality as it directly impacts the overall experience and success of the MBA programme”; and “how vital it is to build a strong cohort identity”; to “the way in which the demanding profile of MBA students requires a highly responsive and tailored approach”; and “fully understanding the difference between executive or online MBA students and full-time ones”.

The top three challenges facing MBA directors were said to be recruitment, marketing and MBA reputation at 34 per cent, followed by resources, support and staffing at 31 per cent and curriculum development at 16 per cent.

Asked how AMBA could best help them in their efforts, respondents cited networking and peer support, market updates, personal development, programme content, international collaboration and accreditations as all being relevant areas of assistance.

Commenting on the findings, Kemp said: “Our survey highlighted just how experienced and dedicated the directors who we currently work with are – and the fine balance between strategic and operational decisions. 

“At our launch event in May at the AMBA & BGA global conference in Berlin [pictured above], we had more than 80 MBA directors join us from our global network, which was an amazing turnout. 

“We are now energised to continue to support this community with inductions for new MBA directors and networking workshops at each of our international conferences held throughout the year, as well as virtual discussion groups on our membership platforms.”