IE Business School Dean Lee Newman Shares His Strategic Views on the Future of Business Education with Andrew Jack of The Financial Times

IE Business School Dean Lee Newman delivered compelling insights on the future of business education during a recent Financial Times FT Live "Future of Business Education: Spotlight on MBA 2025" event. The discussion with Financial Times editor Andrew Jack, explored how artificial intelligence and other emerging trends are transforming management education.

Drawing from his background as a behavioral scientist, former management consultant, and tech entrepreneur, Newman shared his vision of the "diamond-shaped workforce" that AI will create – with fewer entry-level positions but expanded roles for managers who can orchestrate hybrid teams of humans and AI systems. "It's paramount that we train the next generation of business professionals to manage these hybrid teams that combine human intelligence and artificial intelligence," commented Newman.

"Now is one of the best times in the world to get an MBA," Newman stated, highlighting how business managers will be among the primary beneficiaries of the AI revolution. He outlined IE University collaboration with OpenAI and the university’s innovative approach to integrating ChatGPT across the educational ecosystem, which prepares students to work directly with intelligent agents in team settings and manage the combination of human and artificial intelligence.

Additional highlights from Newman's conversation included:

• The shift from knowledge transmission to people transformation in business education.

• The growing emphasis on "impact skills"—the human capabilities needed to navigate difficult workplace situations.

• The increasing demand for flexibility in program formats.

• The importance of strategic foresight and systems thinking in a complex global environment.

Newman underscored IE Business School’s commitment to preparing students for a world where business education must become increasingly experiential, with faculty evolving into "experience designers" rather than traditional professors.