An Interview With London Business School’s EMBA Chief

Nicola Simpson of LBS. Courtesy photo

Nicola Simpson of LBS. Courtesy photo

P&Q: What trends have you noticed among the applicant pool and the students who actually enroll?

Our students do represent a wide range of nationalities and professional backgrounds. What they do share is that they are very experienced people. They come to us with 10 to 11 years of experience. The average age is about 35 years.

There has been a slight drop in the company support of students. That kind of plugs into a worldwide trend. In Europe as well as the rest of the world this has led to a slight decline in applications. We are also seeing that there is sometimes tension between students and employers when the employers do provide support, depending on the degree to which companies are supporting. There might be some expectation to come back to the company or commit for a certain time where other students want to keep it separate so they self-fund.

P&Q: Do you think that MOOCs and online MBA degree programs have impacted the EMBA market? If not, do you foresee some disruption in the future? 

At the moment, the online degrees and MOOCs appeal to a different segment of learners. But looking to the future, I think they will have more and more of an impact. The next 10 years we will see a different generation applying for these programs. They have grown up and matured in a world of technology and it is integral to the way they live, work and communicate. I think these individuals are going to grow into the space and demand different ways of learning. It serves this particular market, but the demand for more online learning will change as the next generation comes into the space.

Again, the challenge is around starting to prepare ourselves for the increased demand. How do we use technology to build community? This is not just about social gathering but also social learning. It is about creating the optimal online environment to support student aspirations. We are looking all of the time to innovate what we do. Schools should be flexible and work with students to see what will best meet their needs. And we will design something that will support quality aspirations we have as a school.

P&Q: Have applications and enrollment increased, decreased or remained the same in London’s EMBA program?

Within Europe, the studies show diminishing applications and class size. But our classrooms have remained the same. That doesn’t mean we don’t have challenges. We have a very good admissions team. They work very hard to attract the quality of applications and to have the right students in the program.

They spend quite a bit of time with applicants, putting them through the admissions process. We invite them in and to campus to have them meet with us and other classmates. It is a rigorous program and learning experience that can be quite surprising if you haven’t prepared students. By the time they step on campus, we want them to already have a high level of engagement with the program.

The main challenges are around achieving the admissions target of quality and diversity needed in this program. We recognize the impact that has on the entire cohort. Our challenge is maintaining the quality of a cohort. That is first and foremost in our minds.

P&Q: How do you see the EMBA market changing in the next five to ten years?

I think there is going to be a great emphasis on leadership skills and being able to succeed in a fast changing work environment. The traditional EMBA and core courses amongst programs are all standardized. To me, it is about the added value and additional components that I think is going to become very important and that we should address within the program at the moment. It is thinking about skill sets to be agile and respond quickly and how to take risks and how to prepare and operate with a global mindset. These skills are around leadership.

I also think EMBA programs need to increase what they offer. Specifically, they need to put a greater emphasis on an extended learning journey. For example, our program is about 20 months to two years. We want to figure out the biggest impact we are going to need to engage more with learners further into their career life cycle. So we are looking at ways to put a greater emphasis on how to keep close with students, ignite an appetite for learning and stay fresh with trends throughout their careers. And I think technology plays a role in that. It is a need for ongoing relationship management so we can provide them with more support as they progress in their lives and careers.

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