“Young, fast, and
maverick would be
my description of
Hult if I only had
three words.”
Are there any new programs
you would like to see
introduced to the curriculua?
I am thrilled that we have managed to
bring greater awareness of current
technologies into our curricula. The Nano
programs on emerging technology are a
very positive step. We need to think of
business students as the enablers of the
commercialization of technology; they
need to have a keen awareness of
technological advances and be able to
connect seamlessly with engineers, but
they don’t need to be experts themselves.
We should strive to refine this relationship
at Hult.
However, at the same time there is
a very real risk that we get so whipped
up in all of the tech hype that we forget
the evergreen knowledge and skills that
define us as humans: critical thinking,
creativity, communication, rhetoric,
languages, and the ability to collaborate.
We need to hold on to these general
management components tightly. I accept
they may require some refinement, but
their place within the business curricula
should absolutely be defended.
What’s your vision on
how alumni can give
back/contribute to
academic affairs?
Given Hult’s ambition to become the
world’s most relevant business school,
renowned for its innovative approach to
lifelong learning, we welcome active
engagement! One of the best ways alumni
can do this is by challenging us with tricky
practical questions so that our faculty and
students can co-create new knowledge.
There are endless opportunities to co-learn
and co-develop new concepts, models,
and tools about practical management.
Alumni can of course also volunteer to be
guest lecturers and share their corporate
networks—our doors are always open!
We have to also think about further
crossovers between the business and
adjacent fields. There are opportunities to
collaborate with the design world, the
healthcare sector, and green energy.
These initiatives haven’t been started yet,
but I already feel excited by the prospect!
On Johan’s book shelf
The Origins of
Totalitarianism
by Hanna Arendt
The Inevitable
by Kevin Kelly
I Contain Multitudes
by Ed Yong
Shantaram
by Gregory David
Roberts
The Soul of
a New Machine
by Tracy Kidder
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