- Posted on 21 Aug 2026
UTS Business School continued to build its international profile this year, with Professor Carl Rhodes invited to deliver an opening plenary keynote at the 2026 EFMD Annual Conference in Seville one of the world's leading forums for business school leaders, accreditation bodies and industry to debate the future of management education.
EFMD is a global, non-profit, membership-driven organisation dedicated to management development recognised globally as a top accreditation body for business schools worldwide.
Professor Rhodes shared the opening plenary with Ana Callol from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, reflecting the conference's emphasis on genuine dialogue between academia and industry on what management education should ultimately be for. With 23 years experience in key global and regional leadership roles in marketing, sales, and sustainability Callol focused her portion of the address on the capacity for graduates to make decisions under pressure and empahsised the importance of pairing judgement with technical knowledge.
Rhodes argued that business schools can no longer present themselves as politically neutral institutions. Drawing together history, politics, public trust and the future of management education, he asked what it would mean for business schools to become more democratic in their purpose, teaching and public contribution.
What should management education stand for?
Rhodes pointed to recent attacks on universities by US Vice President JD Vance and Australian Senator Pauline Hanson as evidence of a shifting climate, in which institutions once seen as neutral, education and research-focused are increasingly recast as elitist, ideologically driven or disconnected from ordinary people.
Historically, business schools have sought to position themselves as pragmatic and above politics. Rhodes argued that this position is no longer sustainable, and that confronting this fact is central to the challenge now facing management education. His central point was that the question is not whether business schools are political, but how they choose to engage with that reality, a message that resonated strongly across a conference shaped by recurring themes of judgement, responsibility, purpose and the human dimensions of leadership.
A good business school is a democratic business school: one that sustains debate, generates trustworthy knowledge, and educates citizens as well as professionals. The panel called on business schools to think more deeply about democratic responsibility including how they engage students, how democratic values are reflected in curriculum and pedagogy, and who is enabled to enter the classroom.
The central problem facing business schools today is not simply one of academic rigour or managerial relevance. It is political. And unless business schools recognise that reality, we risk becoming increasingly fragile, increasingly mistrusted, and increasingly irrelevant.
The Good Business School
The keynote drew on themes from The Good Business School: The Political Imperative of Management in the 21st Century, Rhodes's forthcoming book co-authored with Alison Pullen. The book argues that business schools cannot hide behind technocratic or scholarly neutrality, and calls for a democratically engaged business school grounded in public value, intellectual pluralism and shared prosperity.
As business schools navigate questions of public trust, artificial intelligence, climate change, inequality and the role of expertise, the message from Seville was clear: business education can no longer be defined only by employability, rankings or technical skill. It must also help students develop judgement, ethical reasoning and the confidence to make decisions in uncertain conditions.
Connecting to a global network
Professor Rhodes's participation at the EFMD Annual Conference demonstrates UTS Business School's active engagement with the international business education community. Through participation in global forums, international research collaborations and strategic partnerships, the Faculty contributes to shaping contemporary debates while bringing international perspectives back into its teaching, research and engagement activities.
Rhodes closed his address by noting that public trust is weakening, populism is rising, and universities are increasingly drawn into conflicts over inequality, identity, expertise, democracy and power. Yet many business schools continue to behave as though nothing has changed, remaining focused solely on relevance and academic rigour. He challenged conference attendees to sit with harder questions:
He challenged conference attendees to sit with harder questions:
- What are we actually for?
- What kinds of economies do we legitimate?
- What kinds of leaders do we produce?
- What responsibilities do we carry at a moment when democracy itself is under growing strain?
Carl Rhodes's role in this global conversation reflects UTS Business School's ongoing commitment to responsible management education and its contribution to shaping the future of business education on the international stage.
Contributor
Professor, Business School
Explore
Related news
Why the $2.5 billion Tomago aluminium deal is no ordinary bailout
The government’s approach to saving Tomago offers a blueprint for other interventions to future-proof industry, such as at Whyalla.
The idea of the ‘company man’ was forged decades ago. Its problems still haunt leaders today
If we are serious about equality, appointing more women to leadership roles should be accompanied by questioning the model of leadership itself.
Health insurance rebates may change for the over‑65s. Our new study shows what to expect
New research shows what happens if the extra health insurance rebate for over-65s is scrapped, as planned. Here’s why the sky won’t fall in.
Beyond Growth: How can we end poverty and build a sustainable future?
Economic growth has long been seen as the path to progress. But growing evidence suggests new approaches may be needed to reduce inequality and build a...