Business Education and Sustainability: Insights from Cambridge

When it comes to sustainability, is business education part of the problem or part of the solution? On the one hand, traditional business school curricula often prioritize profit maximization and competition, instilling in students a mindset that perpetuates unsustainable business practices. On the other hand, incorporating sustainability into business education creates a unique opportunity to develop leaders who are committed to balancing economic success with social and environmental responsibility.

I pondered this question as I spoke with Alison Wheeler-Eo, Interim Director of Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education Limited (JBSEEL), and Matthew Walkley, Head of B2B Marketing, about JBSEEL's recent B Corp certification. JBSEEL, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School, offers a wide range of programs for both individuals and organisations. These programs span traditional business topics such as leadership, AI, innovation and strategy, with an increasing focus on sustainable and regenerative business practices.

Wheeler-Héau and Walkley (who led the B Corp process) will share insights on why JBSEEL chose to become a B Corp, lessons learned during the certification process, and how this work will influence future endeavors.

This conversation convinced me that while business schools deserve a lot of the blame for the state of the world today, they can play an important role in educating diverse leaders—many of whom may not have thought about sustainability before—about the importance of business in addressing some of today's most pressing environmental and social issues.

Christopher Marquis: My first question is why Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education (JBSEEL) wanted to become a B Corp.

Allison Wheeler Hoe: Indeed, becoming a B Corp was a natural step for JBSEEL because the very nature of the movement aligns with our mission to transform leaders who make a positive difference in the world. It also aligned with the mission of the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Judge Business School, so in the early consideration stages we were confident this was something that would meet stakeholder buy-in.

We are an organization with a clear purpose that goes beyond profit, and I think you all understand how much that means to us. Our primary focus is to put the great research coming out of Cambridge University and the Business School in the hands of leaders who can contribute to making society more equitable, environmentally sustainable and ultimately renewable. We realized that becoming a B Corp would allow us to formalize our commitment to having a positive impact on society and the environment and redefine how we look at success and impact.

Matthew Walkley: I think it really resonates with my colleagues. When we first discussed getting certified, we introduced the idea at our monthly town hall meetings, and we heard real optimism and understanding of why this would work for JBSEEL. We believe that for B Corp certification to be meaningful, it has to be something the entire organization wants to be a part of.

Marquis: What about the evaluation process? Did you learn anything about the organization? Did anything change through the process?

Walkley: I think we learned two big things from this process: one, that while JBSEEL is proud to be part of the university ecosystem, we needed to separate some of our reporting and procedures and become self-sustaining, which was something the BIA required in order to qualify as a limited company (JBS Executive Education Limited is a limited company), and which just so happened to have this positive side effect.

We feel that this process has given us an identity and allowed us to think more deeply about what it means to be an executive education provider within the Cambridge ecosystem and how we can use our position to help solve the crises facing the world.

Of course, this may sound a bit lofty, but we are in a privileged position between the world-class solutions coming from Cambridge professors and the wider world. If we can bring those ideas to organizations and help them implement programs to make their organizations and the world better, we believe we can make a real difference in paving the way for a just transition and ultimately redefining what business perceives as value.

The second lesson is that although our certification is carried out by a dedicated team working on specific projects like the BIA, becoming a B Corp actually means sharing this message throughout the organisation, through Cambridge Judges and the University, so that everyone understands what it means to us. This sounds like pretty obvious stakeholder engagement, but we want JBSEEL staff to understand that they are given the space to make better, more sustainable decisions, and that they will be supported to do so.

Marquis: Will B Corp certification change the way JBSEEL works going forward?

Wheeler Oh: Over the next few months, we will be exploring different BIA-based initiatives to strengthen our programs and deepen our engagement with our stakeholder community and employees. We are focused on how we can address our footprint and map the sustainability of our programs, not just for ourselves but for our clients and representatives. This is easier said than done, but this understanding is key to ultimately making change happen.

This includes virtual delivery, so not all attendees need to travel to Cambridge, and we're also exploring innovative new ways of delivering our programmes, such as holograms, AI integration and augmented reality, so that we can bring Cambridge insights to audiences around the world, without the hassle of travel.

Walkley: We are also considering collaborating with colleagues from Cambridge Zero, an organisation within Cambridge University that aims to maximise the university's contribution towards a zero carbon world, to undertake a curriculum review that will enable us to identify areas where we can improve our messaging and impact of responsible business. Sustainable/regenerative business can no longer be seen as a side topic but needs to be part of everything we offer.

The impact of our programs is a very important factor in thinking about what change JBSEEL can bring to the business environment. So this will be a project in itself, leveraging our psychometric center and long-term impact tracking to understand behavioral changes as well as track various key metrics at organizational and individual levels (reduced carbon footprint, DEI metrics, enhanced stakeholder engagement, etc.). It is also great to have new relevant programs at the forefront of our agenda, actively researching and developing them and engaging with our B Corp network to discuss their thoughts and ideas.

Finally, we are incredibly grateful every day to be able to work with local charities, but over time we hope to explore ways to expand that involvement and bring Cambridge insight and knowledge to disadvantaged communities, starting locally and one day turning this into a global effort.

Marquis: Are there any special programs or benefits for B Corps?

Wheeler Oh: We offer a wide range of open programs ranging from ESG/Sustainability to organizational management, leadership, innovation, AI core business concepts, finance and strategy, and we are excited to offer a 10% discount to B Corps.

We have a dedicated suite of programs we believe are highly relevant to B Corps, centered around ESG and sustainability and covering social enterprise, ESG leadership and DEI. These programs are built with the aim of helping people have the greatest possible impact on their organizations, and provide participants with the tools they need to create real change.

We want to create a community of like-minded people focused on the environmental and social impact of individuals and organisations. Our programmes will bring together professors and practitioners from across the Cambridge ecosystem to share the latest research and help participants understand how to implement change when they return to their organisations.