Leeds University Business School offers Yorkshire firms support to face challenges of economic uncertainty

Read any business section or news headline and uncertainty and change feature heavily. It’s something we have all had to learn to navigate. In the two years since I took over as Executive Dean of Leeds University Business School, we’ve had a global pandemic, war in Europe, various climate-related emergencies and a succession of UK prime ministers.

These global and national events are leading many organisations and businesses to stop and re-evaluate. It’s something we at the Business School, and the University of Leeds as a whole, have been doing too. As an institution rooted in the local community, our role is to support and work with Leeds and Yorkshire organisations to help benefit the economy, society and our planet.

This values-driven approach is central to our new strategy, and is something that aligns with the new University of Leeds strategy implemented by our Vice Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk, who took over in 2020.

Leading business school

A significant period of growth has firmly positioned Leeds as one of the leading business schools in the country. Our highly regarded courses provide outstanding teaching and learning for undergraduate, Masters, MBA and Executive programmes to more than 5,000 students. Our new focus is how we can contribute even more value to society. Key to this is how we support businesses, public and third sector organisations in Leeds, as well as nationally and globally.

Every university’s core purpose is to contribute to the advancement of society. At the University of Leeds and the Business School we are making a vital contribution locally and globally: as an academic institution, as a research-intensive university, but also, as an employer.

We have an important role in developing the next generation of leaders and embedding a more responsible and ethical way of working across our curriculum. Yet equally important is how we, as an organisation, live these behaviours.

For example, the university has set itself an ambitious climate plan and pledged to be carbon net zero by 2030. In the Business School, our sustainability blueprint includes projects such as meat-free catering and reducing our travel and technology impact. We are also developing carbon literacy training for all staff and students, to help us reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.

Helping businesses with challenges of hybrid working

Our position as a research-intensive university means that our students and academics are also generating knowledge and insights to provide solutions for current challenges faced by all business, organisations and industry. Our recent report, led by Dr Matthew Davis, looked at the impact of hybrid working both in terms of office space design and also the psychological impact on employees. These are two key concerns for employers as the world adapts to new ways of working.

For me though, it’s not just about sharing our knowledge and expertise but about engaging local and regional businesses and organisations to share their knowledge too. One powerful way we can enable this knowledge-sharing is to be a facilitator for collaboration between businesses in Leeds. Working in the same environment, with the same employment market, and the same infrastructure means similar challenges but also the potential for collaborative solutions.

Our academics are already working with some of the region’s biggest names, including KPMG, Virgin Money, the NHS and IBM, and we’re delivering the Government’s Help to Grow programme working with SMEs and start-ups too. By focussing on our real-world impact, engaging with more external businesses and organisations, we are dedicated to building mutually beneficial partnerships. Something our brand-new external engagement team are tasked with.

Boosting the economy

Another way we can benefit businesses and organisations in our region is to build on our international reputation which attracts students, staff and corporate partners from around the world, all of which brings new investment and ideas into our local economy. Our civic duty is something we take incredibly seriously. Leeds University Business School is firmly rooted in Yorkshire, making us uniquely placed to help local businesses with global knowledge and expertise but also effect global change starting at a local level.

As we move towards the end of the year, like other organisations we are gearing up for the challenges and opportunities that 2023 will bring. Collaborative working and strong partnerships can only make the course easier for all of us.

Find out more

To find out more about opportunities to collaborate with Leeds University Business School, contact our external engagement team by emailing [email protected]. Or visit Business.leeds.ac.uk/working-with-business

Executive Dean Julia Bennell works at Leeds University Business School, dedicated to supporting the Leeds and Yorkshire economy