Oxford Saïd Launches Cyber Crisis Elective As High Street Retailers Reel From Attacks

Oxford Saïd Business School has introduced a new MBA elective focused on cyber resilience — the first of its kind at the University of Oxford — as business leaders across sectors face mounting pressure to respond to digital threats.

The course arrives at a timely moment: Several UK high street retailers have recently been hit by major cyberattacks, disrupting operations and exposing a lack of preparedness. 

Against this backdrop, Oxford’s new offering highlights a growing shift in business education: cybersecurity is no longer the sole domain of IT departments. Increasingly, it’s a C-suite concern.

A CRITICAL LEADERSHIP GAP, ADDRESSED

“This kind of hands-on experience is rare in business education,” says Professor Michael Smets, who co-developed the course, in a news release. “The goal is to prepare students not just to understand cyber threats, but to lead through them.”

What sets the new course apart is its immersive design. In collaboration with Sygnia, a global cybersecurity firm that works with Fortune 100 companies, students will participate in a live crisis simulation — the first ever at Saïd Business School. The exercise will place students in a high-pressure environment, challenging them to respond in real time to a fast-moving cyberattack scenario.

The course builds on research by Smets and Dr. Manuel Hepfer, who conducted one of the most comprehensive global studies on how CEOs approach cybersecurity. Their findings pointed to a critical leadership gap: While executives are increasingly expected to manage cyber risk, many feel unprepared or reluctant to engage in technical decision-making during an attack.

‘NO LONGER OPTIONAL FOR LEADERS’

Chris Crummey, global director of executive and board cyber services at Sygnia, says the collaboration aims to address that gap. 

“This program empowers future leaders to make cyber resilience part of strategic planning, not an afterthought,” Crummey says. “The simulation helps students experience the chaos and ambiguity of a real-world attack — where leadership, not just technical expertise, determines the outcome.”

Guest speakers will include Tomer Amir, a Google Cloud professional and Oxford MBA, who says he welcomed the course’s focus on real-world readiness. 

“Cybersecurity is no longer optional for leaders,” Amir says. “This is the kind of course I wish I’d taken when I was at Oxford.”

CYBERSCURITY PROGRAMS PROLIFERATE

Oxford is not the only elite B-school to address cybersecurity — several top schools are adapting their curricula to meet the demands of a digitally transformed economy. Noteworthy programs include: 

• MIT Sloan School of Management’s Cybersecurity Leadership for Non-Technical Executives course; this executive education course helps business leaders understand cybersecurity risk, strategy, and policy. Sloan also integrates tech risk into other digital strategy courses.
• NYU Stern School of Business’s Cybersecurity for Business Leaders course, which covers how cybersecurity impacts corporate risk and strategy; it is often taught jointly by faculty from Stern and NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering.
• UC Berkeley Haas School of Business offers MBA electives on digital security, AI governance, and data ethics through its Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. Haas also hosts cybersecurity simulation events with industry partners.
• Harvard Business School has integrated cybersecurity challenges into case studies, especially in its Technology and Operations Management and Risk Management courses. No standalone cyber elective yet.
• Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business: As part of CMU’s tech ecosystem, Tepper MBAs can take interdisciplinary electives on cybersecurity policy, risk analysis, and governance with the Heinz College.
• Georgetown McDonough School of Business offers cybersecurity and risk-focused content through its Master’s in International Business and Policy and has hosted cybersecurity panels for MBAs in collaboration with federal agencies.
• INSEAD offers a Data, Strategy, and Cybersecurity course as part of executive programs, exploring how business strategy intersects with data protection and digital trust.
• The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business offers a Cybersecurity Certificate available to MBA students in partnership with UT Austin’s School of Information and Computer Science Department. The program includes practical training on cyber risk frameworks.

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