2025 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Rita Mota, Esade Business School

Rita Mota
Esade Business School

“Her impact on my MBA experience, and on the Esade community, has been profound, particularly through her exceptional teaching in the Racial (In)Justice course. She created a classroom environment characterized by trust, openness, and respect, where students felt safe to engage with sensitive and often uncomfortable topics. This was not merely academic discourse; it was a space where real-world experiences and perspectives were shared, fostering deep understanding and empathy.

Professor Rita is more than just an exceptional educator; she is a catalyst for positive change. She has empowered students to become more aware, empathetic, and effective leaders in a diverse and interconnected world.” – Flavia Ladino

Rita Mota, 39, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Society, Politics, and Sustainability at Esade Business School, where she is also Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Coordinator. She is also an International Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bath School of Management.

Her research sits at the intersection of business ethics, human rights, and organization studies. Prior to joining Esade, she was a Research Fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She completed her PhD at King’s College London.

Rita’s work has been published in the Academy of Management Review, Business Ethics Quarterly, and the Journal of Business Ethics. Her co-authored article on corporate moral agency won the Business Ethics Quarterly Outstanding Article of 2022 award. She participated in podcasts and wrote for non-academic audiences in outlets such as Harvard Business Review (HBR.org) and The Conversation. She is co-convener of the R:ETRO seminar series (Reputation: Ethics, Trust, and Relationships at Oxford), hosted by the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation.

She is also Editor of the Book and Media Reviews section of the Journal of Business Ethics and a member of the Editorial Board at Business Ethics Quarterly and at the Business Ethics Journal Review. She is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Society for Business Ethics, which she co-chaired in 2023-24, and a non-executive board member of the International Association for Business and Society.

At Esade, Rita won an MBA Teaching Excellence Award in 2024 for the “Racial (In)justice” course.

In her free time, Rita collaborates with the non-profit Global Legal Action Network on climate change legal action.

BACKGROUND

At current institution since what year? 2022

Education: PhD in Law from King’s College London

List of MBA courses you currently teach: Managing Ethics and Social Responsibility, Racial (In)justice

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… I realized just how powerful the role of business can be in nurturing a better world for everyone. My background is actually in law, and I only moved to a business school after my PhD. I’d been working on the relationship between international investment and the cultural rights of indigenous people. The more I learned about this topic, the more I realized the extent of the impact, both positive and negative, that businesses could have on people, communities, and the environment. 

I came to believe that real change could happen faster and more effectively through business than just through regulation. This naturally meant that I started to feel more and more drawn to questions about business ethics and to seek opportunities to learn with and from people in business. When I started my postdoc at the Saïd Business School in Oxford, I was also exposed to a new and fascinating level of diversity: colleagues from different disciplines, students from different backgrounds, collaborations with different organizations… the sources of challenge and inspiration were endless. Can anything be more appealing to a curious person with hope for a better future?

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I am currently working on a few different topics in business ethics, including digital ethics, conflicts of interest, and gender. One of my current projects, which I’m working on with Sarah Glozer (University of Bath) and Emily Godwin (University of Bristol), analyses content moderation in online platforms from a human rights perspective. Another one, co-authored with Alan Morrison (University of Oxford), explores conflicts of interest through the lens of social ontology. Another project, with Janina Grabs (University of Basel), is a collaboration with a fascinating indigenous social enterprise in Mexico, in the context of which we’re looking at different aspects of gender equality in and around the organization.

I’ve spent a significant part of the last few years working with Alan Morrison on questions related to corporate moral agency. The most fundamental question here is whether or not organizations are the sort of thing that we can hold morally responsible independently of their members. That is, if something goes wrong (or right) in a corporation, can we blame (or praise) the corporation itself, or should we only turn to the individuals who work in the organization? We developed a theory that is anchored in relationships and communication, and we applied it to questions about where to draw the line of moral responsibility when we’re dealing with complex organizations, such as those with multiple branches and subsidiaries. For example, if a subsidiary of a large multinational enterprise is involved in a human rights violation, should we direct our outrage to it, to the parent company, or both? One interesting implication of our theory is that moral agency, as well as the moral boundaries of organizations, can be shaped by deliberate human and organizational action.

If I weren’t a business school professor… I would probably be doing something related to music and activism. Maybe. I’ve always struggled with “what-do-you-want-to-do-when-you-grow-up” questions because I’ve always had such a wide range of interests. Being a business school professor has allowed me to combine some of them. I’m not sure what other kinds of mixes would work.

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? One of the things that characterize me as a professor is the fact that my approach to teaching has developed in tandem with my experience as a researcher and as an activist. It is an approach that aims to educate the whole person, supporting the intellectual, emotional, and ethical dimensions of students’ growth; that cultivates self-awareness, social responsibility, and a questioning spirit; and that empowers students to understand their own identities and experiences in relation to broader social systems and histories, building both knowledge and (hopefully!) the desire to act for justice. 

One word that describes my first time teaching: Overexcited! I was so looking forward to it, and so eager to do a good job, that I both overprepared and completely failed to sleep the night before – much like the night before an exciting field trip when I was a kid. This, of course, isn’t a great combination… but, at least, I think it was pretty clear to my students how much I cared. 

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: (At least in the places where I’ve been:) It’s ok to look a little alternative. People value your work – they don’t care about the color of your hair. 

Professor I most admire and why: It’s impossible to pick just one, as I’ve been lucky to be inspired and guided by so many incredible people. If I must name a few, I have to start with Alan Morrison, from Oxford, who has been (since the early days of my postdoc) my mentor, co-author, accomplice in seminar and conference organizing, and one of my favorite people to argue with about philosophy and music. I also have to name Laura Spence, from King’s College London, and Harry Van Buren, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, who’ve generously shared their wisdom, scholarship, and friendship with me since we met; they are both examples of brilliant scholars with the kindest hearts. And I’d like to mention Ed Freeman, from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, and Tom Donaldson, from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, who are both rock stars and icons of business ethics, but kind enough to give their time to junior scholars whenever they can. I hope one day I can pay forward all the good that they’ve all done for me.

TEACHING MBA STUDENTS

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Over the years that I’ve had the privilege of teaching MBA students, I’ve been struck by how curious, passionate, and engaged they are. I also love how diverse MBA cohorts tend to be: classroom discussion becomes so much more fascinating when people with different backgrounds and identities share their views with each other. I also love the fact that my MBA students, especially those in the Racial (In)justice elective, are often so willing to make themselves vulnerable and to challenge themselves. It’s never boring, and I always learn.

What is most challenging? Having very limited time with my students! I always leave wanting more. 

In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Open. Students with an open mind are ready to question their assumptions, and they react with curiosity to different perspectives. They make classroom discussions richer and more exciting. 

In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: The ones who don’t get my music references. (I’m joking. I like all of my students!) 

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… demanding but fair – or, at least, so I’ve been told.

LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

What are your hobbies? Anything related to music: listening to it, looking for new releases, playing it with my band, going to concerts and festivals, talking about it with friends, dancing to it… I also like to read, write, hike, and practice yoga. 

How will you spend your summer? I’m not sure yet, but it will certainly involve practicing my Catalan. 

Favorite place(s) to vacation: Anywhere with a beach or mountain, as long as it’s not too cold (I’m more of a summer person).

Favorite book(s): This is another one of my most dreaded questions, as there are so many books that have been central in my life. If I can only choose one, I’ll probably say Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”, given how powerful it is as a reminder not to take our rights and progress for granted.

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I’ve been re-watching Star Trek: The Next Generation because I think it will help me to prepare for an upcoming MBA elective that will start next year. Spoiler alert: I’m particularly interested in questions around Data’s status (he’s an android, for those of you who haven’t watched the show), his rights, and his relationships with Starfleet and its members.

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? Can I have three hours of your time? The short answer is that I mostly listen to rock, punk, indie, electronic, metal, and most of their subgenres, as well as classical, fado (my Portuguese heritage shows), and flamenco.

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… Service-learning, which is one of the things that I love about Esade. This is a Jesuit pedagogical tool that promotes experiential learning, while at the same time allowing students to contribute to the common good by serving their community. In other words, they learn as they do good. 

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… addressing challenges like climate change, poverty, and structural inequalities. They also need to be more consistent when it comes to their values, and to nurture strong cultures that can support ethical behavior even in periods of political and financial turmoil. 

I’m grateful for… the opportunity to work in a school like Esade, with such wonderful students and colleagues, and such a strong orientation towards the common good. I’m also grateful for my family, friends, and colleagues from around the world who have supported, guided, and inspired me throughout my life. And I’m grateful for music and art in general, and for the natural world that sustains us and fills our lives with beauty. 

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