‘STEMB’ Is The New Strategy: Why Tech-Linked MBAs Are Shaping The Future Of Business

Imperial Business School

Established: 2003 (Imperial Business School), 1907 (Imperial College London)

Location: London, UK

Graduate Courses In: AI Ventures, Strategy and Leadership in a Digital World, Analytics Project

Situated in South Kensington, Imperial Business School inhabits an area with a long and rich history of innovation. As far back as the Great Exhibition of 1851, the region was earmarked as a hub for the sciences, arts, and industry.

The Imperial College London campus is a close neighbor to many of the city’s most renowned centers of knowledge and culture. The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Royal College of Music are all just a short walk away.

“Imperial Business School benefits enormously from being integrated into a world-leading science and technology university. It’s an interdisciplinary environment where innovation thrives in tech-driven domains like AI, fintech, climate and sustainability, and health technology,” says Peter Todd.

The school offers specialist programs with an explicit STEM focus, such as the MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering, as well as a broader integration of STEM topics such as AI training across other key programs, including the MBA.

Recognizing that fostering innovation requires an innovative approach to pedagogy, Imperial created the IDEA Lab in 2005, providing opportunities to experiment with applying new technologies in teaching and course design. In the two decades since, the School’s dedication to integrating emerging technologies has made it a global forerunner in online/virtual learning, utilizing AI and virtual reality to create immersive experiences for students, and the development of tailor-made, course-specific AI avatar lecturers.

The IDEA Lab reinforces Imperial’s focus on giving students hands-on training with digital tools. Collaborations across disciplines are encouraged; for instance, by creating opportunities for MBAs to collaborate with scientists during the Imperial Innovation Challenge.

The challenge builds on core modules in business problem solving and strategy, as students typically work with a deep tech client to explore how business model innovation could create economic disruptions with positive social and environmental results.

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