The BlueSky Education Thinking Podcast
Hosted by Matt Symonds and BlueSky Education's Kerry Ruffle and Stephanie Mullins, BlueSky Education Thinking discusses the latest topics in Business Education. Our guests range from the media, to accrediting bodies, and international business school contacts.
Watch our special live episode
Season Two Episode Summaries
Episode One
International BizEd Guru Matt Symonds, BlueSky Education’s Stephanie Mullins, Kerry Ruffle and Olivia Nieberg, and Jonathan L. Simon of The Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa talk business education in 2020 and why COVID-19 has led to an increased need for expert opinion.
Episode Two
Season two, episode two of the BlueSky Education Thinking podcast discusses why and how to leverage the experience and perspectives of a Dean in the most impactful and responsible way. Guests this episode: BlueSky Education's Peter Remon, Sarah Seedsman from Media Minds Global and returning guest Jonathan L. Simon of The Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.
Episode Three
One of the key topics of 2020, and one which we expect to grow even more in prominence over coming years is equality and diversity, a topic which prompted much discussion and great insights from our guests this episode: BlueSky Education's Kyle Grizzell and Sunitha Narendran, Director of Roehampton Business School at University of Roehampton.
Episode Four
In the second half of season two, we focus on the long term changes to business education that have been brought about by the events of 2020. Topics across the three episodes include delivery, student recruitment, social media and virtual events.
Guests this episode: Hanna-Leena Pesonen, Dean of the Jyväskylä University School of Business, BlueSky Education's Kate Mowbray and Jonny Stone, and returning guest Jonathan L. Simon of The Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.
Episode Five
Continuing with the theme of long term changes to business education but from the perspective of adapting and embracing opportunities for change, in episode five we talk to Dana Brown, Dean of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University and Angus Laing, Dean of Lancaster University Management School.
Episode Six
Your hosts
Matt Symonds
BlueSky Education Thinking’s Mr Business Education, Matt Symonds, is a best-selling author, columnist for many of the world's biggest news publications, MBA admissions coach, public speaker, and business school and university rankings expert. As the S of QS, he is widely recognised as an authority in global business education, with an extensive network of media contacts.
Stephanie Mullins
BlueSky Education Thinking’s interviewer extraordinaire, Stephanie Mullins, has secured strategic relationships with key business education industry players, from accrediting bodies and ranking specialists to renowned editors and academics. Stephanie is Associate Director of BlueSky Education Practice and a formally (NCTJ) accredited journalist with extensive experience in managing communications outreach for business schools and universities around the world.
Kerry Ruffle
BlueSky Education Thinking's host, Kerry Ruffle, is a former BBC journalist with more than a decade of experience in media and public relations. As BlueSky Education's Head of Practice, Kerry is recognised in the graduate management education arena as a leading authority on communications for the industry.
Season One Episode Summaries
Episode One
International BizEd Guru Matt Symonds, BlueSky Education’s Adrian Barrett and Stephanie Mullins, and Sarah Seedsman of Media Minds Global navigate the thorny topic of business school rankings from how they came about and what data is taken into consideration, to why they matter and the future of rankings.
Episode Two
International BizEd Guru Matt Symonds, BlueSky Education’s Adrian Barrett, Stephanie Mullins and Peter Remon, and David Woods-Hale of the Association of MBA’s and Business Graduates Association discuss sustainability and it’s role within business education and more specifically business education communications.
Episode Three
International BizEd Guru Matt Symonds, BlueSky Education’s Adrian Barrett and Stephanie Mullins, Bill Kooser from Fortuna Admissions and Olivier Lafaivre of NEOMA Business School discuss developments around the executive MBA and how it will continue to evolve for the future.
Episode Four
International BizEd Guru Matt Symonds, BlueSky Education’s Adrian Barrett and Stephanie Mullins, Sergio Oliveri of MIP Politecnico di Milano and Carrington Crisp's Ian Hawkings share their advice and some great examples of how a business school can stand out from the competition.
Episode Five
International BizEd Guru Matt Symonds, BlueSky Education’s Adrian Barrett, Stephanie Mullins and Dan Stobbs our in-house social media expert, along with Kate McNamee of Alliance Manchester Business School and Media Minds Global's Sarah Seedsman share their top social media tips for business schools.
Special Live Episode
Following the fantastic response we've had to the BlueSky Education Thinking podcast's first season, we thought it was the right time for a one off live episode to discuss the issues facing business education in today’s COVID world. This live episode covers all the topics from season one and more, with participation and questions from our live audience on the current global situation and how business schools are adapting - Magdalena Wanot from EFMD even shared some insight into their virtual careers fair initiative.
Season one hosts
Matt Symonds - Mr Business Education
Stephanie Mullins - Roving Reporter
Adrian Barrett - Genial Host
