In order to keep in touch with our former students, BI has an Alumni Advisory Board to strengthen the relationship between alumni, students, and the business community.
The board members are executive professionals who represent various class years, majors, backgrounds, professions, and geographic areas. The members meet twice a year to give BI recommendations and advice.
Sustainability expectations
As sustainability is one of the school's three strategic pillars, we invited the alumni advisory board to give input on the school’s way forward. What should BI be mindful about when it comes to sustainability?
- Incoming students represent generation “Fridays for Future”, with the famous climate activist Greta Thunberg as spokesperson. Many of these youth feel a strong sense of urgency when it comes to climate change and the other pressing societal challenges, so I think they expect that sustainability is addressed in BIs courses, says Anna Knudsen who studied entrepreneurship at BI, and has since then become a serial entrepreneur.
Important to be attractive job candidates
- If BIs students are not properly trained in sustainability, they will be less attractive employees. Students should learn the complexity of sustainability and be able to deliver solutions that answer to the new regulations in this field, says Hege Hodnesdal who is Director of Non-Life Insurance at Finans Norge.
Anna Knudsen (left) and Hege Hodnesdal (right).
Both Knudsen, Hodnesdal, and the rest of the Alumni Board recommended that BI should have high ambitions for integrating sustainability in both teaching, research, and operations.
Valued feedback
- This Advisory board is a catalyst for alumni communications and involvement. We will include the input and feedback we got from our experienced alumni in our ongoing strategic discussion about sustainability, says President Karen Spens, who has sustainability high on BI’s agenda.