TransformingBusinessEducation forFlourishing

HE4G and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy teams

A collective effort for systemic change, so that business education serves people, planet and purpose, and enables leaders and changemakers to use business and finance as a force for good.

Coalition partners

Why it matters

Business education sits at the heart of how our societies function, yet it remains largely misaligned with the realities of our time. We face a planetary emergency, growing societal fragmentation and a profound shift in what younger generations expect from education: purpose, connection and contribution to a sustainable future.

When we asked 50,000 young people through Youth Talks what education should help them learn, they put values, respect and the ability to live with others at the forefront.

A remarkable ecosystem of business schools, networks, accreditation bodies, businesses and thought leaders is already working on these challenges. The question is how far these efforts are connected, aligned and able to build collective momentum.

The joint initiative

Helping the ecosystem transform itself

The Transforming Business Education initiative does not aim to become another actor in an already crowded landscape. Instead, it seeks to act as a catalyst and connector helping existing efforts go further, faster, and together. Our ambition is to create the “social soil” that allows transformation to emerge:

  • strengthening connections across silos
  • aligning efforts around key leverage points
  • supporting promising initiatives through funding and, if needed, coordination

We do not aim to replace what already exists. We aim to enable it to connect, grow, and have greater systemic impact.

Helping the ecosystem transform itselfDiagram of the business education ecosystem: seven actors – business schools, students and youth, networks, businesses, faculty, rankings and accreditations, institutions – stand above ground and are connected below by an underground network of roots, the social soil, with three acupuncture points where small, well-placed actions ripple through the whole.Business schoolsStudents & youthNetworksBusinessesFacultyRankings / AccreditationsInstitutions
  • Business schools
  • Students & youth
  • Networks
  • Businesses
  • Faculty
  • Rankings / Accreditations
  • Institutions
  • An ecosystem in motionActors already at work, each with its own momentum, and room for new ones.
  • The social soilThe connective layer across silos that makes growth possible.
  • Acupuncture pointsSmall, well-placed actions whose effects ripple through the whole.

Our approach

Small, well-placed actions can transform a system

Systems rarely change through one large, centralised intervention. They change through targeted actions at key leverage points, the “acupuncture points” of the system. Our approach combines:

  • System mapping to identify where change can have the greatest impact;
  • Small, strategic initiatives, or “pockets of energy”;
  • Collective alignment across actors;
  • Test-and-learn prototypes to generate evidence and scale what works.

What we do in this first phase

Convening

Bringing key actors together across sectors and regions.

Mapping the ecosystem

Building a living, shared map of who is doing what, where, and with what potential for collaboration. A first version is expected in early 2027.

Supporting prototypes

Funding a small number of early prototypes that act as living examples.

Connecting initiatives

Supporting collaboration between initiatives that already exist.

Supported prototypes

Ecosystem Stewardship

Led by GRLI Foundation

Building a lightweight coordination function so that networks, associations and standards bodies in business education can align priorities and act together.

Awareness-Based Systems Change Journey

Led by Presencing Institute

A four-session journey helping educators reimagine business education through Theory U and awareness-based practices.

Humanistic Leadership Academy

Led by International Humanistic Management Association

A progressive, four-level programme helping educators and changemakers practise humanistic leadership.

Regeneration as Core Business Strategy

Led by Club of Rome and associated partners

Exploring what regenerative organisations expect from future leaders, and what this means for business schools.

Student Voices

Led by HE4G, Club of Rome, oikos-related partners

Bringing students’ lived experiences and aspirations into the transformation of business education.

Business Schools for Flourishing Cities

Led by GBSN

Research on how business schools can help their home cities flourish.

CEC Academic World: Academic Roadmap for Regenerative Transformation

Led by Convention des Entreprises pour le Climat (CEC)

Co-building with the participants of the CEC Academic World Convention a shared roadmap to transform curricula and institutions, first in France and later at European level.

Regional convenings

We bring together actors in each region to identify shared priorities and commit to joint action.

25 October 2026

Montevideo, Uruguay

Hosted by CLADEA

10–11 December 2026

Barcelona, Spain

Hosted by ESADE

Who we are

Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy

Working to establish a healthy balance between people and nature, and helping to accelerate collaboration and impact between education and nature conservation.

HE4G Foundation

helping higher education institutions transform their curricula to meet the needs of the mid-21st century and ensure a more sustainable future.

International Humanistic Management Association (IHMA)

advancing humanistic management through research, practice, education and policy, with a commitment to protecting human dignity and promoting the flourishing of all life.

Presencing Institute

equipping individuals and organisations to lead systemic transformation through Theory U, supporting social and ecological regeneration.

The Club of Rome

building momentum towards wellbeing for all on a healthy planet by understanding societal change, exploring positive futures, encouraging collective learning and informing decisions.

This core partnership is not a closed circle. The initiative is meant to grow with institutions, networks, schools, businesses, civil society, students and thought leaders who share its ambition.

Our Impact

The Foundation