The number of female deans is rising. AACSB’s latest deans’ survey, which tracks the developments in business schools, found that almost a third (30%) of business school deans are female, rising from 26% in their last survey, which was taken in 2020-21.
While this is far from achieving gender parity, this shift is a positive indication of where it’s heading, and who takes on these top roles.
In rising to the top position, deans of any gender inevitably receive career advice from lots of sources. Not all of this will be useful advice, however…
In honour of International Women’s Day, we asked female deans what the best career advice they ever received was – and whether they took it – and what their journeys might offer women considering the next step in their careers.
‘Ignore advice that doesn’t suit you’
Kathy Harvey, Associate Dean for Global Networks and Innovation at Saïd Business School
Kathy Harvey, Associate Dean for Global Networks and Innovation at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, says it’s easiest to remember the advice you ignored than the advice you took.
She recalls receiving advice from a careers officer who told her she should become a librarian because she didn’t like physical exercise, which she said is “the best piece of advice I ignored”. Her parents, on the other hand, offered some much more useful advice – which was to accept a job a long way from her preferred location. “I almost turned it down. But my parents urged me to go, even if it wasn’t my dream job,” she said. “That role was the stepping stone to the best job of my early career.
“I hate to say this, but it paid to listen to my Mum and Dad.”
‘View challenges as catalysts for growth’
Professor Federica Pazzaglia, Associate Dean and Director of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
Avoiding discomfort is natural, but in doing so, you might pass up opportunities for growth. For Professor Federica Pazzaglia, Associate Dean and Director of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, the most transformative advice she’s ever received was to embrace the discomfort of the unknown.
“Early in my career, a mentor encouraged me to view challenges not as obstacles, but as catalysts for growth,” she said. “That shift in mindset taught me that real progress happens when we step beyond our comfort zones and say ‘yes’ to roles that feel daunting.”
Adaptability is an essential skill. Setbacks are inevitable, Pazzaglia reveals, but they serve as profound learning experience rather than roadblocks.
“Approaching uncertainty with curiosity and confidence turns challenges into opportunities and doesn’t just build a career, it makes the journey meaningful and fulfilling,” she says.
Pazzaglia explains that this mindset is grounded in the power of community and resilience. She believes it’s important to recognise that progress is rarely linear, but it is strengthened through collaboration.
“No successful career is built in isolation; it requires surrounding yourself with mentors and peers who both inspire and challenge you. By contributing to your community and sharing knowledge, success becomes a collective achievement rather than just a personal milestone,” she shares.
‘Remember: It’s just a job’
Claire Jollain, Dean at HIM Business School
It may seem counteractive to advance your career by understanding that it’s not that important, really. However, Claire Jollain, Dean at HIM Business School, says it’s one of the most valuable pieces of advice she has ever been given.
Almost a decade ago, when Jollain was a Program Manager, her then boss – the Academic Dean at Cesar Ritz Colleges – said to her ‘It is just a job’.
“At first glance, the sentence could be interpreted as a call to disengage or to care less, but that’s not how I understood it at all,” she said.
What Jollain took from this advice is the importance of keeping a healthy distance from work so that you can be more effective-and far less stressed-day to day.
She said, “I often like to remind people, “We don’t save lives (hopefully). Now that I am a dean myself, I try to maintain that same sense of perspective in my own role and responsibilities.
Once she is off campus the business school dean tells her colleagues: “Don’t call me for an emergency. If someone is dying, call an ambulance. If the building is on fire, call the firefighters.”
“There are very few situations in our environment that truly justify panic or urgency,” she says. “Keeping this distance matters. It stops us from taking ourselves too seriously and helps us avoid making decisions driven by ego or emotion. In the long run, I believe it leads to more thoughtful leadership, healthier teams, and a more balanced professional life.”
‘Be true to yourself’
Sometimes the simplest advice can be the most effective. For Yolande Chan, Dean at McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management, this was ‘Be true to yourself. Let your values guide your decisions especially when the path is uncertain.’
For Chan, this has meant embracing servant leadership, focusing less on personal recognition and more on creating conditions where others can flourish. “My faith shapes my priorities and sustains my resilience and optimism. Integrity and courage matter, particularly when choices are difficult,” she says.
It has also meant doing work she loves and cares deeply about. “When that’s true, it doesn’t feel like work, it feels like living. I enjoy aiming high. Whether I have hit the mark or missed it, there has always been something to celebrate,” she remarks.
Chan explains that being true to herself has sometimes involved moments of renewal to allow her to sustain excellence. “I work hard and I work smart with a pace that allows me to lead well over years and decades,” she says.
‘Leadership is not about being busy’
Camelia Ilie Cardoza, President of INCAE Business School
In the modern world, we often confuse ‘busy’ with ‘productive’. But attending 20 strategy meetings about a project will not make you more productive than the person who just sits down and gets the work done.
This was a valuable piece of advice for Camelia Ilie Cardoza, President of INCAE Business School.
“Early in my career, I learned that leadership is about creating meaning and opportunities, not about being busy. That meant managing my agenda strategically, learning to say no (I am still working on doing it without guilt), and delegating in a way that builds strong teams rather than dependence,” she says.
Now, Ilie is intentional about how she manages her time, treating it as her most strategic asset. Yet, as her career has progressed, she regularly experiences temptation to attend and respond to everything, to boost visibility. However, she now knows that real impact comes from clarity of focus.
“I learned to reserve formal time for thinking as a responsibility,” she says. “Reflection and anticipation strengthen judgment. The higher the role, the more important it is to prioritise meaning over volume, impact over presence
Finally, a reflection she once heard, which deeply resonated with her, was that the true measure of leadership is not how strongly your presence is felt in a room, but how well the team performs when you are not there. This is advice that Ilie has embraced.
‘If you’re dissatisfied, create change’
Delphine Manceau, Dean of NEOMA Business School
A negative situation is unlikely to change by itself. And, for Delphine Manceau, Dean of NEOMA Business School, this was an important career lesson: if you are not satisfied with the way things are done, it is your responsibility to step forward and change them.
“For too long, women have found it more difficult to fully embrace their leadership ambitions. Yet leadership begins with the courage to claim it. You have to dare. And you do not have to do it alone,” she says.
If you are looking for support, Manceau suggests finding a mentor. This mentor doesn’t have to come from a distant, high-profile figure, she says. “Often, someone just two or three years ahead of you can make a meaningful difference – helping you interpret complex situations, build confidence, and act with greater boldness,” she advises.
‘Do not limit your own potential’
Similarly, the best career advice Priya Kannan, Dean of Lucas College & Graduate School of Business, ever received was ‘Do not limit your own potential. Pursue your passion relentlessly and with discipline.
Early in her career, Dr Kannan didn’t fully embrace this advice. “I worked hard and delivered results, but I also stayed within my lane, mostly because I had self-doubts about my own potential,” she says.
Over time, though, she began to understand that growth demands courage.
Her perspective shifted when she chose to pursue opportunities that stretched her beyond her comfortable limits. “It was scary at first, but I stepped into roles that required me to grow, and I learned to trust myself. I trusted that I could build the capabilities required to succeed,” she reveals.
But she points out that this growth did not happen by chance. “I work hard. I prepare thoroughly, seek feedback, and continue building my skills with intention. I believe my work is my calling, which makes my efforts consistent and purposeful.”
While striving for success, any successful person will experience setbacks – they’re part of any journey worth taking, Kannan believes. “I have had my fair share of them,” she says. “Through those experiences, I learned that I could overcome challenges and grow stronger because of them. Confidence develops through sustained effort. Over time, that commitment has translated into meaningful impact.
“On International Women’s Day, I reflect on how many talented women begin their careers with extraordinary potential and quiet restraint. Growth expands when we allow ourselves to stretch beyond our self-imposed boundaries. Give yourself permission to pursue the impact you envision.”
‘Focus on impact, not titles’
Hannah Holmes, Dean of Manchester Metropolitan University Business School
On platforms like LinkedIn, it is very easy to compare your career to other people’s, whether that’s job titles, promotions, or benefits.
One of the best pieces of advice Hannah Holmes, Dean of Manchester Metropolitan University Business School every received was to focus on impact rather than titles.
She explains that early in her career, she was encouraged to think less about the next promotion and more about the difference she wanted to make to students, colleagues and the wider institution. This has shifted her perspective and given her new insight into how she approaches leadership and personal growth.
“It reminded me that influence is built through integrity, generosity and consistently delivering meaningful work, not simply through position,” she says.
Holmes has also learned the importance of backing yourself. “Waiting until you feel completely confident can mean missing valuable opportunities. Growth often comes from stepping beyond your comfort zone, being open to learning and trusting your ability to adapt and lead with purpose.”
‘Use your sabbatical well’
Ha Hoang, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at ESSEC Business School
The best advice, Ha Hoang, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at ESSEC Business School, ever received was about how to use a sabbatical well.
Hoang’s first sabbatical allowed her to take on conference leadership roles and build relationships with peers at a similar career stage. Her second was more conventional: she completed a research project that had been lingering, “and proved I could be productive once again”.
“Later, a friend suggested that a sabbatical might serve another purpose: as a space for professional development and deliberate role experimentation,” she said.
Influenced by the work of Herminia Ibarra, who argues that we grow by trying new roles and building new networks, she approached her most recent leave differently. Rather than teaching executive courses, Hoang enrolled in the “Women Board Ready” governance program at ESSEC Executive Education for aspiring board members.
“Choosing to participate as a learner expanded my understanding of corporate governance and exposed me to peers navigating significant career transitions. The experience was enriching because it widened my professional identity and connected me to a community of women leaders,” she said.
“Even if you don’t have a formal sabbatical program, consider carving out time to articulate the role you want to explore, engage with the communities where it is practised, and build in reflection to inform the next stage of your professional life,” she adds.
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