Our series of BAM Masterclasses are delivered by prominent management theorists from across the globe each year. These online webinars are an exceptional learning experience, revealing how top academics think about the world, what inspires them, and how they develop and apply their ideas. Where do influential ideas come from? What leads to them to being widely taken up?
The Masterclasses provide a platform for attendees to deepen their understanding of key research topics and academic practices. Led by esteemed experts, these sessions are crafted to address the evolving needs of the academic community. The masterclasses foster a collaborative environment where participants can engage with cutting-edge insights, explore contemporary debates, and share best practices. Tailored to support the advancement of academic careers, the masterclasses enable participants to stay at the forefront of research and practice.
Webinar Synopsis
As part of the British Academy of Management Masterclass Series, Professor Palie Smart will deliver a session exploring how AI innovation is impacting place‑based and global prosperity. She will also highlight the vital civic engagement role universities—and business schools in particular - acting as anchor institutions that convene stakeholders to align frontier technological progress with societal and regional needs.
She will also reference pioneering regional assets such as ISAMBARD-AI, the £225 million world‑class AI and high‑performance computing facility led by University of Bristol. This advanced infrastructure exemplifies how place‑based technological investment can accelerate research, industry collaboration, and equitable, sustainable growth.
Benefits of attending
- How AI technologies are driving productivity, competitiveness, and societal change
- What role can universities and business schools play in developing AI for good
- Insights into a nationally significant technological asset and what it might mean for the UK’s innovation landscape
Provider Information
Who Should Attend?
The event speaks to Section A1-A3, C1-C3, D1-D3, E1-E3 as detailed in the BAM Framework.
Speakers
Prof Palie Smart
Palie Smart is a Professor of Operations Management and former Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Civic Engagement at the University of Bristol. She is a keen advocate of creating partnerships that deliver positive impact for the local region, UK and globally. Previously, she was the Head of School of Management at the University of Bristol.
Palie’s research is published in world leading journals and focusses on new models of innovation for industrial sustainability in partnership with The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Make UK, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Palie’s research was cited by UK Government’s Made Smarter Review.
More recently she has become the Co-chair with Cllr Andrew Brown of the Skills & Economy Board in the Bristol One City Programme, Co-Chair of Bristol Pride in Place Programme, pioneered by King’s Trust and will become the Co-Chair of The South West Productivity Forum.
Chaired by
Prof Florian Bauer
Florian investigates organizational transformation processes, especially non-organic growth strategies such as Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), from strategic, organizational, and procedural perspectives. Particularly, he investigates how firms should strategically think and organisationally embed M&A to survive in the long run and how firms can effectively manage the acquisition process.
Contact
Please contact the BAM Office at [email protected] with any queries.
Event Fee
BAM Members: Free
Non-Members: £60
Registration closes on 13th April 2026 at 23:59 BST.
If you are booking multiple paid events as a Non-Member, it may be cheaper for you to purchase a BAM Membership as nearly all BAM Events are free or at a discounted rate for Members.
For more information, please visit BAM Membership
Payment and Cancellation Policy
Payment for the event must be received before the start date of the event concerned. Access will not be permitted to the event if full payment has not been received.
Cancellations
-
Cancellations received within 14 days of booking your place on the event will receive a full refund.
-
Cancellations received after the 14-day cancellation period and later than 14 days before the start date of the event will not be eligible for a refund.
-
Although we endeavour to run all events as advertised, BAM reserves the right to cancel any event if, for example, there are not enough people to justify running the event or if other significant unforeseen circumstances arise.
To cancel a booking a cancellation request must be submitted via your BAM Account, to do this:
- Go to your BAM Account
- Click 'My Events'
- Under 'Upcoming Events' will be the booking, please click Cancel Booking
- Follow the steps and complete the request