Yan Anthea Zhang, Fayez Sarofim Vanguard Chair Professor of Strategic Management, Rice University Business School

July 2026 —In an interview with Invest:, Anthea Zhang, Fayez Sarofim Vanguard Chair Professor of Strategic Management at Rice University, discussed how Rice is adapting to a more complex business environment by expanding program formats, strengthening ties to Houston’s core industries, and aligning academic research with real-world leadership challenges. “Leaders need to understand how to adapt strategy thoughtfully rather than just respond emotionally to uncertainty,” Zhang said.

How do you define Rice University’s role today in preparing leaders for a complex global business environment?
Rice plays a significant leadership role in Houston, in Texas, and nationally. I have been at Rice for almost 25 years, and over that time, I have seen the institution grow not only in size but in quality, reach, and relevance. Rice Business has evolved from a smaller school with a more limited portfolio into one that offers a much broader range of programs and pathways for students and executives.

We now serve full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) students, Executive MBA students, and working professional students in weekday and weekend formats, hybrid and online learners, and undergraduates as well. We also have joint programs with other parts of the university. That breadth reflects a larger mission: to educate leaders who can move across disciplines and respond to the complexity of today’s world.

Rice students also benefit from being part of a campus that values art, music, science, engineering, medicine, and entrepreneurship. Leadership today requires technical knowledge, strategic judgment, and a broad view of society — and Rice does a wonderful job of bringing those things together in its culture and curriculum.

How are changes in student expectations and the higher education landscape shaping Rice Business?

Houston has changed a great deal, and Rice has adapted with it. The city is far more diverse and international than many people expect. Houston is a global city, shaped by industries like energy and healthcare, both of which operate in international markets, attract global talent and face global challenges every day.

Rice Business has responded by evolving the kinds of programs we offer. If you look at our executive education portfolio today, for example, it is different from what it was five or 10 years ago. We are offering programs that directly address the issues managers are facing now. For example, I lead a program on energy transition strategy that looks at the topic not just from a technical or regulatory angle, but from a strategic perspective. We examine geopolitical tensions, energy security, and the decisions senior leaders need to make in a shifting global energy environment.

We are also offering programs in areas such as corporate leadership for women and artificial intelligence and innovation. These are not generic executive education programs. They are built around timely, high-priority issues and informed by faculty research. That is how we respond to changing expectations. We identify what professionals in Houston need and build programming that speaks directly to those needs.

What lessons from your research are most relevant for companies navigating uncertainty today?

One of the most important things I emphasize is that businesses are still operating in a physical world shaped by global forces. AI matters enormously, and everybody talks about it, but geopolitics, supply chains, and international business strategy remain crucially important. Companies that are based in Houston rarely operate only within Houston. They source globally, serve global customers or are affected by events taking place well beyond the United States.

In my Executive MBA course, I focus heavily on bringing current events into the classroom. Our students are experienced professionals, often with more than 20 years of work experience, so they bring their own real-world problems and perspectives into classroom discussions. I introduce foundational frameworks and concepts, and then we apply those ideas to what they are actually facing in their industries and companies.

That kind of learning environment is valuable because it promotes critical thinking. Today, people are overwhelmed by information and opinion. What matters is not simply reacting to headlines, but learning how to interpret events through sound frameworks and evidence. Leaders need to understand how to adapt strategy thoughtfully rather than just respond emotionally to uncertainty.

How does Rice Business ensure its programs reflect real-world business needs?

There is a healthy division of labor between faculty and staff, and that is one of our strengths. Faculty focus on producing rigorous, high-quality research and applying research into teaching and executive education. Our responsibility is not to offer personal opinions, but to provide evidence-based insight that helps leaders think more clearly about the challenges they face.

At the same time, our staff and leadership team do an outstanding job of promoting faculty research in the practitioner community. It helps ensure that faculty research reaches the audiences who can use it, and that we remain informed about the issues businesses are dealing with right now.

What Rice can do as an institution is greater than what any one scholar can do alone. That is what allows us to bridge research and practice effectively. The result is programming that is academically grounded, but also highly relevant to business leaders in Houston and beyond.

What major trends do you see shaping global business and the Houston region over the next few years?

Two forces stand out. The first is geopolitics. Companies used to concentrate supply chains in one region for efficiency, but many now realize they need alternatives and redundancy because the global environment has become more dynamic and uncertain. That has implications for strategy, investment, sourcing, and risk management.

The second is AI. It is moving so quickly, and the impact is so dramatic, that many people are reacting with panic. There are concerns about job displacement, changing skill requirements, and the future of entry-level jobs. Those concerns are real, but I think the right response is not panic. It’s adaptation. Businesses, universities, and individuals all need to think carefully about how to respond and how to stay relevant in a changing environment.

That is where education plays an important role. We need to help people understand the change, not just fear it. We need to help them develop the judgment and flexibility to move with it.

How is Rice Business growing to meet that demand?

One major development is the rapid rise of our undergraduate business offering. It began as a minor, became a major, and has now grown into an undergraduate business school, the Virani Undergraduate School of Business at Rice. It quickly became one of the most popular majors because it complements Rice’s historic strength in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields while also creating value for students in the humanities and social sciences.

Business serves as a bridge across disciplines. A student can be strong in STEM and add business, or be grounded in the social sciences and add business. That flexibility is attractive, and it reflects the interdisciplinary future of business education.

We are also physically expanding. Under our dean’s leadership, we have built a new building next to McNair Hall. The building, which is slated for completion this spring, will not only create more capacity, but it will also add more contemporary meeting and public spaces. That reflects the school’s momentum and our expectation that demand will continue to grow.

What is your outlook for Rice Business over the next few years?

Rice Business has been growing in a steady and sustainable way. We have never been aggressive for growth’s sake. That matters because it helps the school remain healthy and resilient, even when the external environment becomes less favorable.

Looking ahead, I expect continued demand for our programs because the issues we are addressing are central to where business is headed. Energy transition, AI, innovation, leadership development, and global strategy are not temporary topics. They are defining themes of the next phase of business education and executive leadership.

Houston is a promising place to do this work because it has the economic activity, the international orientation, and the industry depth to support it. Rice is exceptionally well positioned in that environment. We are respected, well supported by the broader community, and able to bring together research, teaching, and engagement in a way that creates real value. That combination will continue to shape how we educate the next generation of leaders.