AI, Skills and Future Careers: University of Birmingham Former Chancellor Lord Karan Bilimoria, CBE DL on preparing students for tomorrow

In this interview with HT Digital, Lord Bilimoria reflects on his student days, the lessons he learnt from a decade at Birmingham, and UK-India collab.

When Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE DL, Leader of the UK Delegation of Business Schools to India, arrived in the UK from India as a 19-year-old international student, he could hardly have imagined the journey ahead.

AI, Skills and Future Careers: University of Birmingham Former Chancellor Lord Karan Bilimoria, CBE DL on preparing students for tomorrow

From qualifying as a chartered accountant and studying law at the University of Cambridge to founding Cobra Beer and entering the House of Lords, his career reflects the role education, entrepreneurial thinking and lifelong learning can play in shaping success.

In this interview with HT Digital, Lord Bilimoria, former Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, reflects on his student days, the lessons he learnt from a decade at Birmingham, and the differences between higher education in India and the UK.

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I was born in India, educated across seven schools in different Indian cities, graduated from Osmania University and came to the U.K. as a 19 year-old international student. In Britain, I qualified as a CA with E&Y, graduated in law at the University of Cambridge, built a global business, and in 2006 became the first Zoroastrian Parsi to enter the House of Lords.

These early experiences in the UK significantly impacted my entrepreneurial journey and career. While studying law at Cambridge, I toured India with the university polo team and noticed that Indian-made polo sticks had a point of difference to those made in the UK.

That led to my first business venture. I imported polo sticks to Britain and sold them successfully and profitably to Harrods and Lillywhites. I also experimented with importing other products, before turning to an idea I’d had at university, which was to create a unique Indian beer. And with that, Cobra Beer was born in 1989.

The early days were not easy. I had £20,000 of student debt, so I borrowed money from many sources and delivered cases of beer myself, alongside my business partner, in a Citroën 2CV. But Cobra went from strength to strength and became a leading global brand.

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You served as Chancellor of the University of Birmingham for a decade. What were some of the most memorable moments from your time at Birmingham, and what did you learn from interacting closely with students?

When I was Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, we were always proud of our position in the employability rankings. We worked very closely with employers to ensure our graduates would be able to secure jobs when they graduated. I would confidently tell students that they would find employment, and seeing graduates go on to build successful careers across different industries was always a highlight.

We partnered with Rolls-Royce, where our PhD students worked within the company on aero-engine research. Around 100 Birmingham PhD graduates now work at Rolls-Royce, which demonstrates the strength of that partnership. During my ten year tenure as Chancellor, Birmingham was awarded the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize twice, for the second time regarding this collaboration with Rolls-Royce.

Another highlight was developing joint degrees with Indian universities. We launched two joint master's programmes with IIT Madras, in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Science, and Sustainable Energy. These were 18-month programmes in which students could spend time in both Chennai and Birmingham and receive a joint degree from the two institutions.

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Having experienced education in both India and the UK, what are some of the key differences you have observed in the way students learn, participate in classrooms and prepare for their careers?

One thing that stands out to me about Indian higher education is the pace of growth, particularly in business education, at a time when universities and business schools in the UK are facing significant financial pressures.

India has some of the most academically rigorous institutions, such as the IIMs and IITs and some of the top students in the world.

In the UK, institutions tend to also place a great emphasis on research and industry partnerships. For instance, business schools tend to see themselves as the bridge between academia and business. A good example is the Small Business Charter here in the UK, which I am a Patron of. Small Business Charter business schools support small businesses through short courses, R&D and executive education, but they also back student entrepreneurship and give students hands-on experience of running a small business in their local communities. The UK Government-backed Help to Grow: Management course, which is delivered by Small Business Charter business schools, is evidence of the productive relationships between small businesses and business schools, with many participants reporting improved leadership and management skills as a result of the course. The programme has enrolled 14,420 business leaders through 60+ business schools, with 92 % of participants reporting improved confidence in their ability to lead and manage their business.

India and the UK are looking to deepen collaboration in higher education. What kinds of opportunities do you think this partnership can create for students in the coming years?

As both countries seek to deepen collaboration, transnational education and research partnerships will become an increasingly important part of the relationship.

It remains clear from conversations with Indian institutions that quality in teaching and research remains at the heart of the partnership opportunity.

For example, I recently led a delegation of UK business schools to meet the Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy. He spoke passionately about the state's ambition to raise standards in higher education through transnational education and partnerships with UK business schools. It was a clear signal that Telangana sees UK institutions as key partners.

For these partnerships to succeed, they must be mutually beneficial, ethical and sustainable. They should be founded on genuine collaboration across research, faculty exchange and industry engagement, and above all on a willingness to learn from one another.

There is also a significant opportunity for business schools to strengthen their engagement with industry. With 794 UK companies operating in India and employing more than 552,000 people, there is considerable scope for universities and business schools to work with employers on research, internships, executive education, and other forms of experiential learning.

I would also like to see Indian business schools build stronger relationships with local SMEs. Such partnerships can help businesses grow while providing students with valuable real-world experience and a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing local economies.

With AI, automation and rapid technological changes reshaping the job market, what should Indian students focus on today to prepare themselves for the careers of the near future?

Agility will be key. The graduates who succeed will be able to blend their academic education with real-world experience gained through internships, placements, or even entrepreneurship. They will also need to be willing to upskill throughout their career and engage in lifelong learning.

We constantly talk about how digital transformation and AI are changing the world of work, so being able to adapt through stronger digital and AI literacy will be key, alongside skills that will help graduates stand out, such as creativity, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking.

For students deciding between higher studies, entering the workforce or becoming entrepreneurs, what advice would you give them based on your own journey from an international student to a business leader and education advocate?

In today’s ever-changing world, young people need to be well-rounded, both academically and in their careers, to succeed. University gives you access to networks, soft skills and critical thinking that will help you build a successful career.

If my own experience is anything to go by, I was already thinking about business while I was studying, and I also had a corporate career. All of these experiences helped me build a successful global business.

I have never seen education as something with an end date. I have kept learning throughout my career. I am an alumnus through executive education at Cranfield Business School, London Business School and Harvard Business School, and I am currently doing a business doctorate in leadership at Cambridge Judge Business School.