The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) launches the Citizen Student Index, revealing 67% of Gen Z students want their future leaders to prioritise moral leadership over money

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• 23% of Gen Z respondents believe CEOs or employers do not understand the modern issues that impact society

• 21% believe CEOs or employers are not equipped to deal with change in their industry

• 24% agree their future employers are ill-equipped to respond to real-world challenges

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Ed Fidoe, CEO of the London Interdisciplinary School,

comments on Gen Z’s pursuit of values-driven leadership

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Key Stats from the Citizen Student Index

• 67% of Gen Z students want CEOs to prioritise moral leadership over money

• 51% say workplace culture no longer reflects their values

• 47% believe business education does not prepare them for real-world complexity

• 34% believe traditional business schools are no longer fit for purpose

• 24% assess future roles based on societal impact

• 23% say CEOs do not understand modern social issues

• 21% feel employers are not prepared for industry change

• 17% describe leadership they’ve observed as unethical in practice

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The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) – the UK’s leading challenger university – has launched its inaugural Citizen Student Index, a national study revealing a generational shift in what students expect from leadership. Gen Z is calling for a redefinition of career value: one rooted in relevance, resilience, and moral responsibility. At a time when workplace disengagement is at a global high and trust in institutions is at a low, the data reflects a growing movement: students want their future employers and educators to prioritise purpose over prestige, ethics over expediency.

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This sentiment is echoed by the Edelman Trust Barometer (2024), which shows that only 42% of UK adults trust CEOs to “do what is right.” Ed Fidoe, CEO and co-founder of LIS, positions this Index as a call to evolve the leadership pipeline – starting not in the boardroom, but in the classroom. Students are not waiting for leadership to change; they are redesigning what it looks like from the ground up.

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Leadership at the Limits

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The world that students are entering is marked by volatility: AI disruption, climate instability, conflict and economic uncertainty dominate the landscape. And yet, many feel the systems around them – especially those shaping business and education – are lagging behind. According to LIS’s findings, 23% of Gen Z respondents believe their CEO or employer does not understand the issues shaping society today. Meanwhile, 24% say their future employers are ill-equipped to respond to real-world challenges, and 21% feel industry leaders are not prepared for change.

 

These perceptions come as Gallup reports UK employee engagement at a historic low (10%), and as the UK’s productivity continues to trail behind other developed nations. Without cultural and strategic adaptability, students see leadership as outdated – not just out of touch.

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Culture is Lagging, and It’s Costing Us

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More than half of respondents (51%) say the organisational cultures they’ve encountered – whether through internships, family jobs or observation – no longer reflect their values. This echoes wider trends in the workplace: the Economics Observatory ranks the UK behind Germany, France and the US in productivity per hour, in part due to poor management, lagging innovation and underinvestment in people.

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As disengagement rises, so does disillusionment. One in four students report feeling anxiety about entering an environment that doesn’t represent their values. LIS argues that unless workplace culture evolves to reflect the emotional, ethical and practical needs of its future workforce, business resilience will falter.

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A Redefinition of Leadership is Underway

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The Citizen Student Index finds 67% of students want their CEOs to lead with a moral compass – not just commercial intent. This isn’t a rejection of ambition, but a redefinition of it. Students are demanding leadership that centres inclusion, ethical clarity, long-term thinking and social integrity.

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Yet 17% describe the leadership examples they’ve seen as unethical in practice, signalling that for many, the values promoted by companies aren’t yet reflected in real behaviour. As accountability becomes the new differentiator, businesses and schools must rebuild trust by aligning message and model.

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The Education System is Not Keeping Up

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47% of Gen Z students say business education does not prepare them to tackle the complexity of the real world. 34% say traditional university pathways – particularly in business and economics – are too narrow to build the systems-level understanding today’s leadership demands.

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Reports by HEPI and McKinsey show that over-specialisation is harming long-term adaptability. Real-world problem-solving now requires multi-perspective fluency: navigating climate systems, data, ethics and geopolitics in unison. Without interdisciplinary learning, students are stepping into a world they feel underprepared to influence.​

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Students Are Designing Their Own Careers

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Today’s students are no longer passively waiting for job roles to define their future. Many are reverse-engineering their careers around real-world challenges. 24% already say they assess roles based on the societal impact those roles can make.

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This shift aligns with findings from LinkedIn Learning and Forage, which show mission-led projects now outperform traditional internships in student engagement. As the World Economic Forum and major graduate recruiters have recognised, “problem discovery” – the ability to identify and act on the right challenge – is now a defining skill.

 

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A Call to Educate a New Kind of Leader

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In response, LIS has launched a new MBA programme, preparing students to lead with integrity, interdisciplinarity, and systems thinking. Designed in partnership with organisations like McKinsey, KPMG and Innocent, the programme tackles leadership development through the lens of climate disruption, technological transformation, and global governance.

 

Applications for the first cohort open January 2026. The course builds on LIS’s undergraduate model, equipping students to lead across business, technology, policy and beyond – with real-world experience and ethical clarity at the core.

 

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Ed Fidoe, CEO of LIS, said:

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“Students aren’t asking for permission. They’re reshaping the future of leadership by demanding relevance, readiness and responsibility. If higher education continues to reward subject mastery over system fluency, we’ll keep producing leaders that can’t connect.

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LIS exists to close that gap: to equip a generation that can think across disciplines, act with purpose, and lead in the world – not just within an organisation.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 

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About the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS)

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LIS is redefining higher education for a world in flux. Its cross-disciplinary model prepares students to tackle real-world challenges with curiosity, adaptability, and moral clarity. Through deep industry partnerships and a focus on impact, LIS ensures its graduates are prepared to lead change – wherever it’s most needed.

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www.lis.ac.uk​​​​​​​​​

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