The SARI institute is dedicated to the organisational, institutional and career implications of longer working lives
Dubai, UAE,September 2026: London Business School (LBS) has today announced the launch of the SARI Foundation Institute for Work, Careers and Longevity, the School’s first endowed research institute. The launch holds distinct relevance for the Middle East, where rapid economic diversification in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is reshaping traditional career lifecycles and talent strategy.
The SARI Institute, led by Academic Co-Directors Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, and Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour, LBS, will generate original research and thought leadership about the ways individuals, organisations and institutions, can support longer working lives that may span six decades.
Through global dialogue, pioneering academic research and practical insight, the SARI Institute will address the most important questions shaping careers, longevity, and business.
The SARI Institute’s launch comes at a pivotal moment for the Middle East, where national economic visions such as the UAE Centennial 2071 are accelerating the demand for adaptable, highly skilled leadership. LBS currently counts over 3,100 alumni across the region, including more than 1,000 in the UAE holding senior roles in finance, government, technology, and family businesses.
Sergei Guriev, Dean of LBS says: “Working lives are getting longer. Traditional structures for individuals, organisationsand
“I am extremely grateful to our alumnus, whose support has allowed us to create an institute dedicated to improving the world’s understanding of the organisational, leadership and career implications of longer working lives. Lynda Gratton and Herminia Ibarra are renowned thinkers who have defined the field. They will shape global understanding of the ways in which we can reinvent work and careers for the age of longevity.”
Lynda Gratton’s latest book Living the 100-Year Life offers a new way of understanding—and shaping—the years ahead at a time when our lives are stretching but our assumptions about work, careers and identity remain rooted in the past.Herminia Ibarra’s book Working
Professor Lynda Gratton says: “We are delighted to be leading an institute focused on the ways in which individuals, organisations and institutions, can enable sustained contribution, renewal and meaning across working lives that may span six decades.”
Professor Herminia Ibarra says: “For too long, the longevity conversation has been dominated by healthcare and pensions, devoting little attention to the psychology of transition – how people experience the profound changes we are experiencing in the world of work, how they navigate those changes and what kind of support they need. We look forward to addressing the crucial questions now on everyone’s mind.”
About London Business School:
London Business School’s purpose is to have a profound impact on the way the world does business and the way business impacts the world. The School is consistently ranked among the world’s top business schools and is widely acknowledged as a centre for outstanding research and thought leadership.
In addition to its highly ranked degree programmes, the School offers award-winning Executive Education for business leaders from around the world, frequently placing at the top of global rankings for open and custom executive learning.
Alongside its main campus in London, London Business School has a long-standing campus in Dubai and, in late 2025, officially opened an Executive Education office in Riyadh’s historic Diriyah district, marking a deepened commitment to developing leadership and human capability in the Kingdom. This new presence reflects LBS’s expanding footprint in the Middle East and its partnerships with leading organisations across the region.
The School equips its diverse student body with the tools needed to tackle today’s business challenges and connects them with many of the world’s leading thinkers. Its global community includes more than 58,000 alumni working in over 160 countries, united by a wealth of knowledge, experience and worldwide networking opportunities.
London Business School’s 168 faculty members come from more than 30 countries and cover seven core subject areas, including accounting, economics, finance, management science and operations, marketing, organisational behaviour, and strategy and entrepreneurship.
