Poets&Quants, the independent media platform covering graduate business education, announced today that founder John A. Byrne will retire from his leadership role, ending a career that shaped global discourse on MBA programs. The company also introduced a new leadership team to guide its next growth phase: Sat Sharma as Managing Director, Marc Ethier as Editor-in-Chief, and newly hired Pola Lem as Executive Editor.
Byrne founded Poets&Quants in 2010, building it into a trusted voice for prospective students, business schools, and industry leaders. "Launching Poets&Quants was a bet that graduate management education deserved an independent, authoritative voice," Byrne said. "What began as a scrappy startup has become the world's leading platform on business education." Under his leadership, the publication served millions of readers with data-driven insights and analysis.
Marc Ethier, promoted from managing editor to Editor-in-Chief, has worked with Byrne for ten years and authored thousands of articles. He is writing a book on artificial intelligence's impact on elite business schools. "We will continue to uphold that standard while expanding how we tell stories and engage our audience," Ethier said. He lives in Oakland, California.
Sat Sharma, a 15-year veteran of Poets&Quants, becomes Managing Director, overseeing strategic growth and global expansion. "Our focus is to deepen partnerships, expand our global reach, and create innovative ways for schools to connect with highly qualified candidates," Sharma said. He holds degrees from Northeastern University and Pepperdine University and lives in North Carolina.
Pola Lem joins as Executive Editor from The Grocer, where she led data-driven features. Previously at Times Higher Education, she oversaw editorial for global rankings. "It's a privilege to follow in the footsteps of John Byrne, a legend in the business school world," Lem said. A native New Yorker, she earned degrees from Haverford College and Columbia University.
The new team will focus on expanding multimedia storytelling, enhancing global coverage, developing AI-driven insights, and strengthening partnerships with business schools. Poets&Quants, part of Times Higher Education, continues its mission to provide independent coverage for pre- to post-MBA decisions.
