Network Magazine MBS Alumni
Hassan Chahine Engineering change
2014 issue
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Welcome
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Welcome to your Network Magazine
Since joining Manchester Business School I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you, both in Manchester and overseas. I have witnessed first-hand the role MBS’ 50,000strong alumni community, spread across 169 countries, plays in further strengthening our global footprint at our seven international centres and through local activity. It was fantastic to meet so many of you at the official opening of our new premises in Shanghai, and during my recent visits to Hong Kong and Singapore. It’s great to see how you continue to stay involved with the School by attending events and via our alumni groups and informal networks.
We are continually expanding avenues for alumni engagement, so that we can welcome even more of you to see how MBS is preparing the workforce of tomorrow. If this is something you would like to be involved in, please contact our alumni relations team.
Network Magazine captures just a small part of the range, depth and dynamism of our alumni activity. Recently we have seen a growth in the number of requests to engage with us and our students, such as accessing our recent graduates for recruitment purposes or taking a more active role in local alumni activity.
This is an exciting time for the School. Construction work is due to commence shortly on our new executive education centre and hotel in Manchester, which is part of The University of Manchester’s £1 billion campus masterplan. The new space will enable us to grow our international client base of some of the world’s leading businesses and public sector organisations. I hope you will follow its progress over the coming years. Look out for regular updates in our newsletter and future editions of Network Magazine.
I am delighted that these interactions are meaningful to you and I would like to thank those of you who have spent time mentoring; delivering lectures to impart your knowledge to students; presenting webinars; and hosting students as part of the Global Graduates Programme. Your expertise is an invaluable means of enhancing the student experience at Manchester.
One of my first priorities of this year was undertaking an international recruitment campaign to attract more of the world’s leading business minds to Manchester.
I am delighted that we had a strong response and will be welcoming a host of internationally renowned academics to the School in the coming months; notably strategic management expert, Joseph Lampel, as our Eddie Davies Chair in Enterprise, Innovation and Strategy. They will join the University of Manchester’s 25 Nobel laureates, already amongst its current and former staff, students and alumni. Next year marks our 50th anniversary and I hope you will join us in celebrating this important milestone. I look forward to working with you and meeting even more of you as we approach our anniversary year.
Professor Fiona Devine Head, Manchester Business School
School news
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The employability agenda Chris Garnett, Head of our Postgraduate Careers Service explains how the Manchester Method continues to enhance careers support for students at MBS. At the start of the new academic year in September, MBS is creating a centralised team for postgraduate careers and employability, which will service students on the full-time MBA, MSc and part-time Global MBA programmes. Students will benefit from harmonisation in the style and delivery of careers services brought about by combining three teams. Student clubs will be open to all programmes for the first time, facilitating knowledge sharing between MBAs, who generally speaking, have more practical knowledge of the labour market, and MSc students who will be able to exchange specialist knowledge gained from their studies. Careers consultants will continue to support students by offering sector-specific advice and expertise. Chris began his career in financial recruitment and has been working at MBS for over eight years. He will be responsible for overseeing the Postgraduate Careers Service. “Our mission at MBS is to give everyone the opportunity to transform their lives. We have identified a need to embed employability further into our various programmes. We have always been very good at employability; the Manchester Method is a great example. Our role in the Postgraduate Careers Service is to develop the skills of our students, articulate them to the market and give students access to that market – to help them achieve the transformation that they set out to make.”
Recruiters, including alumni, will also benefit from an easy access route to all graduates on these programmes.
Access points to the new service
With the challenges of a sizeable student body in mind, as well as strong demand for customisation of careers provision to suit individuals, there will be several access points to the new service. The newly configured service will embrace the latest technologies to deliver to a wider population, including those studying at our International Executive Centres. For the first time, dedicated resources have been allocated to building stronger external relations: “We want to continue our work with alumni to engage the student body either by delivering workshops on campus, hosting webinars, providing internships or mentoring”, Chris says. “Many of our alumni would like to interact with current students in this way, but there haven’t always been sufficient opportunities available. By giving organisations more access to our talent pool, we’ll also be raising MBS’ profile.” Chris is ambitious about the future: “I want people who are considering studying at MBS, to think of us as being synonymous with employability. I know the new team will generate even more enthusiasm on campus – helping us continue to attract the best quality students and raise our reputation in the market even further.” We welcome your feedback. If you would like to engage with MBS and support students, please contact Chris Garnett chris.garnett@mbs.ac.uk
Core employability skills – we will help students understand their particular skill sets, how to articulate these in CVs and cover letters, at interview and when connecting with alumni and other professionals. These skills will be delivered through a suite of sessions that include information about recruitment practices in different labour markets.
Tailoring to individual programmes – we will tailor our offering to meet the needs of students whose understanding of the employment market varies widely.
Individualising the service – we will offer one-to-one careers guidance where possible.
School news
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New home for Shanghai Centre Students and alumni in Shanghai are benefitting from investment in our China Centre with the opening of a new administrative and teaching space in the city.
(l to r) Professor Keith Brown, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities; Professor Fiona Devine, Head, MBS; Sherry Fu, Director, MBS China Centre and Nigel Banister, Chief Global Officer, MBS “open the doors”.
The new site occupies over 1,000 square meters - four times larger than the previous space, which was established in 2008. The new facilities are designed to accommodate the growing MBS student body.
(l to r) Aden Levin, Piers Linney and Rob Tominey
The Centre is well located - in the central business district of Shanghai - and is equipped with first-class facilities for staff, visitors and students.
Student adds fizz to Manchester bars Chris Payne, MEnt in Business student, 23, acquired Epernay and Taps, located in Petersfield in the Great Northern Square as part of his new VCP Taverns enterprise, which employs 25 people.
Face-to-face in the Dragon’s Den Alumnus Aden Levin (BSc Management 2009) recently secured £100,000 investment from Dragon’s Den technology pioneer and fellow MBS alumnus Piers Linney. The business proposal focused on a travel company and was put together with business partner Rob Tominey, also a University of Manchester alumnus.
Aden said: “Our company has revolutionised the youth travel market offering exciting clubbing holiday packages alongside creating and operating Europe’s second biggest winter festival, Snowboxx.” The travel company was set up shortly after the duo graduated from The University of Manchester but they say many of the principles and ideas came during their studies. Aden said: “University provided a great platform to help set up the business. The skills and knowledge that I learned from my business management degree naturally played a solid part in the foundations for setting up the business, from financial accounting to marketing.”
Chris started working in pubs at the age of 16, which he says gave him the drive and ambition to start a leisure business of his own. He commented: “We had been looking for the right opportunity so when we learned Taps and Epernay were for sale; we jumped at the chance to buy them. Both are fantastic establishments that are well-known in the city, each offering different experiences.”
Student Chris Payne, Managing Director of VCP Taverns, with NatWest Relationship Manager John Platt, Carla McMaster and Thomas Leonard.
School news
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Scholarship recipient zooms to first place
A taxing task for Accounting students
Gareth Wilson’s (MBA 2013) business idea fought off fierce competition to take first prize in The University’s Venture Further Awards. Full-time MBA scholarship recipient Gareth, wowed the judges with BrumBrumBeepBeep.com. The website improves the learner driver experience by helping to find and compare pre-screened independent driving instructors and book and pay for lessons online. It helps driving instructors to manage their businesses better and provide a higher quality experience for pupils. Gareth, together with his business partner Neil Wilson, scooped £10,000 which will enable the entrepreneurs to develop their business.
Gareth Wilson
Undergraduates studying the Principles of Taxation unit were given the opportunity to influence tax regulations in the UK. The Accounting students evaluated the tax systems of countries which outperform the UK and analysed why they secured a higher ranking. The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) set the challenge to enhance competitiveness of the UK as a place for doing business. Countries ranked above the UK were analysed alongside those with similar rankings to establish whether there were lessons to be learned. The findings were presented to HM Treasury, delegates from PwC and academics from MBS and other local universities.
Student Farhana Khatun presents project findings
Middle East Centre receives ACCA award Our centre in Dubai was recognised for its outstanding contribution to continuing professional development by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). The ceremony was attended by Helen Brand OBE, the ACCA’s Chief Executive and Martin Turner, ACCA President who presented the award to Middle East Director, Randa Bessiso.
John Whiting, Tax Director at the OTS and members of the Treasury Advisory team were impressed by the students’ findings: “We got a lot out of the students’ work and some of what they unearthed will be of real use to us.”
Helen Brand OBE and Randa Bessiso
School news
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Ruth Boaden
Innovative approaches in health care Chancellor Tom Bloxham presents the award to Adam Umarji
Outstanding Alumni Award
seek refuge in the UK following a time when he was imprisoned and later expelled from Seychelles for his liberal views.
Adam Umarji (MBA 2004), Managing Director of General Traffic, was presented with the Outstanding Alumni Award at last year’s summer graduation ceremony.
“Democracy and liberty are two factors that have played a crucial role in where I am today. They have played a significant part in helping me shape my life, thereby enabling me to make a positive contribution to society and the world we live in. These two factors must be valued and safeguarded at all costs - for they also play a major role in enabling education to flourish.”
Adam was born in Seychelles and came to England as a political refugee following the coup of 1977. In 1983 he established General Traffic along with his brother in Farnworth, which has now expanded into one of the largest stockists of automotive parts in the North West of England, employing over 300 people. The Outstanding Alumni Award is presented to an alumnus who has achieved distinction in their profession, has provided exemplary service to the School or the wider community, and has contributed significantly to charitable and humanitarian causes.
Completion of his higher education studies was impossible during the period of Adam’s imprisonment. After much persuasion from his wife Yasmin, he enrolled on the MBA in Entrepreneurship programme in 1999 to learn the theories that he had been putting into action since he started his business. Commenting on the impact of the MBA experience on his career, he said: “The opportunity to work with first class tutors and fellow colleagues who were drawn from various business sectors, has been priceless.”
On accepting the award, Adam reflected on his career path, attributing his achievements to a mixture of natural entrepreneurial flair and his decision to
At the time of going to press, David Gregson (MBA 1983) has been announced as the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award 2014.
Ruth Boaden, Professor of Service Operations Management, has been awarded £10 million funding for five years by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which will be matched by The Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care’s partner organisations, who will provide an equivalent level of funding in cash and in kind. The funding will help Professor Boaden and a team of experts ensure patients benefit from innovative new approaches to commissioning and care provision, through world-class research being put into practice.
Trading with Tesco In a partnership with Tesco, MBS’ retail and strategy expert Gary Davies has been appointed to a professorial post funded by the retail giant. Under the strategic partnership, Tesco will harness Professor Davies’ research expertise, to work on projects across its business in the UK.
Gary Davies
Getting involved
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Learning by example How lessons learnt as students have encouraged alumni to get involved with MBS Hassan Chahine (MBA Engineering Business Managers 2011) Engineer turned CEO Hassan is involved in mentoring, lecturing and hosting students as part of the Global Graduates Programme. Hassan spent 17 years of his early career dealing with customer-focused technology operations before adapting the skills and knowledge acquired from the part-time Global MBA programme, studied at our Centre in Dubai, to move to the supplier-side of the industry. Following graduation in 2011, Hassan took the helm at GLOCOM and is now Founder and CEO of Media Digital Space in Dubai. In spite of reaching the end of his formal education at MBS, Hassan regularly commits time to mentor students from the Global MBA programme at the centre, based in the Dubai Knowledge Village. His decision to become a mentor was based on the invaluable knowledge sharing he experienced as a student:
“You can build relationships with people when you study together, have a good time and complete a task all in one go.”
He insists that mentoring is really just an organic part of the studying process: “It’s a practice that you see all the time. It is important to have access to someone who has a certain background, who can explain an idea to you from a place of understanding.”
Championing the way that technology triumphs over traditional methods, he says: “When you have a guy offering you a summary - sharing years worth of reading, why not? It’s worth millions of dollars sometimes – the answer to what you have been searching for.”
As a mentor, he has gained a real sense of satisfaction: “I enjoy providing an explanation. It’s a real pleasure.”
The main benefit of webinars like the Global Insights Speaker Series is that they address common challenges: “Whether you are in Asia, Europe or the Middle East, 80 to 90 per cent of our queries are common challenges - but by sharing an insight, people can use it to resolve an issue or make a decision.”
With a keen interest in combining new technology with knowledge sharing, Hassan was delighted to be a part of our popular series of online lectures delivered by alumni leading in their fields of expertise – the Global Insights Speaker Series. He shared his experiences of strategic planning in the technology sector. Being accustomed to delivering presentations at events and receiving immediate feedback from the audience, he found broadcasting ‘without interaction’ an interesting experience! Nonetheless, he hasn’t been dissuaded from participating in webinars again since he knows that people gain a lot from virtual speakers: “I use webinars all the time – especially when I want to see something from another view point.”
Over the last two years Hassan has welcomed students to Dubai as part of the Global Graduates Programme. He shared his views on the local economic climate, working culture, business practices and areas for future growth to students first-hand. To listen to Hassan’s webinar and other lectures in the Global Insights Speaker Series visit www.alumni.mbs.ac.uk/tv
Getting involved
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Nicolette Harrison (Executive MBA 2007) The decision to study an MBA is often motivated by aspirations of climbing the ladder. Skills learnt on the Executive MBA programme helped catapult Nicolette Harrison to a more strategic role at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Now she helps students make the same breakthrough. Nicolette moved from HMRC to Revenue Scotland in 2013. As Chief Operating Officer, she is responsible for developing and establishing this new tax authority, which has been created to manage devolved taxes in Scotland from 2015 onwards. “My MBA learning was a great foundation for my career development and helped give me business insight and understand and apply powerful approaches, such as corporate strategy and organisational behaviour. I have implemented these techniques ever since. At HMRC, I used extensive customer research (behavioural economics) to help understand the drivers of organisational behaviours that informed the approach to anti-money laundering supervision.” The skills, experience and exposure to other ways of thinking that Nicolette gained from the programme were significant in her own career development - and what inspired her to volunteer her time mentoring students.
Nicolette Harrison
“As a student I was too busy getting through my MBA to network and make the most of the alumni community but I have gained great value from mentoring in my professional life and it is an approach I would recommend to anyone, so I was happy to be involved in mentoring at MBS.” As a former teacher, Nicolette has recently used her vast skill set to address students on the undergraduate Accounting course and has even rolled her sleeves up to help with the end of term assessment – which she says also brought back memories of marking: “I thoroughly enjoyed teaching so it was a great experience to lecture again.”
Thank you to all of the alumni who have given their time to MBS and the alumni community over the last 12 months. To find out more about how you can get involved visit www.alumni.mbs.ac.uk/get-involved
Hassan Chahine
Investing in future leaders
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Mapping the path to success Six students who successfully completed the Manchester Access Programme (MAP) enrolled onto undergraduate programmes at MBS in 2013. MAP targets and supports talented students from backgrounds that are currently under-represented in higher education and encourages them to apply to university. The MBS Annual Fund made it possible for five of these students to receive scholarships to support their studies. Two of the students, Sakib Rehman and Umar Sheikh are studying Accounting, while Ciara McDermott received a scholarship from Manchester-based company Cash Management Solutions (CMS). Ciara was only able accept her place at MBS thanks to the CMS Scholarship, generously funded by the company established by alumnus Brendan Doyle (MBA 1992).
Umar Sheikh and Sakib Rehman
The other recipients were Megan Matthews and Manpreet Sarna who are studying Management, while Emily Song has chosen to study International Management. Thanks to donations from hundreds of alumni and friends of MBS, each of the students will benefit from an annual scholarship of £1,000 throughout their studies, in addition to a means tested bursary.
“I was born and bred in inner city Manchester and have grown up in a tough environment where education is not seen as important. For me to get into university is an achievement but I would not be able to live or sustain university life without your help. I would like to thank the alumni who are supporting me. You may not realise it but your donations mean a huge amount to me and have really had a positive effect on my life. I am extremely grateful for your support and cannot really express in words how thankful I am.” – Sakib Rehman
Investing in future leaders
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Our building Ciara McDermott
We are delighted to announce that the University has signed a deal to build a new hotel and executive education centre for MBS on our Oxford Road campus in Manchester. Local firm and one of the UK’s leading property companies, Bruntwood, will develop the 326-room hotel for an international hotel in a 19-storey building, under an investment deal with M&L Hospitality Group. The hotel - which forms part of Bruntwood’s wider redevelopment of MBS and has been designed by architects BDP and Leach Rhodes Walker - will adjoin a two-storey executive education centre, which will provide a new home for our corporate leadership and management programmes.
“Without the help of my donor I would not be able to undertake a degree in Management and start my professional career. I will not have to worry as much about finances, and this means I won’t have to balance parttime employment with my degree - so I can focus my time on studying.” – Ciara McDermott
Brendan Doyle
The construction of the new hotel and executive education centre is due to start later this year and is part of the University’s £1billion investment in
campus facilities, creating one single site campus along the Oxford Road corridor. In early 2015 work will begin on the renovation and extension of the School’s main teaching and research building, creating some of the best facilities for our students and faculty anywhere in the world. This unprecedented level of investment, the largest investment in education infrastructure anywhere in the UK is, in part, being achieved through philanthropy. To learn how you can play your role in supporting the provision of outstanding facilities please contact Zoe Real, Senior Development Officer for Manchester Business School at zoe.real@manchester.ac.uk
The Robin Gleaves MBA Scholarship In August 2013 Jaya Sharma was awarded the first Robin Gleaves MBA Scholarship. The scholarship was established in memory of Robin (MBA 2001) who passed away in 2011. Robin’s family, friends, colleagues and many MBS alumni, staff and students contributed to the fund.
working professionals has been a challenge and I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to work alongside and learn from many of these people. I am really looking forward to making the best of every opportunity given to me.”
Jaya says: “After hearing Robin Gleaves’ story, I hope that I am able to live up to his legacy during my time at MBS and become a student he would have been proud to support.” “So far my time at MBS has been exceptionally exciting and rewarding. I have made friends with many people from different backgrounds. Being the youngest member in a class full of
Linda Montgomery, partner of the late Robin Gleaves presents the scholarship to Jaya Sharma
To find out more about how you can support the School visit www.manchester.ac.uk/support
Group news
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Your Global Network
A special milestone in the Middle East On 10 October 2013 the Dubai Centre held its first graduation ceremony in Dubai honouring students who have successfully completed their degrees since the centre was established in 2006. Previously
graduands have travelled to the UK to participate in ceremonies in Manchester. Head of School, Professor Fiona Devine presided over the ceremony which was
held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Culture Youth and Community Development.
Miami
Hong Kong
Students, alumni and staff gathered at the Miami Centre during April for an evening of networking and fun.
An event organised to honour the achievements of alumni in Hong Kong was attended by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell in April. The University President and Vice Chancellor welcomed alumni and celebrated the generous contributions of pioneering donors.
Group news
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San Francisco Alumni Group launch The first official meeting of the MBS and University of Manchester Bay Area alumni took place in downtown San Francisco in May. The Group plans to meet regularly - if you are interested in joining them, find them on Facebook (search “MBS & UoM Bay Area Alums”).
Shanghai In April, students and alumni attended an Industry Insight event about Private Equity and Venture Capital.
Reunions
The Class of 1993
The Class of 2008
The Full-time MBA Class of 2003 met in Central London for a champagne reception and dinner, celebrating their 10 year reunion. The Classes of 1993 and 2008 were reunited in Manchester.
Athens
Over 30 alumni attended a careers workshop which provided an in-depth analysis of the current job market, trends and remuneration packages.
The Class of 2003
Dynamic mind-set for leadership Bhavneet Singh (MBA 2004), President of Global English and Informal Learning at Pearson International, addressed an audience of 70 London alumni in November, where he gave an overview of his experiences in bringing entrepreneurship to corporate operations. Bhavneet’s dynamic leadership and unconventional thinking has seen
him successfully bring some of the world’s biggest brands into new markets, sectors and spaces. During the presentation alumni were given the chance to learn how his unique mind-set has shaped the future of some of the world’s largest businesses.
Group news
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Tokyo Alumni and their families enjoyed a day at Tokyo Disneyland in March.
Jamaica
Beijing
Annual spring dinner celebrations.
Alumni were joined by Professor Pikay Richardson who delivered a fantastic lecture on The Purpose of the Firm.
View our events calendar at www.alumni.mbs.ac.uk/calendar
Manchester Global Graduates Programme Employers are increasingly seeking graduates who see the world through a wider lens and who have both international knowledge and cultural agility. Since 2012 The University of Manchester has offered the Global Graduates Programme to small groups of students who travel internationally to experience prestigious business destinations first-hand. Thanks to the generous funding of a donor, in partnership with the University, in June 2014 we were able to send groups of students to Dubai, London, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco and Singapore. The programme runs in summer each year.
Students who participate in the scheme: – visit a range of host organisations – meet alumni and company representatives to learn more about their businesses, roles, opportunities and cities
– learn about the economic climate, working culture, business practices and areas for future growth first-hand – play an ambassadorial role for The University of Manchester
– have the opportunity to practice and develop their existing skills, to start building their professional networks and increase understanding of their own employability.
If you would like to host a Global Graduate student in 2015, please email richard.screaton@manchester.ac.uk
Alumni Relations Manchester Business School The University of Manchester Booth Street West Manchester M15 6PB +44 (0)161 275 6485 alumnioffice@mbs.ac.uk www.mbs.ac.uk/alumni