At a reception in the USA, Professor Giuseppe Fontana received the Ludwig Mai Service Award. Since 1983 the award has been presented periodically to a person who has given exceptional service to the Association for Social Economics (ASE).

Two Executive MBA alumni were recognised for their entrepreneurial spirit in the 2019 AMBA Excellence Awards. Nat Southworth (EMBA 2018) was presented with the MBA Entrepreneurial Venture Award (private sector) for his business KAP Toys Ltd. Aqila Choudhry (EMBA 2017) was also commended in the MBA Entrepreneurial Venture Award (third sector) for her care and support company, Love in Care.

Mark Stuart, Montague Burton Professor of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations and Pro-Dean for Research, has been conferred as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Alumni from the MSc International Business programme 2016 returned to campus for a two-day event. Flying in from around the world, they were able to reconnect and network with current students on the programme.

We welcomed three female alumni back to campus to celebrate their global achievements. Wilma Wu (MSc Strategic Management in the Global Environment 2017), Lucia Fuertes (MBA 2016) and Liza Kellett (MA Work-Based Learning 1998) spoke to current students about their career journeys in finance, consulting and the third sector.

The Nurturing Talent Mentor Scheme held its annual celebration to mark another successful year. Now in its seventh year, the scheme connects students with professionals from industry. The event also recognised nine mentoring relationships where the mentee had been with their mentor throughout their time at university – from first year to final year.

In June, Professor Peter J. Buckley OBE was awarded the Platinum Medal during the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) 50 Years Celebration 1970 – 2019. He was also awarded the City of Rennes Medal, highlighting the essential role that research plays in communities and organisations, both at a local and international level.

Business School representatives travelled to the German Graduate School of Management and Law (GGS) in Heilbronn to host a farewell workshop, dinner and celebration event for alumni and students.

The Business School hosted the 6th Annual Conference of the UK and Ireland Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). PRME is a UN-supported initiative founded in 2007 as a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world, and to equip today’s business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.

We officially opened the Newlyn Building, which provides technology-rich, flexible teaching spaces to the Business School and School of Law. The building is named after Walter Newlyn, Professor of Development Economics at the University from 1967 – 1978. We were honoured to welcome both Professor Newlyn’s wife Doreen, and the Vice-Chancellor Sir Alan Langlands to lead the ceremony.