Full-Time MBA Networking
At Alliance MBS, you get much more than a business education. Through our regular guest speaker events and global alumni community, you will make valuable connections from day one.
Developing strong contacts is fundamental to your future success. As a Manchester MBA you will have plenty of opportunities to meet alumni and members of the business community. This gives you valuable insight into a range of industries and a chance to network with leaders in their field, and you will also build a rich pool of future contacts for your business career.
Guest Speaker Series
Business leaders from across industry will exclusively share their knowledge and network with you at the Guest Speaker Series, part of the Skills for Leaders course. The speakers are often alumni of the Manchester Full-time MBA and have recently included:
- Amanda Tincknell, CEO, Cranfield Trust
- Andy Stewart, Managing Director (Operations and Technology), Barclays
- Beth Houghton, Partner, Head of Impact Fund, Palatine Impact
- Bhavneet Singh, Founder and CEO, Sandbox and Partners
- David Gregson, former Chairman, The Lawn Tennis Association and Trustee of Pro Bono Economics; an advisor to The London Stadium on the Olympic Park
- Elizabeth Clarke, Co-Founder and CEO, Dreamagility
- Fred Abrard, Head of Performance X, Google
- Ken Lever, Chairman, RPS Group Plc
- Maria Parpou, Managing Director, Barclaycard Payment Solutions
- Mark Hammond, Head of Corporate Development, Melrose Plc
- Nicholas Sanders, Chairman, Gardner Aerospace
- Preyash Thakrar, Chief Strategy Officer, Asda
- Simon Barker, Co-Founder and CEO, Conferma
- Stuart McLachlan, CEO, Anthesis Group
- Vikas Shah, Founder and CEO, Swiscot
Vital Topics
Every year, Alliance MBS attracts international figures to speak at the thought-provoking Vital Topics lecture series. We encourage MBAs to attend these events, which are a valuable opportunity to build your knowledge and network with the local business community. Past speakers have included:
- Alex Poots, Founding Director, Manchester International Festival
- Alison Horner, Alliance MBS alumna and Group Personnel Director, Tesco Stores Ltd
- Andrew Byrne, Head of Public Policy for the UK & Nordics, Uber
- Andy Haldane, Chief Economist, Bank of England
- Brian Gilvary, Chief Financial Officer, BP
- Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General, Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
- Craig Bennett, CEO, Friends of the Earth
- Craig Kreeger, CEO, Virgin Atlantic
- Gary Neville, former football player and entrepreneur
- Georg Ell, Country Director, UK & Ireland, Tesla Motors
- Jim O’Neill, Chairman, Goldman Sachs
- Julia Hunter, Vice President, Virgin Galactic and James Baker, Director, The National Graphene Institute
- Omar Berrada, Chief Operating Officer, Manchester City FC
- Patrick Walker, Director of Media Partnerships, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Facebook
- Simon Stevens, Chief Executive, NHS England
- Sir Charles Dunstone, Co-founder, former chairman of Carphone Warehouse and executive chairman of the TalkTalk Group
- Sir Vince Cable, Leader of Liberal Democrats Party
- Steve Murrells, Co-op Group CEO
Alumni network
From the moment you join the programme you become a lifelong member of our alumni network. This thriving community includes over 60,000 ambitious professionals from diverse backgrounds, spread across 176 countries.
Through the alumni community you can network with business professionals and build relationships that will last a lifetime. You will be invited to join a range of events, for example:
- Networking drinks
- Seminars
- Socials
The alumni network also includes regional and business interest groups that coordinate a range of activities, allowing you to learn, socialise and make new connections.
"A major benefit of the MBA was gaining access to the enormous alumni network. There are 60,000 AMBS alumni across the globe who are very keen to help out with ideas, thoughts or even job offers! Quite a few people from our class sourced their summer internship positions this way.”
- Daniel Shuttleworth, British, Class of 2018
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