On 30th November 2023, the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) Alumni Annual Gathering and Welcome Dinner Head of AMBS were successfully held at Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel. Professor Fiona Devine, Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at The University of Manchester, Professor Kenneth McPhail, Head of the Alliance Manchester Business School, and Mr. Richard Cotton, Director of International Development at The University of Manchester attended the event. Over 150 alumni gathered to share the latest developments of the University and the Business School. The event also featured insightful presentations by four distinguished alumni in sustainable development. The aim was to foster alumni collaboration, strengthen connections between alumni and the alma mater, and provide networking opportunities.

Ms. Sherry Fu
Founding Director
The University of Manchester China Centre

Ms. Sherry Fu, Founding Director of the University of Manchester China Centre, opened the event by warmly welcoming the alumni. She highlighted the honour of having Professor Fiona Devine and Professor Kenneth McPhail present at the alumni dinner. This year coincides with the 15th anniversary of the University of Manchester China Centre. The Centre has evolved into a significant overseas education hub, cultivating over two thousand elite professionals and entrepreneurs.

At the dinner, Ms. Fu invited everyone to collectively watch the commemorative video celebrating the 15th anniversary of the China Centre. The video provided a retrospective of the Centre's development over the past 15 years, while also offering a glimpse into the future development plans and perspectives.

Professor Fiona Devine
Vice President & Dean of the Faculty of Humanities
The University of Manchester

Professor Fiona Devine delivered a welcome address before the dinner, expressing excitement about revisiting China on the University's upcoming 200th anniversary in 2024. She shared the latest developments at Manchester and the global celebration series for the University's bicentennial. Professor Devine encouraged alumni to actively participate in the celebratory events and contribute to the alumni community.

Professor Kenneth McPhail
Head of the Alliance Manchester Business School

In his keynote address, Professor Kenneth McPhail engaged with alumni from various sectors. He mentioned that this is his first visit to Shanghai in his new role as head of Alliance Manchester Business School. It's been a wonderful opportunity to meet alumni and the China Centre team. He then shared his vision and expectations for the future of the business school， along with a few thoughts on the characteristics of successful business leaders in the future. He mentioned,” The business school of the future needs to enable business leaders to adapt, to change, to innovate and create new value for customers, for shareholders, and also for society. So the future business school, we need to play a significant role, not only in producing management scholarship that will help us understand how to produce sustainable and inclusive productivity growth but also play a role in developing future business leaders and entrepreneurs with the skills, networks and moral compass to turn this knowledge into responsible practice.”

He also talked about the characteristics of future business leaders, “It's not just about downloading new knowledge, business leadership is about developing core characteristics, about giving the decisions that you will make. So we need to develop these core characteristics in our future business leaders. We need leaders of the future will value diversity within people and in perspectives. We need to cultivate leaders with the ability to imagine solutions to the challenges that we face and be able to grasp the opportunities that they represent. Finally, I think we need leaders that are driven by the core sense of fundamental social partners.”

Alumni Insights in Sustainable Development

The dinner featured presentations by four invited alumni at the sustainable development sharing session. Chris Dunn MBE, a Manchester alumnus and Deputy Director, Environment, Infrastructures & Transport sectors of DBT China, delivered an inspiring talk on ESG topics. Three other alumni, Bob Wu, Managing Director of China Kington Investment, Aileen Wei, Founder of SAFONE & Zero Beauty, and Arthur Huang, Co-founder and CEO of Carbon Newture shared their experiences and views on sustainable practices and low-carbon initiatives.

The experiences shared by the alumni in the field of sustainable development align seamlessly with the University's sustainable strategy and ESG vision. The University of Manchester stands as a world-leading research institution and the only university in the UK that has embraced social responsibility as a core strategic goal. Since its establishment in 2008, the China Centre has been dedicated to the University's commitment to promoting global sustainable development and practising social responsibility. It actively supports and promotes sustainable development in the region, contributing significantly to societal value.

AMBS, The University of Manchester

The success of this event was made possible by the enthusiastic participation of alumni and the strong support of the business school. With 2024 marking the University of Manchester's 200th anniversary, the anticipation grows for a more extensive series of celebrations and alumni activities. The University of Manchester China Centre looks forward to continued collaboration with renowned universities, business schools, and enterprises, providing high-quality business education and serving as a bridge for Sino-British communication and cooperation.