MBA Alumni return to Durham to celebrate their delayed 20-year reunion
Professor Amir Michael, Associate Dean for the School’s MBA and DBA programmes, welcomed the alumni who had travelled not only from across the UK but also from Switzerland, Nigeria and Iceland. Dr Rebecca Stratling, Associate Dean (Accreditations & Quality Assurance) and Dr Peter Hamilton, Associate Professor in Human Resource Management, attended to reminisce with the graduates as well as the Alumni team, Penny Hawley and Matteo Lai.
The School is one of the longest established business schools in the UK offering full-time, online and Executive MBA programmes and current MBA student Ronan Murray was on hand to compare notes on how the programme has developed over the years, as well as to show our MBA alumni how the Business School building, while retaining the same frontage, has developed particularly during the 2013 rebuild to reflect the growth of the School.
“The year of my MBA in Durham was one of the most difficult, but in, the same time the most fantastic year of my life. We were all out of our comfort zones, motivated to push boundaries and started thinking in different ways – at the same time our MBA equipped us with valuable professional skills.
Another important thing which marked that year was peer support. Some people I met here during MBA became friends for life and it is amazing that we have stayed in touch for more than 20 years, visiting each other, meeting in different places around the world, and keeping that friendship and support over time. That’s why reunions are so important and so special - they are opportunities to catch up regularly, and share news, experiences, and successes.” Alumna Marija Huljak, reunion organiser.
“We are delighted to see our alumni at the Business School again. As a leading business school these connections to our graduates in business are critical to our success. While we develop the MBA programme every year to reflect shifting trends, there are some core aspects of the Durham MBA that we continue to build on.
I was struck how even 20 years ago our students were internationally diverse, and I was impressed by the strong women leaders our programme has produced. It was inspiring to hear first-hand how their time in Durham has inspired them to go on to start and shape businesses around the world.” Professor Amir Michael commented.
Over the years Durham University Business School’s flexibility in terms of teaching has been a main feature that appeals to prospective students interested in personalising their MBA to meet their career goals. Through our MBA programmes, students have the option to study fully online or complete some of their learning at Durham.
As demonstrated through this reunion, the global spread of Durham University Business School students, alumni and faculty continue to benefit from the ability to network both virtually and in-person with people from across the world.
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