Scottish MBA Employability Conference
Strathclyde Business School hosted the annual MBA Conference jointly with the University of Edinburgh Business School and Glasgow University's Adam Smith Business School at Strathclyde University's Technology & Innovation Centre on Friday, February 23.
Over 180 students from the three business schools attended alongside over 30 representatives from business and industry for the day long event.
Featuring a number of industry-specific panels and keynote speakers, the conference aimed to build a dialogue and exchange of information between participants, creating an understanding of the challenges companies face and the skills required to meet these challenges both now and in the future.
Camila Zrein, MBA External Engagement Officer at Strathclyde Business School, said, "The conference's overarching theme was employability and the focus to help students understand how to make themselves employable as an MBA graduate and how to change path to work in new industries. We constructed the conference to cater for some specific, topical themes – sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion (EDI) - and how companies are implementing and ensuring these initiatives are being implemented within their businesses.”
Each panel provided perspectives and insights into different industries with reference to the panellists' individual experiences. Lively question and answer sessions followed each panel for further discussion and networking, and the event concluded with a networking reception.
The Conference was opened by Clyde Marwick, a seasoned executive, board advisor and accredited leadership and performance coach. Clyde has extensive experience leading international HR operations and corporate communication. He has worked with market leading businesses spanning a broad spectrum of sectors and cultures with a specific emphasis on global entrepreneurial growth businesses in the food and drink industry.
Clyde said, "The diversity of the group I met was the most exciting thing for me. It was a privilege for me to be in there talking to people who brought a lot of knowledge with them - they asked lots of questions that made me think. The fact is that everyone at that event is going to be able to shape future leadership and all the students, coming from great business schools, have got great academic rigour in them."
Madeline Chadwick, panellist and Strathclyde Business School graduate, added, "This is my fourth year of being involved in the event. It's nice to network with other panellists and share your experience as a panellist as well. And great to find out what fresh minds are thinking in my field."
Fellow panellist James Brown said, "I think it’s great that we have the collaboration between the three universities with this event. It’s a great cohort and a good opportunity to network."
The end keynote speeches came from Rupa Mooker and Jane Wilson. Rupa is passionate about equality, inclusion and wellbeing within the legal profession since first joining it. She has specialised in employment law, practising exclusively as a solicitor until becoming Director of People and Development at Morton Fraser MacRoberts. She is a member of the Law Society of Scotland's Equality and Diversity Committee and the Scotland National Advisory Committee for Action for Children as well as a regular contributor on BBC Scotland.
Jane is responsible for strategic communication and leadership development at JW Squared. She is passionate about the power of communication to change how we lead and how we influence, particularly in political and complex environments. She is a former CEO of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, a non-executive director, communications advisor, and leadership coach. With a background in the media sector, Jane was Director of Corporate Communications at FTSE-listed GCap Media and prior to this corporate communications manager at Scottish Media Group. She has advised a wide range of multinational organisations and is an experienced speaker and media commentator, appearing on CBS, BBC, and Sky.
Strathclyde MBA student Anshita Nigam said, “During my MBA studies, I've encountered a wide range of subjects including economics, marketing and strategy. Each topic has added to my overall understanding of business and has equipped me to confidently address complex challenges with flexibility and assurance. The conference reinforced the importance of continuous learning. Beyond the formal sessions, the Scottish MBA Conference provided ample opportunities for networking and collaboration fostering connections between students, panellists, and among themselves. I also had the opportunity to conduct the interviews with panellists.”
Anshita wrote a blog post about the event which can be read on the blog homepage: https://www.sbs.strath.ac.uk/blogs/SBS/post.aspx?id=1570