Alliance Manchester Business (AMBS) recently hosted a three-day Festival of Business for not-for-profits, sixth-formers, and business leaders as part of its contribution to the University’s bicentenary celebration. The festival aimed to encourage attendees to explore the role that businesses can play in helping society rise to the challenges and opportunities of the future. As part of the University’s bicentenary celebrations, the event celebrated AMBS as a beacon of original thinking, ready to help tackle business and society’s challenges. 

Across a packed agenda of events and seminars, businesspeople, thought leaders and AMBS’s academic experts offered their insight and views on addressing the biggest social, economic, and technological changes we face. Attendees ranged from Chair of Booths Supermarkets, Edwin Booth CBE, and Vice-President of Transformation at Ford Europe, Will Periam, to leading charities and non-profit organisations across the third sector.

The event linked back to the founding director of the Business School, Grigor McLelland who believed that: “Business could not be divorced from society; that managers should be ethical and socially responsible”

One of the events, ‘Gaining the Edge’, which, in addition to providing a key networking opportunity, saw AMBS’ Executive Education Team deliver a workshop exploring the role ESG, creativity, and digital marketing can play in delivering success to the not for profit and charity sector.

Discussion topics included best practices for impacting during volatile and uncertain times and the importance of genuine collaboration between the third sector and private enterprise in driving real change.

Community engagement

As part of the festival, the Business School hosted sixth-form pupils from Greater Manchester for a day of entrepreneurship and innovation hosted by the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC). Attending schools included Hazel Grove Sixth Form College and Rochdale Sixth Form College.

Ken McPhail, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome such a wide range of attendees from across the business community to our campus this week to discuss some of the most pressing issues and opportunities facing us today – from net zero to the adoption of AI.

“This week provided a welcome opportunity to debate and listen to valuable insight from across the spectrum – a form of collaboration that will be integral in our efforts to drive business transformation and modernisation. The event was a great success, and we look forward to building on this platform with future iterations.”

• You can read further insights from the latest Alliance Manchester Business School magazine.