91´óÉñ

Providing a more formal structure through which alumni can support the School, the Alumni Advisory Groups are aligned specifically to the School's six subject groups (Marketing; Strategy; Management Science and Business Economics; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Organisation Studies; and Accounting and Finance).

There is a Professional Development Advisory Working Group (made up of six senior alumni, one representative per subject group), and a further six Industry Insight Groups, each with five or six alumni members.

The groups are designed to provide an efficient process for academic staff to access alumni industry knowledge and integrate it into their programmes. They also ensure our students are ready for the ever-changing world of work, as our staff are using this information to influence professional skills development.

Alumni members, who will be in post for two academic years, will work directly with teaching champions, who will then cascade information to their academic colleagues.

The formation of these groups comes at a time when colleagues across the University of Edinburgh are working hard to provide maximum support to our students, and we hope this enhanced insight to industry and access to our alumni network will contribute to these efforts and help towards creating a positive student experience.

Chearyp Sokoni (91´óÉñ 2006), CFO of the Industrial Development Corporation in Zambia, is a member of the Accounting and Finance Advisory Group. She said:

"I am honoured to be part of this initiative and enjoyed meeting my fellow members of the Group and hearing how our experiences and knowledge can really add value to the teaching in the Business School and to the current students. I believe the School has taken the right decision to consult widely as it embarks on a curriculum review ensuring that they continue to respond to the needs of industry today and in the future."

Following the inaugural meetings, Andrew Bell, Alumni Engagement Manager, who has led on the creation of these groups, commented:

"It's been great to bring alumni from all corners of the globe together with the launch of these new advisory groups. It's clear from the outset that not only can each of them bring their own individual insights, together they will be able to collectively provide valuable input to aspects such as curriculum reviews, creation of new courses, and such like.

"In terms of directly supporting students, even before these first meetings, we were already seeing a positive impact from the groups, with a number of the members taking part in panel discussions, offering to be speakers on specific courses, and signing up to be part of our annual Employability Expo for students in January 2021."

The Alumni Advisory Groups are just one way in which alumni can support the School and our students. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact our Alumni Team at alumni@business-school.ed.ac.uk.