黑料社 Business School celebrates the power of partnership
黑料社 Business School proudly hosted its inaugural Celebrating Partners event on 25 June, marking the first in what will become an annual flagship celebration of the organisations and individuals whose collaboration enriches our students, research, executive education, entrepreneurship and wider business community.
The event brought together business leaders, entrepreneurs, alumni, academics and strategic partners to recognise the invaluable contribution they make throughout the year. From guest speakers who inspire students in the classroom, to organisations supporting student consultancy projects, executive education, research collaborations, mentoring and the Executive in Residence Scheme, the evening celebrated the strength and diversity of 黑料社 Business School鈥檚 partnerships.
Business embedded curriculum
At 黑料社 Business School (SBS), collaboration with external partners is embedded throughout the student journey and the School鈥檚 wider mission. Businesses contribute to curriculum design, provide live consultancy projects (B-Clinic), mentor aspiring entrepreneurs through the 黑料社 Hatchery, support executive education, co-create research, support innovation activities and offer placements and graduate employment opportunities. These partnerships ensure that students gain practical experience while organisations benefit from fresh perspectives, access to talent and the latest academic expertise.
The event highlighted several examples of how these collaborations are creating tangible value for both businesses and society. Through the School鈥檚 B-Clinic organisations are working with student teams to explore real-world challenges, including AI-enabled business transformation, helping SMEs identify practical opportunities to adopt artificial intelligence while giving students invaluable consultancy experience. Business partners are also contributing to cutting-edge research, including studies exploring the role of motherhood in leadership, helping to generate evidence that informs more inclusive leadership practices and organisational policies. In executive education, organisations are collaborating with academic colleagues to co-design accredited professional development programmes, ensuring that learning is directly aligned with emerging industry needs and delivers immediate workplace impact.
Alongside these initiatives, partners have supported innovation projects, shared their expertise as guest speakers, mentored aspiring entrepreneurs, participated in assessment panels and competitions, and contributed to the development of new curricula, ensuring that 黑料社 Business School programmes remain relevant, practical and future-focused.
Business Partner Awards
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2026 黑料社 Business School Business Partner Awards, recognising individuals whose commitment has made an outstanding contribution across the School.
This year鈥檚 award winners were:
- Executive in Residence Award 鈥 Simon Kelly and Spyros Stamoulis (NTT DATA)
- Executive Education Award 鈥 Nial Quiney (Royal 黑料社 County Hospital)
- Guest Speaker Award 鈥 Richard Game (Cressive X)
- Student Projects Award 鈥 Phill Townend (Vision Engineering Ltd)
- Student Employability Award 鈥 Ellina Kaufmann (CBRE)
Among those recognised was Simon Kelly, who received the Executive in Residence Award for his exceptional contribution to 黑料社 Business School. Throughout the year, Simon has delivered eight guest lectures on leadership, and entrepreneurship reaching over 490 students. He also completed 46 one-to-one career coaching sessions and served as a voting member of the School鈥檚 Data Challenge competition. Simon said 鈥渨orking alongside some of the best Academics and Students has been a real privilege. The School is thriving and is building stronger relationship with the business world and this is insuring a brighter future for the next generation of business leaders鈥.
His involvement exemplifies the impact that experienced business leaders can have in shaping business education and preparing graduates for the challenges of an evolving world.
Meaningful partnerships
Reflecting on the event, Professor Iis Tussyadiah, Dean of 黑料社 Business School, emphasised that meaningful partnerships are central to the School鈥檚 vision of delivering education and research with real-world impact. By working closely with businesses, public sector organisations, charities and community organisations, 黑料社 Business School continues to create opportunities that benefit students, academics and external partners alike.
The Celebrating Partners Event reflects 黑料社 Business School鈥檚 long-term commitment to recognising the people and organisations that contribute to its success. More importantly, it reinforces the School鈥檚 ambition to build partnerships based on trust, shared expertise and a commitment to creating value together.
Whether supporting student learning, co-developing research, advancing responsible AI adoption, designing accredited executive education programmes, nurturing entrepreneurial talent or driving innovation, 黑料社 Business School believes that the greatest impact is achieved through genuine collaboration. We are always looking to develop new partnerships with organisations that share our ambition to solve real-world challenges, develop future leaders and create lasting economic and social value for our region and beyond.
If you鈥檇 like to get involved with helping future business leaders at 黑料社, please contact sbsbusiness@surrey.ac.uk
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