MBA Advisory Board appointed
The MBA Advisory Board aims to support the Business School and serve as a crucial link between academia and industry.
24 October 2024
The MBA Advisory Board will provide an industry perspective for students to apply to their academic learning, ensuring the MBA programme remains cutting-edge, practical, and valuable in the ever-evolving business landscape.
Collaborating with industry to create leaders for the future
The advisory board aims to support the Business School to leverage the existing strengths of the programme while ensuring industry relevance and currency.
The board focuses on creating enhanced career opportunities for students, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and brings a global perspective to the programme. By engaging with key stakeholders, the board will support us to continually improve the programme and ensure quality assurance.
Lucy Hatt, MBA Programme Director said: “Our MBA Advisory Board is a key part of our programme's success and evolution.
"By bringing together diverse industry leaders, we're ensuring our curriculum remains cutting-edge and our students are primed for success in today's dynamic business world.
"The board's insights not only enhance our programme's relevance and quality but also opens doors to unparalleled networking and career opportunities for our students. It's a powerful collaboration that keeps us at the forefront of business education, fostering innovation, global perspectives, and continuous improvement in everything we do.”
Sameena Bashey, Founder of Sameena Bashey Consulting and former MBA student, has been appointed as Chair of the board.
Sameena said: “Having earned my MBA from Newcastle University over 25 years ago and witnessing the significant impact it had on my career, I’m delighted to now chair the MBA Advisory Board. This is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Dr Lucy Hatt, the MBA Programme Director, and an exceptional group of board members from across the globe, who bring a wealth of experience and expertise, to guide the strategic direction of the MBA programme and uphold its standards of excellence.
“Our collective mission is to keep Newcastle University’s MBA programme dynamic and relevant, providing students with enhanced networking and career opportunities, while developing them to be strong leaders that can tackle evolving business challenges and navigate the future of work”.
Wealth of experience and diverse backgrounds
The board consists of diverse members who can contribute their varied backgrounds, skills and experience.
There are nine board members, five of which are Newcastle University alumni. They are:
• Sameena Bashey (Chair)
Currently Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant, and founder of her own consultancy business, Sameena Bashey Consulting. Sameena has over 30 years of HR experience and has previously held several global executive HR director roles with General Electric (GE).
• Charlotte Valeur
Charlotte has extensive experience in financial markets as an investment banker. Charlotte has significant board experience as Chair and Non-Executive Director of FTSE350 companies such as Kennedy Wilson Europe Real Estate Plc.
• Jesper Tyrer, CAIA
Jesper has extensive experience as a senior leader within financial markets and technology (FinTech). He currently leads the APAC Business Development team for BlackRock –the world’s largest asset manager.
• Vivek Unnikrishnan
Vivek is a chartered energy sector specialist with over 15 years of global experience has built a varied career across project management, consulting, technical delivery, investment management and operations and maintenance.
• Iris Yuan
Iris is the Senior Manager for the Global Talent Development team at Dell Technologies. She leads a global programme management team that delivers talent development programmes, supporting the company’s employee value proposition by promoting career growth and development worldwide.
• Ana Carolina da Silva Barbosa
Ana has over two decades of experience in tax law and tax compliance in Brazil, serving law firms that hold a diverse international clientele across various industries.
• Camille Carter
Camille has worked in the media and advertising industry for over a decade. Her current role is Managing Partner at iProspect, part of global network agency dentsu.
• Dr Marco Maliszewski
Marco is a Management Consulting Director at Capgemini Invent with over 10 years of global working experience in digital HR strategy, transformation, operating models and business development across Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Germany.
• David Heath
With over 35 years of experience in the sports and fashion apparel industry, David has left an indelible mark through his leadership roles at renowned brands like Nike and Ivy Park. Notably, he spearheaded the development and global launch of Ivy Park (a joint venture between Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment company and Topshop) earning widespread acclaim.
• Edward Twiddy
Co-founder at Atom Bank, board member and advisor for industry, education and environment initiatives across North East England and the UK.
Professor Stewart Robinson, Dean of Newcastle University Business School said: “The establishment of an MBA Advisory Board is part of our strategy to develop greater engagement between business, our academic community and our students. The insights the Board offers will be pivotal to the ongoing development of our MBA programme and will help to strengthen the relevance of the curriculum.”
Denis Shuler, Chair of Newcastle University Business School’s International Advisory Board added: "The MBA programme is the cornerstone of the University’s business school, preparing students for the challenges of today and tomorrow’s business world. The MBA Advisory Board’s role will be to advise the Business School on how to ensure the programme continues its world class standard and that its curriculum anticipates the skillset and mindset required for success in the global marketplace.”
