Alumni activity

Reunions in Durham

September 2022 saw nine alumni from the MSc Management class of 1976/77 – a predecessor of our current MBA programme – visit Durham for the weekend for their 45-year reunion.

The returning alumni had achieved success in a range of career backgrounds and travelled not only from across the UK but also from countries including Germany and as far away as the USA. They enjoyed revisiting Durham and visited local attraction ‘Beamish, the Living Museum of the North’.

On the first day, the alumni joined Alumni Relations Coordinator, Matteo Lai, for dinner at the Cellar Door Restaurant for an evening of fond memories and interesting discussions on new developments at the School and changes that’ve taken place in Durham over the years.

On the second day, the alumni and Matteo met at the School for a tour and video call with two other alumni who joined virtually from Australia.

"It is a testament to the abiding impact of studying at Durham University that our graduates are still keen to return after 45 years. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to welcome them back to the Business School and hear their recollections. Although so much has changed, I was struck by the international nature of the cohort and much heartened to hear from the women how their studies in Durham had enabled them to progress their careers – values that are still important to us today," Matteo commented.

As part of their reunion weekend, the MBA Class of 2009 visited the Business School building.

With over 36,000 Business School graduates in over 140 countries, there’s always plenty of activity to report on. Here are just a few examples since the last issue of IMPACT. For information on how to keep up to the minute on news and activities, read on to the end of this article.

The MBA Class of 2009 was joined by Matteo Lai (Alumni Relations Coordinator) for a reunion dinner in Hatfield

Class of 2009

More recently in May we welcomed back the MBA Class of 2009 for a reunion in Durham. This group have formed long-lasting friendships with their cohort and Business School staff, with Charlotte Howell (International Engagement & Careers Assistant Manager), Professor Julie Hodges (Professor in Management), Professor Jorge Lengler (MBA Programme Director) and Matteo Lai (Alumni Relations Coordinator) reminiscing with our alumni on a beautiful Durham summer afternoon. Alumni travelled from as far as America and Japan to join this celebration, which included a tour around the Business School and dinner at Fusion, the School's in-house restaurant on the Friday. On the Saturday, activities included a tour around the Castle followed by dinner at Hatfield College. A wonderful weekend was had by all and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing what our inspiring alumni are doing since they graduated. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming the group back for their 20-year reunion.

Bangkok and Tokyo

In March our recruitment team represented the School at QS Masters and MBA Fairs in both Bangkok and Tokyo. They took the opportunity to also host alumni reunions in both cities. In Bangkok, 21 alumni joined School Marketing Manager, Martin Thomas at an evening reception in the Sheraton Grande Hotel Sukhumvit. The earliest graduate was from 2010 and the most recent from 2023. In Tokyo, 11 alumni joined the event at the St. Georges’ Bar of the Tokyo Hilton, Shinjuku to hear about developments in the School and meet fellow graduates. Alumni at both events gave positive feedback and we will look to hold further events at other cities when the opportunity allows.

Beijing and Shanghai Faculty members from the School’s Department of Finance and Department of Economics visited China in May to meet with staff from the University’s China Office, current offer-holders and alumni. Alumni Relations Manager Stephanie Osborne travelled with Professor Julian Williams, Head of Department of Finance and Professor Michael Naef, Head of Department of Economics sharing the latest news and research updates to our alumni who attended the events. Steph reflected, “It was fantastic to be back in China for the first time since 2019, as we welcomed over 100 alumni to the reunions in Beijing and Shanghai. The warmth that our alumni community has shined bright as they shared their reflections and memories of Durham. It was wonderful to host these events which harnessed opportunities for alumni and staff to create new connections and start new conversations with our remarkable alumni and supporters in China.”

Dunelm Days - A Global celebration

Since its launch in 2014, Dunelm Days has been an annual event planned and organised by our alumni community all around the world. It’s a great opportunity to get together informally to celebrate a shared connection with Durham University, to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones.

Organised by Durham graduates around the world, nearly 40 events took place this year, bringing together over 400 alumni, supporters, friends and family in 20 different countries and five continents. Business School graduates took the lead at 17 of these events including the establishment of two new Alumni Chapters in Delhi and Santiago.

Milan

Accounting and Finance (2009)

Lahore

Dunelm Days Host

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