University of Manchester hailed ‘city’s greatest innovation asset’ as part of inaugural Festival of Business

• Business leaders, academics and innovators reflect on the next quarter-century of societal change at Festival of Business
• Manchester’s innovation heritage highlighted as a key driver of city’s growth agenda
• Experts touch on important role collaboration between private and third sectors to drive change

The University of Manchester was hailed the city’s ‘greatest innovation asset’ at Alliance Manchester Business School’s (AMBS) inaugural ‘Festival of Business’.

Taking place across the 25^th-27^th of June, the ‘Festival of Business’ sought to encourage attendees to explore the role that businesses can play in helping society rise to the challenges and opportunities of the future. Part of the University’s bicentenary celebrations, the event celebrated AMBS as a beacon of original thinking, ready to help tackle the challenges facing the economy, business and society.

Across a packed agenda of events and seminars businesspeople, thought leaders and AMBS’s own academic experts offered their insight and views on how we should address 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 from across the third sector.

Gaining the Edge

This included the ‘‘Gaining the Edge’ Seminar which, as well as 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 in the sector.

Topics of discussion included best practice for making an impact during volatile and uncertain times, the importance of genuine collaboration between the third sector and private enterprise in driving real change.

Business 2050

The festival was closed with ‘Business 2050’ – a deep dive into the intersection of shifts in working culture, technological advances and the role of purpose in business. Kicking off a trio of key note speeches and panel sessions was Will Periam, who reflected on how Ford is grappling with the biggest market shifts it’s seen for ‘a century’, before being joined in discussion with Matt Cobbold, Strategic Growth Manager at Palatine Private Equity, Sacha Jacobs, CFO at Fabacus and Judy Zolkiewski, Professor of Marketing to reflect on the need for business transformation in a time of significant change.

Edwin Booth CBE then led discussions on ‘People & Society’, bringing to life his vision for a more employee-centric business model. Reflecting on the need to balance the needs of an organisation with those of its workers, he argued that the value businesses deliver must be more than just simply financial value.

Lou Cordwell, entrepreneur and Professor of Innovation Ecosystems, Patrick Vizzone, co-founder and CFO of Vertical Oceans and Mohammad El Hajj, co-founder and CEO at Bright Biotech, then rounded off Business 2050 with their reflections on the changing tech landscape globally and how Manchester is preparing for the coming quarter century of social, economic and technological change.

Lou Cordwell said: “The University of Manchester is undeniably one of the city’s greatest innovation assets. The Festival of Business represented an amazing opportunity for us to recognise this legacy and look to the future, allowing us to foster the collaborative approach that will play an integral role in creating sustainable innovation ecosystems to harness future opportunities for the regional economy.”

Community engagement

As part of the festival, The Business School also hosted 50 pupils from across Greater Manchester for a day of entrepreneurship and innovation hosted by the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC). Attending schools included Hazel Grove Sixth Form and Rochdale Sixth Form College.

The Festival was the latest in a programme of events taking place throughout the year to mark the University of Manchester’s bicentenary.

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 forward business transformation and modernisation. The event was a great success and we look forward to building on this platform with future iterations in the years to come.”