Putting Manchester on the map for business excellence

29 Aug 2018

Ranked in the top four UK providers of MBAs by the Financial Times, Alliance Manchester Business School offers world-class, industry-focused education to undergraduates, postgraduates and executives across the globe

Soon its global reputation will be matched by an impressive modern headquarters at the heart of the Oxford Road Corridor. The landmark refurbishment of the UK’s largest business school will deliver state-of-the-art facilities to the campus including a new Learning Resources Centre and Enterprise Zone, Data Analytics Visualisation Lab and a Behavioural Economics and Strategic Management Laboratory.

The new Executive Education Centre has already opened, and in September a 19 storey hotel housing a 4* Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites on Booth Street West will open, followed by a suite of new shops and restaurants on Oxford Road. 

Upon opening, this landmark development will herald the first time since the merger of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and the Victoria University of Manchester in 2004 that Alliance MBS staff will be based under one roof. This major scheme has attracted external funding from Lord Alliance of Manchester and others including friends and alumni of the University. The entire scheme was overseen by the University’s Estates and Faculties team. It is also the first UK business school to receive a multi-million pound donation for a capital project from the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund.

Professor Fiona Devine, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School, said: “We are creating the facilities that students hope for from a world-class business school and that the high-flyers who engage in our executive education courses expect in their day-to-day life. We are seeking to create the best conditions possible for teaching and learning. 

“That could mean offering a bespoke package with accommodation and business training to clients such as BAE Systems, an advanced management achievement course to former military personnel, or state-of-the-art facilities for our international students who spend short but intense periods of time with us here in Manchester on our global MBA, much of which is done through blended distance learning. We are attracting investment and attention to Manchester, benefitting staff, students, clients and indeed, the wider city.

"All of us are very excited at the prospect of moving into the new facilities soon and are appreciative of the substantial investment in the Business School by all concerned."

Diana Hampson, Director of Estates and Facilities, added: “We are proud to support this important project, creating cutting-edge facilities for staff, students and visitors. The refurbishment of the Alliance Manchester Business School and the new Executive Education Centre is a key part of the University’s Campus Masterplan and will be complemented by the opening of a suite of shops, cafes, restaurants and public realm at University Green for staff and visitors to enjoy.”