New Director of Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC)

09 Jul 2024

AMBS has announced the appointment of the new Director who will lead the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre’s mission to drive and nurture our next generation of outstanding innovators.

The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre is the focal point for enterprise and entrepreneurship for all students, recent graduates and staff at The University of Manchester.

Aurore Hochard joins from London’s Bayes Business School, after nine years as Head of Entrepreneurship Programmes. She brings diverse experience to the role and a real passion for fostering a culture of entrepreneurship following her career as a teacher and tech entrepreneur in the USA and UK.

Aurore describes her passion for fostering a culture of entrepreneurship: “I am incredibly inspired by the opportunity to bring my lived experience as an entrepreneur and my drive to imbed entrepreneurial thinking into education at the highest level in Manchester. It is this entrepreneurial mindset that has the power to not only see things differently, but to implement positive change and innovation for the business community and society as a whole.”  

Alliance Manchester Business School Head of School, Prof Ken McPhail said “The role of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking is an incredibly powerful area of business. As a leading Business School, we a proud to not only nurture the next generation of outstanding innovators within the University of Manchester, but to support them to achieve economic and societal benefit worldwide. We are living in a time of great dynamism within the world of business and with that comes real opportunity for Aurore and the team to harness this momentum and continue to support the next generation of pioneers.”

Prof Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said, “For two hundred years, the University of Manchester has been at the forefront of innovation, with some of the world's most important achievements taking place within the Institution. We are delighted to welcome Aurore to champion a new era of enterprise and to ensure that our students across all disciplines have the opportunity to develop and apply their talents in entrepreneurship.”

In 2025, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre will celebrate 25 years at the forefront of enterprise in the UK. 

Aurore Hochard will join the team on 1 October 2024 and share her vision and strategy for 2025 and beyond.