MBA Alumni Event in Washington DC
15 May 03

More than fifty professionals braved torrential rain to gather at the British Embassy Rotunda on the evening of 15 May. Alumni, students, administrators and guests of the school assembled for the flagship Edinburgh Business School alumni event in the United States. Many were distance learners meeting other students face-to-face for the very first time.

The evening began with a welcome from Alick Kitchin, member of the EBS Board of Directors, who took the opportunity to announce the Edinburgh Business School DBA program, a logical next step for graduates and advancing students of the MBA program.

Guest speaker, Tim Bassett, Senior Director of Business Development at Lewin Group, and D.C. EBS alumni representative, described to students and those considering the MBA program what it was like to spend countless hours studying and, more importantly, why it had been worth it.

Keynote speaker, Jacques Mulder, Senior Vice President at Quintiles Integrated Strategic Solutions and another D.C. alumnus of the program, presented his insights into the dynamics of an ever-changing pharmaceutical industry. The business acumen and analytic thinking evidenced throughout made for a case study in how the MBA can enhance ones ability to apply strategic thinking to the demands of a changing marketplace.

Robert Cantrell, EBS alumnus and author of the newly-published Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War, graciously donated two copies of his book, which were raffled and autographed for winners Victoria Conkling, of Granda , Inc., and Caroline Levenson of The World Bank.

Morag Heggie, Director of Administration at Edinburgh Business School, incorporated the event into her visit to the New York MBA Student Services office. "This was a terrific evening. It's invigorating to see people with this program in common getting acquainted. We have so many interesting and accomplished students and alumni, and it was great to meet some of them in person."

For many, though, the highlight of the event was the networking. The majority of attendees spent two hours mingling, meeting and comparing notes, coming to the awareness that as distance learners they share a very unique experience.
 
Alick Kitchin commented: "The most fascinating thing I found tonight is how many people in this room have progressed through the program despite multiple relocations. Some have already lived and worked on three continents, and still managed to keep going with their studies. The impact of our flexibility and the dedication of students became very clear to me."

There was a sense, as the evening ended, that many students left with not only re-invigorated stamina to finish their MBAs, but with acquaintances that could change the landscape of more than one business, organization or career.

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