The Business School has held its first ever volunteering reception for alumni as a way of thanking them for their support.

The Dean’s Alumni Volunteer Reception which took place on Thursday 27 March was an opportunity for former students to meet Professor G ‘Anand’ Anadalingam, Dean of Imperial College Business School, and hear about the latest news. It was also an opportunity for the Dean to congratulate volunteers for their support.

The Business School offers alumni the opportunity to volunteer after they graduate as a way of keeping in touch and sharing their valuable experience with current and prospective students.  Alumni can volunteer in areas such as helping with student recruitment, encouraging prospective students to enrol, as well as offering career advice, giving talks and organising events.

Adeline Daly, a former Weekend Executive MBA student at the Business School, believes that volunteering has helped her develop key skills in her professional career. Adeline takes part at the Business School’s careers fairs and open evenings.  She speaks to prospective students about the value of an Imperial MBA and her experience of studying here.

“I enjoyed my MBA so much that I want to promote it to other people.  I want to see the Business School continue to be successful as that in turns means my MBA continues to be valued,” she explained. “Volunteering has also helped me hone my public speaking skills and how I interact with people from different backgrounds.”

Similarly, former student Helen Posnett, who is a Medical Services Development Manager at Bupa Health Funding, wanted to share her work experience with current students.  She provides advisory support for the Business School’s Healthcare Special Interest Group (SIG).   This group provides a forum for alumni and professionals working in the healthcare sector to share ideas, challenges and experiences with one another.  She works alongside the Business School’s alumni support staff to shape and plan events.  This includes choosing topics, finding speakers and chairing the event.

“I enjoyed feeling part of an educational community at the Business School which extended into a wider networks and I wanted to enable that to continue. I’ve also benefited from networking in my career and wanted to share that with students coming through,” she said.

The opportunity to mentor current students at the Business School was one of the reasons why Peter Hibbs, a former MBA student, decided to volunteer.  Peter mentors this year's full-time MBA students. 

“Volunteering is a useful way of getting on in a career. It is good to be the sort of person who puts their hand up and says 'yep, I'll do that' or 'I'll give that a go'. Recently, I've been practicing my mentoring and coaching with one of the current cohort of students, which is quite a rewarding experience.  Meanwhile, staying in touch with the business school is good for my professional development, because it helps me meet new people, make contacts and keep in touch with older friends too.”

Currently, 500 of the Business School’s alumni are signed up to the volunteer programme.   Professor Anandalingam hopes that more alumni will get involved.

“The volunteering opportunities that we offer our alumni are a great way for them to have an impact on the learning experience of our current students.  Our students also benefit from the knowledge and skills that our alumni have to offer.  It is also a great way for alumni to stay connected to the Business School long after they graduate. Our volunteers have talked about how much they have enjoyed the experience and how it has positively benefited their careers.  I hope more of our alumni are inspired to volunteer as a result.”