Surrey Business School celebrates the power of partnership

Surrey Business School proudly hosted its inaugural Celebrating Partners event on 24 June, marking the first in what will become an annual flagship celebration of the organisations and individuals whose collaboration enriches our students, research, executive education, entrepreneurship and wider business community.

The event brought together business leaders, entrepreneurs, alumni, academics and strategic partners to recognise the invaluable contribution they make throughout the year. From guest speakers who inspire students in the classroom, to organisations supporting student consultancy projects, executive education, research collaborations, mentoring and the Executive in Residence Scheme, the evening celebrated the strength and diversity of Surrey Business School’s partnerships.

Guests listening to a presentation at Surrey Business School's Celebrating Partners event on 24 June 2026

Business embedded curriculum

At Surrey Business School (SBS), collaboration with external partners is embedded throughout the student journey and the School’s wider mission. Businesses contribute to curriculum design, provide live consultancy projects (B-Clinic), mentor aspiring entrepreneurs through the Surrey Hatchery, support executive education, co-create research, support innovation activities and offer placements and graduate employment opportunities. These partnerships ensure that students gain practical experience while organisations benefit from fresh perspectives, access to talent and the latest academic expertise.

The event highlighted several examples of how these collaborations are creating tangible value for both businesses and society. Through the School’s B-Clinic organisations are working with student teams to explore real-world challenges, including AI-enabled business transformation, helping SMEs identify practical opportunities to adopt artificial intelligence while giving students invaluable consultancy experience. Business partners are also contributing to cutting-edge research, including studies exploring the role of motherhood in leadership, helping to generate evidence that informs more inclusive leadership practices and organisational policies. In executive education, organisations are collaborating with academic colleagues to co-design accredited professional development programmes, ensuring that learning is directly aligned with emerging industry needs and delivers immediate workplace impact.

Alongside these initiatives, partners have supported innovation projects, shared their expertise as guest speakers, mentored aspiring entrepreneurs, participated in assessment panels and competitions, and contributed to the development of new curricula, ensuring that Surrey Business School programmes remain relevant, practical and future-focused.

Delegate holding an award at Surrey Business School Celebrating Partners event on 24 June 2026

Business Partner Awards

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2026 Surrey Business School Business Partner Awards, recognising individuals whose commitment has made an outstanding contribution across the School.

This year’s award winners were:

Executive in Residence Award – Simon Kelly and Spyros Stamoulis (NTT DATA)
Executive Education Award – Nial Quiney (Royal Surrey County Hospital)
Guest Speaker Award – Richard Game (Cressive X)
Student Projects Award – Phill Townend (Vision Engineering Ltd)
Student Employability Award – Ellina Kaufmann (CBRE)

Among those recognised was Simon Kelly, who received the Executive in Residence Award for his exceptional contribution to Surrey Business School. Throughout the year, Simon has delivered eight guest lectures on leadership, and entrepreneurship reaching over 490 students. He also completed 46 one-to-one career coaching sessions and served as a voting member of the School’s Data Challenge competition. Simon said “working alongside some of the best Academics and Students has been a real privilege. The School is thriving and is building stronger relationship with the business world and this is insuring a brighter future for the next generation of business leaders”.

His involvement exemplifies the impact that experienced business leaders can have in shaping business education and preparing graduates for the challenges of an evolving world.

Meaningful partnerships

Reflecting on the event, Professor Iis Tussyadiah, Dean of Surrey Business School, emphasised that meaningful partnerships are central to the School’s vision of delivering education and research with real-world impact. By working closely with businesses, public sector organisations, charities and community organisations, Surrey Business School continues to create opportunities that benefit students, academics and external partners alike.

The Celebrating Partners Event reflects Surrey Business School’s long-term commitment to recognising the people and organisations that contribute to its success. More importantly, it reinforces the School’s ambition to build partnerships based on trust, shared expertise and a commitment to creating value together.

Whether supporting student learning, co-developing research, advancing responsible AI adoption, designing accredited executive education programmes, nurturing entrepreneurial talent or driving innovation, Surrey Business School believes that the greatest impact is achieved through genuine collaboration. We are always looking to develop new partnerships with organisations that share our ambition to solve real-world challenges, develop future leaders and create lasting economic and social value for our region and beyond.

If you’d like to get involved with helping future business leaders at Surrey, please contact sbsbusiness@surrey.ac.uk