From pioneering roots in the industrial heartland to shaping global business for the 21st century and beyond, AMBS isn’t just reflecting on its past, it’s setting the pace for the future.
In 2025, Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) celebrates its 60th anniversary, a proud landmark for one of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s original business schools and a springboard into a bold new era of leadership, learning and global influence.
Founded in 1965 amid Manchester’s powerhouse legacy of enterprise and innovation, AMBS has always done things differently. Today, it thrives at the intersection of pioneering research, real-world impact, and purpose-driven education, an institution with both legacy and momentum.
But this anniversary isn’t about looking back. It’s about redefining what business education should be in an age of complexity, connectedness and change.
The future is now: Celebrating 60 years with purpose
AMBS’s 60th anniversary year launches with an ambitious, future-facing campaign under a simple but powerful banner: The Future of Business.
Central to this is the , a landmark gathering of global thought leaders, change-makers, alumni, and students. The Festival explores the most pressing issues facing the business world today and tomorrow: the rise of artificial intelligence, the evolution of financial systems, the future of media, the dynamics of global leadership, and the role of sustainability in strategic growth.
Professor Ken McPhail, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School, explained: “Whether it’s dealing with economic disparities, global geopolitical upheaval, climate change, or the impact of new technologies, we are living in pivotal times that call for fresh thinking, bold leadership, and meaningful action.â€
In a dynamic programme across four days, the will culminate with ‘Innovate 2050’ on June 19, where panellists from the BBC, Mr and Mrs Smith, the makers of Adolescence and many more, will come together to discuss the future of media, finance and digitalisation. These events are designed not just to inform, but to provoke, connect and spark action. The School’s thought leadership is set to deepen with the release of a new book from Head of Alliance Manchester Business School, Professor Ken McPhail, offering a radical exploration of where business is heading, and where it needs to go.
Learning that works - and works differently
What sets AMBS apart? It’s education designed for action.
Learning here doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in boardrooms, on consulting projects, through international exchanges and on the frontlines of change. It’s flexible, experiential, and grounded in practice.
Students can tailor their education through specialist pathways, in strategy, marketing, analytics, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, sustainability and more. And with modular, part-time and blended formats, AMBS meets learners where they are, empowering them to advance without pausing their careers.
And the results? They're world-leading. The Full-time MBA is ranked 3rd globally for career progression, and #1 in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and Europe for career services. Alumni report average post-MBA salaries exceeding $150,000 within three years. But impact here is about far more than income.
Success with purpose: Impact beyond profit
What truly distinguishes AMBS is its alignment with a wider mission: to deliver business education that drives social, environmental and economic change.
Professor McPhail added: “As well as teaching the leaders of tomorrow, business schools have a crucial role to play in research discovery, promoting innovation, and understanding how to tackle these grand challenges with impact alongside business.â€
As part of The University of Manchester, ranked #1 in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and Europe for social and environmental impact (THE Impact Rankings), the School channels its research and teaching into projects that matter. Think climate resilience, inclusive innovation, ethical finance, digital justice, global health and public policy.
It’s a philosophy that resonates through its alumni: leaders shaping production at Netflix, founders of climate-tech start-ups, strategists at the World Bank, and social entrepreneurs breaking cycles of inequality. AMBS graduates don’t just thrive in business, they reshape what business means.
A global force with a local soul
AMBS’s global outlook is grounded in a powerful sense of place. With more than 6,500 students from over 130 countries, a 60,000-strong alumni network across 176 nations, and four overseas centres from Dubai to Shanghai, the School is a bridge between continents, cultures and ideas.
Whether you're a future undergraduate, a seasoned executive, or an ambitious entrepreneur, AMBS offers something that fits your journey. From world-class MBAs to cutting-edge executive education, from research degrees to short innovation-led courses, the School is an open door to transformative learning.
At the same time, it remains rooted in its city, a champion of inclusive growth and a key player in Manchester’s rise as a global innovation hub.
Forging the next generation of changemakers
Business schools must not only educate future leaders but drive research, innovation, and real-world impact.
As AMBS enters its seventh decade, it’s not just responding to change, it’s driving it. From integrating AI, and data ethics into its curriculum to embedding inclusive leadership and ESG principles into its courses, the School is preparing leaders not only to succeed, but to lead with conscience.
With a global network, fearless vision, and commitment to original thinking, Alliance Manchester Business School is ready for what comes next, and it’s inviting the world to be part of it.
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