Packaging manager Craig Hall, from the Northern brewery Thwaites has become the first scholarship graduate of the pioneering Cambridge General Management Programme of Achievement delivered by Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education, part of the University of Cambridge.
Mr Hall was awarded the £8,500 scholarship by The Stanhill Foundation, founded by British philanthropist and merchant banker, Ilyas Khan. He was initially put forward by Thwaites’ chief executive, Rick Bailey and managing director, Steve Magnall after they met with Mr Khan at a conference last year. They were compelled to recommend Mr Hall based on his long-standing service and loyalty to the company and progression within the business. Mr Hall has worked with the brewery for more than 26 years, beginning in quality control and progressing to his current managerial role.
The Cambridge General Management Programme of Achievement is designed for highly motivated business professionals who have reached a level within their organisations where they require more breadth and depth across multiple functional areas, or wish to refresh their thinking in specific management principles. The Programme of Achievement is awarded on the completion of five, two-day open programmes selected from the Cambridge Judge Business School’s Executive Education portfolio, which can be spread out over two years depending on the candidate’s schedule.
After initial recommendation to the scholarship board, the 44-year-old from Blackburn was shortlisted for the programme when he submitted an 800 word essay application which subsequently beat 80 applicants. He was awarded the scholarship following an interview with a panel of judges including director of open education at the Cambridge Judge Business School, Alison Wheeler-Héau, Habir Siddiq from The Stanhill Foundation and director of MBS programme, Jochen Runde. Allison Wheeler-Héau said:
Mr Hall was chosen for his ambition, his modesty, his experience to date, and his passion for the business. We believed that the palate of programmes would give him a generalist perspective and a great boost to his career.
As part of his Cambridge General Management Programme of Achievement, Mr Hall completed five programmes which he had selected including; Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers, Making your Organisation Innovative, Transformational Leadership, Strategic Management, and Creating Winning Brands.
He comments:
I was thrilled when I first found out about the scholarship. I wouldn’t have thought an education at Cambridge was achievable so far down the line in my career so I feel honoured to have studied at a world-class business school. I specifically chose the programmes on the basis that I felt they would provide me with a more rounded overview of our business.
According to Mr Hall the programme differs vastly from other business courses he has attended previously and explains:
Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education has completely transformed my perspective on business. Having worked at Thwaites for all of my professional life, I had become quite myopic and institutionalised in my approach. Attending the Cambridge General Management Programme of Achievement has opened my eyes by giving me the opportunity to interact with companies and industries from outside of the business. I will now go back to Thwaites confident that I have a comprehensive overview when making decisions and I will start to employ everything I have learnt back into the workplace.
The Stanhill Foundation is committed to promoting and enhancing the value of education for the East Lancashire area. Ilyas Khan commented:
I was thrilled that Mr Hall was successful in his application. It was clear that he would benefit from the Cambridge experience, and he was exactly what we had in mind when we put the scholarship together. We wish him the best of luck in the future.