Faculty and speakers on the EMBA

Research interests

Houyuan Jiang researches healthcare operations management, supply chain management and revenue management, for which he builds mathematical models, uncovers managerial insights, and develops computational methods. For healthcare operations management, at the strategic level, he is interested in designing appropriate contracts among healthcare payers and providers who interact, collaborate and compete vertically and horizontally. At the operational level, he is keen to design and analyse systems and processes that can efficiently utilise limited resources such as hospital beds and healthcare professionals.

Research interests

A large part of our lives is mediated through digital devices which collect big data about us. David Stillwell’s research asks how can we better understand customers, employees or managers from behavioural traces like their social media activity, emails, or purchase records?

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Binder Hamlyn in London, Peter was an early member of the Cambridge high-tech community. He co-founded Torch Computers in 1981 and was a director until the company was sold in 1987. Although he has a financial background he has always been passionate about customers, the sales and the growth of the business.

The original concept Mint Marketing Company was founded in 1987. ChocExpress, the catalogue/online delivered chocolate gift company was added and the company was rebranded to Hotel Chocolat in 2003.

He was Finance Director for the first 24 years and has been able to balance fast organic growth with good profitability. He was able to achieve profits in every year except one thus enabling the profits to be reinvested to fund the growth of the business. The first Hotel Chocolat shop was opened in Watford in October 2004. The opening plan accelerated and in 2008 the company was the No 1 fastest growing company in the UK on The Sunday Times/Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100. This was achieved without raising funds.

The Chocolate Tasting Club was started in 1999 and won acclaim with its unique method of growth funding – The Chocolate Bond, which did not pay interest but gave chocolates instead. The online delivered chocolate business was started in 1993 and is a key part of Hotel Chocolat.

Hotel Chocolat has grown into one of the UK’s most advocated brands founded on the cornerstones of originality, authenticity and ethics. It was floated on AIM at the London Stock Exchange in 2016. Current turnover is over £200m with 135 shops in the UK and there are over 2000 employees.

The factory was set up in Huntingdon in 2004 and currently produces over 250 million chocolates per year.

In 2005 the oldest cocoa farm in St Lucia, Rabot Estate was acquired. It is sustainable and organic. The Rabot Hotel, a luxury 25 room boutique hotel and restaurant was opened in 2011 for people to taste Cacao Cuisine and enjoy the awesome beauty of the location in this World Heritage site. Project Chocolat the unique bean to bar visitor experience opened in 2022 and is a must for anyone visiting St Lucia.

In January 2024 the business was acquired by Mars Inc the fourth largest private family business in the US.
Peter is an Enterprise Fellow for The Prince’s Trust and has worked there as a business mentor, helping several businesses establish themselves. He has presented to the MBA groups at Cambridge University as well as CUE (Cambridge University Entrepreneurs) on many occasions.

He won the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008.

Aileen Ryan is a globally recognised technology leader, policy influencer, and sustainability advocate. She currently serves as President & CEO of the RAIN Alliance, empowering organisations worldwide to achieve greater efficiency, sustainability, and circularity through the widespread adoption of technology.

She is the Co-founder of Preoptima, an AI SaaS company enabling real-time carbon emissions management in construction. Previously, she led UltraSoC Technologies to a successful acquisition by Siemens, and her earlier career spans leadership roles in AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity. 

Aileen is Chair of The Sick Children’s Trust and Non-Executive Director at Innovate Surrey Ltd. 

Recognised as one of the top 25 Irish leaders in Sci-Tech (Silicon Republic) and one of the most inspiring women in cybersecurity (KPMG), Aileen holds an M.B.A., an M.Sc. in Computer Science, and a B.E. in Electrical Engineering, with executive education from Stanford GSB and Cambridge University. 

Jacqueline (Jacqui) Sutton is a highly experienced Aerospace industry professional with a career encompassing a variety of strategic and commercial roles for leading players in the Aerospace market.

Most recently, Jacqui held the position of Chief Customer Officer (CCO) at Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace where she was a key member of the Civil Aerospace Leadership Team. As a member of the Leadership Team, she worked closely with her colleagues to navigate Civil Aerospace successfully through the recent pandemic. In her capacity as CCO, she was responsible for the global customer base including airline operators, leasing companies and aircraft manufacturers across the world. Leading a multinational global team, she was responsible for the order book, revenue and cash driven by the sale of engines and services as well as innovative marketing and world class customer support.

Jacqui became part of the Rolls-Royce team in 2008 where she held several customer facing senior leadership roles initially serving the customers in Europe and the Americas. As part of her career with Rolls-Royce she also held the position of Senior Vice President Airbus, where, based in Toulouse, she was responsible for managing the complex and strategically important relationship between aircraft and engine manufacturer.

She joined Rolls-Royce from GE Aviation Systems (formerly Smiths Aerospace), a supplier of aircraft avionics and airframe systems, where she held various roles in sales, business development, strategy, and programme management.
Since stepping down from her role as CCO, Jacqui has joined the Farnborough International Board as a Non-Executive Director. As the organisation behind the iconic bi-annual Farnborough Airshow and other exhibitions and events, she is able to bring her wealth of experience to support and guide the team. She has also recently taken up a Non-Executive Director position with Xaar plc, a Cambridge based market leading manufacturer of innovative digital inkjet printing technology.

Jacqui is passionate about supporting and mentoring future leaders and is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity in the workplace. She is Non-Executive Director for the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter (WIAAC), an organisation for which she has previously served as Co-Chair. With more than 250 signatories across the Aviation and Aerospace sectors, the Charter is working to build a more balanced and inclusive industry for women. In addition, she has been appointed as a Trustee on the Council of St John’s College, Durham University. She has previously served as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and as a Trustee for the Derby Museum and Arts Trust. Jacqui was awarded MBE for Services to the Economy in the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours. She holds a BA Hons degree in Russian and German from Durham University and a Postgraduate
Diploma in International Marketing. She is an accomplished linguist, with skills in 4 languages.

Adam Pacifico is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ London office and a member of Heidrick Consulting. He has nearly 30 years of experience in law, law enforcement, and leadership advisory roles. Adam has designed and delivered large scale, innovative, and immersive leadership development programmes across sectors levels and regions.

Adam has broad experience delivering high impact and award-winning experiential learning to leaders in FTSE 100, 250, and S&P500 firms globally.

Adam’s primary sectors include public sector, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and technology. He continues to work with clients extensively across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia.

Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Adam held leadership roles as a former CLO at PCA Law and as MD at Duke CE. He prosecuted and defended in the criminal courts and took 6 years from the Bar to become a serving police officer with the Metropolitan Police, 3 years serving on the proactive teams. He assisted the prosecution team of The International Criminal Court during the Lebanon Tribunal and trained specialist officers in every police force in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Adam has personally trained over 50,000 people nationally and internationally as a global educator, keynote speaker and conference chair. He is a fully qualified barrister and member of Red Lion Chambers and Inner Temple. Adam is the co-author of ‘The Leader’s Secret Code’ (shortlisted for Business Book of the Year 2020), opinion columnist and host of the globally ranked podcast ‘The Leadership Enigma’.

Born in 1951, Chris was educated in Edinburgh and then Pembroke College, Cambridge, achieving a double first in English (and later a PhD on Wordsworth and Coleridge) and was also a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard.

Chris began his political career as a Labour Councillor for Islington Borough, becoming MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 1983.  (The following year he became the first MP in UK history voluntarily to come out as being gay.)  In 1992 he joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Environmental Protection, and two years later moved to Heritage, then Social Security and Health.  When Labour came to power in 1997 he became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Chairman of the Millennium Commission.  During his four years as Secretary of State he restored free admission to national museums and galleries, established NESTA, the Film Council, Creative Partnerships for schools, and the Foundation for Youth Music, expanded funding for the arts and sport, championed the creative industries for the first time in Government, started funding for Olympic athletes, and began the switchover process for digital television. He returned to the back benches in 2001, played a leading role in opposing the Iraq war, standing down from the Commons in 2005.  Immediately afterwards he was made a life peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords in July 2005.

In 2003 he became Director of the Clore Leadership Programme, helping to develop the potential of future leaders in the cultural sector; he stepped down in July 2008 to become Chairman of the Environment Agency.  He chaired the Environment Agency from 2008 to 2014;  from 2007 to 2017 he was also Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority.  From 2014 to 2024 he was Chairman of the Art Fund; he was Chairman of Judges for the Man Booker Prize in 2004; and Chairman of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre until 2014. In 2011-12 he led the Review of Film Policy for the Government.  He is also Chair of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, a Non-Executive Director of PPL, Chair of South Staffs and Cambridge Water, a Board Member of English National Opera, and Honorary President of the Wordsworth Trust.  He has been Master of Pembroke College in Cambridge since October 2015.