When one is equipped with the knowledge and expertise to generate value for the company or the industry, it must be done without detriment to the community and humankind. This is an overarching theme that keeps recurring in a discussion with Professor Ken McPhail, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) and Professor of Accounting at The University of Manchester.
A distinguished education institution
Talking to The Standard during his latest visit to Hong Kong at the University of Manchester East Asia Centre, one of the University’s five international centres spread across the globe, including Dubai, Manchester, Shanghai and Singapore, Professor McPhail hails the exciting time we are in as we enter an era of rapid technological changes and unprecedented innovations.
As one of the oldest universities in the UK, University of Manchester is a member of the prestigious Russell Group, the equivalent of Ivy League. With its unique commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Professor McPhail points out that the University is the only institution in the world to rank in the Top Ten for social and environmental impact in every year of The Times Education Impact Rankings.
“As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of AMBS next year, we stay focussed on our close collaboration with industry, ensuring that our programmes and research are at the forefront of the real world of business,” emphasizes Professor McPhail.
In the competitive market of business studies, AMBS has continued to enjoy strong support due to its rock solid reputation. It is ranked 34th in the 2025 QS Ranking of World Universities, and 6th in the UK. Simon Johnson, the latest Nobel Prize laureate in Economics, is an alumnus.
Networking and global perspective
Brimming with pride and satisfaction, Professor McPhail highlights the School’s large and mature alumni network as a major asset. Numbering more than 70,000, they hold senior positions across various sectors worldwide. “The personal rapport students build up through the network is one of the most valuable benefits derived from our programme,”Professor McPhail notes.
Furthermore, in its Global MBA programme, for instance, AMBS offers the unique combination of online learning and face-to-face workshops at students’ home or at its international centres, giving them plenty of flexibility to balance full-time work with commitments to the programme. “Travelling to a new land gives students a global perspective that broadens their mind to cultural differences,” Professor McPhail remarks. “It’s experiential learning at its most effective.”
Business acumen & ethics
In the face of rapid changes in technological advances and market behaviours, AMBS ensures the relevance of its programmes through its engagement with industry professionals in business forums, collaborative research and alumni feedback. “In the next five years, our focus will be very much on the demands for lifelong learning and knowledge update,” Professor McPhail reveals. “There will be a whole range of topics that are designed to add value to our students to help them succeed in their careers, such as AI, Big Data, Fintech, Green Tech, Digital Marketing, Carbon reporting, and much more.”
Specifically for East Asia, AMBS is keenly aware of increasing global uncertainties, and the need to equip students with the skillsets to navigate some uncharted waters. In looking at various pressing issues like global supply chains, technological developments, industrial transition, and more, Professor McPhail emphasizes, “It’s not just a matter of sharpening students’ business acumen, but also instilling in them business ethics.”
He cites the example of an Asia seminar tour earlier in July organized by the East Asia Centre that covered Hong Kong, Macau and Japan. Focussing on food, ESG and sustainability, the seminar tour explored the significant role that the gastronomy industry plays in ESG practices, covering such issues as food preparation and wastage, as well as workforce and supplier relationships. “The crux is on turning research into impact,” he stresses.
Collaboration and transformation
Professor McPhail sees huge potentials for collaboration with local education institutions and key professional bodies. Together, they are already addressing such complex issues as accessing private equity and venture capital in support of start-ups, and nurturing entrepreneurship. “Another hot topic we’re working on is how to overcome obstacles with autonomous vehicles,” he adds.
Hong Kong makes an irreplaceable regional base in Professor McPhail’s assessment for the future of AMBS, not only for its strategic geographic location, but also its comprehensive infrastructure. “We can very conveniently reach out to the Greater Bay Area, as well as to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,” he notes.
Professor McPhail has high hopes for and every confidence in Alliance Manchester Business School’s future. “Because of our history, scale and global reach, AMBS is a very ’special’ school’,” he observes. “We are imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit, and driven by a consistent purpose, but always conscious of our social responsibility.”
In celebration of AMBS’s 60th anniversary, the East Asia Centre has launched a year-long programme of activities in 2025, commencing with a non-cost-deduction donation from the sale of each hoodie to the Children’s Cancer Fund, one of the most needy charitable organizations in Hong Kong.
Now in his second year as Head of the Business School, Professor McPhail considers it a huge privilege to be working with an “amazing” group of students and alumni who are at the forefront of their businesses.
“We have a phenomenal network of alumni, and I can see the fervent passion in each and everyone of them to take on the role of change engine,” he concludes. “In harnessing their combined wisdom and energy, we could become a potent force that helps transform the business world.”
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