Welcome to the Alumni Newsletter
October 2012
The autumn appears to see no waning in alumni activities with our Halloween Party registering close to 200 attendees; whilst on a different note several alumni and current New York interns are stretching their sporting and charitable muscles by running the New York Marathon next month. Indeed, one of our own committee members arranged his cohort's own reunion back in September, and you can read all about that in this issue. Other Institute news include the March 2011 MBA Completion Ceremony which took place in Bangkok, and was presided over by Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill. Meanwhile, the London office of Mountbatten sadly said goodbye to Isobel Hedges at the end of August, as she set off with energy and excitement into the "retirement phase" of her career. In the meantime, Gary Ball, who has been on the Board of Trustees for many years, and has long standing connections with the programme has been appointed as Deputy Director General based in the London office.
The Mountbatten Institute continues to develop and grow and to aid this expansion we are particulary keen to make contact with these 6 companies in New York. If you are able to assist in any way, especially by way of making an introduction for us, or giving us the details of a relevant decision maker, please contact Jo Harvey in our New York Office.
Mar 11 MBA Completion Ceremony - Bangkok
Saturday July 21st marked the formal conclusion of the Asian Semester for those Mountbatten students completing their MBA after undertaking internships in London and New York during March 2011-2012 intake.
Following four months in SE Asia, based in Bangkok, and following a gruelling two months of dissertation research and writing, all 29 students gathered at the Intercontinental Hotel in Bangkok's Silom district to celebrate their achievement, participate in a formal Awards Ceremony and join a Valedictory Dinner following the Ceremony. In addition to acknowledging their participation in the Internship programme the students also received a Certificate of Completion of Studies in the Asia Pacific Region, from the Chancellor of Naresuan University.
The Ceremony was presided over by Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill, Director General. The event was organised by the Bangkok Mountbatten Office, led by Mr. Jeff Simcox, the Academic Director. Over 100 students, staff, visiting parents and friends attended and everyone enjoyed a sumptuous meal provided by the hotel.
See photos of the event
| |
Events
Forthcoming Event
31st October 2012
Alumni & London Programme Annual Halloween Party
Fully Booked!
Come and join fellow alumni and current London interns for the Annual Mountbatten Halloween Party. Full Details.
Alum of the Month
Katy (Bullock) Penman
September 1999 - New York
"Spending the turn of the millennium in New York at the Mountbatten Masked Ball. The whole 48 hour period from the afternoon of the 31st, to the party in the GW penthouse, to the trip to Little Italy and the following day blowing off the cobwebs with the ferry to the World Trade Centre and the trip to the observation deck."
Read full story.
|
Mountbatten Institute News
Regretfully, the end of September 2012 saw us saying farewell to Ms. Isobel Hedges as she announced her retirement from her position as Director of the European Office.
In Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill's words, "Isobel has enjoyed a very successful 6 year tenure at Mountbatten and the Institute is extremely grateful to her for the contribution she has made to our growth and overall success. It was under her watch, and with considerable foresight and energy on her part, that we initiated the MBA in International Business Practice firstly with American International College and then with St. Mary's. In addition Isobel was instrumental in establishing the Business to Business internship programmes we now have in place with Deutsche Bank and UBS, and will soon expand with other financial institutions in India and other parts of Asia.
Her contribution extended into many other areas as well and, in addition to her natural humour and positive outlook, the London office of Mountbatten has grown considerably over the past six years as our internship numbers have expanded. We all wish Isobel happy and good health in the years ahead and look forward to her continued friendship and support as we build on the rich legacy she will leave us."
As part of Isobel's leaving present, the organisation compiled a book of photographs and well wishes from staff and alumni taken from Isobel's time as European Regional Director of the Programme. We would like to thank you all for your contributions, and to report that Isobel was delighted with the result. The book was presented during Isobel's leaving dinner in London along with a portrait made of a mosaic of all alumni who worked with her, sending her off into her retirement with plenty of sparkle, excitement and humour.
Charitable Alumni
On 4 November Matt Silvester (September 1995 - New York) will be running the New York City marathon in memory of his stillborn son Samuel, and to raise awareness of the charity Pillars of Strength.
Pillars of Strength is a recently formed charity that provides support for dads while their baby is sick, provides short term accommodation for regional dads while their new born baby (and mum) is in NICU, and provides support for bereaved dads after the loss of their baby.
You can sponsor Matt online from the Pillars of Strength homepage. He is in the middle of the homepage! All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
In the lead up to New York, Matt was also invited to write a couple of posts for some Australian websites:
Mamamia post & Go Dad Go post.
Matt acknowledges that a number of alumni sponsored him last year, and apologises for asking you to sponsor him again! Thank you for your support.
We also have several other current New York interns who will be joining Matt in running the New York Marathon. They are, Andrew Thomas, Joe Burgess and Ben Holt (August 2012 - New York). Click on their names to go to their support pages. Any support would be gratefully received for their charitable causes.
Also last Sunday a team of Mountbattens, Deborah Langan, Andrew Dawson, Aimi Macfarlane and Gabrielle Williams (March 2012 - New York) did a 55 mile bike ride around Manhattan for the MS Society. They can still receive donations and would appreciate your help - 55 miles!
Alumni Activities
 September 02 New York Programme Reunion
On 15th September, the Mountbatten class of Sep 2002/2003 celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their arrival in New York by partying and dancing the night away. It was organised by the Unofficial Mountbatten Ten Year Anniversary Committee, simply known as UMTYAC. The evening started off in civilised fashion at Jamie Oliver's trendy restaurant Barbecoa in St Paul's, where cocktails and steaks were consumed, and wine flowed freely. They moved onto a bar nearby, and ended up in the not so trendy 80s club reflex. A total of 17 interns attended, along with partners. Out-of-towners came from as far as Zurich, Aberystwyth and Geneva. The evening was a great success, and plans are already being made for the Silver anniversary in 2027!
Jobs
Check out all the current vacancies we have on our website, including a 6 month paid internship in a London Marketing company, a Business Development Associate for UK Trade & Investment in Houston, Texas, and various IT and Business Analyst roles based in New York.
Alumni Committee Updates & Announcement
The London based Alumni Committee met on Monday 22nd October, primarily to discuss arrangements for the Halloween Party. Some great ideas were voiced, and we can also look forward to some fun events taking us well into 2013.
If you would like to get involved with the committee, please contact Vicki McCordall.
email: vmccordall@mountbatten.org
web: http://alumni.mountbatten.org
Feedback
Let us know what you would like to read about in the newsletter. Are there any stories that you would like us to cover in our Alumni newsletter? If so, please get in touch. |