President’s update – August 2013
Dear Alumnus
It is over a year since I took on the role as President of the Scholarship Foundation and it is now time to reflect upon and summarise the year’s progress.
2013 Scholarship
This year, we have again seen a very strong field of diverse and talented finalists. We congratulate all finalists and announce Daniel George as the winner of the Seventh Cranfield Australian Alumni Scholarship, 2013. The runners-up, Kevin Ha and Grace Lai, have both been awarded Outstanding Candidate Scholarships by the School of Management.
Thus far, 12 individuals have benefited from our endeavours since the Scholarship’s inception 7 years ago, and have graduated and joined our Alumni network. With this year’s awards it would be fair to say we are now on the verge of having built a self-sustaining and extremely worthy cause. Cranfield’s willingness to consistently offer additional part scholarships to our finalists is testament to our ability to identify and short-list only the highest calibre candidates.
Cranfield’s brand
We continue to build relationships with relevant media and key third parties with the ambition of promoting Cranfield and the Alumni. Boss magazine featured our 2010 Scholar, Todd Myers, and in February I hosted two lunches, one each in Melbourne and Sydney, attended by key influencers in major Australian corporations, respected educational media and senior Alumni.
Alumni activities
On the back of Phil Reid’s efforts we have reinvigorated activities in NSW, with a number of events during the year including a whisky tasting (!), a session with Andrew Kakabadse (to be repeated again) and a number of lunches. Soon, we will be undertaking our first event in Canberra.
More broadly, we have activated a widespread campaign via LinkedIn to connect with all Australian based Cranfield Alumni. This has revealed a total network approaching 1000 Cranfield Alumni across all schools. We will be assessing how best to leverage and work with the community during this next year.
At a global level, with the CMA being disbanded, Cranfield School of Management has reorganised its support for Alumni in ways that we trust and hope will be beneficial to us as we seek to build awareness of the Cranfield brand in Australia.
2013 Scholarship Award Events
A very successful and well attended Fifth AGM (Minutes & 2012 Annual Report) and Award Dinner were held in Melbourne on Monday 27 May at The Windsor Hotel. Simon Bunde’s (MSc-L 1992) Insider’s View on “Dealing in drugs – following the money trail in Australia’s $10billion dollar drug trade” was entertaining and warmly received.
Just shy of 60 attended the Award Dinner, including our Patron John McFarlane and his wife Annie. Each year John reserves a spot in his calendar to be in Australia to present the awards to the finalists. Phil Reid was this year’s winner of “The McFarlane Dollar” for his efforts towards reinvigorating Alumni activities in NSW. Graham Baws (a late cancellation as his wife Philippa broke her ankle just a few days before the dinner) received the President’s Award for his services as Treasurer over the last 7 years. You can read more about the events and see the photos here.
Scholarship Foundation Board
There have been some changes to the Board of the Foundation. Secretary Alpa Parekh resigned from the Board as she relocated to Singapore and has been replaced by Mariee Durkin-Beech. Alex Livingstone stepped down just prior to the AGM to be replaced in Queensland by Todd Myers (2010 Scholar). Anna Baggoley (2011 Scholar) has joined the Board as our UK representative as she has recently taken up a new consultancy role there. I believe the direct involvement of younger blood and recent winners and beneficiaries will keep the dialogue at the top table fresh, relevant and help ensure the Scholarship and the Foundation endures.
Fundraising
When I assumed the role of President in May 2012, I highlighted that an overriding task would be to achieve funding independence for the Scholarship. Our Scholarship remains one of the most valuable (upwards of A$70,000) available to any Australian wishing to study overseas. A substantial component of that value is the cash contribution of A$20,000 the winning candidate currently receives towards expenses. The Board believes this to be a distinguishing feature of our offering (our USP!) and we are firmly of the view that it broadens the population of those able to seriously consider taking a year out to study.
During the Foundation’s embryonic years, John McFarlane, our Patron, provided essential underwriting support to fund any gap between our own fundraising activities and the A$20,000. Now that we are established, with a cadre of winners and a strong pipeline, John has determined that it is time for him to support other charitable needs and the Board is of the view that sustainable independence moving forward should now be achievable.
However, this will only be the case if we match a more rigorous and disciplined approach to fundraising with a desire from the Cranfield Alumni as a whole to more directly and actively support and fund the Scholarship. Without this, the Scholarship in its current form will be in jeopardy. For 2014 applicants, we have already adjusted our commitment for the amount of the cash component to be limited to what our fundraising activities raise.
Enormous gratitude is extended to John McFarlane for all his early help in establishing the Scholarship and his subsequent financial underwriting assistance in the intervening years – John was instrumental in the creation of a very worthy legacy. It is now up to us and those coming after to ensure it continues – not just for John but also for all of us who have struggled – and succeeded – as a result of our association with Cranfield.
We will be in touch shortly to ascertain your willingness to help with our cause. There is already a loyal core of Alumni who actively support the Foundation, but current levels of fundraising need to be significantly improved upon if the Scholarship is to survive in its current form. Simply put, if all Alumni in Australia donated just $100, we would far exceed our fundraising target.
In closing, I would like to say to all Alumni and Friends who support the Scholarship – which gives purpose and acts as catalyst for networking and engagement – your continued support is greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Stephen Williams MBA 1993
President, Cranfield Australian Alumni Scholarship Foundation