EMBA and MBA alumni welcomed back to college

Each year, the Saïd Business School Alumni Reunion weekend brings select cohorts of MBA and EMBA alumni back to Oxford and gives us the chance to welcome our Green Templeton alumni back to college too.  

This year, alumni travelled from around the world – including India, USA and Canada – to join us for afternoon tea in Lankester Quad on Friday 11 September. It was wonderful to see our international community represented, with alumni and their families returning to college. For some, it was their first time back in many years, making the chance to reconnect with old friends and classmates particularly special.

Jonathan Reynolds, Vice Principal of Green Templeton and Deputy Dean for External Relations at Saïd Business School, hosted the event. In a short speech, he shared the latest news from the college and reminded the group what it means to be part of our community ‘Even though you are of course alumni of the Business School, all of us are lifelong members of the Green Templeton College community – and the college has an enormously exciting future!’ 

Alumni cheered at Jonathan’s mention of the victorious women’s team at this year’s Boat Race which included two Green Templeton students. They were also very pleased to hear about Jonathan’s upcoming New York visit with Director of Development Ceri Butcher and Governing Body Fellow and Barclay Fellow Michael Cook to meet alumni and friends. 

The event was more than just an opportunity to gather together with a great sense of belonging. Madina Assylbekova (EMBA, 2010) perfectly encapsulated this in a LinkedIn post: ‘I really enjoyed how natural it felt to be back [in Oxford]. It was almost as if we had never left. But the most precious part was reconnecting with my own EMBA cohort: many years on and our friendship and camaraderie are as strong as ever!’ 

It was lovely to welcome so many MBA and EMBA alumni back to college, and we look forward to doing it again next year. Next year, it might be your turn to celebrate a milestone reunion – and we hope to see you back at college next September.