Business School events
Browse events involving the University of Sussex Business School.
MBA Speaker Series | Skills of the Future: Navigating the Evolving World of Work
Join us for our upcoming Sussex MBA Speaker Series event, Skills of the Future: Navigating the Evolving World of Work, on Thursday 2 May. This evening promises to be one of inspiration, learning, and networking, hosted at the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, University of Sussex.
The event will commence with a panel discussion with Helen Monk (Head of People at Crunch) and Robin Sundaram (Community Regeneration Lead at Nestlé UK & Ireland) who will explore their experiences of this topic. As AI, VR, and AR technologies progress, and automation, along with remote work from home or the Metaverse, redefine the landscape of work, it's crucial to think about how we can ensure that our skills remain future-proofed. What specific skills will be essential in the near and far future? How can we prepare ourselves for the jobs of tomorrow in the face of these transformative challenges and opportunities?
Following the panel discussion, the event will move on to a drink’s reception, where you’ll have the chance to mingle and connect with MBA alumni and students, faculty and industry leaders. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, share your experiences, and make valuable new connections.
The Sussex MBA Speaker Series represents a curation of talks that delve deeply into emerging issues which affect business and society and provide an opportunity to hear the personal career journeys and lessons learnt of inspiring business leaders. Keynote speakers are typically Sussex MBA Alumni who share their knowledge and expertise and answer the questions from the audience. The series run three times per year – in November, February and May.
Speakers
Helen Monk – Head of People at Crunch
Helen has worked for Crunch for just over 7 years and became their first Head of People in November 2020. Crunch is a Software as a Service (SaaS) business providing super automated accounting software, customer service and expert accountancy advice to our client base of freelancers, self-employed and small and growing businesses. Prior to Crunch, Helen has worked in HR generalist and recruitment management roles with companies including Marks & Spencer, B&Q/The Kingfisher Group, and British Gas/Centrica. Helen holds a BA (Hons) undergraduate degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Strathclyde Business School, and is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP). Helen enjoys guest speaking on HR practices, business awareness and strategic HR to apprenticeship and undergraduate students at the University of Chichester and has done this for many years. Helen also loves to run in her spare time and completed her first ultramarathon in 2023.
Robin Sundaram – Community Regeneration Lead at Nestlé UK and Ireland
Robin graduated from the University of Leicester with a BSc in Economics. He spent his early career working with retailers like M&S and Safeway, overseeing programmes like Safeway’s supplier development programme. He joined Nestlé UK in 1995 to lead the Customer Service Development team, helping set up and drive Nestlé UK’s supply chain collaboration programme with several key retailers.
Robin moved to the Nestlé UK & Ireland Procurement team in 2011 and until recently he led the market-level implementation of Nestlé’s global commitment to engage all suppliers in its Responsible Sourcing Guidelines and approach. Through his role, he has helped develop a 'Procurement for Good' strategy as well as a full sustainability strategy for Nestlé UK’s milk and wheat sourcing. This approach is helping farmers to improve their environmental and social impact, fully supported by Nestle. Robin is particularly passionate about the 'S' in ESG and has recently taken up a new role as Community Regeneration Lead for Nestle UK, helping Nestle to be a good community citizen. He is currently Vice Chair of the WildHearts Schools National Advisory Board, [a social enterprise that delivers entrepreneurial training to school children to help drive social mobility in the UK) and also sits on the advisory boards of the Sustainable Soils Association and Sussex University MBA course.
