Technology, Diversity and Social Good – Leading through Megachange
This year's annual Grigor McClelland lecture will be given by Ismail Amla, Executive Vice President, Professional Services, NCR.
- Event Time
- 24 Apr 17:30 - 24 Apr 18:30
- Event Location
- Alliance Manchester Business School (online also available)
This annual lecture explores the interaction between business, education and social responsibility, an area pioneered by Alliance MBS' founding Director Professor Grigor McClelland.
In this lecture, Ismail will discuss how shifts in technology, demographic change, the advent of hybrid working and changing generational expectations has created challenges around inclusion, while widening inequality and societal needs are not being met by traditional institutions.
What role does business have across these challenges. Do organisations need to do more and address the societal needs outside of just government policy. How will business contribute to society while ensuring it meets the needs of its financial stakeholders? Is it possible to do both meaningfully.
Join Ismail as he explores the role of business and whether the pursuit of profit and purpose are mutually beneficial.
Ismail Amla
According to the Financial Times, Ismail Amla is recognised as one of the top 100 most influential Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) leaders in the UK tech sector.
The technologist is an experienced leader and currently leads the global Professional Services Business for NCR, a leading global provider of digital commerce solutions for retail, restaurants, and digital banking industries. He has also held senior leadership positions at Capita, IBM, Capco and Accenture.
Ismail is on the board of UK Sport, Network Rail and Bradford Literature Festival. In 2016 he received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration (Hon DBA) for his outstanding contribution to business from the University of Bolton. Ismail was a member of the Weissman Centre’s Advisory Council at Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in New York. He also served on board of governors at the University of East London. He makes frequent speaker and interview appearances.
In 2020, Ismail Amla co-authored a book with American technology entrepreneur and academic, Vivek Wadhwa, titled From Incremental to Exponential: How Large Companies Can See the Future and Rethink Innovation.
There will be refreshments served with the opportunity for networking before the lecture from 5:00pm.
Grigor McClelland lecture series
The Grigor McClelland lecture series was introduced in our 50th Anniversary year in 2015 in honour of the School’s founding Director, Professor Grigor McClelland. During his twelve years as Director and Professor of Business Administration at Manchester Business School, Grigor shaped management and education for the next generation. He was a strong advocate of the principle that business cannot be divorced from society and that managers should be ethical and socially responsible.
Our previous guest speakers for this lecture series, include Co-op Group’s CEO Steve Murrells; Sir George Bain, former Chair of the Low Pay Commission which introduced the Minimum Wage in 1998; Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth; Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation, Anna Dixon, Chief Executive of Ageing Better, Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times and Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. All have based the core themes of their lectures on this principle.
