Each year our Full-time MBA students elect their student council. Congratulations and welcome to the new student council for the Class of 2024. We look forward to seeing the great work they will achieve while at Alliance Manchester Business School.
Katherine Louise Franchois - President
City and Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Pre-MBA Role: Deck Officer on oil tankers for the United States Merchant Marine. I worked for Shell right out of college, and we travelled all over the world. I did my two-week induction period for Shell in Manchester! It was my first time here. After Shell I moved to ConocoPhillips based out of Houston, Texas. With Conoco, we carried only Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil on the West Coast of the United States: Alaska, Washington, California, and Hawaii; on occasion we would cross the Pacific Ocean for a far east voyage. Every other year we would sail to Singapore for a three-month shipyard period, so I’ve spent a significant amount of time there. I am so grateful that I was able to be in an industry where I could see so much of the world at a young age.
Why did you choose Manchester: I was really attracted to the Manchester Method and learning by doing with the three live consultancy projects, simulated Mergers and Acquisitions project, and internship opportunities. I am a very hands-on learner so that jumped out at me right away. AMBS is also a globally renowned institution in a country where I have always wanted to live. It was a no-brainer for me.
Post-MBA Goal: I am looking for a total career shift. I am not 100% sure where that will lead me just yet. I have a lot of ideas, and every opportunity thanks to AMBS. I am also hoping to stay in England following the MBA programme.
Last Film you Watched: 12 Angry Men in class for Exploring Management Decision Making. I am more of a reader!
Favourite music/genre/artist: Country: Chris Stapleton and Kelsea Ballerini
Favourite thing about Manchester: Easy…the people I have met.
Your life motto: “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” - Winnie the Pooh
Sully Bholat- VP Communications & Finance
City and country – Yangon, Myanmar
Pre MBA role – Tech Entrepreneur
Why you chose Manchester – Alliance Manchester Business School is a world class university and business school. The real-life consultancy projects with flexible pathways was what appealed to me the most.
Post-MBA goal – Consulting, Technology industry
Last film you watched – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Favourite music genre – Pop and Rock Music
Favourite thing about Manchester - Football and the multicultural environment of people here
Your life motto – Always do your best and always try to help people out in any way you can
Ankitha Chapte- VP Wellbeing
City and Country - Bengaluru, India
Pre MBA Role - Software Engineer at Accenture
Why you chose Manchester - The practical approach of the MBA programme and the opportunity to work with diverse team members on multiple projects got me excited. Additionally, Manchester being a student city, that is buzzing all the time. Also the convenience of being able to get anywhere in the city quickly.
Post-MBA goal - Sports Management
Last film you watched - Kantara
Favorite music/genre/artist - Pink Floyd
Favourite thing about Manchester - Diversity and its liveliness
Your life motto - Live and let live
Jamie Bending- VP Social
City and Country - Hereford, United Kingdom
Pre-MBA Role- Managing Director of Ergrownomics - a sustainably-minded Start-Up.
Why did you choose Manchester? Manchester was the only Business School I considered for a full-time MBA, largely because of its strong ESG focus, promoting the development of sustainably minded business leaders that go further than the corporate bottom-line, as well it’s extremely practical approach to problem-solving: the Manchester-Method! Given my experience as a Entrepreneur, this proactive learning ethos very much appealed to me.
Post MBA Goals - Currently, I’m really interested in sustainable strategy, by helping businesses improve their practices to become more environmentally-conscious, and align with climate-goals. I’m unsure exactly how I’d like to pursue this, but reading ‘Let my People go Surfing’ (Yvon Chouinard) was a huge source in inspiration to me, so I’d love to chat with Patagonia!
Last Film I Watched - Frustratingly, Kung Fu Panda. I don’t have time right now to watch Shutter Island.
Favourite Music Genre - Punk Rock
Favourite thing about Manchester? -The incredible craft-beer and live music scene.
Life Motto - ‘Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum’ (From the Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood).
Samudra Bhattacharjee- VP Social
City and country - Kolkata (The city of joy), India
Pre MBA role - Worked in PwC as a Senior Associate in the IT service management function. Prior to PwC, I worked in Tata Bluescope Steel as a Mechanical maintenance engineer.
Why you chose Manchester - The Manchester MBA has a very diverse cohort. The practical approach of teaching, with group projects, is very relevant for a candidate going into the business world. Through this method of teaching, you get to learn a lot from your existing cohort who are the greatest resources of knowledge.
Post-MBA goal - A role that provides the opportunity to work on developing and implementing business strategies focusing on growth and improvement.
Last film you watched? - Before Sunrise
Favourite music/genre/artist - Psychedelic Rock , Porcupine tree
Favorite thing about Manchester - It is a very affordable and student friendly city with lots of activities to offer. The multicultural environment and the people here are great. There is a nice balance of serenity and vibrance in the city.
Your life motto - It is better to be jack of all trades than master of one
Shalabh Kumar- VP Careers
City and country - Dehradun, India
Pre MBA role - Technology Risk Consultant
Why you chose Manchester - I chose AMBS because of the Manchester Method - Learning by doing. Having worked as a risk consultant for 6 years, I wanted to use the MBA opportunity to experiment with my career. The course puts students through multiple live consulting projects helping them explore this area and also introduces them to fellow students from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds that help them shape their journey ahead which made it a perfect choice for me.
Post-MBA goal - Move to a more strategic role in consulting or technology based companies.
Last film you watched - Blonde
Favourite music/genre/artist - Rock/Indie, John Mayer
Favourite thing about Manchester - The music and the hustle!
Your life motto - Live and Let Live :)
Nagasooraj Suresh- VP ESG
City and country - Kerala, India
Pre MBA role – Worked as a Technology Consultant with EY and Deloitte for Digital Transformation team
Why you chose Manchester – The school’s focus on consultancy projects and the Manchester method of group work, practice-based learning and reflection.
Post-MBA goal – To work as a strategy consultant with focus on sustainability and transition to Net-Zero
Last film you watched? – Bullet Train
Favourite music/genre/artist – I love singing and listening to music. I am trained in Karnatic music and I like listening to all kinds of music genre. My favourite musicians are A. R. Rahman and Ilayaraja.
Favourite thing about Manchester – Football! The city smells and breathes football. I have always been a Manchester United fan and it was my dream since I was young to play football in this city and joining AMBS made that dream come true!
Your life motto – Live and let live!
Tanya Anandani- VP Academics
City and country - Jhansi, India
Pre MBA role - As an Analyst Developer for a multinational bank, I worked on technologies that helped the bank go paperless, supporting a 15 million customer base.
Why you chose Manchester - Manchester’s way of learning by doing stands out when compared with its peers. Additionally, AMBS enables me to diversify my knowledge through the myriad of alumni in a variety of businesses and a chance to work along with some of the best minds in the world.
Post-MBA goal - My post-MBA goal is to carve my niche in a product management role where under the auspices of my work, I can have ample scope to craft cutting-edge product innovations
Last film you watched? -Stuart Little
Favourite music/genre/artist- Glass Animals - Indie/Pop Rock
Favourite thing about Manchester - Picturesque landscape and breathtaking architecture
Your life motto - Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud
