Lahore, Pakistan and Mumbai, India
Our global reunions kicked off in May with International Student Recruitment Manager Mr Asif Naeem, who had the pleasure of hosting an informal alumni gathering whilst he was visiting Lahore, Pakistan. Asif enjoyed meeting alumni including Junaid Ali and Ahmad Kamal Butt, for a lively evening catching up with familiar faces and introducing alumni to new ones. After the event, Mr Naeem said:
"It was great to catch up with some of our alumni in Lahore and find out about our graduates' career paths, from Partner in an investment company to Chief Information Officer at Pepsi NBC Group and everything in between! I have the pleasure of knowing individuals right from the start of their University of Sheffield journey when they are applying for their place, and it makes me really happy to stay in touch and see how much they have achieved after graduation."
Also in May, Dr Richard Bruce, Programme Director for International Business Management, hosted another small gathering this time in Mumbai whilst visiting India.
It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow Sheffield students and share working experience after the education.
Junaid Ali
MBA, Class of 2016
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Seoul, South Korea
Our next stop was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July with our colleague Dr Olga Cam, Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Management. Dr Cam said the event was ‘Surreal but true’ as she brought together alumni who had taken different paths in their careers from business to finance and higher education, but who all enjoyed the chance to reconnect and exchange stories of their time in Sheffield.
Thank you to Normah Binti, Felicia, Daniella, Ivan and Nurrizque Addelina for a wonderful evening!
Meanwhile, Dr Sabrina Thornton and Dr Julie Alevizou made headway with the next leg of our alumni reunion journey with a visit to Seoul during their trip to South Korea.
‘We are SUMS in Seoul,’ Dr Thornton described as she talked about her trip with Dr Alevizou meeting alumni including Jaesik, Minyoung, Jaeweon and Seongwook. They enjoyed not only the stunning views from the venue of Lotte Hotel Seoul, but talked about their Sheffield experience, life in Seoul, career opportunities, summer holiday plans and meeting up again soon. Just look at that backdrop!
Hong Kong, China and Tokyo, Japan
Then it was over to Hong Kong in November for an evening at the exclusive members-only venue, the China Club.
Hosted by Professor Paul McGuinness, our Chair in Accounting and Finance, Una Moran, Head of External Relations, and Dr Samantha Drobinski, Head of Professional Services here at Sheffield University Management School, alumni from across the University's graduating departments were invited. Guests included those who had just completed their Masters degree to one alum who graduated in 1977!
I think it is amazing (venue, atmosphere, food, people, discussion topics). We should do that more often and regularly. This time I tried to call my buddy who’s a movie star and producer and she also joined and enjoyed it. It was a great event to reunite with old friends and catch up.
Catherine Chen
MSc Financial Economics (2012)
A special thank you to Susanna Chiu, BA Economics (1982) and Director of Li & Fung Development (China) Ltd, for helping to arrange this special event, from reaching out to members of our Hong Kong Chapter and even helping with the evening’s menu choices.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet up with faculty members from Sheffield and to reunite with the University's Hong Kong alumni again! Opportunities like this are so important for us to keep in touch with Sheffield and for alumni here in Hong Kong to network with each other. I've attended Sheffield reunions in other cities and I'm always keen to meet new alumni faces! It's an honour to have helped create such a successful event and I can't wait to see happen what's next for our Sheffield alumni in Hong Kong.
Susanna Chiu
BA Economics (1982)
Following Hong Kong we hopped over to Tokyo, Japan with our Acting Dean, Professor Fraser McLeay who welcomed alumni to a spectacular evening at the Granbell Hotel's rooftop bar in the lively Kabuki-cho area. One alumni guest said, "It was an enjoyable event and I had a great time with Professor Fraser McLeay and alumni. We shared our current business and memories of the time when we were in Sheffield. Thank you for the invitation and for hosting such a fantastic event. I'm looking forward to the next event."
Take a look at that view from the rooftop bar!
Dubai, UAE
By December, it was time for our last international alumni reunion of the year, as Dr Rob Marchand, Director of Undergraduate Education made his way to Dubai. As part of his trip to attend the COP28 UAE, Dr Marchand hosted an informal alumni event at the Wyndham Dubai Marina. Hearing from alumni who had taken different careers from marketing to operations management, the event proved a great opportunity to make new connections for our first UAE alumni reunion.
Thank you to SUMS colleagues and all our SUMS alumni guests who were able to meet with us last year. We look forward to meeting you again along with new faces in 2024!