Alumni and students celebrate one year of Bayes Business School

Bayes Business School alumnus Tom Ilube CBE believes the renaming of the School is the most exciting moment in its history.

Bayes’ alumni, student and staff community came together to raise a glass to the end of the first academic year under the School’s new name.

For the first time since the pandemic started, the Bayes community reunited at the Summer Celebration, hosted at Heron Tower.

Professor Andre Spicer, Dean of Bayes, addressed the audience along with celebrated alumnus Tom Ilube, who is now the Chair at the Rugby Football Union, as well as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Mr Ilube, who was awarded his MBA in 1988, labelled the name change as “the most exciting moment in Bayes’ history” and said all associated with the School has a role to play to continue to help it move in the right direction.

“Studying for an MBA was the best decision I could have made at that moment of my career, and it is still so important to me. It was valuable in my time in consulting and banking, but it really came into its own when I became an entrepreneur. I knew something about many different facets of business – marketing, finance, human resource management, strategy, and more. It has proved so valuable in my 25 years as a businessman, and in my time on boards.

“I love starting something new and seeing it evolve. Bayes is at the start of a new phase, and I believe it is the most exciting point in Bayes history. What it does over the next ten or 20 years will be hugely important. Let’s think big and bold like the entrepreneurs we are and play in our part in making Bayes the best it can be.”

Mr Ilube labelled the decision to name the School after Thomas Bayes “an inspired choice”, adding it will prove equally significant in the years ahead.

“I think the Bayes name is an inspired choice, as it is rooted in history but is forward-facing as well. Thomas Bayes’ links to data science and artificial intelligence will be so influential for every business over the next couple of decades. At the heart of that will be Bayes’ Theorem, and the idea we update our beliefs in accordance with new evidence is very important.”

Bayes changed its name from Cass Business School in September 2021, in line with its values and principles, and to increase its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thomas Bayes, whose grave is in Bunhill Fields, was a theologian and mathematician whose theorem suggests that we get closer to the truth by constantly updating our beliefs in proportion to the weight of new evidence. It is this idea – not only the person – that is the motivation behind adopting this name.

Professor Spicer said in his address:

“We are all working hard to bring this new name to life. I’m delighted to see that real change is happening and the School is, once again, riding high. We had outstanding REF results this year which put us in the top five business schools in the country, our courses continue to be highly ranked – with the Complete University Guide placed Bayes’ Marketing undergraduate course as best in London and second in the UK – and this week a study found that Bayes graduates were the highest paid of all graduates in the country.

“There are so many positive things happening at Bayes. I would like to thank you all for helping to make this happen.  Let’s continue the momentum that is building and work together to make our School the very best.”

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