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Former Unilever CEO opens Durham University business school

Durham University Business School

A new university business school facility has been opened by a former Unilever CEO.

Paul Polman, a global business leader and environmentalist, officially opened Durham University Business School’s new Waterside building.

At the opening, Mr Polman addressed the audience of business leaders, academics, and policy leaders, highlighting the ‘extraordinary disruption’ the world is facing and the need for a shift in leadership mindset.

He said: “I would argue we are short of the right leaders we need to succeed – and that’s where you come in.

“It’s in the rough seas where you learn leadership.

“Here at Durham, you already punch above your weight.

“With the opening of this wonderful Waterside building, you are setting yourselves up very well for success.”

Mr Polman, who was previously the chief executive of Unilever, called for business leaders to adopt a ‘net positive’ mindset, asking not ‘how can I do less harm?’ but ‘how can I do more good?’

The Waterside building, which has achieved a Gold SKA rating for sustainability, is located in the heart of Durham city, close to the railway station and city centre.

The new facility complements the existing Mill Hill Lane facility and includes lecture theatres, a financial trading lab with Bloomberg terminals, executive facilities, offices, study spaces, and a Riverfront Bistro.

Durham University Business School, established in 1965, is among the top one per cent of business schools worldwide with triple accreditation from AACSB, AMBA, and Equis.

It delivers research and education in finance, leadership, and sustainability, and has nearly 400 business partnerships.

The opening event was attended by leaders from business, politics, academia, and civic society.

Mr Polman gave the keynote address, with contributions from Professor O’Brien, and Professors Cathy Cassell and Kieran Fernandes, the outgoing and incoming executive deans of Durham University Business School, respectively.

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Exciting new Story launched for Durham

People stood in front of the Durham Story board and banners

An exciting new approach to promoting the county was unveiled yesterday (18 March), with over 80 stakeholders attending the launch of the ‘Durham Story’.

The event, hosted by Durham County Council and Durham University at Gala Durham, was the culmination of a 12-month project which has seen engagement with hundreds of stakeholders from across the region, to identify a compelling new proposition for the county which will showcase Durham on a global scale.

Spearheaded by Durham County Council, Durham University, Visit County Durham and Business Durham, this new approach will see organisations and individuals join forces and unite behind the brand to build the county’s image, identity and reputation, and harness profile-raising opportunities to reach key audiences.

With a clear and consistent approach across multiple sectors, the Durham story will enable the county to engage and inspire potential investors, businesses, students and visitors, whilst instilling pride in our resident and business communities.

The Durham story is an extraordinary blend of beauty, enterprise, heritage, culture and ambition, found in all four corners of the county. It shines a light on what makes us special, the distinctiveness and character of Durham, and the opportunities for the growth, development and promotion of the county. Embodied by four key strands, the Durham story was introduced at the event by private and public sector partners.

Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University introduced the overarching theme for Durham, which sees us confidently championing our regional, national and international role.

Jim Cokill, trust director of Durham Wildlife Trust spoke about the ‘natural lifestyle’ strand – our incredible green and blue spaces, nature and wildlife, and the many ways in which they positively impact residents, businesses, visitors and students. ‘Contemporising and connecting our culture’ is the second strand, highlighting the county’s world-class culture and how it’s brought to life for today’s audiences, which was introduced by Hannah Fox, executive director of The Bowes Museum. The ‘space to innovate and grow’ strand, which focuses on the county as a place for business as well as our strengths within the space industry, was introduced by Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek. With the final strand of the Durham story, ‘a special city that attracts and radiates’, focussing on the pivotal role the city plays as an attractor for the wider county, was introduced by Emma Gaudern, CEO of EMG Solicitors.

Also announced at the event was the Durham Champions initiative, which will see an exciting new network of individuals helping to shine a light on the county through their own activities, supporting the promotion of the county in a consistent and compelling way.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “County Durham is an amazing place with so much to offer, whether as a place to live, visit, work or invest. And, while we might be tempted to keep it for ourselves, encouraging others to discover what our area has to offer is vital for our future prosperity.

“We want people to think of County Durham when they are looking for somewhere to visit, to know that there are thousands of great job opportunities here and to make us their first choice when looking to set up home. And we want investors to be very clear that we offer a brilliant place to do business.

“The place brand will help us achieve this by cementing the good work that has already been done to develop County Durham’s reputation, through further raising the area’s profile and supporting our economic and social growth.”

Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University added:

“The University works closely with our partner organisations on many projects to benefit the growth, development and promotion of our city, county and region. We very much look forward to strengthening these connections and to highlighting even more prominently all that makes Durham special, telling our powerful story regionally, nationally and globally.”

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University apprentice success for T-level work placement students

T-Level students at Durham University

Expanding access to education, skills training and employment opportunities is something we’re passionate about at Durham.

We recently formalised the Durham Learning Alliance partnership with four County Durham colleges to expand opportunities for young people in North East England. 

Thanks to the Alliance, eight college students in need of work placements for their T-level studies were taken on by the University’s Computing and Information Services (CIS) department. 

They were given expert mentorship from our CIS staff, and three students – Dylan Milburn, Callum Blakey and Thomas Marley – have now been taken on as full-time apprentices at the University. 

Excelling at Durham 

Dylan, from Wingate in County Durham, excelled with us and was named as a regional finalist in the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2024. 

After completing his T-level at East Durham College, Dylan is now staying on at the University as an IS Apprentice undertaking a Data Engineering higher apprenticeship. 

He said: “The experience I gained at Durham was incredibly valuable for my T-level studies as the practical, hands-on experience complemented my classroom learning. 

“I am thankful that the University recognised my skills and potential, and I see this apprenticeship as the foundation of my career.  

“I don’t just see myself starting my career here; I see myself growing and eventually finishing my career at Durham University.  

“The opportunities for professional development and the supportive environment make it an ideal place for my career aspirations.” 

Bright future 

Callum, of Durham City, was studying his T-level at New College Durham when he joined our CIS on work placement. 

He is now an Undergraduate IS Apprentice Analyst in our Identity and Access Management (IAM) team, studying his undergraduate degree apprenticeship with the University of Exeter. 

Callum said his work placement was ‘critical’ to his T-level and helped equip him with the skills necessary for the apprenticeship. 

He added: “My future is absolutely here at Durham; the opportunities that Durham has provided and the teams and the people I get the pleasure of working with are nothing short of incredible.” 

T-level pathway 

Thomas Marley, of Framwellgate Moor in County Durham, completed a T-Level in Digital Production, Design and Development at New College Durham whilst on work placement with us. 

He has now secured a role as an Undergraduate IS Apprentice Analyst studying for an undergraduate degree apprenticeship with the University of Exeter. 

Thomas said: “I would never have gotten onto the Degree Apprenticeship if it wasn’t for the experience that I had gained during my T-level placement. 

“I would strongly recommend the T-level pathway to anyone on the fence about it.  

“If you have a good idea about the industry you want to go into, then the T-Level programme offers something extremely beneficial which makes you stand out over those with A-Levels.” 

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Durham named World Top 30 university for sustainability

Durham University students

We’re one of the world’s most sustainable universities, according to a new international league table.

The 2025 QS World University Rankings for Sustainability place Durham 22nd out of 1,751 universities assessed across the globe.

We’re also ranked eighth in the UK and 12th in Europe.

The rankings judge universities against three main categories – Environmental Impact, Social Impact, and Governance.

They are a key indicator of how universities are tackling the world’s greatest environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges.

Sustainability through research

Our research is working to improve sustainability globally, nationally and regionally.

Our geographers are working to understand the impacts of climate change on the Arctic and Antarctic and the importance of sticking to global targets to limit temperature rises.

Our earth scientists are playing a key role in the UK’s National Geothermal Centre (NGC) to bring more geothermal heat and electricity into the renewable energy mix.

Research in our interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental and Energy Economics, which runs out of our Business School, is investigating large-scale system modelling of environmental and energy issues, as well as local policy design and correction.

And our MammalWeb citizen science project – involving Biosciences, Anthropology and Computer Science – won the National Biodiversity Network Group Award 2024 for its work in gathering information on UK and European wild mammals to support their conservation.

Sustainability for our community

We are working to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain by 2032 and net-zero CO2 emissions by 2035. We’re committed to being one of the most environmentally sustainable universities in the UK to benefit our students, staff, visitors, and the wider Durham community.

We were highly commended in the International Green Gown Awards for our ambitious Biodiversity Strategy.

We’re a Platinum Hedgehog Friendly Campus with initiatives including the creation of grassland and wildflower areas to increase biodiversity, the introduction of hedgehog highways, and hedgehog awareness sessions for local schools.

And we’re investing in carbon-reducing measures in our buildings including the refurbishment of Boldon House, in Durham City, where gas-fired heating is being replaced with brand new air-source heat pumps, solar panels, improved roof insulation and updated windows.

Global influence – and beyond!

Our strengths in ESG research saw six of our researchers share their expertise with world governments at the recent UN COP29 climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

And we’re now taking our sustainability expertise into space with the launch of the Durham University Space Research Centre to support North East England’s growing space industry and lead on the sustainable exploration of the cosmos.

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Financial Times Top 10 UK Business School

An office scene with the text Top 10 in the UK

We’re proud to announce we have again been ranked in the UK Top Ten by the Financial Times.

The FT’s European Business School Ranking 2024 lists the best business schools in Europe based on the combined performance of programme-specific FT rankings including the MBA and MSc Management. 

Our School ranked 10th in the UK and 58th overall in Europe – in an increasingly competitive market we maintained our UK standing and slipped one place over last year’s ranking. This follows a jump from 66th in 2022.  

Durham’s position was determined by the 2024 Financial Times rankings for MBA programmes and MSc Management programmes. The School’s flagship programme, the Durham MBA (Full-time) ranked 26th in Europe (8th in the UK, 78th in the world) and alumni from the programme secured an average salary of $120,000 three years after graduating, and see an average salary increase of 89% – which is the sixth-highest of all UK business schools.   

Executive Dean of Durham University Business School, Professor Cathy Cassell, said: 

“Durham University Business School’s programmes are all taught and delivered by world-class and internationally-diverse faculty. The FT’s survey places us 6th in the UK for faculty diversity and 18th in Europe. Their leading research underpins the learning experienced by our students and positions us in the FT’s Global Top 100 Aggregated Research Ranking. This goes to show the quality of all of our programmes, and the Business School generally.”