The Business School was formally presented with the BSIS award at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) annual conference at NOVA School of Business and Economics, which was held in Lisbon in November.

At the award ceremony, Professor Debra Leighton accepted the plaque from Professor Eric Cornuel (Director General and CEO, EFMD) and Professor Michel Kalika (Co-Director and Senior Adviser, BSIS for FNEGE and EFMD) which was conferred ‘for successful completion of the BSIS process and ongoing commitment to creating and increasing impact’.

As one of only two Business Schools from the UK to be awarded BSIS at the ceremony, Debra Leighton commented: “I am so proud that the School has achieved BSIS recognition ahead of any other Business School in the UK.

“I am also delighted to have been invited to become a BSIS assessor for the EFMD and look forward to sharing our experience with other Business Schools across the globe.”

Professor Michel Kalika said: “We have been impressed by the fact that the [University of Bedfordshire Business] School has a strong positioning as a regional Business School deeply embedded in its impact zone, by the societal responsibility regarding the demographic characteristics of its territory and by the exceptional character of the local and national network.”