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University of Reading

Centre for Entrepreneurship garden party to thank its partners

Thursday, 26 July 2012

guests at the garden party

From l to r: Albert Lin, SIFE University of Reading; Temi Odesanya, Social Firms UK; Ian Thurlby-Campbell, 3SC

Guests from a range of companies and organisations gathered to enjoy afternoon tea at Henley Business School's Greenlands campus recently to mark the fifth anniversary of the Centre for Entrepreneurship. 

Professor Abby Ghobadian, Head of School for Leadership, Organisation and Behaviour, welcomed the 50 guests and thanked them for their support of the centre over the years as judges, speakers and placement providers. 

Tracey Rawling-Church, Director of Brand and Reputation at Kyocera Document Solutions (UK) Limited, a speaker for the centre's ‘Social Enterprise' module, was among the guests. She said: "I was delighted to recently meet one of the students who had heard me talk as part of the Social Enterprise module back in 2009.  He is now working with Kyocera and he approached me to tell me how he had remembered seeing me speak on the module."

Also attending the celebrations were current centre students, staff and graduates, as well as alumni of the centre's Monday Surgery for budding entrepreneurs, including Richard Prudence and Philip Kunovski, whose new mobile technology business, Entangle, has recently launched. 

The business partners, who were both University of Reading students, made use of the surgery working closely with Stuart Morris, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, to develop their business idea. 

John Buxton, Director of Kingsworth Associates, and Stephen Green, Founder of Greenfisher, who are both Reading graduates, were also present. Both have provided support to the Centre by giving their time to the Practice of Entrepreneurship module. 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Tony Downes said: "It was great to see such a wide range of people together whether entrepreneurs, sole business traders, representing social enterprises, or large multinational organisations.

"We are very fortunate that we have a wide range of contacts within the local and wider business community who are willing to provide their time for the University as they do for the Centre for Entrepreneurship.  Speaking to the students and alumni of the centre, they really appreciate hearing from people who have been there and done it."