Lancaster University Management School’s renowned Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiR) programme took its expertise to Africa as part of a new venture with the Global Business School Network (GBSN) and the American University in Cairo.

Brian Gregory, a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy in LUMS, worked with AU Cairo and GBSN to develop an eight-week programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Egyptian institution.

The programme focused on social media and communications in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the UK. Fourteen students – selected from almost 100 applicants within the AU Cairo School of Business – were split into three teams and set a series of tasks ahead of a final presentation.

The LUMS EiR network, both a UK and global pioneer of Entrepreneurs in Residence – with the expertise recognised in the School’s reaccreditation by the Small Business Charter in 2020 – helped to deliver the programme.

“Lancaster’s Entrepreneurs in Residence programme is well established and recognised as an exemplar for involving small business leaders in developing and delivering high-quality higher education programmes,” said Brian. “Our work with GBSN and AU Cairo allowed us to use the skills and learning we have built over more than a decade to build a new partnership and to reach a whole new audience of students in North Africa.

“The programme was incredibly popular among the students. Those who took part did so in their own time, outside of normal teaching, and they showed a great deal of enthusiasm to learn more about entrepreneurship, and to develop their skills and learning while comparing practices in MENA and Europe.

“Their interactions with SMEs in Egypt and beyond, and with the Lancaster EiR network, provided them with insights and skills that can be applied long into the future, wherever their careers may take them.”

Over the eight weeks of online sessions, the students heard from LUMS EiR Richard Baguley, Managing Director of GDR Communications Ltd, who shared his own entrepreneurial story, as well as May Sadek, North Africa Deputy General Manager at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, one of the world’s leading PR companies, who is based in Cairo.

The teams were expected to research the communications and marketing field, comparing the UK and Europe with Egypt and MENA, and looking at challenges, opportunities and the future of the sphere.

Students were tasked with generating a simple comparative analysis report highlighting best practices and new techniques within the communications and marketing field in both MENA and Europe, with recommendations on how to impact the industry.

They made their final presentations to an international panel from the UK, USA, Egypt and the Middle East – including Sherif Kamel, Dean of AU Cairo’s School of Business, Dan LeClair, CEO of GBSN, Dr Sophie Alkhaled, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship in LUMS, and Lamia Kamel, founder of communications consultants CC Plus and who works in Marketing and Promotion for the Egypt Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities.

A full video of the final presentations is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67UoAim3Ntc

Brian and the Lancaster team are working with the GBSN on developing further projects incorporating business schools from around the world and the LUMS EiR network, including building a GBSNGlobal Entrepreneur in Residenceprogramme.