Meet the new Director of MBA Programmes: Professor Derek Condon

After graduating from Coventry University with a degree in Economics, I worked for Guardian Royal Exchange PLC as a US Equities fund manager. After seven years, I was head hunted by Kleinwort Benson Investment Management where I eventually became a director of the company. During my time at Kleinwort I did a range of jobs such as Head of North American Equities, Consultant to President Investment Trust in Taipei, Taiwan, Deputy Head of International Operations in London, CEO Tata Asset Management Company in Mumbai, India and finally, Senior Vice-President of Kleinwort Benson Investment America based in Chicago, USA.

The company sponsored me to do an Advanced Management Program at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University; it was around this time that I started contemplating other routes in my career. I attended the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) where I was awarded an MA in South East Asian Business. At Warwick Business School (WBS) I first studied for an MBA and subsequently, a PhD in the transfer of corporate governance practices from UK companies to their Asia-Pacific subsidiaries. It was while I was doing my PhD that I was offered a job in the Marketing & Strategic Management group at WBS, I was subsequently promoted to Principal Teaching Fellow before progressing to the role of Assistant Dean of the Executive Masters Group with responsibility for the Executive, Distance Learning, IBM and Global Energy MBAs.

I am the new Director of MBA Programmes and Professor in International Business and Corporate Governance at Birmingham Business School where I am responsible for all of the MBA programmes worldwide. My main passion within academia has always been teaching. My enthusiasm for education must be evident in my lectures as I have received outstanding teaching awards on eighteen separate occasions! I have primarily taught postgraduate students including MBA and specialist masters. I have also taught on executive programmes. I regard myself as an educator adding value by sharing my own extensive experience of international business and corporate governance and relating it to the present economic situation and current academic theory. My objective is to provide students / managers with vital skills that will give them a long-term return on their studies enabling them to confront the key challenges facing their organisation in a constantly changing business environment.The majority of students have come from a business background. I find their experiences interesting, as a former colleague used to say to me ‘always remember there is a lot of knowledge in the room’ and by drawing on this knowledge I am able to develop an interactive teaching style that enables students to learn from each other as well as my lectures. I think coming from a practical business background helps me build a good rapport with the students as they like to hear about my own experiences in the field combining academic theory with ‘real-world’ experiences.

Outside work, I am an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan and for the last 27 years have been the proud holder of a season ticket! I also enjoy the cinema, particularly the Golden Age of Hollywood (which is the period from 1920-1950).

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Email: CondonDC@adf.bham.ac.uk

Telephone: 0121 414 5007