Our Alumni
Paula Smith, PhD
PhD By Portfolio
Presentation Intelligence ® and Leadership Communication Coach at Dr. Paula Smith (Self-employed)
Perth, Australia
Anthony Cairns, PhD
PhD Doctorate of Philosophy in Management
ISO Delivery Consultant at iCoriolis Limited
Norfolk, England, United Kingdom
Thomas Draper, PhD
PhD Doctorate of Philosophy in Management
Lecturer at Prague City University
Prague
Claudia Cappelletti
Master in Tourism & Hospitality Management
Hotel General Manager at Hotel Stubel Suites & Cafe
Quito, Ecuador
Mohamed Ekwass
Bachelor in Business Management
Marketer at ICT Value
Libya
Asma Alsikan, DBA
Doctorate Of Business Administration Performance Management Specialist at PHAP Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dr. Ellis Laura Griffith
PhD By Portfolio
Global Chief People Officer at ERM
Utrecht, Netherlands
“I entered this program having always aspired to and never found the time to work toward and earn a PhD. I entered the program with a large dose of curiosity and a small dose of worry – about the online experience, about interacting with professors, about the authentic rigor of the program – as it was brand new at the time.
Having grown up in a household with a University Professor and having chosen my own profession in the business world, I often thought about the gap between these two worlds. I often wondered at how to close that gap and to bring practical applications of advanced principles to business in order to elevate priorities, to push strategic thinking, to relieve the classic analysis paralysis, and move quickly to operationalize excellence.
As SSBR I found the answer to this age old quandary. I found excellent and applicable materials, phenomenal globally minded mentorship, and a new type of academic rigor – one that pushed my thinking and creativity and has changed the way that I think about my work. Every small worry was quickly resolved as I came to understand that they were simply for the unknown and that the innovation which is the hallmark of SSBR is exactly what we need right now – to marry academia and business and to advance our ability to collaborate and think and act together toward a better future.”
Naftali Rumpaisum
MBA
Head of Strategic Business Development at Global Water Intelligence (GWI)
Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom
“Studying at SSBR has been a great experience for me and especially with the support from our professors. They made the whole process feel seamless even though it was fully online. The SSBR business course helped me in my professional development and I am applying what I have learned in real time. The key business practices have prepared me to step into a more senior role and become a better leader and strategist.”
Margaret Gonsalves
PhD in Management
Local government auditor at the Ireland Department of Housing
Dublin, Ireland
“I’m an accountant with a specialist masters’ cyber and data incident management through Chartered Accountants Ireland, formerly a risk manager, an auditor, and originally qualified as a primary school education teacher.
I researched many universities and business schools globally. I settled on the SSBR for many reasons the education model the practical link of business and research. A PhD that would make the best use of my skill set.
The accreditation was important Switzerland and the UK and recognised by my workplace the funding authority. But I had no idea at that time how much more the guidance of my mentor/tutor would bring to my research and to my development as a person moving me out of my comfort zone of numbers into numbers and narrative. As a teacher, educator, I recall the poem of Kahlil Gilbrain (1883-1931) on teaching: “Then said a teacher, Speak to us of Teaching” quoting part of the response below:
“If he is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.
The astronomer may speak to you of his understanding of space, but he cannot give you his understanding. The musician may sing to you of the rhythm which is in all space, but he cannot give you the ear which arrests the rhythm nor the voice that echoes it. And he who is versed in the science of numbers can tell of the regions of weight and measure, but he cannot conduct you thither. For the vision of one man lends not its wings to another man.”
Also, the words of WB Yeats (1865-1939), “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire” echoing the sentiment of Plutarch (46-119). I place an emphasis how important the harmony/collaboration between the student and the tutor was towards completing the thesis and beyond, also on the critical role of SSBR Management in fostering an innovative culture for contemporary, state-of-the-art scientific research.
I graduated in May 2022. The conferring ceremony is so important. It’s a day that honours family all the love and support given to students both during the period of their studies and throughout life which is as important as students self-belief and that’s also why for me the conferring day is important as the day for everyone to celebrate whether they can be there or not for whatever reason distance airport chaos risk other. A day to celebrate achievement by every person, the student getting education impacting lifelong learning and business in a persons’ world of work and approach to life and betterment of society.”
Samah Miri
MBA
Project Manager at UP Coop
Barcelona, Spain
“The first thing I liked at SSBR was the flexibility of everything. You get to choose your own starting date, you get to go at your own pace while doing your modules. It was amazing for me because I am working on my personal projects simultaneously so I had to manage my time to work on my projects and work on my Master’s degree without giving up any of those.
The second most important thing I liked from my time at SSBR is the access to information, all my modules were available online and each time I log in, I have access to all the information I need. All the professors were super helpful. They were super reactive whenever I had a problem, misconceptions or didn’t understand something. I just had to write or email them and they were just right there to explain everything I needed.”
Another thing that goes with the access to information is the online PowerPoint presentations with videos where the professors explain lessons. If you put them on your TV it’s as if you were in class so you just don’t have documents and you have to Google to understand what’s going on, all you have to do is listen to your professor.
One more thing that I really loved about SSBR is that there were no exams. Every module has a project where you apply all the knowledge you learn during the module which is smarter for me because I am the kind of person who gets stressed out with exams. And having to apply the knowledge throughout the final project and not just memorize and put them on paper, makes me remember my lessons even more. And I would say my biggest exam would be my personal project because all the knowledge I gained throughout my degree at SSBR is being applied to my project to make it come true. It was really helpful for me, I learned a lot, I am now applying that knowledge everyday in my work.”
Ahmed Mahmoud
MBA
Recruitment Agent at SSBR
Barcelona, Spain
“SSBR is the best the school I had got knowledge from, because of many reasons. The most important one is flexibility, back in my old school, I had to attend classes from 9 am to 6 pm but at SSBR it was easier for me, I could go to any classes, whenever I want , this allowed me to keep a proper life balance.
What I really liked about SSBR is how our professors help us during courses, I used to speak, text, even video call my professors at any time without taking an appointment in advance, and all my professors helped me go through a lot without even seeing them physically; it was all through google classroom, which was a very organized, updated and helpful way for E-learning.
I would like to say that SSBR gave me a huge aspect of education and knowledge. I can’t have it in any school. And the E-learning method in SSBR is the best.”
