The Anglia Ruskin University Faculty of Business and Law (formerly Lord Ashcroft International Business School; LAIBS) is a faculty of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU). The faculty has two schools: the School of Economics, Finance and Law and the School of Management. Currently, ARU has business schools in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, and London.
The Lord Ashcroft Buildings are located at ARU Cambridge and ARU Chelmsford. Lord Michael Ashcroft, then chancellor of the university, donated ten million pounds to construct both business school buildings. Prince Edward inaugurated the Chelmsford building in 2003. The Lord Ashcroft Building in Cambridge was opened in 2011. The facade of the business school in Cambridge carries the former name of the business school.
Originally the Chelmsford building was called the Michael A. Ashcroft Building and the business school the Michael Ashcroft International Business School. After Ashcroft was created a life peer in 2000, the business school was renamed to Lord Ashcroft International Business School.
The business schools is one of the largest in the east of England, with nearly 100 full-time teaching staff and approximately 7,200 students from over 100 countries. It also provides business programmes through partner institutions worldwide.
ARU is a member of the European Foundation for Management Development. Several of the faculty's programmes are accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and other professional bodies in the United Kingdom. All of the courses are accredited by the Chartered Management Institute. In 2023, Anglia Ruskin entered into a partnership with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
Professor Mohammad M. Ali is the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law.
Awards
In 2014, Anglia Ruskin University were announced as the winner of the Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Award.
In 2016, the university won the Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship at Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.
In 2022, Anglia Ruskin’s Faculty of Business and Law received Small Business Charter Award.
Controversies
In March 2018, Lord Ashcroft graduate, Hongkonger Pok Wong started a lawsuit against ARU for misrepresenting the career prospects of the degree she took.
Alumni
Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, English investor, billionaire and former Conservative vice chairman Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, Labour politician, government policy-maker, former minister, attorney general and president of Chatham House Kim Howells, Labour politician and former Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee Nicky Richards, CEO and Chief Investment Officer MLC Asset Management Andrew Sayer, English economist, professor of Social Theory and Political Economy at Lancaster University Ronald Searle, creator of St Trinian’s Mark Wood, businessman, accountant and chairman of NSPCC Chris Beckett, academic, author and science-fiction novelist John Burnside, academic and T. S. Eliot winner author Geraldine Finlayson, researcher and director of John Mackintosh Hall Angela Hartnett, entrepreneur and chef Anders Holch Povlsen, owner and CEO of Bestseller Tim Stokely, founder of OnlyFans