MDX master’s students shine at global leadership and peacebuilding conference

MBA students were successful at the international event hosted by Global Peace Chain

Middlesex University MBA students enjoyed success at a large educational business conference designed to equip future leaders with skills in leadership and tackling global peace.

The Leadership & Peacebuilding Certification conference, organised by Global Peace Chain (GPC), attracts thousands of delegates including students and business leaders who listen to a range of expert speakers who provide them with skills in ethical leadership, conflict resolution, intercultural communication and inclusive dialogue.

During the five-day event this year, held at Imperial College London earlier this month, students on the Master in Business Administration (MBA) course at Middlesex University finished second in the GPC certification event.

Student Janvi Shah, from Gujarat in India who hopes to start her own business within the next five to ten years, said the range of speakers at the conference made the sessions interactive and fun.  

‘We networked with a great group of people from over fifty plus countries, learning about their culture and how they cope with problems,” said Janvi.

“It was fantastic to network with a lot of people, some of whom I’m still in contact with, and this will help me a lot in future with my career.”

Vishal Muralidharan, from Chennai in India who has an extensive background in marketing, hopes to start up a charity in his homeland which translates western mental health literature.

“The course has given me the perfect balance of theory and practical,” he said.

During the conference, Vishal said it was “eye-opening” how they needed to create a step-by-step process for peace and how it was essential to be respectful of different cultures in communication.

“I found that the main problem with such conflicts is that there is no trust on any side and that’s why a solution cannot be found. My biggest learning from the conference is that good leadership and peace is more than just the absence of conflict. To have peace and openness, there must be high levels of trust, openness and collaboration. You can have peace, but no one is talking or cooperating and that’s not good leadership.”

Student Vishal Muralidharan

Student George Okpara, from Lagos in Nigeria, was particularly inspired by one speaker who had grown his business into a global corporation from humble origins which showed you ‘don’t need all the resources’ to be successful. 

He said: “The biggest takeaway for me was that everybody around the world has the same issues and we are all trying to solve the same problems such as war, peace, hunger and human rights issues. There was a common ground for all of us.”

With a background as a chief technical officer, George runs a cloud hosting business in Nigeria which is aiming to tackle data hosting problem in West Africa and wanted to compliment his technical skills with the business side.

“I have put what I have learned into the business in the past few months and already seen a positive difference,” added George.

Dr Rick Mukhopadhyay, Director of MBA Programmes at MDX, said: “It is a proud moment for our MBA programme and a reflection of the Business School’s commitment to nurturing globally competent, impact-driven professionals. Achievements like this also strengthen our University's reputation when our professional advanced learners on the MBA excel at international forums. 

“I also wanted to give a shoutout to our monthly MBA Accelerator Series that I co-host with our colleagues at Careers and Futures that continually provide the students with the valuable boost, not only by building confidence and nurturing capability, but by equipping them with the practical tools and human skills needed to lead effectively.”

Find about more about the Master in Business Administration at Middlesex University.