We have a community of amazing people who are determined to make the world a better place.

When I began my career in alumni engagement, we focused very much on networking – meeting up, having a drink and enjoying the fact that everyone had their education in common. And that was great. But while it’s still great to have a drink together, I’m very aware that these days, our community can do so much more.

Every year, when I stand on the stage at graduation, I look out and I’m so impressed with all of these incredible, bright people who have achieved so much – whether they’ve finished their first degree, come back into education for an MBA, or have tackled a Master’s. And I’m even more proud when I hear them say what they are going to achieve. “I will change the world. I will make a difference. I will work sustainably. I will address gender equality.”

There is a sense of mobilisation to solve the world’s grand challenges – and that’s a wonderful thing for me, because here we have a ready-made community of amazing people who are determined to make the world a better place.

So what can RSM do to help all our graduates come together as a community and keep that flame alive? Our recent Alumni Career Days event saw RSM alumni from across the globe share their expertise with current students: it was fantastic to see the power of RSM’s connections in action.

In these rapidly changing times, it’s important to stay relevant. That’s why we encourage all our alumni to invest in the concept of lifelong learning – and there is so much available at RSM, from webinars on the latest topics, such as inflation and the recent banking crisis, to entire courses. We’ve always been deeply proud of the fact that we are truly global – we now have 35 alumni chapters in every corner of the globe. And this year’s Pride event brought home to me that diversity is one of the key strengths of our RSM community.

There are so many ways that RSM connects with its community, and so many ways that you connect with us – mentoring, donating, supporting great causes. Together, we can do great things. There are big global challenges ahead. The business leaders of today and tomorrow that RSM has created, and will create, understand and believe in this. They want to work in organisations that reflect this mission to make the world a better place.

I believe that our connected community can truly make a change. It’s not just about making money anymore. It’s about having the right impact on the world.

This is what you signed up for – so let’s make it happen. Together.