Thank you for your interest in the volunteer roles of the Oxford Business Alumni (OBA) Network, the official business alumni network of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Our volunteers contribute to the growth and strengthening of the OBA Network, which currently boasts over 26,300 members.
University of Oxford Alumni Code of Conduct
What is an OBA Chapter? | What type of actvity do Chapters undertake? | How is an OBA Chapter established? | Am I eligible to run for a Chapter leadership role? | What is an Alumni Ambassador role?
What is an OBA Chapter?
The OBA Chapters enable and foster regional alumni communities to strengthen and develop their business expertise by sharing ideas, referring work to their fellow alumni peers, and discussing regional business issues. This maybe through regional focused discussions, career opportunities and/or provision of in-person and online networking opportunities.
OBA Chapter leaders represent the energy, expertise, passion and diversity of the Oxford Business Alumni Network. These leaders are alumni who actively contribute to making a difference in their region encouraging reciprocal, lifelong relationships between and amongst Oxford Saïd, the University of Oxford and our alumni.
Guidelines for OBA Chapter Governance
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What type of actvity do Chapter leaders normally organise?
Our Chapter leads will organise a variety of activities including:
- Organise content-driven/learning online and in person hybrid events featuring business speakers from the region
- Help facilitate and maintain an online platform for instant connection to fellow alumni
- Student/alumni events: Incoming students send-off party, Trek receptions, participation in student recruitment events
- Career focused events: professional networking, referring work to fellow alumni
- Casual social events: happy hour/post-work drinks
Vew some previous events held online
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How is an OBA Chapter established?
There must be at least 50 OBA Network members living in your city and surrounding area for the Oxford Saïd Alumni Relations team to consider a new chapter proposal. This requirement is designed to ensure that you will have access to support from additional alumni volunteers in order to create a sustainable chapter which will grow year upon year.
Every three years, there are formal OBA Chapter elections, run by the Civica Electoral Services, that are designed to address the following:
- Generate interest in, awareness of, and membership to, the Chapters through a global campaign
- Gauge regional interest and identify areas that warrant support
- Recruitment of more committee members in areas identified that need them
- Put in place a succession plan, through term limits, designed to refresh the committees and apportion responsibility with respect to the time commitment required
Once it is established that your city area meets the alumni number criteria for a new OBA Chapter, please find out more about what a committee role involves below;
OBA Chapters currently have three-year cycles of committee leadership. Alumni can self-nominate for election and they are voted for by their peers who are resident in the region. Formal elections will take place in 2025.
Your OBA Network Manager will be able to assist in establishing the number of alumni in a particular city.
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Am I eligible to be appointed a Chapter committee leadership role?
Chapter committee leadership roles are open to alumni from the following programmes who have opted-in to the OBA Network:
- Degree (Undergraduate and Postgraduate)
- Diploma
- Qualifying on-campus Executive Education programmes of over four days
- University of Oxford matriculated alumni who have activated their OBA Network account.
*Current students are not eligible.
A minimum of three seats are available for each committee and where there is a higher concentration of alumni, this is reflected in the number of seats available.
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I would like to get involved but there is no Chapter currently
A regional Alumni Ambassador for the Saïd Business School is established when there is not an exsisting Chapter in place. It is a pathway to establishing a formal group by helping the School activate OBA Network members in a particular city. Success in this role can be seen with the recent establishment of the Paris, Lahore and Luanda Chapters in 2022 - all of which came from the work of the alumni ambassador rallying engagement.
What would this involve?
- To promote and enhance the reputation of Saïd Business School on a local and regional level
- To assist alumni to remain connected to Saïd Business School and to serve the School more generally
- To welcome new alumni to the area and provide local knowledge
- To undertake outreach work in the local community, for example through assisting with student recruitment activity, welcoming student trekkers and meeting local incoming students
If you are interested in being an Alumni Ambassador, and are either a degree or diploma alumnus/a, please send a signed application to the address below including details of a staff or faculty referee.
Following the close of the OBA Chapter elections, we are looking for Alumni Ambassadors from our degree and diploma programmes to represent in the following areas:
| Beijing |
Frankfurt |
São Paulo |
| Berlin |
Lagos |
Shanghai |
| Copenhagen |
Los Angeles |
Shenzen |
| Dublin |
Melbourne |
Stockholm |
| Edinburgh |
Munich |
|
Contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@sbs.ox.ac.uk with the form below to express your interest, providing details of a School referee.
Apply to be an Alumni Ambassador
Whether you take forward a new chapter or galvanise informal alumni activity in your area, we are excited to hear from you and to receive your interest in supporting the network! We will do our best to ensure your wish to be involved is met!
Please contact alumni@sbs.ox.ac.uk with any questions.
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