Bodo Schlegelmilch – who has been Chair of the Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association since 2018, is due to relinquish the role at the end of September 2023 and Wendy Loretto, Dean of the University of Edinburgh Business School has been elected to succeed him.

Loretto, who was voted unanimously by the Trustees to become the new Chair at AMBA & BGA’s International Management Board Meeting on Friday 10^th February, is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Dean at the University of Edinburgh Business School. She will officially commence the role of chair of AMBA & BGA on October 1^st 2023.

Before becoming dean in 2017, Loretto has previously held several leadership roles at the University of Edinburgh Business School, including Director of Research and Director of Undergraduate Programmes. Her main research field is age and employment, with a particular focus on changes in employees’ and employers’ attitudes and practices in extending working lives. She is especially interested in the ways in which gender, age and health interact to affect work and retirement experiences amongst older men and women across Europe.  Her work has received funding from research councils, industry partners, government and EU and is published widely in leading academic journals.

She is on the Boards of abrdn Financial Fairness Trust and the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies, and was a member of the UKRI Equality, Diversity and Inclusion external Advisory Group (2018-22).

Andrew Main Wilson, CEO of AMBA & BGA said “It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work closely with Bodo over these last six years – a period which has seen AMBA & BGA achieve record growth to 294 AMBA accredited business schools and over 60,000 student & graduate members and the launch of BGA in 2019, which has grown dramatically to 235 business school members and 30 accredited schools in just four years.  I very much look forward to working with Wendy and building further on the success of these past six years.”

Schlegelmilch, Head of the Institute for International Marketing Management, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, leaves the organisation in its strongest position ever, having served the maximum permitted term of six years as Chair.

“AMBA & BGA is in its best position ever: a record number of AMBA accredited business schools, a successful new brand, BGA, and the best financial performance in the organisation’s history of over 50 years. When I pass the leadership of the board to Wendy Loretto, I am happy to do this with a good conscience. Of course, success is always a team effort and would not have been possible without a knowledgeable and constructive Board of Trustees and the committed hard work of our CEO, Andrew Main Wilson and his team. I would like to thank my fellow trustees and the AMBA & BGA team for their trust and support, and wish Wendy lots of success when she takes on the leadership on October 1, 2023.”, commented, Bodo Schlegelmilch.

Wendy Loretto, said of her appointment, “I am delighted and honoured to be taking over this role from Bodo – his exemplary stewardship of the board has undoubtedly contributed to the growth and reputation of AMBA & BGA. I am passionate about working with and in the business school community to ensure we are constantly improving, learning and innovating, and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the coming years.”