Famous Alumni
Durham Business School is proud to list the following people among its alumni.
Oliver (Ollie) Phillips (BA Business Administration, 2001-2004)
Ollie is a rugby union footballer who plays at wing or full back for the England Sevens. He made his Newcastle Falcons first team debut against Saracens in the 2004/5 season, scoring a try at Vicarage Road after coming on from the bench.
The former England Students and Durham University player has also earned England Sevens honours, playing in a number of tournaments around the world. Captaining the Falcons to the Middlesex 7s title in 2008, he also earned further England 7s recognition as well as being the top try-scorer in the European Challenge Cup for the 2007/8 campaign. He was named England 7’s Captain last year and led them to 4 finals on the world series: Dubai; Wellington; San Diego and Twickenham. A first for any England team. They won the tournaments in Wellington and London, New Zealand being the first time England had every won the tournament.
Ollie was named World Sevens Player of the year last year and has recently signed for a Paris based side called Stade Francais and is currently living in France.
Dr William John Heaton Greenwood, MBE, DCL, (BA Economics, 1991–1994)
Will Greenwood is regarded as one of England’s greatest ever rugby players, as well as one of the sport’s most engaging, intelligent and witty characters. He is the second highest try scorer in English rugby history with a total of 31 tries – including five in England’s World Cup triumph in 2003, making him the tournament’s joint top try scorer.
Will graduated with a BA in Economics from Hatfield College, Durham in 1994 before making his debut in for Harlequins that same year amassing 25 appearances before moving to Leicester in 1996.
Will was handed his full England international debut in 1997, but it was in the 2000/01 season, following a return to form that Greenwood was rewarded with a deserved recall to the England team and established himself as an England regular. He scored a hat-trick of tries in the Six Nations Championship victory over Wales in Cardiff (3rd February 2001) and followed this with man-of-the-match performances in England's Six Nations victories over Scotland, Wales and Italy in 2002.
Although a member of the British & Irish Lions squads that toured South Africa and Australia in 1997 and 2001, a number of untimely injuries prevented Will from featuring in the Test games. Greenwood finally won his first Lions caps on the tour of New Zealand in 2005.
Will retired at the end of the 2006 season having had a played for the British & Irish Lions, England, NEC Harlequins, Leicester and Preston Grasshoppers.
Jason Mark Robinson (Diploma in Business Management, 2002-2004)
Jason is currently Director of Operations at TD Waterhouse UK, the country’s second largest execution-only broker. Jason has built extensive experience in the financial sector through previously being Director of Savings and Investments at Birmingham Midshires and as a regional manager for Sun Life Financial of Canada.
Prior to life in the commercial realm, Jason spent three years as a professional cricketer on the books of Warwickshire CCC (1984-85) and Somerset CCC (1986). He also played for England at under-15, under-17 and under-19 level.
Jason is married to Tracy and has three children. He is a life-long Birmingham City FC fan, and continues to play cricket and coach for the MCC.
His Excellency Anwar Choudhury (MBA Distance Learning, 1988 – 1993)
Anwar Choudhury is Director International Institutions at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Strengthening the International Institutions is one of the UK’s top foreign policy priorities. In the FCO, he is responsible for UK’s policy and relations with the UN, the EU, NATO, the G8, the Commonwealth, the US, the World Bank and the IMF. Mr Choudhury is also responsible FCO’s Human Rights, Governance and Democracy policy and organisations. He took up this position from May 08. Before this, Mr Choudhury served as Her Majesty’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh from 2004 to May 2008. He was the first senior British Ambassador from a British Asian background. During his tenure UK Bangladesh relationship was considerably expanded and strengthened and moved on to a strategic new height.
Mr Choudhury has had a unique and distinguished career having served in British Industry, The Royal Air Force, The Ministry of Defence and The Cabinet Office. He started his career in Industry. This was followed by the Royal Air Force and the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office where he was Director of Policy in the Office of the e-Envoy. He joined the FCO from the Cabinet Office and initially worked on strategy and policy issues before taking up his posting as High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
Mr Choudhury’s main interests are in policy for radical change in government and governance. On a personal note, he is married with three children, a son and two daughters. His hobbies include Cricket, Bridge and Bengali folk music.