CITY NEWS

In this edition of City News welook at some of the key issuesyour raised in last year’s staffsurvey and how the Universityis putting plans in place toaddress them.We also have the latest newsand developments, ourinvolvement in DigitalShoreditch and we alsointroduce our new PR team.

June 2012 | issue 09

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The prestigioustriennial Onassis Prizesare awarded by CassBusiness School andthe OnassisFoundation, foundedby shipping magnateAristotle Onassis inmemory of his sonAlexander. Winners are chosen by apanel of academics whichincludes two Nobellaureates. Each prize isworth US$200,000.

Professor Costas Grammenos (below), founder of the InternationalCentre for Shipping, Trade and Finance at Cass, was part of the panelthat awarded this year’s Onassis Prizes, recognising academics’contributions to the fields of finance, international trade and shipping.

Professor Stephen Ross (MIT Sloan School of Management) received theOnassis Prize for Finance and Professor Elhanan Helpman (HarvardUniversity) received the Onassis Prize for International Trade. TheOnassis Prize for Shipping was shared between Professor Ernst Frankel(MIT), Professor Richard Goss (Cardiff University) and Professor ArnljotStromme Svendesn (NorwegianSchool of Economics andBusiness Administration).

Professor Grammenos, a drivingforce behind the prizes, said: “Iwarmly congratulate thewinners whose distinguishedachievements have profoundlyinfluenced their disciplines andcontinue to have an impact onacademic thinking and businessconduct worldwide.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

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City shortlisted for THEAward for second time City has been shortlisted for a Times HigherEducation Leadership and ManagementAward for the second consecutive year.

City won Outstanding Student Services in2011 and is now shortlisted for the 2012Outstanding International Strategy Award.Judges were impressed by City’s World CitiesWorld Class (WC2) network.

Staff Wellbeing Day 2012You can stillregister to takepart in this year’sStaff WellbeingDay, dedicated toboosting yourphysical and psychological wellbeing. Findout more on our intranet homepage.

Costs of developmentDr Christopher McDowell, Reader in Inter-national Politics, has co-authored a bookwith writer Olivia Bennett which examinesthe human costs of development.

Displaced: The Human Cost of Developmentand Resettlement, is published by PalgraveMacmillan.

About City NewsCity News is produced for Universitystaff each month by Marketing andCommunications.

If you have any feedback on themagazine or suggestions for content infuture issues, please email:christopher.leonard.1@city.ac.uk

QAA Institutional ReviewThe Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) periodically reviewsUK universities as part of its responsibility ‘to safeguardstandards and improve the quality of UK higher education’. QAA is undertaking an Institutional Review of City later this yearwhich will consider City’s documentation and quality processesand QAA reviewers will make two visits to City, in September andOctober. Staff may be asked to attend one of the sessions or supportthe process.

If you have any questions please contact Dr Carol Vielba, AcademicLead for the QAA Institutional Review or Megan Palmer, InstitutionalFacilitator for the Review.

Onassis Prize winners Deputy Vice-Chancelloradvises the MinisterDeputy Vice-Chancellor David Bolton has served on the JointSteering Group on Outward Student Mobility chaired by ProfessorColin Riordan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex.The Group’s latest report, commissioned by David Willetts, Minister ofState for Universities and Science, explores incentives and obstacles tooutward student mobility in the UK.Among the report’srecommendations is the proposeddevelopment of a national strategyfor outward mobility and a sector-led body to support it.

The Minister has tasked the UKInternational Unit to presentoptions for supporting theprogression of the recommendationsat this summer’s InternationalEducation Advisory Forum.

Details can be found at:http://tinyurl.com/Outward-Mobility

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NEWS IN BRIEFNew Honorary RectorCouncil has approved the appointment ofex-Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council, theHon Apurv Bagri, as Honorary Rector of CityUniversity London for three years. He willact as Presiding Officer at Graduations andas a University ambassador.

Honour for Cass DeanRichard Gillingwater has been made aChevalier dans l'Ordre des PalmesAcadémiques, one of France's highesthonours. He was informed of the news in apersonal letter from French Minister ofEducation, Luc Chatel. The awardrecognises Cass’s contribution to educatingFrench students and its partnerships withmajor French business schools.

Will Self at City Last month author Will Self visited Cityfor a panel discussionon difficulties intranslation,specifically hisrecent translation ofFranz Kafka’s ACountry Doctor forthe Arts Council’sThe Space initiative. The discussion waschaired by Dr Amanda Hopkinson, VisitingProfessor in Literary Translation.

New mentoring scheme The City Law School has established amentoring scheme matching Legal PracticeCourse students with legal practitionersfrom London law firms, many of who areCity alumni. The scheme recently held thefirst of several events scheduled for 2012.

Dr Martin Steggall of the School of HealthSciences has received The Chancellor'sAward 2012 for his outstandingcontribution to City University London. As Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies,Dr Steggall (below) is a member of the School'ssenior management team, manages a heavyeducation work-load and continues to practiseas a Clinical Nurse Specialist at St Bart's.

Dr Steggall supervised five doctoral researchprojects this academic year while publishinghis own research into male sexual problemssuch as erectile dysfunction, often a key indicator of heart disease.

Professor Stanton Newman, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, praisedDr Steggall's commitment, saying: "His reliability and positive influenceon staff and students alike, with nothing ever being too much trouble,has been a real inspiration to others.”

Changes to DeaneryAs you may be aware, there will be some changes to theDeanery at City over the next few months.Professor Andrew Jones, Assistant Dean at Birkbeck with portfoliosfor Research, Enterprise and Special Projects, will join City inSeptember as Dean of the Schools of Arts and Social Sciences.

Richard Gillingwater, Dean of Cass Business School has decided tostep down from his role after five years in December and ProfessorSusan Nash, Dean of the City Law School has agreed to continue inher role until we appoint a new Dean for the School.

In addition, we have begun the process of recruiting a new Dean ofthe Schools of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences andInformatics, following Professor Ken Grattan’s appointment toDean of the Graduate School, effective from 1st August.

www.city.ac.uk/staff

Dr Martin Steggall winsThe Chancellor’s Award

The City Alumni Network’s flagship event, its Annual LondonReunion, is being held on Thursday 12th July in the Great Hall.Nearly 300 alumni attended last year’s event and similarnumbers are expected this year.The Network is extending invitations to staff at City who would like tore-establish contact with former students, to network or perhaps topromote postgraduate or professional development opportunities foralumni.

Celia Enyioko, Alumni Communications Executive, said: “The annualreunion is a popular event that brings together former students. Staffcan also take the opportunity to find out how former students areprogressing in their lives and careers.”

You can find out more, including details of which alumni have alreadyregistered, by emailing Celia and you can register online:www.city.ac.uk/events/2012/july/annual-london-reunion

Why not get involved inour alumni reunion?

NEWS IN BRIEF

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NEWS IN BRIEFStudents from the third cohort of Cass Business School’s DubaiExecutive MBA were awarded their degrees in a ceremony heldat the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The prestigious event was attended by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed BinSaeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of DubaiCivil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group.

An appreciative audience of family, friends, Cass alumni and businesspartners was addressed by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Curran,Richard Gillingwater, Dean of Cass Business School, Professor RoyBatchelor, Cass Associate Dean (MBA Programmes) and Victoria Cox,who spoke on behalf of the graduating class. Dr Nasser Saidi, ChiefEconomist, DIFC Authority, gave the keynote address on the opportunitiesand challenges facing businesses in the region.

Third cohort of Cass DubaiEMBA students graduate

Spirit of the Olympic GamesAs part of 2012 Universities Week, Bill Morris,London 2012 Events Chief and City alumnustalked with International Journalism MAstudent Jo Healey, formerly a member ofTeam GB’s volleyball team and now involvedwith its press and PR. Read the interview onour website: tinyurl.com/olympicspirit2012

Bright Sparks concerts

Dr Laudan Nooshin from the Centre for MusicStudies has collaborated with the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra to introduce school-children to Iranian music and culture. Theproject culminated in two ‘Bright Sparks’school concerts at the Royal Festival Hall lastmonth which featured a specially-written piecebased on a story from Iranian epic TheShahnameh.

Donation to social scienceCity has pledged £5,000 to the Campaign forSocial Science, promoted by the Academy ofSocial Sciences. The campaign aims to raisethe profile of social science with the public, inthe media and in Parliament.

Get ahead of the GamesLondon authorities and transport organisationshave launched a website to help people plantheir travel during the London Olympic andParalympic Games:www.getaheadofthegames.com

City’s School of Informaticsjoined forces with otherUniversity departments tosponsor ‘Innovate Day’ at therecent Digital Shoreditch festival (City News, May 2012). The day focused on universityresearch being undertaken in closeproximity to Tech City, London’sdigital industrial hub.

Dr Sara Jones, Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Human-ComputerInteraction and Dr Stephen Clulow, studying for City’s Masters inInnovation, Creativity and Leadership participated in ‘BetterConversations’, an interactive discussion exploring how businesses anduniversities can talk more effectively with each other.

Visitors to City’s display space on Shoreditch High Street got to experiencethe technologies available at City’s state-of-the-art Interaction Lab,demonstrating how technology can be used to evaluate interaction withdigital content including eye-tracking, mobile testing, multi-touchinteraction and more.

City takes the spotlight atthe Shoreditch FestivalCity’s summer moves

get under wayThis month sees the relocation of several groups to 1 Myddelton Street as part of the Northampton SquareEducation Projects (City News, May 2012). These are:• Property & Facilities: From Goswell Place on Friday 1st and

Saturday 2nd June

• Radiography: From Drysdale Building on Wednesday 6th June

• SHS G05 (including Marketing): From West Smithfield onThursday 7th June

• SHS Academic Planning and Performance: From WestSmithfield on Thursday 7th June

• SHS Administration: From Health Building on Friday 8th June

• Information Services: From Innovation Centre on Friday 15th toSaturday 23rd June

• Human Resources: From Innovation Centre on Wednesday 27thand Thursday 28th June

• Payroll: From Innovation Centre on Wednesday 4th andThursday 5th July.

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Enterprise at City

www.city.ac.uk/staff

Shaping the M&A industry

by Chris Johnson

At first glance, it looks like a high value deal being brokered inthe City. Sitting around the table are top investment bankers,accountants and private equity consultants. But this is not amultimillion pound takeover; it is the advisory board meeting ofCass Business School’s Mergers & Acquisitions Research Centre(MARC).The Centre, launched in 2008, is the first of its kind within a majorbusiness school to pursue research into the global mergers andacquisitions (M&A) industry. From its base in Chiswell Street, the teamresearches some of the most pressing issues facing the M&A industryaround the world.

What makes the Centre unique is how it integrates and capitalises onthe expertise of several of the M&A industry’s biggest hitters. MARC’ssenior sponsors include Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young and AXA PrivateEquity as well as Towers Watson, Mergermarket and the Institute ofChartered Accountants for England and Wales.

“Our sponsors are more than financial donors,” explains Anna Faelten(below), Deputy Director of MARC. “They do not sit on the sidelines.They play an active role in the research process by functioning assounding boards for our ideas.”

While the Centre works with itssponsors on researching issuesimportant to M&A professionals,sponsors in turn gain exclusiveaccess to world-class research. “It isa mutually beneficial relationship,”says Anna. “We blend industryexperience with academic expertiseto produce research on topics thatreally matter in the boardroom.”

This combination of academic andindustry know-how works.Academics at the Centre recently

How the Mergers &Acquisitions ResearchCentre works with the

global M&A industry

conducted a groundbreaking studyfor the Department for Business,Innovation and Skills into how M&Aactivity can provide a short-termboost to the UK economy (City News,January 2012). The study receivedwidespread media attention and ishelping to reverse a longstandingview that M&A deals are damagingfor shareholders.

The Centre has also been singled outfor praise by one of the world’sleading education standards bodies.Last year, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business,which accredits business schools worldwide, published a special reportshowcasing the Centre’s unique makeup and activities.

But it is not just the Centre’s research that is benefiting from its closeconnections with business. The Centre also creates new learning andemployment opportunities for Cass students.

Sponsorship agreementIn March, the Centre signed a £100,000 sponsorship agreement withAXA Private Equity. As part of the deal, AXA Private Equity will providea two-month paid summer internship in conjunction with a fullscholarship for Cass’s new postgraduate degree in Corporate Finance.

“AXA Private Equity is one of the most highly regarded names ininternational financial services,” said Professor Scott Moeller (above),founder and Director of MARC. “This partnership will provide a fully-funded place on our new MSc in Corporate Finance and open new workexperience and employment opportunities for our students.”

Sponsors benefit from the students helping them to solve problems theyare facing.

Together, these factors have made the M&A Research Centre a notablesuccess but what is the formula underpinning it all? “We do not simplyapply world-leading research to business and academia,” Scott says.“The Centre also offers its sponsors the prestige of being associatedwith one of Europe’s leading business schools, a platform fornetworking and the chance to tap into a pool of talented recruits.”

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Listening to our staffLast summer, City University London’s biennial Staff Surveymeasured employee engagement and identified issues importantto staff. The results are being used to implement action plans forimproving engagement and for making City an even better placeto learn and work.As the University publishes Staff Survey action plans for most Schoolsand Professional Services on our intranet (tinyurl.com/Survey-Action-Plans), City News looks at how we are addressing the issues raised.

Last year, a Staff Survey Working Group, comprising representativesfrom all Schools and Professional Services and with Trades Unionrepresentation, was established to manage City’s response to the surveyresults. The Group took account of the lessons learnt from the previousstaff survey in 2009 and the relevant aspects of the University’s StrategicPlan for 2012-16.

The Working Group’s aims are twofold. Firstly, to consider the surveyfindings for the University overall and identify how they can be mosteffectively addressed. Secondly, to monitor Schools’ and ProfessionalServices’ implementation of their own action plans.

How City is taking onboard feedback in lastyear’s Staff Survey andacting to address theissues raised

Professor David Bolton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chair of theWorking Group (facing, right), explains: “With the launch of theStrategic Plan it is more important than ever for City to engage with staffon the 2016 Vision and the Strategic Plan.

“Acting on the survey results and the drivers of engagement atUniversity-level and within Schools and Professional Services willensure that City addresses those issues of most importance to staff.”

Following a presentation of the results to the University ExecutiveCommittee last year, Deans and Directors of Services fed back the surveyresults to staff and worked with their teams to identify the significantissues and concerns and to agree how best to address them.

Three common key themes have emerged across all areas: StaffEngagement, Change Management and Career Development. So what isthe University doing to address them?

Greater understandingIn the survey results, staff expressed a desire for greater understandingabout how the University Executive Team and Executive Committee workand the University’s decision-making structures. This was particularly

relevant in the light of the development andsubsequent launch of the University’sStrategic Plan 2012-16.

The University has worked hard to addressthese issues through the development andlaunch of the Strategic Plan. Staff engagementhas been encouraged through the Vice-Chancellor’s Open House meetings and‘surgeries’ in addition to regular emailupdates and team meetings within Schoolsand Professional Services. In addition, CityNews has previously featured articles on thePlan’s submission to Council (January 2012)and the background to the Plan’sdevelopment and its key themes (April 2012).

More recently, City’s web pages have beenupdated and a new section has beenlaunched on the staff intranet homepage toimprove access to information about City’sVision and Strategic Plan. Plans for more

7www.city.ac.uk/staff

by Chris LeonardDeveloping staffCity has a range of training, support and development programmesfor both academic and Professional Services staff.

The Leadership & Staff Development Unit’s in-house programmeincludes online resources, appraisal and mentoring schemes,personal and Leadership & Management developmentprogrammes and more.

In addition, City offers staff subsidies of up to 50% for over 200Short Course modules in our accredited Courses for AdultsProgramme including languages, arts, business and enterpriseskills.

City is also committed to the principles of the national Concordatto Support the Career Development of Researchers. This includesthe Doctoral Track Scheme to help research and academic staffstudy for doctoral qualifications, the Research and EnterpriseDevelopment Programme for academics and the work of the CityResearch & Enterprise Unit (CREU), including training inenterprise, knowledge transfer, applying for research grants andtechnology commercialisation.

extensive engagement withstaff are being formulated.

In relation to CareerDevelopment, the Universityis addressing the desireexpressed by staff for clearercareer pathways andprogression within City. TheUniversity recognises theneed to communicateeffectively careerdevelopment opportunitiessuch as developing skills andtraining (see boxout) and therole line-managers have toplay to encourage staff torealise opportunities.

Alongside existing development opportunities for both academic andProfessional Services staff such as training, short courses and ourResearch & Enterprise Development Programme and Doctoral Trackscheme for academics (see boxout), Human Resources is developing aframework for the development of academic roles, including careerpathways and the recognition of professional practice.

Ensuring staff feel valuedDavid says: “By addressing feedback from the survey, City will ensurethat staff feel valued and that they can achieve their academic andprofessional ambitions with City as it strives to achieve the 2016 Vision.”

Now action plans are published and staff can view their own and otherplans, the Working Group will continue to monitor implementation andshare feedback and best practice.

In addition, the Group will soon start planning for the 2013 Staff Survey.City plans to adjust the questions based on feedback from last year’ssurvey and will tailor it to focus on the key themes contained within theStrategic Plan for 2012-16.

For more information about the Staff Survey and to read the actionplans, visit our intranet: tinyurl.com/Survey-Action-Plans

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Highlights of recentresearch at CityUniversity London

Research at CityImproving post strokequality of life City research has identified factors that could help healthprofessionals provide the best interventions for improving thequality of life of people with post-stroke aphasia.

The research, co-authored by DrKaterina Hilari (shown left withProfessor Paul Curran), Dr JustinNeedle and Kirsty Harrison in theSchool of Health Sciences, waspublished in Archives of PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation.

Aphasia is an impairment oflanguage ability for example,remembering words or difficultyspeaking, reading or writing,usually caused by head injuries orstroke.

The systematic review determined factors associated with, or predictiveof, poor health-related quality of life (HRQL) in people with post-strokeaphasia. A better understanding of these factors may enable healthprofessionals to devise more effective rehabilitation programs foraphasic people. The City academics found a range of important factorsin ascertaining the HRQL of people with post-stroke aphasia: theyincluded emotional distress or depression, the severity of aphasia andcommunication disability, other medical problems, activity limitationsand aspects of social network and support.

The authors concluded that stroke HRQL studies should include peoplewith aphasia and report separately on them to determine the mainpredictors of HRQL and identify the best interventions for addressing them.

Katerina said: “Aphasia has a profound impact on people’s lives.Understanding the factors that most influence aphasic people’s qualityof life can help health professionals provide better interventions andservices for them.”

Matching patents to localservice provision Professor Susan Procter of the School of Health Sciences has co-authored a paper on Primary Urgent Care which identified thevariety of users of emergency departments (EDs) and walk-incentres (WiCs) in North East London and matches these patternsof use to local service provision and patient choice.The research was performed through ananonymous patient survey and theanalysis of a random sample of patientrecords. By reference to complaintsidentified in the patients’ records, anurse consultant, a GP and a pharmacistindependently streamed the patients toprimary care services, non-NHS servicesor an Emergency Department. A focusgroup reviewed the results.

The research, published in PrimaryHealth Care Research & Development,used younger rather than older healthcare users (of a mean age of 35.6years). Around 50% had not seen a health professional about theirconcern and over 40% were unable to obtain an emergency appointmentwith their GP. Over a third of the attendees were already receivingtreatment and over 40% of them saw their complaint as an emergency.

The research found that more than half of the patients who respondedexpected to see a doctor, a quarter expected to see a nurse and only oneper cent expected to see a pharmacist in an ED or WiC, despite the latterbeing a nurse-led service. Most respondents expected a prescription toresult from a visit to a WiC, whereas a third sought health advice orreassurance from EDs.

The paper concluded that several strategies for unscheduled care are, orhave been, developed with the emphasis on moving demand intocommunity-based services. Although a range of healthcare outlets isavailable to patients, the report found a duplication of services whichsometimes resulted in repeat attendance and concluded that managingcontinued improvements in emergency and unscheduled care continuesto be a challenge.

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Research at City

www.city.ac.uk/staff

Mediation key to settlingforeign investment disputesCity research has highlighted the need for the general public tohave access to an easy-to-use and non-adversarial method ofbringing grievances against multinational corporations.

David Collins, Senior Lecturer at TheCity Law School, carried out theresearch, entitled ‘Alternative DisputeSettlement (‘ADR’) for Stakeholders inInternational Investment Law’, whichwas published in the Journal ofInternational Economic Law.

David discussed several ‘ADR’mechanisms intended to addresscomplaints from civil society stakeholdergroups that may suffer as a consequenceof foreign direct investment. He argued

that ADR methods such as mediation are well-suited to resolvinginternational investment disputes of this nature because of theiraccessibility to stakeholders in the developing world. Under suchcircumstances, conventional fora such as civil courts may be unavailable,not independent or too expensive.

“Voluntary mediation schemes instigated by the home states ofmultinational corporations could go a long way towards improvingrelations between foreign investors and the people of the countries inwhich they operate,” explains David. “This is most crucial in poorcountries where people are less likely to have the resources to bringclaims in domestic or international courts.”

David analysed national contact point procedures, established underthe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, alongwith the role of a new office maintained by the Canadian governmentwhich is designed to handle complaints regarding foreign investment inextractive industries such as mining (the research was supported by agrant from the Foundation for Canadian Studies in the UK).

David’s research also recommends that participation in ADR methodsby investors and other stakeholders could be improved throughmandatory provisions in international investment agreements.

We receive HR Excellencein Research AwardCity has received an HR Excellencein Research Award from theEuropean Commission (EC),recognising the University’salignment with the principles ofthe EC’s European Charter forResearchers and Code of Conductfor their Recruitment.The UK process for universitiesapplying for the award incorporatesthe QAA Code of Practice for ResearchDegree Programmes and the Concordatto Support the Career Development of Researchers. This enablesinstitutions such as City that have published Concordatimplementation plans to gain the HR Excellence in Research Award.

Jo Bradford, Director of the University Research Office, said: “TheAward recognises the work that has been done to date to improvethe experience of our researchers, particularly research staff anddoctoral students, and the University’s commitment to this agenda.The introduction of the Graduate School from 2012/13, which wasagreed after the application for the Award was made, will also helpus to take this forward.”

City is currently progressing the implementation of new termsand conditions for research staff which will come into effect from1st August 2012. These introduce parity with academic staff on payscale progression, annual leave and sickness entitlements andaccess to promotion opportunities. As a result of the changes Citywill also become one of only a few UK universities to makecontinuing contracts the norm for research staff from the outset ofemployment.

Find the action plan submitted as part of the application at:www.city.ac.uk/research/research/support-for-researchers/researcher-development

City Research OnlineHave you uploaded your researchoutputs to City’s researchrepository? City Research Online(City News, November 2011) willhelp you raise the visibility of yourresearch and help the Universityto collate and monitor its research.

Find out more at:http://openaccess.city.ac.uk

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Do you ever wish you could go back 60 years to see what life waslike? In the heart of Shoreditch, a milkshake bar offers a retreatfrom stressful modern life by re-creating the atmosphere andenvironment of an authentic 1950s American diner.The Love Shake started as an idea in 2010 by Hackney-born founder andco-owner Tunde Aroun, who was working in IT and marketing at the time.“I always wanted to own a café while working at the same time.Unfortunately the recession hit and I had to make a choice: stay in IT oropen the café. I had passed the site of The Love Shake, then a vacantproperty, for ten years on my way to work so I thought: ‘Why not give it a go?’”

The bar’s 1950s theme is carried throughout the premises. The windowdisplays contain a gramophone, a telephone, a large radio and old filmapparatus from the 1950s. Above custom-made diner booths hangs anauthentic Coca-Cola sign, shining red neon light onto a portrait of Elvis.The shelves and curtains are handmade by Tunde himself but otheritems were sourced from second-hand shops, antique specialists or viathe internet.

What inspired the 1950s theme? “I was fascinated by Grease,” says Tunde.“Not an obsessive fan, but I was really into that scene. Vintage alwaysappealed to me because the manufacturing quality was much betterthen. You can see the passion that went into producing furniture, foodand clothes. I think it’s why we get a diverse range of customers, plus the

diner style seems to be appealingto everyone.”

The Love Shake has become wellknown locally for alcoholic milk-shakes and late opening hours,but acquiring a licence wastricky. “I’ve been quite fortunate,”says Tunde. “After I was maderedundant, I went on a licensingcourse to keep busy. It is hard toget a licence in Shoreditch so weare quite unique. The councilallows people with licences tosell alcohol on condition thatthey hold up to 21 late nightevents per year. So, once a month,we stay open until 4am and havea live jive dancer. The incomefrom late night sales contributes when things are quiet during the day butpeople come for our milkshakes and not the alcohol – which is why it iscalled The Love Shake.”

The bar’s success shows it is possible to go with your gut instinct andfollow your dreams and that it doesn’t have to be expensive to open abusiness.

“A similar business nearby invested £300,000. The Love Shake was afraction of that: everything was built from scratch. Most of the crafting Idid myself and luckily I have friends who do plumbing and heating andwho helped me out.”

Tunde’s advice to young entrepreneurs is about the importance ofconducting research. “Look at the market. One of the key things I lookedat was footfall: how many people walked past this particular location. Ispent a few minutes here every day assessing how many people wentpast and getting a feel for the area, soaking up the atmosphere.”

As for the future, Tunde is hoping to expand the business rather than sellit. He sees potential for a sister venue, a bar with a similar 1950s stylewhich would attract customers when The Love Shake shuts at midnight.

“The economy is growing here; you see new shops opening and there’s afeel-good factor in Shoreditch. It’s interesting to see how things havebeen changing.”

A 1950s love shake story

by Oskar Falkenberg

A first year journalismstudent looks at a smallbusiness success storythat has grown from anidea to expansion planswithin a year.

Meet yourcolleagues

The new PR team in Marketing& CommunicationsThere have been some changes in Marketing & Communicationsover the past few months, the most recent being the creation ofa new media team. John, Justin and Sophie joined City in April.They are responsible for the development of City’s externalprofile and have designated responsibility for specific Schoolsand report to Interim Head of Communications, Katherine Trimble.

Sophie CubbinSenior Communications Officer, School of LawAfter graduating from the University of Leeds’ School of Law, Sophiecompleted a PgDip in Broadcast Journalism at Trinity and All SaintsCollege. She secured work in radio newsrooms including at the BBC andthe Guardian Media Group and was involved in several acclaimeddocumentaries, receiving a nomination for Journalist of the Year at theGMG Awards.

In 2008, Sophie began following the case of nine year-old ShannonMatthews, who was reported missing in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. Theextraordinary story continued for nearly ten months and culminated inthe conviction and imprisonment of Shannon’s mother and step-uncleon charges of kidnap and perverting the course of justice. Sophie producedan hour-long programme on the case, which aired across the GMGRadio network and was nominated for a leading radio industry award.

Sophie later left GMG Radio to fulfil an ambition to travel, visiting China,Australia, Vietnam and Canada. On her return to the UK, Sophie becamePress and Communications Officer for Intellectual Property law firmShipley IP. In the competitive legal services market, Sophie devised acommunications strategy that enhanced Shipley IP’s reputation andsuccessfully supported its expansion into the London market, helping itto increase its ranking in the Legal 500 year on year.

Justin Kerr-SmileySenior Communications Officer, Schools of Arts and SocialSciences and School of Health Sciences Justin spent 20 years at the sharp end of broadcast news. After readinghistory at Newcastle University in 1987, he gained a postgraduate degree

in Broadcast Journalism from the London College of Printing, where hewas awarded a BBC bursary. Justin started his journalism career as aradio reporter for ABC Radio in Sydney, where he covered the Gulf Warprotests among other national news stories.

In 1991 Justin returned to London and worked for Associated PressRadio as a general news reporter. Among major stories he covered werethe return of US Lebanon hostage Terry Anderson to Wiesbaden,Germany after six years of captivity and in 1993 he reported from Bosniaand Croatia at the height of the civil war, filing despatches from thebesieged city of Mostar.

Justin then joined the start-up team of Associated Press Television News(APTV), reporting on the Northern Ireland peace process, the death ofPrincess Diana, the detention of General Pinochet and the 2005 Londonbombings. In 2006 Justin spent a six-month attachment with the USEmbassy in London as a Press Officer before returning to APTV.

John StevensonSenior Communications Officer, Schools of Engineering &Mathematical Sciences and Informatics John’s career spans corporate communications, media intelligence andjournalism. After studying Political Science and Sociology at theUniversity of the West Indies in Barbados he moved to Haifa, Israel, in1992 to be an editor in the Secretariat of the Baha’i World Centre.

Returning to Barbados in 1995, he worked as freelance print journalistand broadcaster, producing and presenting programmes for Voice ofBarbados and writing for the Barbados Advocate and Caribbean NewsAgency.

In 1998 John returned to the University of the West Indies to work as aPublic Information Assistant and raised the profile of the flagshipregional higher education institution’s research to local and internationalaudiences. He then moved into public relations at Young & Rubicam’sBarbados affiliate, SOJE Communications, working on blue-chip clientaccounts including Virgin Atlantic Airways and Cable & Wireless.

In 2000, John relocated to the UK where he worked as a CorporateCommunications Consultant, freelance music journalist andbroadcaster and Senior Editor with media intelligence agency Precise,where he worked with technology sector clients including Symbian,QinetiQ and SunGard. This latter engagement inspired him to attain anMA in Digital Culture & Technology from King’s College London in 2007.

www.city.ac.uk/staff 11

SophieCubbin

JohnStevenson

JustinKerr-Smiley

Dates for your diaryFrom free market order to market fundamentalism: Thefate of economics5pm-6.20pm Wednesday 6th June, D104 Social Sciences BldgDr William Dixon (London Metropolitan University BusinessSchool) gives a talk as part of the Department of Economics'spring 2012 research seminar series.

Presidents Dinner6pm onwards, Thursday 7th June, Saddler’s BarA celebration of City’s student community co-hosted by the SUPresident, the Vice-Chancellor and the President of the AlumniAssociation. Includes the Carrot Awards, the highest accoladethe SU can bestow, given to those that have gone above andbeyond in their contribution to the student community.

Optometry Class of 1949 Reunion12pm-4pm Saturday 9th June, The Peasant, St John’s StreetAnnual reunion for optometry alumni, staff and the class of1949, organised by Maurice Bardiger (Optometry 1949).

ICLCity 2012: Innovation, Creativity and Leadershipconference9am-8pm, Monday 11th June, City University LondonThe second one-day conference hosted by the Centre forCreativity in Professional Practice involving workshops,discussion and networking, including keynotes fromstrategist and author Max McKeown and communicationcoach Neil Mullarkey.

Autism and the Criminal Justice System: Fromeyewitness testimony, victimisation to offending9.30am – 5pm Tuesday 12th June, College BuildingSpeakers from a range of backgrounds - lawyers,intermediaries and clinicians - will be discussing factorsrelating to autism and the Criminal Justice System.

Cyber-Security6pm-8.30pm Tuesday 12 June, Cass Business SchoolAn overview of the centres for Software Reliability (CSR) andCyber Security Sciences (CCySS) by Professors Kevin Jonesand David Stupples and Dr Ilir Gashi.

City Lights: Plus-Minus7pm-8.30pm Tuesday 12th June, Performance Space

For information about staff training, email:evan.bates.1@city.ac.ukor visit: http://www.city.ac.uk/sd/index

Heartstart ProgrammeThursday 7th June

Lunch and Learn: Arabic for beginnersFree taster session. Register: http://tinyurl.com/ccjm5osThursday 7th June

Mentoring Skills for Academic and Professional StaffThursday 21st June

Risk Assessment for Professional StaffTuesday 26th JuneTo be completed in conjunction with Cardinus onlinetraining, Effective Risk Management for Academic Staff onour Intranet (under Training and Development)

Staff training and development

www.city.ac.uk/events

Aiming for GoldThe fourth annual Learning At City Conference thismonth focuses on improving student learningthrough enhanced assessment and feedback. The one-day event on Wednesday 13th June in the OliverThompson Lecture Theatre, features presentations andpanel discussions including a keynote presentation byworld-renowned educationalist Professor Graham Gibbs.

To register, visit our website: www.city.ac.uk/ldc2012

Lunch and Learn: Japanese for beginnersFree taster session. Register: http://tinyurl.com/ccjm5osThursday 28th June

Introduction to Higher EducationTuesday 3rd July

Confirmation of Acceptance for StudiesTuesday 10th July

Building Disability ConfidenceTuesday 10th July

Finance and Purchasing TrainingFriday 13th July

Part of City’s Concert Series. City's ensemble in residence willperform current postgraduate student compositions as well astheir own repertoire.

The Future of the Bar6pm-7pm, Monday 25th June, Atkin Building 4 Gray's InnPlace

A joint event between The City Law School and The SouthEastern Circuit of the Bar – a debate on proposals for a newCode of Conduct and for Entity Regulation, and the impact ofthese proposals upon the justice system and the Bar.