Welcome to the latest edition of the Alumni Newsletter. Today marks an historic new chapter for us as we officially become Bayes Business School.
The decision to remove the Cass name last summer was not one we took lightly, nor was the comprehensive process we carried out to find a new name.
We pride ourselves on a culture of inclusivity and equality within our global community. In June 2020, there was increasing awareness of the links between Sir John Cass and the slave trade, which made us, and our stakeholders, reflect on whether such a link was consistent with our values. We have now changed our name, and decided that, in line with our values and principles, we need to increase our focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion at Bayes Business School.
We approached this challenge with a spirit of enquiry, learned from new information, and, most importantly, cared enough to act – something that I believe shows who we are.
Bayes’ Theorem suggests that we get closer to the truth by constantly updating our beliefs in proportion to the weight of new evidence. We want to nurture a diverse community of people who bring new perspectives and champion those who are willing to learn from others while having the courage to do things differently – something that I think our new name captures perfectly.
Now that we have a new name, we must work collectively to bring it to life. This includes being advocates of the Bayes Business School name wherever we are in the world, helping others understand the significance and reasons behind our decision to change the name and demonstrating our core values.
It also includes being champions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), something which is central to everything we do at Bayes. We will be embarking on several important new initiatives this year including induction workshops on inclusive teamwork for all new students. We will keep you posted about further news and events and you can read more about our DEI work here.
As alumni, you will also be an important part of our rebranding work to support our new name and I encourage you to first watch then share our rebranding video. This week, we are launching one of our largest ever international marketing campaigns and you may see or hear our advertisements on the BBC, Sky or The Economist podcast, or spot them during your commute at Old Street or Liverpool Street.
I would like to encourage you to update any reference to us to ‘Bayes Business School (formerly Cass)’ in your online and social media profiles, and ensure you are following and connecting to the following official channels:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/bayes-business-school/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BayesBSchool (@BayesBSchool)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BayesBSchool (@BayesBSchool)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayesbschool/ (bayesbschool)
Please note that our LinkedIn name and logo will automatically update under “experience” in your profiles from today, but mentions of Cass in your profile description should be manually changed to ‘Bayes Business School (formerly Cass)’.
I am grateful for your support and feel great optimism about the future. The last 18 months have provided unprecedented challenges for all of us, but with a new name, a beautiful new building at Finsbury Square and the increased return of face-to-face teaching and events, we have a lot to look forward to.
Please remain safe and I look forward to hopefully seeing many of you again very soon.
Best wishes,
Professor Paolo Volpin
Dean
Bayes Business School