We are delighted to be involved again with the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.  This year we are working with a team of five highly motivated Management Consulting students who will be analysing the success and potential for expansion for our new collaborative initiative between SME Matters and Microsoft’s specially selected High Potential Channel Partners known as the SMB Academy.

The team have a diverse range of backgrounds and multiple cultures. The team is led by the only Irish student in the group, Mike Taylor, who hails from Co. Wexford and studied Business Management at IT Carlow before beginning his Master’s Degree at UCD Smurfit last September. Other team members include Atma Ranjan Mohanty; an Indian student who has a broad range of experience in strategy and consulting, Lukáŝ Vesely; a Czech student with a background in economics and experience working with a large consulting firm, Chuan Yang; a Chinese student with a background in accounting and auditing and finally Jayant Marwaha; an Indian student with a background in biological sciences. Together the team has a wide range of talents and knowledge and is well equipped to take on this high stakes project.

Their aim, in completing this project, is to measure the qualitative and quantitative benefits accrued to the specially selected High Potential Channel Partners as a result of part-taking in the SMB Academy designed in a joint effort between Microsoft and SME Matters. The study will take into account a wide variety of impacts this Academy will have on the businesses involved and be mindful of the many benefits that the Academy may have that are unseen or have not yet presented themselves due to the fact that this program is still in its early stages. If this Academy proves to be successful the plan is to roll out the program internationally in order for global partners of Microsoft to benefit from the program also.