Anglia Ruskin University Faculty of Business and Law

Faculty of Business and Law
Former name
Lord Ashcroft International Business School
TypeBusiness school; university faculty
Established1992
DeanMohammad Ali[1]
Students7200
Location
Cambridge, Chelmsford, London & Peterborough
,
United Kingdom
CampusUrban
AffiliationsCIMA, ACCA, CMI, ABS, PRME, AIESEC
Websitehttps://aru.ac.uk/business-and-law

The Anglia Ruskin University Faculty of Business and Law, formerly known as the Lord Ashcroft International Business School (LAIBS), is a faculty at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU). It comprises two schools: the School of Economics, Finance and Law and the School of Management. Currently, ARU operates business schools in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, and London.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

The Faculty of Business and Law is one of the largest in East England, featuring nearly 100 full-time teaching staff and approximately 7,200 students from over 100 countries. It also offers business programs through partnerships with institutions worldwide.[8]

Business Schools

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ARU has business schools located in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, and London.

In London, ARU has two campuses. The Farringdon Building is situated on Charterhouse Street in Holborn, which borders the City of London. The East India Building is located in the former East India Docks, next to Canary Wharf in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.[9]

Business Degrees at Anglia Ruskin University

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  • BSc (Hons) Finance and Accounting
  • BSc (Hons) Business with Economics
  • BSc (Hons) Finance with Economics
  • BSc (Hons) Business with Entrepreneurship
  • BSc (Hons) Banking with Finance
  • BSc (Hons Business and Law
  • BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management
  • BSc (Hons) Business and Management
  • BSc (Hons) Business and Healthcare Management
  • BSc (Hons) Business and Hospitality Management
  • BSc (Hons) Marketing
  • BSc (Hons) Digital Marketing
  • BSc (Hons) Business and Finance
  • BSc (Hons) Events Management
  • BSc (Hons) Project Management
  • BSc (Hons) Business with Events Management
  • BSc (Hons) Business and Marketing
  • BSc (Hons) Business and Tourism Management
  • BSc (Hons) Supply Chain Management
  • MSc Business Data Analytics
  • MSc Marketing
  • MSc Project Management
  • MSc International Business Management
  • MSc Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • MBA Master of Business Administration
  • MBA Entrepreneurship
  • MBA Finance[10]

At ARU's Doctoral School, students can pursue a PhD in Business and Management or a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).[11][12]

Buildings

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Lord Ashcroft Building in Chelmsford, Essex. The building was inaugurated by Prince Edward in 2003.
Lord Ashcroft Building, seat of the business school, as seen from inside the campus in Cambridge.

The Lord Ashcroft Buildings are situated at both ARU Cambridge and ARU Chelmsford. Lord Michael Ashcroft, who was the chancellor of the university at the time, contributed £10 million towards the construction of these business school facilities. The Chelmsford building was inaugurated by Prince Edward in 2003, while the Cambridge building opened in 2011. Notably, the facade of the Cambridge business school still displays its former name.[13][14][15][16][17]

Originally, the Chelmsford building was named the Michael A. Ashcroft Building, and the business school was called the Michael Ashcroft International Business School. After Ashcroft was elevated to life peerage in 2000, the business school was renamed the Lord Ashcroft International Business School.[18][19][20]

In 2014, the Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab was opened for finance, banking, accounting, and economics students at the Chelmsford campus.[21]

Research Centers

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In 2025, the Faculty of Business and Law had five research centers:

  • Anglia Ruskin Innovation Centre (ARIC)[22]
  • Centre for Access to Justice and Inclusion (CAJI)[23]
  • Centre for Inclusive Societies and Economies (CISE)[24]
  • Centre for Intelligent Supply Chains (CISC)[25]
  • Centre for Research into the Organization of Work and Consumption (CROWC)[26]

Anglia Ruskin Enterpise Academy

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The Anglia Ruskin University Enterprise Academy (AREA) promotes entrepreneurship and is recognised by both the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE) and the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE).[27][28]

#ThinkBigARU is a business competition organised by AREA for students and recent graduates.[29]

AREA serves as a business incubator for startups.[30] AREA has outlined a long-term vision to develop a Business Support Hub, which will function as a database of freelance services provided by ARU students and graduates. This hub is designed to offer affordable business solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North Essex. Services include:[31]

  • Accounting
  • Web development
  • Graphic design
  • Social media marketing

The initiative not only supports local businesses but also helps freelancers launch and grow their careers, thereby bridging the gap between academic talent and regional business needs. AREA allocates small grants to freelancers and startups.[31]

Arise Innovations Hubs

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Arise Innovations Hubs are located in Chelmsford and Harlow in Essex. Arise provides an ecosystem for entrepreneurs.[32]

Advisory Boards

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ARU East India Campus in London.

The Legal Advisory Board helps to develop courses and foster closer ties with local judiciary and law firms, and the Business Advisory Board helps to enhance the overall quality of business courses at ARU.[33][34]

Partnerships

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Past and present partners include Barclays, Harrods, Triangular Alliance, British Armed Forces, Russian Railways, UPS, Timberland, Volvo, and other brands.[35][36][37][38][39]

Affiliations

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ARU in Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.

ARU is a member of the European Foundation for Management Development, and several programs within the faculty hold accreditation from professional bodies such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Additionally, all courses are accredited by the Chartered Management Institute. In 2023, ARU established a partnership with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.[40][8]

Awards

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  • In 2014, Anglia Ruskin University was announced as the winner of the Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards.[41]
  • In 2016, the university won the Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.[42][43]
  • In 2022, Anglia Ruskin’s Faculty of Business and Law received the Small Business Charter Award.[44]
  • In 2023, Anglia Ruskin University was awarded the top prize as the University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards.[45]
  • In 2024, Anglia Ruskin University became the first university in the United Kingdom to win the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE) Entrepreneurial University Award.[46]
  • In 2025, Law Clinic at the Faculty of Business and Law was a finalist for the University Commercial Impact Award at the LexisNexis Legal Awards.[47]
  • In 2025, ARU was a finalist for three awards: Co-created Employability Initiatives, Employer and Community Partnerships, and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the Academic Employability Awards.[48]
  • In 2025, ARU was a finalist at the Medilink Midlands Business Awards for Partnership Between University and Business Award.[49]

Rankings

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  • In 2021, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) ranked in the top 10% of English higher education institutions (HEIs) for skills, enterprise, and entrepreneurship, and in the top 20% for local growth and regeneration, according to a report by Research England.[50]
  • In 2024, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) revelead that ARU was in top 10% in the country for graduates in employment and/or further study. ARU was ranked 5th in the country and 1st in the East of England for graduates who are employed as managers, directors or senior officials.[51]
  • In 2024, Anglia Ruskin University was ranked among the top 6.8% of universities worldwide.[52]

Controversies

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In March 2018, Lord Ashcroft graduate Pok Wong, from Hong Kong, initiated a lawsuit against Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) for allegedly misrepresenting the career prospects associated with her degree.[53]

In 2024, ARU London accidentally paid £50,000 to the Conservative Party. The donation was intended as a personal contribution from the chairman of ARU London Ravi Gill.[54]

Alumni

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The bust of Lord Michael Ashcroft at the Lord Ashcroft Building, Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

Honorary Doctors

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Professor Mohammad Ali - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. ^ "School of Economics, Finance and Law - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
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  5. ^ "Chelmsford campus - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Peterborough University | ARU Peterborough - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  7. ^ "ARU London - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  8. ^ a b Care, Adam (12 January 2017). "How Anglia's Ruskin's business school is preparing the leaders of tomorrow". CambridgeshireLive. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
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  13. ^ "Lord Ashcroft Building: Map of the University of Cambridge".
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  25. ^ "Centre for Intelligent Supply Chains - ARU". www.aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
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  43. ^ Winners of the Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship, retrieved 10 February 2023
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  53. ^ Bird, Steve (10 March 2018). "Graduate sues Anglia Ruskin University claiming she ended up with a 'Mickey Mouse' degree". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
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