# Anglia Ruskin University Faculty of Business and Law

The Anglia Ruskin University Faculty of Business and Law, formerly known as the Lord Ashcroft International Business School (LAIBS), is a key faculty within 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.
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.
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.
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.
In 2014, the Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab was opened for finance, banking, accounting, and economics students at the Chelmsford campus.
ARU Cambridge is located in central Cambridge, adjacent to Parker's Piece. The campus is surrounded by the Silicon Fen, also known as the Cambridge Cluster, which is renowned for its concentration of high-tech businesses and innovation.
The university has two campuses in London. The East India Campus is located in the Docklands area of Poplar, adjacent to Canary Wharf. The Farringdon Campus is situated in central London, close to the City of London.
ARU Peterborough officially opened on September 20, 2022. The campus offers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in business, along with a variety of other disciplines.
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.
The Anglia Ruskin University Enterprise Academy promotes entrepreneurship and is recognised by both the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE) and the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE).
Anglia Ruskin University founded the Arise Innovation Hubs, which are located in Chelmsford and Harlow. These Essex-based innovation hubs promote entrepreneurship and innovation by supporting startups and scale-ups.
Past and presents partners include Barclays, Harrods, and other brands.
Professor Mohammad M. Ali serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law.

## Awards

* In 2014, Anglia Ruskin University was announced as the winner of the Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards.
* In 2016, the university won the Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.
* In 2022, Anglia Ruskin’s Faculty of Business and Law received the Small Business Charter Award.
* In 2023, Anglia Ruskin University was awarded the top prize as the University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.

## Rankings

* 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.
* In 2024, Anglia Ruskin University was ranked among the top 6.8% of universities worldwide.

## Controversies

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.

## Alumni

* Jukka Aminoff FRSA — author
* Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft — English investor, billionaire and former Conservative vice chairman
* Chris Beckett — academic, author and science-fiction novelist
* John Burnside — academic and T. S. Eliot winner author
* Geraldine Finlayson — researcher and director of John Mackintosh Hall
* Angela Hartnett — entrepreneur and chef
* Kim Howells — Labour politician and former Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee
* Anders Holch Povlsen — owner and CEO of Bestseller
* Nicky Richards — CEO and chief investment officer MLC Asset Management
* Andrew Sayer — English economist, professor of social theory and political economy at Lancaster University
* Ronald Searle — creator of St Trinian’s
* Patricia Scotland — Baroness Scotland of Asthal, secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, Labour politician, government policy-maker, former minister, attorney general and president of Chatham House
* Tim Stokely — founder of OnlyFans
* Mark Wood — businessman, accountant and chairman of NSPCC

## Honorary Doctors

* Keith Attwood
* Alan Barrell
* Christopher Collins
* Peter Cowley
* Ravi Gill
* Joe Greenwell
* Dido Harding
* Hermann Hauser
* Andy Hill
* Anya Hindmarch
* Anders Holch Povlsen
* Andrew Marsden
* Felicia Odamtten
* Andrew Sentance
* Brian Tattersfield
* Bob Weston
* Andy Wood