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Leeds Beckett graduates top CEO list
A new survey by Emolument.com, the crowdsourced pay-data website, analysed data from 26,000 former students to find the universities with the highest ratio of graduates to chief executives, chief technology officers, or partners.
Leeds Beckett was ranked at number five, ahead of Leicester, The University of London and Sheffield, as reported in Business Insider and The Telegraph.
94.1% of all Leeds Beckett graduates are in work or further study six months after graduating, according to the DLHE report 13/14.
Dr Paul Smith, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Leeds Beckett, said: "We’re pleased to see that this latest research highlights the success of Leeds Beckett graduates. Our curriculum is vocationally orientated and focused on employment after studying; our students also have access to a range of support to guide them through starting up their own business. We know many do follow this path and it’s great to see that lots of our graduates are making it to the top!”
In July 2015, former student Martin Dalby, the CEO of Center Parcs UK, received an Honorary Doctorate from Leeds Beckett.
Martin grew up in Leeds and joined Scottish and Newcastle Breweries (S&N) in 1978, going on to hold various positions within the business. An alumnus of Leeds Beckett’s predecessor institution, Leeds Polytechnic, he completed a part-time Chartered Institute of Management Accountants course from 1981 to 1985.
Martin Dalby joined premium holiday village operator Center Parcs as UK Financial Controller in 1995, rising to Finance Director in 1997. In July 2000, Martin became CEO, at the time managing three Villages with a turnover of £110m. Since then he has taken the business from strength to strength, overseeing the acquisition of Oasis Village in 2001 and its rebranding to Whinfell Forest, as well as the development and opening of Woburn Forest Village in June 2014.
As CEO, Martin also led the business through the highly successful public to private takeover of the company in May 2006 by The Blackstone Group and more recently the sale of the business from The Blackstone Group to Brookfield Property Partners in June 2015.
Under Blackstone’s ownership, Martin oversaw significant capital investment in accommodation, new builds and upgrades at the Villages, as well as restaurant refurbishments and new retail outlets.