Sainsbury Management Fellows (SMF) is the scholarship award and trading name of Engineers in Business Fellowship, a registered charity.
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History
Sainsbury Management Fellows (SMF) scholarships were established in 1987 by David Sainsbury (now Lord Sainsbury of Turville) to develop UK engineers into industry leaders, thereby raising the competitiveness of the UK economy. Lord Sainsbury noted the relative lack of engineering representation on the boards of UK companies, especially compared to corresponding industries in Germany and Japan.
SMF enables professional engineers to add business, finance and marketing expertise to their engineering skills. It does this by annually awarding £300,000 worth of MBA (Masters of Business Administration) scholarships to engineers with exceptional education qualifications and leadership potential. These scholarships are awarded to individuals who have secured a place at one of the scheme’s 14 approved international schools.
The SMF scholarship scheme has already helped over 300 engineers gain an MBA. It grants an average of ten scholarships each year.
In 2011 and 2012 respectively The Sainsbury Management Fellows scheme incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee number 07807250 under the name Engineers in Business Fellowship (EIBF) and became registered with the Charity Commission number 1147203. However the trading name Sainsbury Management Fellows was retained.
The incorporation and registration served three principle objectives. Firstly, it allowed for perpetual succession of the organisation and the scheme. Secondly it gave members limited liability. Thirdly, it prepared a foundation for fundraising, allowing access to the benefits of Gift Aid.
MBA Scholarship
Scholarships are made to engineers who have a track record of achievement in industry, demonstrating their potential and ambition to rapidly achieve leadership positions in UK industry. It is desirable for candidates to have achieved Chartered Engineer status (CEng status) or to be making substantial progress towards it. Assessment for the scholarship includes attending an interview panel with members of Sainsbury Management Fellows and Fellows from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
On graduation, the awardees become Sainsbury Management Fellows and gain access to a network of professional contacts and activities including networking events, courses, mentoring and career guidance.
Benefits to the recipient of the award:
There are currently 14 eligible schools:
Applications
The application process of the SMF scholarship is administered by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Applications can be made via the website.
SMF Network
As of July 2015 the SMF has over 300 members with MBAs, 10 whom are studying for their degree. All Fellows have undergraduate or graduate engineering degrees from leading institutions, as well as their MBA. Most have international experience and are multilingual. Of the business school graduates, approximately 80% are employed in industry or services to industry (of whom 70% are based in the UK or work for UK firms and 10% are in consulting), 12% are in finance and the remaining 8% are in other occupations. Sixty Fellows own and manage SME enterprises. The average age is 37.
Sainsbury Management Fellows have served as mentors to over 600 engineering undergraduates since 1997.