New identity for Imperial College Business School

Press release from Imperial College London

The Business School at Imperial College London is changing its name from Tanaka Business School to Imperial College Business School. The change is being made to emphasise that the School is an integral part of the College by incorporating the Imperial College name directly into its title.

The renaming comes after research suggested that its previous name, Tanaka Business School, was not strongly associated with Imperial College, and that many respondents were unaware that the School was a part of Imperial.

The School offers unique opportunities for staff and students through its close relationships with the engineering, science and medical disciplines at Imperial and the name change will enable the School to underline this positioning.

Imperial’s Rector Sir Roy Anderson said:

“Imperial College is known globally for carrying out research that improves quality of life worldwide. The Business School’s activities play a central role in this mission. By putting the College's name into the Business School's title we are making clear its position as an integral part of the College.”

Imperial alumnus and benefactor Dr Gary Tanaka, after whom the School was formerly named, will continue to be recognised for his generous support with the naming of the School's accommodation as 'The Tanaka Building'.

Dr Tanaka said:

“The growth and development of the Business School under the helm of Professor David Begg and former Rector Sir Richard Sykes has been a source of great pride since my association with it began. Its increasingly lofty academic standing has been acknowledged by many international surveys. Its place within a leading science, technology and medicine university offers it many opportunities to develop still further and to carve out a unique role in business research and education. This latest move is a step towards enabling it to reach its maximum world-wide potential.”

The change in identity for the School takes effect from today and implementation will be completed in time for the start of the new academic year on 1 October.