University of Strathclyde, Strathclyde Business School
Loading the current phase, the actions taken and what is next.
Not a first email for this school. Not sent as an opening for this school. If the school raises recognition, use the reply titled 'If they ask for recognition criteria'.
Attach: nothing. Offer the criteria; do not invent current deadlines, selection or committee decisions.
Answer any specific question first, then use the matching reply below. These are replies to engagement, not additional unsolicited opening emails. Use the name of the person who actually replied and retain the existing contact route.
Owner: Baptiste Ceresa. Free examples: approved, with no conditions.
Upgrade outlook: 0-20%, corporate estimate for this school. He described the figures as chances of being upgraded.
Does payment determine the level? The level of Palmes is determined independently by the International Scientific Committee based on academic and international recognition criteria; the membership fee is simply calculated afterwards according to the level of Palmes awarded.
Eduniversal's licensing price list, sent by Cyrille on October 5, 2026: For a school holding 4 Palmes, Silver is EUR 5,990 per year and Gold is EUR 9,990 per year, excluding taxes, over a three-year license. Platinum is EUR 9,990 per year plus a program promotion pack. All three tiers include the certification widget. Platinum promotion packs: up to 5 programs EUR 13,345; up to 10 EUR 23,290; unlimited EUR 59,800. The pack billing period is not specified; use the formal quotation for that detail.
NYMM's guidance to sellers, membership plan: share only exceptionally, when really required. Do not attach it to routine first messages or free-example notes.
NYMM's guidance to sellers, recognition conversation: If the school raises recognition, use the reply titled 'If they ask for recognition criteria'. Do not send recognition text as an opening. Do not describe the school as formally preselected on the basis of this estimate. Keep the estimate in seller guidance; do not present it as an awarded or guaranteed level. The prepared recognition text states a one-time EUR 2,990 priority evaluation fee, separately from membership. That fee is not listed in the licensing price list supplied here.
Strathclyde is a first approach. No earlier conversation with the school is on file. It sits at 4 Palmes on your priority list, and the contact on your list, Prof. David Hillier, still holds the position: he has been Executive Dean since 2015 and the published leadership list shows his term as 2015 to 2027. On August 21, 2026 the university announced that he has been appointed Interim Chair of Skills Development Scotland. The announcement gives his titles as Associate Principal for Global Engagement and Executive Dean of Strathclyde Business School.
A personal introduction is an option, but none is currently identified. The university’s statement that it does not place contracts in response to direct marketing concerns purchasing; it does not prohibit a first message. Use the direct first-contact version below unless a real introduction has been made. An introduction never replaces the university’s purchasing process.
Existing accreditation does not establish whether the school values another recognition. Use the opening and response plan above, keeping the review process separate from membership.
Write to the dean with the free, dated examples. If a real introduction is available, name it accurately; otherwise use the direct version below. No one is copied.
The school page gives his title as Executive Dean and the university's leaders page as Associate Principal and Executive Dean, so our reading is that the decision to engage starts with him. We did not find who approves a purchase at the school. No contact on file. In our judgment the working conversation is likely to pass to Melissa McCrindle, Head, Marketing and Student Recruitment. An older school page says she has held that title since 2006.
Published figures as at January 1, 2026: less than £3,000, no competitive quotes required. £3,001 to £24,999, a minimum of three recorded quotations, “subject to a framework agreement not being available”. £25,000 to £50,000, a quotation in consultation with UP (the university's own abbreviation) through Public Contracts Scotland, according to the purchasing guide. The university's page for suppliers says tenders are sought above £25,000; the two pages differ. Over £50,000, UP carries out the tender. A Non-Competitive Action form is for exceptional cases where competing offers cannot be obtained. It is not something the buyer can choose in place of quotations. We did not find which budget at the school would pay, or who holds it. A yes from the dean is not yet an order.
Subject: What AI assistants answer about Strathclyde Business School
Attach: the short note with the three examples. Open it from item 3, then print it or save it as a PDF. It is built from the text that goes to the school in item 3.
When: with the short note attached and the sender checks complete. A real introduction may be added when available. Never send without the short note. Not in a period marked Avoid in the dates table below.
Before sending: the short note is attached and gives each example with its question as asked and the date. Check each sentence of the note against the three examples in item 3. If more than two weeks have passed since October 4, 2026, the questions must be asked again first. Add Baptiste Ceresa's title and contact details under the signature once Eduniversal supplies them.
If a real introduction has been made, add its name accurately. Otherwise use this direct version.
When: once only, after two weeks without a reply, and not between December 7 and January 17, 2027 or between April 5 and May 21, 2027.
After this: If there is no reply to the follow-up, stop. Do not write to anyone else at the school.
4. One page for the dean. Only after the first conversation, and only if the contact agrees. Never with the first message or the follow-up.Prepared · sender checksOpen
| Person | Part in the decision | What to know | Contact so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor David HillierExecutive Dean since 2015. Published term 2015 to 2027. | Our reading: the decision to engage starts with him. The note goes directly to him, or after a real introduction. | The university announced on August 21, 2026 that he has been appointed Interim Chair of Skills Development Scotland. He says he has spent six years on its board. We found no statement from him about a fee or a paid evaluation in the pages collected on September 17, 2026. | No contact on file |
| Melissa McCrindleHead, Marketing and Student Recruitment | Not copied on the note. Likely working counterpart, in our judgment. | An older school page says she has been Head, Marketing and Student Recruitment since 2006. We found no separate head of communications in the pages collected on September 17, 2026. Whether reputation work sits with her is not published. A question to expect from her, in our judgment: what are you selling? | No contact on file |
| Dr. Karen GrahamSenior Faculty Officer (Academic & Accreditations) | Quality assurance and accreditations, by her published title. | Her profile says she manages a broad portfolio of internal and external quality assurance activities. Questions to expect, in our judgment: criteria and definitions. Reply promptly. | No contact on file |
| Ms. Sarah RushforthSenior Faculty Administrator (Accreditations) | Works on accreditation submissions, by her published profile. | Her profile says she coordinates the School-wide AACSB submission and works with colleagues on supporting AMBA accreditation. A question to expect, in our judgment: how an outside evaluation compares with those. | No contact on file |
| Professor Andrew MarshallVice-Dean (Global Engagement). Appointment announced August 8, 2024. Published term 2024 to 2027. | Possible owner of the international side, in our reading. | Announced as leading the school's Global Engagement Strategy. Whether what applicants abroad are told about the school falls to him is not published. | No contact on file |
| Juliette WilsonVice-Dean (Academic) | Member of the faculty management team. | We found no term for her in the pages collected on September 17, 2026, and no titled associate or vice dean for taught graduate programs. | No contact on file |
| Head of ProcurementUniversity of Strathclyde. We found no name in the pages collected on September 17, 2026. | Reviews the Non-Competitive Action form. | The form is for exceptional cases: orders exceeding £3,000 excluding VAT that are not made under a recommended contract and where competitive offers are not, or cannot be, obtained. The Head of Procurement or a delegate reviews it. | No contact on file |
- EduniversalBaptiste
- Optional introducerIntroducer: not yet identifiedNo name on file. An introduction is optional; do not invent one.
- Decides, in our reading · directly or after an introductionProfessor David HillierExecutive Dean
- Not copied · no contact yetMelissa McCrindleHead, Marketing and Student Recruitment
- Pays · a yes still needs thisUniversity procurementThe university says a competitive process comes before any agreement with a supplier. Its guide sets bands and a narrow exception (see the purchasing rules below).
- Not yet involvedDr. Karen GrahamSenior Faculty Officer (Academic & Accreditations)
- Not yet involvedMs. Sarah RushforthSenior Faculty Administrator (Accreditations)
- Not yet involvedProfessor Andrew MarshallVice-Dean (Global Engagement)
- Not yet involvedJuliette WilsonVice-Dean (Academic)
Introductions. No one in your network has yet been matched to Professor Hillier, and no introducer is on file. The working preference, untested for this school, is a sitting dean rather than a member of your scientific committee. Keep members of your committee out of the sales conversation. Share the deans of your member schools and anyone else in your network who may know him, and each will be checked against what is published about him: Executive Dean since 2015, the board of Skills Development Scotland, and the school's partnership with Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. Any match appears on this map.
A direct message or a real introduction
Use the direct first-contact version after sender checks. If a real introduction is available, name it accurately. Either route opens a conversation; any later purchase follows the university’s purchasing process.
The note and the three examples go to Professor Hillier alone
The short note with the three examples is attached. Nothing is asked for. No one is copied.
The reply, if there is one
We found nothing in the pages collected on September 17, 2026 that shows who would reply. In our judgment the answer may come from Melissa McCrindle or her team rather than from the dean, and there may be no answer at all. If there is a reply, go through the examples, one question per message, and ask one thing: who at the school would use this. If there is no reply to the follow-up, stop. Do not write to anyone else at the school.
One page for the dean
The one-page brief above. Only after the first conversation, and only if the contact agrees. Never with the first message or the follow-up. It describes the examples already sent and does not propose more. It asks one question: who at the school should be the contact for this.
After the school engages: ask permission to discuss a separate service
Keep the free examples separate from any purchase. After a substantive reply, you may ask whether the school wants written information about a separate evaluation or membership. Discuss prices, budget and purchasing only with that permission and the confirmed terms below. What is published is the university's cycle, not the school's own: its finance team seeks inputs across income-generating areas at the beginning of the calendar year, its Court approves the budget in June, and its financial year begins August 1. We found nothing in the pages collected on September 17, 2026 on when a spending request for an outside service is considered, or on whether spending during the year is possible. If the school raises a paid service itself, ask the person who replied when the school's own requests are set. The three steps below are for your own knowledge.
The university's purchasing rules
Before any agreement with a supplier the university runs a competitive process. Figures as at January 1, 2026: less than £3,000, no competitive quotes required. £3,001 to £24,999, a minimum of three recorded quotations, “subject to a framework agreement not being available”. £25,000 to £50,000, a quotation in consultation with UP (the university's own abbreviation) through Public Contracts Scotland. Over £50,000, UP carries out the tender. Above £173,100, a tender under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. The exception is narrow. The university's guide says: “In exceptional circumstances, a negotiated contract may be required where competition is deemed impractical.” In that case a Non-Competitive Action form is completed for orders exceeding £3,000 excluding VAT that are not made under a recommended contract and where competitive offers are not, or cannot be, obtained. The Head of Procurement or a delegate reviews it. The university's page for suppliers says tenders are sought for all goods and services where the value exceeds £25,000, while the guide shows a quotation through Public Contracts Scotland for £25,000 to £50,000. The two pages differ, so do not tell the school which applies. Which route applies is the university's decision. Have the written service description ready before any purchase is discussed.
Supplier set-up
The university holds no preferred suppliers list. A new supplier is not added to its finance system unless a contract is in place or the appropriate procurement route has been followed.
Order form and invoice
Fees are stated on this page; which purchasing threshold applies to a proposed order remains the university's decision. Use the direct commercial answer on this page: the prepared recognition text states EUR 2,990 once for evaluation, membership is optional and separately priced in the licensing price list, and Cyrille confirms that the committee determines the Palme level independently. Request written scope or terms only for details not supplied here. The university's financial year runs August 1 to July 31. Which budget year an order falls in is the university's decision.
| Dates | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Before anything is sent | The note has no send date. It goes after the sender checks are complete, with the short note attached. An introduction is optional; do not invent one. Never send without the short note. | |
| Now to December 6 | Good | The university is in session: its first teaching block runs September 21 to December 6. These are the university's key dates. The university notes that postgraduate taught programs may have alternative start dates, so the dates in this table show when the university is in session, not when the MBA or MSc programs teach. The note can go in this period once sender checks are complete; use a real introduction if available. |
| November 16 to 20 | Your convention in Biarritz, on the dates in your own calendar, falls inside the university's first teaching block. Do not mention the convention in the first message or the follow-up. Any invitation is sent by Eduniversal separately, using the confirmed terms below. | |
| December 7 to January 17, 2027 | Avoid | Formal assessment period (December 7 to 18), winter vacation (December 19 to January 10), then consolidation and development week (January 11 to 17). Nothing sent, nothing chased. |
| January 18 to April 4, 2027 | Good | The university is in session: its second teaching block, excluding March 26 and March 29. The note can go in this period once sender checks are complete. Use the direct version if no introduction is available. |
| April 5 to May 21, 2027 | Avoid | Spring vacation (April 5 to 18), then the formal assessment period (April 19 to May 21). Nothing sent, nothing chased. |
| August 1 to July 31 | The university's financial year. Its finance team seeks inputs across income-generating areas at the beginning of the calendar year, the Court approves the budget in June, and budget holders are told their levels before August 1. This is the university's cycle. When the school's own requests are set is not published. Do not raise budget yourself. | |
| During 2027 | The published leadership list shows the Executive Dean's term as 2015 to 2027 and says appointments take effect from August 1 unless otherwise stated. The date in 2027 on which the term ends is not published, and neither is whether it is renewed. The university's financial year also begins August 1. Do not assume that the dean who receives the note is the dean in office if a purchase is ever considered. |
| Item | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Who in your network could introduce Baptiste to Professor Hillier | No introducer is on file. A real introduction remains an option alongside direct correspondence. An introduction is useful if available, but is not required for a first message. Use the direct version if no introduction is available. |
| Baptiste Ceresa's title and contact details for the signature | Both drafts are signed with his full name and Eduniversal. The dean needs to see who is writing and how to reach him. |
| How old the examples may be when they are sent | The note has no fixed send date. The answers are dated October 4, 2026 and may be weeks old by then. One answer per question is on file, and answers vary from one asking to the next. This page advises asking the questions again if the note goes out more than two weeks after that date. The limit is yours to set. |
| Any earlier contact between Eduniversal and Strathclyde | This page assumes there has been none. An older exchange would change the note. |
| Confirmation of Strathclyde's level today and of your convention dates | We show 4 Palmes, from your priority list, and the convention in Biarritz on November 16 to 20, from your calendar. Neither is in the school's published pages. The current level comes from your priority list. The recognition message offers a fifth-Palme review without promising an upgrade. |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Level today | 4 Palmes (from your priority list) |
| Upgrade outlook | 0-20% (corporate estimate; no guarantee) |
| Owner at Eduniversal | Baptiste Ceresa |
| Write to | Professor David Hillier, directly or after a real introduction. No one is copied. |
| Decides | Professor David Hillier, Executive Dean (our reading; the same person as on your list) |
| Introducer | Not yet identified. An introduction is optional; do not invent one. |
| Route | Directly to the dean, or through a real introduction if available. Any purchase goes through the university's purchasing rules. |
| Quoted so far | Nothing on file. |
| Status | Prepared, nothing sent |