At Kent Business School, we believe leaders are made through experience. That’s why our MBA students don’t just learn about global business – they live it. As part of our commitment to learning by doing, students recently took on a live ESG consultancy challenge with an international industry leader, putting their skills to the test in a real-world setting.
The challenge brought our MBA cohort to Athens, Greece, where they collaborated with Loulis Mills, one of Southeast Europe’s most established flour and food ingredients companies, with more than 240 years of history. The experience was hosted by Alba Graduate Business School, part of The American College of Greece, providing students with a rich cross-cultural learning environment.
The trip included a Design Thinking Sprint with Alba’s Professor Nikos Mylonopoulos, and a session with Professor Pavlos Vlachos exploring the business case for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment – helping students blend academic insight with practical consultancy skills.
A consultancy challenge rooted in ESG
The students were tasked with addressing two forward-looking strategic briefs provided by the client:
- How can a leading food producer enhance transparency and nutritional responsibility across its brand portfolio?
- What does truly regenerative or circular packaging look like – and how can it be scaled across both B2B and consumer product lines?
Working in four consultancy teams, students applied a range of tools – from design thinking and stakeholder mapping to emerging technologies and sustainability frameworks – to develop creative, commercially grounded responses.
Their proposals spanned themes including:
- Enhancing consumer trust through supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing
- Leveraging digital and AI tools to support product innovation, labelling, and personalised nutrition
- Imagining new models for packaging reuse, material innovation, and consumer engagement within the circular economy
Final presentations were delivered at Alba Business School, with one of Loulis Mills’ senior leaders offering high praise for the quality, creativity, and professionalism of the student teams.
Learning by doing – the Kent MBA in action
Led by MBA Director Professor Tom Chen, the International Consultancy Challenge is a defining feature of the Kent MBA, designed to immerse students in global business contexts, strengthen leadership and consultancy skills, and deliver measurable impact beyond the classroom.
This project is a clear example of how we bring the world to a leader, equipping Kent MBA students with the tools to navigate and shape complex global business environments. Naturally, we also made time for the students to enjoy some of Athens’ cultural highlights and to celebrate the end of their experience together.
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