British Academy of Management honour late BAM Fellow with Wensley Memorial Lecture

Warm tributes at a memorial event for the late Robin Wensley FBAM were capped by an announcement that the BAM will create an annual lecture in honour of Professor Wensley.

In an event littered with humorous tales and opened by Professor Wensley’s granddaughter Jess’ reading of Kathy Henderson’s poem Today I Read a Bus Stop, BAM President, Katy Mason, unveiled its new Wensley Memorial Lecture.  

Professor Mason said: “Robin did amazing work for individuals in academia and for the business and management community. We are really proud to have an annual lecture in his name, which will be an inter-disciplinary event, something Robin pioneered. 

“He not only invested in the management community, but championed women and gave women courage - he stopped my exam so I could leave the room to feed my son. 

“He was a great academic and a great man, loved by so many and this annual lecture will be a fitting legacy.”  

Professor Wensley, who died at the age of 77, was Dean of Warwick Business School from 1989 to 1994 after joining WBS in 1986 as Professor of Strategic Management and Marketing. 

Former WBS Dean and BAM Fellow, Howard Thomas taught Professor Wensley, who was known for his colourful and eccentric dress sense, as a lecturer at London Business School.

“We became good friends at LBS,” said Professor Thomas, who was Dean at WBS from 2000 to 2010. “As a pupil he was always intellectually curious and very creative. I looked forward to the tutorials where l often learned more from him than he probably did from me.

“He then became a lecturer at LBS and was late every day. I saw students writing a sweepstake on Wensley’s wardrobe; the colour of his jacket, shirt, and tie, and trousers. I decided to go in to see what happened. Once Robin arrived, I had never heard so much laughter, guffawing and enjoyment in a marketing lecture. It reinforced to me how important it was as a teacher to connect with students and make lectures more engaging.

“Robin persuaded me to apply for the Deanship at WBS. As my deputy, Robin was so much fun. He re-enforced the WBS culture with a love for ideas and conversations"

The full tribute to Professor Wensley can be read here