Alan’s story is as inspiring as it is captivating. This dedication is what UBSS was founded upon and is reflected in every degree, course, subject and method of education that we offer.
All UBSS students can take pride in their school, their education and their degrees, as they’re built upon a legacy of ambition and a vision of aspiration by founder, Alan Manly. Alan Manly OAM is an accomplished entrepreneur, published author and renowned company director with over thirty years of experience in technology and education.
After building a successful career in information technology, he moved to education where he established a computer college that would serve as the foundation for what is now the Group Colleges Australia (GCA) - a range of higher education training institutions. As a founding director and chief executive officer, Alan is responsible for the governance of GCA, which has since expanded to include the Universal Business School Sydney (UBSS).
His success throughout his career serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs, and his continual and active involvement in the education sector makes him a role model not only to those who attend UBSS, but the wider business community as well.
Alan is also an accomplished author, having written a book about his journey as a budding entrepreneur, as well as another about his 10-year legal battle where he represented himself to victory in the High Court of Australia. He continues to publish articles on entrepreneurship, business insights and commercial advice to this day.
Alan’s achievements and contributions have since been recognised with the awarding of the Medal of the Order of Australia https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/2009147.
He was also appointed to serve on the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration.
UBSS students can be proud of their degrees and education, following in the footsteps of a business pioneer and innovator.
To find out more about Alan, you can visit the links below:
Alan has brought his vision of smarter and more relevant education to life to help launch the careers of future entrepreneurs like you, to give you every opportunity to succeed just as he has.
Alan Manly has more than thirty years of experience in the technology and education industries. This experience has culminated in the foundation of Group Colleges Australia (GCA) — a range of training institutions that ten years ago expanded to include the Universal Business School Sydney (UBSS) MBA program in order to support the next generation of Australia’s entrepreneurs.
The idea for GCA came about after Alan saw a drastic revolution was needed in the way that higher education institutions were run. He believed that students needed to be treated more like customers, rather than relying on the typical student-teacher dynamic seen in high schools.
After determining that a group of colleges was the way forward with his idea, GCA was born. Armed with his technological knowledge, Alan built state-of-the-art student management and learning systems for each institution. These systems have meant GCA has been able to stay adaptable with changing environments, such as when learning moved online after COVID-19 hit in 2020.
UBSS has consistently maintained a high standard of education over the years, regularly outperforming other institutions on the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) surveys.
This is all due to Alan’s management, guidance and leadership. As an entrepreneur himself, he knows what it takes to mould the next generation of Australian entrepreneurs and business professionals.
As a student and UBSS graduate, you too can forge your own unique and successful path in the business world, and leave your own mark on the world.
Our UBSS students can have the confidence that their study programs are backed by a practising business professional, Alan Manly, who achieved success ultimately by striving to advance his skill set every day and demonstrating a real sense of tenacity.
Alan’s entrepreneurial journey has been an interesting one. As a young man, he possessed none of the qualities considered necessary for a successful entrepreneur. He was no IT genius, nor an innovator. Rather, he was simply a hard worker, full of tenacity.
In his book, The Unlikely Entrepreneur, Alan tells the tale of his business journey. He made every mistake, fell into every trap, and bought every scam. He found himself in squabbles over money, his relationships in ruins, and spent ten years being chased by lawyers and defending his own name in the courts.
It wasn’t until he started ignoring the conventional rules of business and paving his own path that everything began to turn around for him. He has built his empire from the ground up, and his story serves as a testament that anyone with a dream can achieve it.
This is exactly the kind of acumen that Alan wishes to instil in the students at UBSS, and the type of capabilities, wisdom and expertise you will gain from studying with us.
The Unlikely Entrepreneur ISBN : 978-0-646-96653-3
Previously published books:
- When there are too many lawyers, there is no justice ISBN : 978-0-9872039-8-4
- One One Five ISBN : 978-0-9804531-6-4
