The acquisition of Mark Ritson’s MiniMBA by Brave Bison this summer is big news for marketiers.
The digital media and marketing group Brave Bison announced the acquisition of the influential marketing training platform, MiniMBA, founded by renowned marketing professor Mark Ritson.
The deal marks a significant expansion for Brave Bison, positioning it at the heart of professional development for marketers globally, and highlighting the growing industry focus on strategic, MBA-level skills in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
A New Strategic Cornerstone
MiniMBA, established in 2016, provides practical training in marketing, brand, and management. It leverages an online platform and virtual teaching to reach over 6,000 delegates annually.
Its impressive roster of alumni, exceeding 40,000 professionals, includes staff from 78% of Interbrand’s Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands. Major client partnerships span industry leaders such as American Express, Google, McDonald’s, and Salesforce.
The acquisition establishes a new skills and capabilities practice within Brave Bison, with MiniMBA CEO, Tim Plyming, at the helm. This division will operate independently but benefit crucially from access to Brave Bison’s award-winning AI team and technology hubs, providing a clear direction for its expansion into new global markets and curricula.
What This Means for Marketers
The integration of MiniMBA into a growth-focused digital group like Brave Bison underscores a pivotal shift in the marketing industry:
Elevated Strategic Thinking
For individual marketers, the MiniMBA model offers MBA-level training designed to provide the “common language and strategic foundation” necessary to navigate increasing complexity. As Brave Bison Executive Chairman, Oli Green, stated, the need to “move with agility and think strategically has never been more paramount.”
The AI and Brand Mandate
The partnership explicitly aims to leverage Brave Bison’s AI expertise to enable the training, reaffirming the “power of brand as a global business driver, enabled by AI and underpinned by shared marketing principles.” This suggests that future MiniMBA offerings will integrate advanced technological concepts with fundamental marketing strategy.
Future-Proofing Careers
Tim Plyming, CEO of MiniMBA, highlighted the platform’s role in creating a “truly future-focused offering” that equips business leaders with the “universal current and future industry standard in marketing strategy.”
Ritson Becomes Top Shareholder
A key element of the deal sees the platform’s founder, award-winning marketing professor Mark Ritson, continuing to teach the MiniMBA programme.
Furthermore, Ritson will become a top five shareholder in Brave Bison, having personally participated in the fundraising.
Commenting on the move, Mark Ritson said he had been “genuinely impressed” with Brave Bison’s operations and vision, concluding that MiniMBA “could not have found a better home.”
Oli Green stressed the outward focus of the combined entity: “At a time when the acceleration of AI has our industry looking inward, our focus is firmly outward to the needs of brands and the people behind them.”
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