The International Management in Practice: Application and Critical Thinking Professional Development Week, known as IMPACT Week, is an immersive experience designed to challenge, inspire, and equip students with the skills and mindset needed for successful careers. Students work in teams, engage with senior leaders from top organisations, and tackle real-world problems that demand creativity, collaboration, and strategic thinking.

To help students to relate their learnings to their own futures, the week kicked off with a day of future planning, including a session with the King's Business School careers team on networking and communicating with impact and a keynote from Professor Craig Robinson, Vice Dean Education on navigating the changing employment landscape. Students used insights from the morning session to help develop their personal career vision boards and translate their career aspirations into actionable steps.

The programme also offered a rare opportunity to hear from a global tech giant about how AI is transforming the world of work and to gain hands-on AI experience. Hosted by Microsoft AI at the company's Paddington HQ, the session offered insights from senior leaders and recent graduates about the skills that matter most in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. The students then took part in a team challenge designing AI agent solutions for real world problems, pitching their ideas to Microsoft experts and gaining feedback for their work.

The learning continued with two days over at the Institute for Government, where students assumed the role of the leaders of government departments addressing national challenges. Over two days, they assessed information to understand their challenge, negotiated partnerships, struck deals and delivered a high-stakes presentations to a former government advisor. These activities develop negotiation, stakeholder management, and persuasive communication; competencies vital for leadership in any sector.