By Alumni Relations Department
On February 27, the Alumni Relations Department, in collaboration with the Electoral College Representatives for the Chandaria School of Business, participated in an impactful Alumni CEO Roundtable hosted at Chrome Partners, a leading company in the printing and packaging industry. The session provided a valuable opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world corporate experience.
Chrome Partners was established six years ago through the consolidation of six established printing firms, each with its own area of specialization, including packaging, commercial printing, labels, and digital print. By bringing these companies together under one roof, the organization leveraged synergy and economies of scale to enhance operational efficiency and customer value. Today, Chrome Partners operates a 24-hour production facility with over 200 employees, serving major institutions and brands across the region.
The Alumni CEO Roundtable is designed to connect current students with accomplished alumni who are making significant strides in their industries. The goal is to provide mentorship, share career journeys, and offer practical insights into navigating the job market.
During this session, key insights were shared by Justus Nyabuya, the Group Head of Commercial at Chrome Partners and an alumnus of the Master of Business Administration-Strategic Management (Class of 2015) and the Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration-International Marketing (Class of 2013). His professional journey exemplifies growth, resilience, and strategic leadership in a competitive B2B environment. He emphasized that while university education provides a structured framework, the workplace offers the context in which that knowledge is tested and refined. He encouraged students to remain adaptable, results-oriented, and solution-driven, noting that the transition from classroom to corporate life requires initiative and a willingness to continuously learn.
The roundtable also benefited from the presence and perspectives of senior leaders at Chrome Partners. Mehul Devani, Director of Chrome Partners Limited, shared strategic insights on business growth, leadership, and the importance of building sustainable systems that drive long-term success. He highlighted the role of vision, operational excellence, and strong governance in scaling a manufacturing enterprise within a competitive regional market.
Ahmed Mohamed, Head of HR & Administration Manager, offered valuable guidance on professional development, workplace expectations, and the evolving demands of today’s job market. He emphasized the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and cultivating strong interpersonal skills, noting that attitude and cultural fit are often as important as technical competence.
Ssemakula Mukiibi, Digital Specialist, provided insights into the growing role of digital innovation in the printing and packaging industry. He underscored how technology, data, and digital transformation are reshaping customer engagement, operational efficiency, and brand visibility, encouraging students to develop digital literacy regardless of their career paths.
Several key lessons stood out during the session. First, group work at university mirrors corporate life. Leadership, accountability, and collaboration are essential skills, as workplace dynamics often reflect the diversity of personalities and work ethics experienced in academic group assignments. High-performing teams are built on trust, clarity of roles, and shared goals.
Second, courses such as Strategic Management, Finance, Marketing, and Organizational Behavior are highly practical. Concepts like margin calculation, value-based pricing, positioning, client relationship management, and emotional intelligence are applied daily in business decision-making. In sales leadership, understanding financial metrics and customer psychology is just as important as achieving revenue targets.
Operating within a Business-to-Business (B2B) model, Chrome Partners underscored that success depends heavily on trust, reliability, strong systems, and long-term relationship management. In B2B environments, clients prioritize confidence, consistency, and service excellence over price alone. Discipline, integrity, commercial awareness, and responsiveness were highlighted as critical competencies for sustainable growth.
Students were also encouraged to approach internships with intentionality, recognizing them as gateways to employment and professional development. Rather than viewing internships as short-term requirements, they were advised to treat them as extended interview opportunities to demonstrate professionalism, curiosity, and value creation.
Ultimately, the roundtable reinforced a powerful message: education truly takes you places, but the impact depends on how proactively, strategically, and responsibly you apply it. Through candid conversations and practical insights from alumni and industry leaders at Chrome Partners, students left with a clearer understanding of how to translate academic knowledge into meaningful career success.
