Meet the alumni who brought Plymouth’s new business school to life

The £14.5million redevelopment of the Fitzroy Building was led by graduates using their skills to inspire the next generation

Fitzroy alumni - Pam Frost, David Adkins, Shelley Oliver, Rachel Goodsell and Ben Siu

Lloyd Russell

27 February 2025

A new University of Plymouth building is inspiring the business leaders of the future – and no one is prouder to see it open than the graduates who were instrumental in its creation.

The Fitzroy Building is the new home of the University’s Plymouth Business School, featuring teaching and office space, and the home of the University’s in-house entrepreneur support, The Cube .

Undergoing a vital restructure, with input from key stakeholders, the building’s design incorporates open collaborative spaces, modern design and even a ‘mini Wall Street’.

And some of the key people who helped make it happen are themselves graduates from the very Faculty the building will now support – Arts, Humanities and Business.

Meet Shelley Oliver, the Architect who led the building’s design.

Originally from Falmouth, and now Based in Exeter, she has just advanced to a new role as an Associate Architect, and reflects on the skills she has applied to the project.

When I came to the University, the Roland Levinsky Building was relatively new and housed the architectural department in the top floors. It was a striking and exciting building at the time, so I knew there was form for bold and creative designs.

I took on the project just before it was heading into planning, picking up a great design by my colleagues at KTA. Whereas some might think this is where the architect’s work is done, it’s very much just scratching the surface!

There were many hours of work creating technical drawings and fine tuning the design alongside the other key design team members, to make sure we had a building that adhered to the current regulations and could actually be constructed on site. There were a few setbacks with uncovering unforeseen elements during the demolition stage, least not the hidden air raid shelter right under where the extension was meant to go.

I had an amazing experience studying at Plymouth on a highly-rated architecture course, and it was a real full circle moment to come back as a qualified architect and see everything again. I’ve been in touch with the course about sharing my experience with current students, and it’s brilliant to pay it forward.

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Pam Frost is the Capital Projects Manager from the University of Plymouth who led the project.

She studied BSc (Hons) Business Management, and is currently studying a degree apprenticeship in Project Management ( see more about her story so far ).

My involvement in the project started right at the beginning, with the vacation of the old Fitzroy building.

During that time I managed the installation of the first in Nikon Microscope lab in Europe (read more).

I also had to consider the people and equipment expected to come over from Cookworthy, the previous home of the business school. It’s important that everyone and everything is supported to relocate, and that in turn everything required in the new building is considered at every step.

It’s been fantastic to work on this project and see it come to life. The highlight is when you have an amazing end product after being involved in the project for years and being able to show off what a great refurbished facility it is.

Miss Pam Frost
Capital Project Manager

Rachel Goodsell is the Head of Operations in the University’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business.

Her role was to ensure the building delivered what was needed for staff and students.

She has worked with the school for circa 15 years and is also a proud alumni who graduated with an MA in Personnel and Development.

There been an aspiration for many years now to have a new business school on campus and I am really proud to have been part of the team to finally make this happen.

The best moment was meeting with the student course representatives to talk about the new building and get their feedback.

Just hearing how proud they are to be part of the school community, how excited they were about the project, and how eager they were to showcase their Business School to others was just fantastic.

I really feel that we have managed to give the students and staff a professional business school building that they can be proud of.

Mrs Rachel Goodsell
Head of Faculty Operations

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Dr Ben Siu is a Lecturer in Marketing and Associate Head of School for Marketing and Admissions.

He ensured student feedback was incorporated into the building design. Ben studied BA (Hons) Marketing himself at the University, before progressing to a masters and a PhD.

Marketing is about being consumer focused, and students are our main consumer. So I worked with them to ensure we answered their questions – even if it meant explaining why something might not be possible.

The work hasn’t stopped though, and I’ve created a Fitzroy AI-based chatbot so students can ask questions about opening times and available facilities.

Ben Siu Dr Ben Siu
Lecturer in Marketing (Education)

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Dr David Adkins is Associate Head of Postgraduate Programmes in the University’s Business School.

He was part of the project steering group. He studied BSc (Hons) Maritime Business, before later undertaking a PhD.

I remember studying and then teaching in the old Cookworthy and Fitzroy buildings, before being based at another remote campus near the Barbican.

I’ve had so many more serendipitous meetings now that we’re based in the heart of the campus and the building has such a positive feel to it.

Business feeds into every other discipline in life, so it’ll be great to meet even more staff and students across the campus and have some great collaborations take place.

Dr David Adkins
Associate Head of School - Postgraduate Programmes

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Also part of the Steering Group was Howard Goffin, Head of Procurement at the University of Plymouth.

He studied Business Administration, Management and Operations.

As a Business School graduate from yesteryear, it was fantastic to have oversight of the procurement strategy for the main contractor and furniture supplier.

The tender process coordinated through members of my team have ensured that working collaboratively, value for money, sustainability and quality considerations can be evidenced as part of the project.

Mr Howard Goffin
Head of Procurement

Plymouth Business School is in a league of its own

The University has formally reopened its refurbished Fitzroy Building, with Plymouth Argyle FC’s owner and chairman, Simon Hallett as guest of honour.

"It’s fantastic to see the University of Plymouth investing in the next generation of business leaders. Plymouth Business School’s move to the city centre campus is an exciting step forward, reinforcing its role in developing talent that will contribute to the local economy and beyond."

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