Cass Business School moved to new premises in the London Borough of Islington, and changed its name as part of a strategy formed by Lord Currie of Marylebone, who had become Dean the year before, to compete as an international business school in a market dominated by US universities. The school had previously been spread out across the City of London's mainly residential Barbican Centre development. Half of the £40 million funding for the new building came from the reserves of City, University of London. The school also received a gift from Sir John Cass's Foundation, founded in 1748 to educate children in
John Cass John Cass Sir John Cass (February 1661 – 5 July 1718) was an English merchant, politician and philanthropist. He was born in Rosemary Lane, in the City of London, son of Thomas Cass, carpenter to the Royal Ordnance. In 1665, the family moved to Grove Street, in South Hackney to escape the plague. Cass became a merchant, builder and politician who served as Alderman, for the ward of Portsoken and in 1711 was elected a Sheriff of London. He was elected as one of the Tory MPs for the City in 1710; until losing to the Whig faction in 1715.