Our students want to find ways to make a meaningful difference.

My LBS experience has been defined by some crucible moments which have challenged my assumptions and introduced me to business experiences that I would never have imagined before. For example, during our Global Business Experience (GBE) in Mumbai, in the space of a few hours, we went from a gilded ballroom in the Taj Hotel, discussing investment approaches and exit opportunities with angel investors, to a ground-level tour of Asia's largest slum Dharavi, where our eyes were opened to the realities at the base of the pyramid. My key takeaway was that it's possible for enterprise to thrive under all manner of circumstances.

 

Prior to LBS I worked in Tanzania, Zambia and Guyana leading expenditure reviews and providing economic expertise for the World Bank and the Department for International Development. International development organisations are moving more towards working with the private sector, and corporates are looking more at social impact and investment. Given my background as an economist, I decided to pursue an MBA to gain the technical knowledge to understand business and be more useful in the emerging space.

I believe LBS has provided me with the skills and understanding I might have otherwise struggled to gain in my industry. As the public, private sector and NGOs become more closely aligned I now have a fuller understanding of how these three spaces can come together, and the opportunities this could afford. Through LBS, I have access to people across these three sectors which has helped me to bridge my previous knowledge gaps and will enable me to have greater impact in the future.

 

I came to LBS not knowing what career I would pursue. My only wish was to find a meaningful job, a purpose to drive me. I got involved in the Net Impact Club, going to most events that were somewhat related to the social impact space and networking with professionals coming to LBS. The most amazing resource at LBS is its alumni, so I drew on this as much as possible, meeting everyone whose job seemed interesting to me. This is how I heard about Acumen’s opportunity in Ghana in their West Africa team, where I did my summer internship. I was supported by LBS to take on this internship through the MSc11 Award for Outstanding MBA students in the Non-Profit Sector. I heard about my second internship, at Social Finance, through meeting with alumni too.

I am now happily working part-time in their international development team as an associate, joining full-time as soon as I finish my MBA.