£1 million gift to help ease cost-of-living crisis
Generous donation by LBS alumni Dr Fiona Pathiraja and Mr Søren Fryland Møller establishes Pathiraja Fryland Møller Staff Support Fund
London Business School (LBS) alumni Dr Fiona Pathiraja and Mr Søren Fryland Møller, both EMBALS2017, have made a £1 million donation to the School’s Forever Forward Campaign.
The gift establishes the Pathiraja Fryland Møller Staff Support Fund and will award £200,000 each year over a five-year period to lower-paid members of the School’s staff. Distribution of the first round of funding took place in December 2022.
In giving to LBS’s Forever Forward Campaign, Søren and Fiona - who met as classmates on the School’s EMBA programme - chose to recognise the invaluable contribution made by staff most affected by current cost-of-living pressures.
Fiona and Søren said: “LBS is very special to us. We met in class and got married last summer, and have always valued the importance LBS places on its people. The staff are a key part of what makes LBS a special place.”
They continued: “We focus our philanthropy on causes that help to level the playing field and strengthen communities. The LBS staff who receive this funding are those who are critical to the School’s smooth running, and are most at risk of being impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. We wanted to support the Forever Forward Campaign to help the School accelerate its global impact, and thought it is only fitting to give back to the school that has given us so much.”
François Ortalo-Magné, Dean of LBS, said: “We are very grateful to Fiona and Søren for this remarkable gift. Their support shines an important spotlight on the invaluable role our staff play in enabling the School to fulfil its purpose; their generosity is deeply appreciated and has already meant so much to colleagues most affected by the current economic crisis. This gift, focussing solely on lower-paid staff, is the first of its kind ever received by LBS.
“It is my hope that Søren and Fiona’s gift will also inspire many in our community to contribute to our Forever Forward Campaign.”
Søren is founder of IPQ Capital, a Copenhagen-based private investment company; Fiona is a former NHS radiologist turned healthtech investor at Crista Galli Ventures. They sit on the LBS Forever Forward Campaign Leadership Board as Vice Chairs.
