Since 2014 the Pershing Square Foundation has collaborated with Saïd Business School, University Oxford to award full scholarships to outstanding future leaders on the School’s 1+1 MBA programme, which allows participants to combine a specialist Master’s degree from one of several Oxford University departments with the School’s one-year MBA.
The Scholarship provides funding for tuition, college fees and living expenses, and the Scholars also benefit from a unique mentoring plan.
‘The most interesting business careers and the most challenging issues in the world require leaders to have depth and breadth of understanding and expertise,’ commented Peter Tufano, Peter Moores Dean and Professor of Finance at Oxford Saïd. ‘The Pershing Square Foundation’s gift will allow exceptional future leaders to gain deep knowledge and action-orientated business skills while being mentored by one of the most illustrious leaders in their fields. This customised, fully funded, two-year path eclipses all others. It’s simply a chance of a lifetime to help shape and develop amazing individuals who can go on to make an outstanding impact on the world.’ Six recipients were awarded the Scholarship this year:
Tim Krupa, British Columbia, Canada, Master of Public Policy
Before joining Oxford, Tim worked on the policy team in the Office of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, advising on youth, sport, and disabilities policy.
Tim was raised in Kelowna, BC and studied biochemistry (BSc ’13) and political science (MA ’15) at the University of British Columbia. In 2013 he worked in Zambia to research the determinants of well-being among Zambian children, and his work in this field saw him recognised as the ‘UBC graduate most likely to change the world.’
‘I really believe it’s important in life to have a positive impact on as many people as possible. That’s what the Pershing Square Scholarship is all about. It’s a tremendous opportunity.’
Vuyane Mhlomi, Cape Town, South Africa, DPhil Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Vuyane, a former Rhodes Scholar and medical doctor who was raised in a notorious township on the fringes of Cape Town, aims to transform the lives of future generations through education, healthcare and entrepreneurship. His non-profit organisation – the MH Foundation – uses education as an instrument to cultivate Africa’s future leaders while ensuring that the most marginalised children can fulfil their true potential.
After graduating from medical school, Vuyane witnessed first-hand the failings of the South African public healthcare system and its devastating impact on the poor and marginalised. To tackle this problem, Vuyane also co-founded the Emergent Healthcare Group (EHCG), a company that will commission affordable, accessible and quality healthcare centres.
Tulsi Parida, Mumbai, India & New York, USA, MSc in Social Science of the Internet
Tulsi’s ambition is to improve literacy in the Global South by utilising advances in accessible technology.
Following time spent with Teach for America in The Bronx, Tulsi joined Newsela, an education tech company, before relocating to India to oversee the growth of a mobile English learning app. She joins the pioneering Oxford Master’s in Social Science of the Internet in order to develop an expert understanding of the changing role of the Internet in society, and how it can be best utilised to revolutionise opportunities for education in the developing world.
‘I am specifically interested in addressing inequalities in education through technology. The 1+1 MBA will give me the opportunity to learn the specific issues of the problem through my MSc and the practical skills to execute a solution through the MBA.’
Carl Rietschel, Hamburg, Germany, MSc in Computer Science
Carl’s aim is to use artificial intelligence technology to tackle world-scale problems, while improving the ethics and accountability of the AI industry.
He found his passion for computing early in life, assembling his own computer at the age of 12. Carl graduated with a degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge before joining the Boston Consulting Group, where he gained exposure to major government projects as well as the financial industry. A long-standing dedication to technology underpins Carl’s ambition for the future: convinced by the potential of AI to make a positive impact in the world, he is eager to shape this industry for the better.
‘The 1+1 MBA has opened not only the opportunity for me to continue my studies at a world class university, but with its community and mentorship programme, it will also provide a unique setting in which to further develop and achieve my future goals.’
Giorgio Tarraf, Beirut, Lebanon, MSc in Comparative Social Policy
Born at the tail end of the Civil War, Giorgio witnessed the failings of post-war development policies and their tremendous impact on Beirut and its population.
His goal is to improve the living conditions of urban populations around the world through the development of sustainable urban plans, with a focus on post-conflict reconstruction.
Giorgio co-founded Save Beirut Heritage (SBH) after losing his ancestral family home to rampant urbanisation. SBH quickly grew from a Facebook group to one of the largest cultural organizations in the region with over 10,000 volunteers. It helped preserve over 120 landmarks in the Lebanese capital in just four years.
Facing intimidation as a result of his work, Giorgio immigrated to the United States and joined the United Nations at its Headquarters in New York, at the office of the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the head of the UN Department of Information.
Lauren Xie, California, USA, MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance
Through her experience working in Indonesia, Lauren understands that today’s complex human and environmental challenges have urgent ethical implications.
Lauren is a first-generation Chinese American and a Harvard graduate. Her career led her to Indonesia, where she has worked on the complex issues surrounding deforestation and indigenous peoples’ rights.
From 2015, she worked for CSIRO Australia on a project under the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Rural Economic Development, which focused on improving the incomes of 10,000 small farmers in Eastern Indonesia.
‘The MSc year will give me the theoretical tools to think through these issues, and the MBA year will strengthen my practical skills so that I can turn my new knowledge into action.’
To arrange interviews with the Pershing Square Scholars, please contact the press office.
Tom Pilsworth, PR Coordinator, Saïd Business School
T: +44 (0)1865 288879 M: +44 (0)7753277689
Email: thomas.pilsworth@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Josie Powell, PR Manager, Saïd Business School
T: +44 (0) 1865 288403 M: +44 (0)7711 387215
Email: josie.powell@sbs.ox.ac.uk or pressoffice@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Pershing Square Foundation
In 2006, Bill and Karen Ackman founded The Pershing Square Foundation (PSF) to support exceptional leaders and innovative organizations that tackle important social issues and deliver scalable and sustainable impact across the globe. In the decade since, PSF has committed $400 million in grants and social investments across a number of fields, including health and medicine, education, economic development and social justice. By investing in pioneering individuals, non-profits and mission driven companies who dare to re-imagine the possible, PSF has helped to bring about important breakthroughs — from cancer research and small scale agriculture to criminal justice reform and educational opportunities for young people in communities around the world. For more information visit: www.pershingsquarefoundation.org
Saïd Business School
Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford blends the best of new and old. We are a vibrant and innovative business school, but yet deeply embedded in an 800 year old world-class university. We create programmes and ideas that have global impact. We educate people for successful business careers, and as a community seek to tackle world-scale problems. We deliver cutting-edge programmes and ground-breaking research that transform individuals, organisations, business practice, and society. We seek to be a world-class business school community, embedded in a world-class University, tackling world-scale problems.
www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/degrees/1plus1/pershing-square-scholarship
