Skollar 2005/06
Susana Frazao Pinheiro has been searching for solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic for the last twelve years. She started as a volunteer for a Portuguese HIV/AIDS NGO while completing her first degree. She holds a PhD in HIV Immunology from the University of Oxford and has carried out research in HIV-infection in Oxford and West Africa, which she has presented at international conferences. Prior to studying for her MBA at Oxford, she was working on a clinical trial for an HIV vaccine at Oxford funded by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). During her time at Oxford she served as a member of the Founding Committee of Oxford Entrepreneurs.
The realisation that a vaccine is still a distant prospect and yet we do possess the tools to stop the HIV-infection from spreading has led Susana to work on ways to expanding health infrastructure in West Africa. Her studies as a Skoll Scholar on the full-time one-year MBA programme at Saïd Business School allowed her to acquire invaluable knowledge in this area. One of the many challenges and highlights of her MBA experience was the strategic consulting project she carried out at the Peacekeeping Financing Division of the United Nations.
After completing the MBA programme, Susana moved to Lisbon where she has worked with the Ministry of Health. She has also worked as a consultant for US-based I-TECH on an HIV project in Mozambique.
Susana has recently launched an initiative in health and sustainable development in West Africa that led her to create Local InSight, a social enterprise aimed at ensuring equitable healthcare globally.
Susana is Invited Professor of Business Sustainability at the Lisbon MBA and Lecturer on Social Entrepreneurship at UCP. She co-Founded and serves as Executive Director of the Social Entrepreneurship Institute (IES) in Portugal and works as a consultant for UNDP.
She is part of the Expert Panel and is Senior Advisor for Business Sector Rating of AIDS Accountability International (AAI) and a Mentor at the Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT.
Susana is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Commerce.