Oxford Saïd alumni Henning Ringholz has added a further prize from The Worshipful Company of International Bankers' (WCIB) for the quality of his dissertation.
Henning completed our Oxford Executive Diploma in Financial Strategy (DipFS) in 2020-21, gaining a distinction, and is now an executive coach and sustainability advisor.
He was among recipients, from a range of leading business schools, of the WCIB Prize, and has now won the organisation's sought-after Lombard Prize, for students at university business schools. Henning’s dissertation was on 'What needs to happen for more investment to flow into permanent capital vehicles investing in SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa?'
Henning has won £1,500 and an engraved silver salver from the WCIB and was presented with his award at its annual banquet at The Mansion House in the City of London by Master Robert Merrett (pictured).
He has answered our questions about how he feels about his success.
How do you feel about winning the overall prize/ what does it mean to you?
I am delighted and humbled to be the recipient of this award. It means a lot to me that this organisation, embedded in the world’s global financial capital, chose to reward a piece of work focused on sustainability and innovative finance in frontier markets. Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) and impact are becoming ever more central to the world of finance, and I am honoured to play a small part in that.
What advice do you have for new students joining the DipFS programme this year?
Make the most of this unique opportunity! The programme gives you a safe space to learn, experiment, and engage with topics that you may have never thought you could master, and thus presents a unique learning experience with like-minded students.
What do you miss most about studying at Saïd Business School?
Having the sounding board of a peer group, with whom to think deeply and engage with the material without fears of failure was a luxury that I miss daily. Having said that, this experience has allowed me to forge friendships for life, and a great network of collaborators is now never more than a WhatsApp message or phone call away.
Henning's work continues around impact investment, and he said he is "building out an executive coaching and leadership practice to help other pioneers and changemakers in the social enterprise non-governmental organisation, impact, and frontier finance areas".
Henning’s dissertation paper outlined the challenges for early-stage enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa to obtain adequate funding, and proposes that innovative fund managers should consider permanent capital vehicles as a structure for their funds. It discusses potential returns from investments in early-stage companies and outlines systemic changes needed to allay investors’ fears, and how fund managers can be "agents of change".
He has ten years’ experience in impact finance and more than 15 years’ experience in business, consulting, and as an entrepreneur.
His work was nominated by Programme Director Ken Okamura, Senior Lecturer in Finance, who said: 'We are very proud that Henning has gone on to win the WCIB Lombard Prize. His work drew upon all the academic elements of the diploma and applied them to an important topic in an excellent way. He exemplifies the qualities that we look for in our students and we are happy that his work has been honoured in this way.'
Photo of Henning with award: Andy Sillett Photography.