"Prerna Wadikar"

Oxford MBA wins prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Award

Published

Prerna Wadikar has been awarded the accolade for her outstanding commitment to social change.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Awards are given each year to Oxford University staff or students who demonstrate exceptional achievement and commitment to social change.

Oxford MBA Prerna Wadikar’s dedication to social impact has been shown throughout her MBA studies, during which she:

  • Started Jeeva Global, a green energy enterprise through which she has created an impactful portable energy product with the help of Livaah Innovation, an Indian electronic design and manufacturing company. The product helps microentrepreneurs in developing countries through supplying them with power on the move.
  • Co-created the Oxford India Business Conclave, an event focused on the youth building tomorrow’s India.
  • Volunteered in Oxfordshire, supporting immigrant communities.

The impact of Wadikar’s drive and determination has been huge, particularly through her green energy enterprise, Jeeva Global. It began after she saw how the pandemic was exacerbating social inequalities, particularly in her native India, where many labour markets depend on daily wages and physical labour.

She decided to take action, joining experts in the fields of green technology and green infrastructure development to explore the options for accelerating livelihood opportunities for microentrepreneurs through purpose-driven green initiatives.

"Jeeva product"
Jeeva product

The result was Jeeva, a solar chargeable lithium-ion portable battery for pushcart vendors. It is a portable solar-powered solution that can be fast charged in one hour and can run up to three devices simultaneously.

With sustainability at its heart, it can be made with end-of-life electric vehicle batteries, ensuring circularity is built in. Manufactured at scale, Wadikar hopes it will be one of the lowest priced solar chargeable products in its category globally.

Wadikar explained that India has over 10 million pushcart vendors and that globally there are 125 million registered micro, small and medium enterprises, with unregistered street vendors estimated to number around one billion.

The Oxford MBA played an important role in Wadikar’s entrepreneurial journey. She was selected by the Weidenfeld Hoffman Trust for their leadership development programme where enterprise development is a core component. She also accessed the Oxford Foundry where her product was shortlisted for a demo day, enabling her to connect with industry experts. The Enterprise Project module also enabled her to connect with fellow MBAs with experience in other developing countries, expanding her vision.

Social impact has always been important to Wadikar: ‘In most traditional Indian families, social impact is ingrained in our culture and our upbringing through principles such as "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which means "the world is one family" and putting other people’s needs before our personal pleasures.’ She is proud to uphold these values, academically, professionally and as a way of life.

She described receiving the award: ‘It was truly humbling to receive the award in recognition of my contribution to society while at Oxford and a decade long demonstration of social development through my personal and professional life.’

Kathy Harvey, Associate Dean, MBA and Executive Degrees, commented on the achievement: ‘We couldn’t be more proud of Prerna and the impact she has had during the last year, we look forward to following her progress as she continues to drive social change.’