""

School triumphs in Financial Times Responsible Business Education Awards - first place for 'Best School' and 'Academic Research'

Published

The Financial Times has named Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford a double winner in their first global Responsible Business Education Awards.

The School won in both the overall ‘Best Schools’ and the ‘Academic Research’ categories. The overall award celebrated ESG-minded business schools with sustainability-focused curricula and low-carbon campuses that show a willingness to address the pressing needs of society and the environment. Oxford Saïd was one of five winners, and the only UK school to feature, selected by a panel of international judges drawn from business, academia and non-profit organisations.

We have always taken our responsibility in this space seriously, turning out future leaders equipped to make the world better, and tackling global challenges through impactful research or leading by example through how we run and manage our campuses.

Kathy Harvey

Associate Dean of MBA and Executive Degrees

""

Commenting on the overall win, and what sets the School apart, Associate Dean of MBA and Executive Degrees, Kathy Harvey said: ‘We’re delighted to be recognised for our work here. We have always taken our responsibility in this space seriously, whether through turning out future leaders equipped to make the world better, tackling global challenges through impactful research or leading by example through how we run and manage our campuses.

‘I’m proud to say that before business schools really started talking about sustainability and efficiency, we were already redesigning part of the curriculum to reflect our principles of fostering impact from within. Now 51% of our school’s core teaching contains Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) related content.’

Students at the School can also draw on the expertise of the wider University’s research centres, including the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship based at Oxford Saïd. MBAs and EMBAs also take part in the celebrated GOTO challenge where leading organisations invite students to solve some of their most pressing challenges related to economic, social, environmental or health issues.

Alongside teaching, the School’s entry also highlighted an ongoing partnerships with the Turing Trust recycling old computers for African schools, inspiring high school students across the world with a global Climate Change Challenge competition at COP28 and partnering with local Oxford charity Be Free Young Carers with regular giving events.

Women's security is an immense global challenge. Our work in India brought together an interdisciplinary research team with committed partners in the police - a critical step towards achieving impact.

Akshay Mangla

Associate Professor in International Business

""

The Academic Research award recognised compelling research that helps businesses and other organisations improve, addressing vital societal and environmental issues in a practical way. The School’s Associate Professor in International Business, Akshay Mangla, triumphed with his 2022 research looking at police reforms to help address gender-based violence in India, co-authored with Sandip Sukhtankar, and Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner, both from the University of Virginia.

Commenting on the findings and importance of their research, Akshay said: 'Women's security is an immense global challenge. Our work in India brought together an interdisciplinary research team with committed partners in the police. This collaborative, field-based approach helped us understand when and how police officers are more responsive to women's cases, a critical step towards achieving impact’

The School’s focus on sustainability stretches back to when it was first designed, with the main Park End Street campus featuring a solar photovoltaic system when it opened 27 years ago. Currently the gas boilers are being replaced by heat pumps, which will cut carbon use by 144 tonnes next year.

Whilst our primary motivation is improving the sustainability of our operations and embedding ESG in our curriculum and research, awards such as this provide an opportunity to celebrate our achievements so far.

Jack Stone

Head of Sustainability

As part of the School’s push to reduce its environmental impact and meet zero emission targets, Jack Stone joined as the first Head Sustainability in 2021. Commenting on the awards he said: ‘This success reflects our determination to be as responsible a business school as possible, and the tremendous work done by my colleagues across Oxford Saïd. Whilst our primary motivation is improving the sustainability of our operations and embedding ESG in our curriculum and research, awards such as this provides assurance that we are on the right track and provide an opportunity to celebrate our achievements so far.

‘It is important to remember that Oxford Saïd is early on in this journey, and we look forward to sharing even more successes soon. The launch of our highly sustainable Global Leadership Centre, the expansion of our bespoke ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and a new framework for mapping our curriculum against the UN Sustainable Development Goals are just a few upcoming highlights. I’d like to thank everyone involved in our sustainability mission, as none of it would be possible without this passion and hard work.’