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Three undergraduate students win first Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize for Economics and Management

Published

Lucas Rollinson (first), Tinu Reji (second) and Emma Higginson (third) are the winners of the first Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize for Economics and Management.

The award was sponsored by Intesa Sanpaolo, one of Europe’s leading banking groups and a significant supporter of Oxford University and Saïd Business School. The three second-year undergraduates, studying BA (Hons) in Economics and Management, were awarded at a special celebration hosted at Oxford Saïd.

Entrants were asked to write a short op-ed in the style of the Financial Times, on the theme: ‘Does responsible business require more formal regulatory intervention?’. There were three prizes, for £1,000, £500 and £250, as well as an internship for one winner at the Brussels office of Intesa Sanpaolo this summer.

 

I am happy to use this very generous prize from Intesa Sanpaolo to fund a contribution to the work of Enda Graf Sahel, a Senegalese NGO enabling entrepreneurial ventures in under-resourced communities.

Lucas Rollinson

Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize winner

Commenting on his win, Lucas said: ‘I am happy to use this very generous prize from Intesa Sanpaolo to fund a contribution to the work of Enda Graf Sahel, a Senegalese NGO I have worked with, which among other things is engaged in enabling entrepreneurial ventures in under-resourced communities. In an ideal world a responsible private sector would be the best driver for development; in reality there is a need for institutions such as NGOs.’

Reflecting on his success, Tinu said: ‘I am pleased to receive this prestigious award for my work on regulation in driving responsible business. Research in this area highlighted the advancements made in recent times, but also revealed that we are still quite distant from reaching independent corporate responsibility. I hope future initiatives, such as the Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize, will continue to shed light on further research into this crucial field.’

Emma, who will be taking up the internship with Intesa Sanpaolo this summer, commented: ‘The Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize was a fantastic opportunity to consider different points of view surrounding such a topical debate. I hadn’t written an op-ed before, nor had I really explored the effects of increasing regulatory intervention on ESG. I am incredibly excited to intern with Intesa Sanpaolo this summer: from gaining invaluable banking experience to learning about EU working culture, I know that it will be very helpful for my transition to the working world post-graduation.’

Research in this area highlighted the advancements made in recent times, but also revealed that we are still quite distant from reaching independent corporate responsibility.

Tinu Reji

Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize winner

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The awards were presented by Mauro Micillo, CEO of Banca IMI, the investment bank division of Intesa Sanpaolo, at a dinner hosted by our Dean, Professor Soumitra Dutta, and Stefano Lucchini, Head of Institutional and Regulatory Affairs at Intesa Sanpaolo, for all second-year E&M students, tutors and faculty. While praising the ‘excellent quality’ of the entries, Mauro Micillo reflected on the theme of this year’s prize, and how companies need to think beyond regulation ‘and strive to operate in the best interest of the communities they serve. Today's businesses are, more than ever, aware of the fact that true success hinges on striking a delicate balance between profit creation and commitment to promptly address society’s needs.’

The Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize was a fantastic opportunity to consider different points of view surrounding such a topical debate.

Emma Higginson

Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize winner

The judges were Pegram Harrison, Director of the E&M programme and a Senior Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Rupert Younger, Director of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation (CCR), which devised and administered the prize, and Eva Schlindwein, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the CCR.

Pegram commented: ‘It has been a pleasure reading and evaluating such a high quality set of submissions on a theme that is relevant across the Economics and Management curriculum here at Oxford. On behalf of the judges, I extend our thanks to all who entered, Intesa Sanpaolo and the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation for making this possible, and of course to the three 2024 award winners.’

Read more on the Economics and Management degree.