A warm welcome to this year’s Laidlaw Scholars, part of our historic majority women MBA class

Tue, 10th October 2023

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As our School celebrates its first majority female MBA programme intake this year, we are delighted to announce this year’s all-women Laidlaw Scholars.

The Laidlaw Scholarship is intended to encourage extraordinary women with clear leadership potential to enrol onto the Oxford MBA programme when they would not have previously considered applying due to financial constraints. From upskilling teachers in Indonesia on STEM subjects, to making infrastructure projects greener and more sustainable, this year’s ten Laidlaw Scholars represent a broad range of fields from across the world. They are also part of an historic MBA cohort, the first in the School’s history to be 51% female.

We asked our scholars what they were looking forward to about life here at Oxford Saïd and what being a part of the MBA programme cohort, and a Laidlaw Scholar, means to them.

Atswei Mensah has worked as a risk consultant for the past seven years optimising the tools and processes of risk management to help financial institutions measure and manage risk. She is passionate about mentoring young women in the finance field.

She holds a bachelors degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Ghana Business School. She is also a Chartered Accountant and Certified Financial Risk Manager.

‘I am both humbled and proud to have been selected. It is humbling to know that among the many women who put forward compelling applications, I was selected. On the other hand, I am proud because this opportunity serves as a beacon of hope to other women like me to take a bet on themselves in achieving their wildest dreams.’

Shreya Bothra comes from a diverse professional background. She has eight years of experience - from founding a bespoke fashion business to leading brand marketing for D2C direct-to-consumer start-ups in India. She is also an advocate for gender equality, including through her website and project 'The Thinking Woman'. She aims to scale the project into a mentorship platform for women in India.

‘Studying at the most esteemed university in the world is a dream come true. On top of that, the choice of activities and societies such as the Oxford Union and OWLA Oxford Women in Leadership Alliance have me brimming with excitement. I also particularly look forward to interacting with people from such diverse backgrounds.’

Jessica Lauw began her career as a designer and brand consultant, where her works were recognised by the Adobe Achievement Awards, D&AD, and World Brand Design Society. She is passionate about education and has developed a training programme to upskill 3100+ Indonesian teachers in STEM subjects. She hopes to combine her creative and early-stage start-up experiences with the MBA to build a more equitable entrepreneurial education system for young female founders.

‘To anyone considering applying for the MBA or the scholarship, do not let the mindset that 'Oxford is not for someone like me' hinder you from submitting your application. At first, I thought someone with a creative background like me would not pass through the application, yet here I am! There's no such thing as the 'Oxford fit' profile; everyone I have met in the MBA and the Laidlaw community is outstanding in their way. Present your best self and let your application shine!’

Durga Ravindran is halfway through her Oxford 1+1 MBA programme, having recently completed the Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Blavatnik School of Government. Prior to this, she worked with the State Government of Telangana (India) on improving policies in areas such as women's entrepreneurship, school education, and maternal and child nutrition. Durga's goal is to collaborate with both businesses and governments to address the gender gap in developing countries, focusing on the intersection between finance and gender.

‘Oxford Saïd is a hub of purpose-driven leaders, and I eagerly anticipate immersing myself in the rich knowledge and experiences that my peers will bring. With an array of co-curricular opportunities the School offers, I am excited about the endless prospects of engagement and growth.’

Lisa Mugure is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with experience spanning railway and road construction, manufacturing, management consulting, and business administration. Hailing from Nairobi, Kenya, she studied Chinese Language and Culture at Tongji University and Civil Engineering at Lanzhou University of Technology in China.

She is passionate about promoting sustainable development and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, particularly in Africa.

'I am excited to meet and interact with Oxford's exceptional faculty and students. I am confident that this year will be an unforgettable one, full of exciting challenges and opportunities for growth. I can’t wait to get started!’

Simeen Kaleem from Aligahr, India, is a co-founder of Gramhal, a social impact organisation that aims to democratise data for a quarter million farmers. She has about a decade of experience in impact space, and is a strong advocate of carving spaces for women’s leadership. She is passionate about developing local solutions that empower marginalised communities.

'At Oxford Saïd, I am most excited to build friendships of a lifetime — bonds that will be both true and transformative, challenging and uplifting. With such an enriching environment and the promise of meaningful relationships, I'm ready to dive in with all my heart!'

Delicia Ulyta is from Jakarta, Indonesia, and has a bachelor’s degree in engineering management. She built a career in the retail banking industry across Indonesia and Singapore, and launched a variety of banking propositions aimed at the millennial and individual entrepreneur segments in Indonesia.

Delicia is passionate about improving financial inclusion in the Southeast Asia region by delivering innovative and accessible financial products. She aims to harness her expertise in fintech to create meaningful impacts on the broader community.

‘It feels so surreal! I am incredibly honoured to be selected among other amazing applicants. Laidlaw has generously supported my dream of pursuing higher education while at the same time giving me access to an incredible community of future women leaders.’

Drishti Basi holds a Bachelor of Business Management degree from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi, and worked at a management consulting firm. She also worked in an NGO where she built resilient and inclusive city systems through partnerships and synergies among governments, enterprises, and philanthropic foundations.

She believes in the power of responsible investments to shift the status quo at a systems level.

'It is humbling to be part of a legacy and a group of scholars with a clear intention to pay it forward by developing a generation of women who are unafraid to take the lead in the business world or otherwise. I look forward to finding a sisterhood in the Laidlaw scholars!'

Echika Obijiaku is the Founder and CEO of Mwanga, driving responsible use of credit in Africa, via ethical tech-enabled collections for 300k+ users weekly and has supported more than 1.5m people to become debt-free.

Echika aims to scale via credit education and intelligent debt management to help 10 million people gain a sustainable relationship with credit by 2030. In addition to this, she is connecting these people and other Africans to global BPO economic opportunities through the Yapha Academy. Having engaged 1,400+ Africans from 13 countries, her goal is to get 5 million Africans into jobs by 2030.

'It’s a huge honour to be a part of one of the most prestigious communities that supports emerging female leaders to gaining world class business education and global networks.'

Patricia dos Santos Goncalves, Laidlaw Scholar

Born and raised in the Netherlands to Portuguese parents, Patricia dos Santos Goncalves worked as a public and private sector consultant across eight different countries. She has served on the Council of Europe and been an NGO leader for seven years, advocating for access to human rights and quality education. As a sustainability expert, she recently spearheaded the creation of a Just Transition initiative at Deloitte UK to aid their clients in ‘hard to abate’ sectors in transitioning to a green workforce.

She is passionate about public-private sector partnerships and progressing large-scale initiatives that have a positive and tangible impact on society and people’s lives.

'I feel incredibly honoured to have been selected as part of an exceptional community of women that have been driving societal change across the world. It has not been easy to carve a career as a first-generation University graduate, with no pre-existing network and clear career role model.'

Applications for 2024 entry to the Oxford MBA are open until 20 March 2024.

Find out more about the Laidlaw Scholarships and how to apply for your place in…