My first career ambition was to be a marine biologist. My second, at seven years old, was to become President of the United States. Somewhere along the way I realized that neither of those would be good options for me, and I fell in love with the private markets… which led me to do my MBA at Oxford.
My foray into finance happened almost accidentally. I had been working in politics for a few years as a Field Director, a position that I loved, despite the fact that the hours were longer than investment banking, but eventually I came to an uncomfortable realization: I knew nothing about how the economy worked. I was torn – how could I, in good conscience, tell people who to vote for if I couldn’t understand this crucial piece of what politicians were tasked with legislating?
So I took a seeming step back from my managerial Field Director position to become an assistant for the Middle Market team at a commercial bank. I thought I would learn a bit about finance and go back into politics, but life had other ideas. A friend of mine referred me to the investor relations team at a late-stage technology private equity firm, and the rest is history. I quickly grew enamored of the boundless possibilities in business; liaising with investors who had been successful entrepreneurs, I was able to see how much impact people can make in the world when they use drive and big-picture thinking to turn great ideas into reality.
Tapping into a global community
Some people come into the MBA with incredibly specific goals and target outcomes. I was not one of them. But I made one key assumption: that the experience would transform me positively through osmosis in ways I couldn’t possibly predict. My main goal, then, was to immerse myself as much as possible into life at the business school, meet as many interesting people as I could, and see how I came out on the other side of graduation.
Practically, this meant getting very involved with extracurriculars. I was lucky enough to get elected as one of the two Co-Presidents of the class (alongside Ifeoluwa Olokode), which let me indulge in what I love most about politics – getting to know people and their priorities and helping make them happen.
I was also elected as Co-Chair of the Family Business and Office Circle (alongside Saksham Kapoor, Khánh An Vu, Matheus Bittar Barra, and Samir Padival), which was one of the most intellectually enriching parts of the year. We put on fourteen events with incredible speakers, partnered with the Ownership Project, and even planned an inaugural trek to Switzerland to learn from multi-family offices, private banks, and investment firms (I had the pleasure of organizing that trip with the great team of Alex Kägi, Saksham Kapoor, and Lisa Li).
Our 333-person class had 63 nationalities represented. I have lived abroad at various points throughout my life, but never before had I been exposed to the depth and breadth of understanding that happens when a myriad of that many cultures comes together. From the Oxford-sponsored Africa and India forums to late-night conversations with classmates over chai, there was always lots to learn. From a business perspective, the globe is increasingly interconnected, and having close friends from all over the world has opened up a world of possibilities.
The Oxford toolbox for post-MBA life
When I arrived at Oxford, I had only an idea of what I wanted to do after, but held onto the belief that the answer would reveal itself if I continued to immerse myself in the Oxford environment. Since I wasn’t doing structured hiring, I focused on my elected positions, Finance Lab, and Asset Management Masterclass after my MBA courses were over for the day. Having the freedom to take up those activities was such a blessing, as it gave me access to an incredible community and countless pieces of knowledge.
The Entrepreneurship Project course was a delight. While in the end we didn’t go forward with the idea we pitched outside of the Oxford bubble, the class taught us so much about the realities of building a company, which made it much easier to conceive of my own venture.
Starting my firm, Élever Partners, had been a pipe dream for a while, but it was Oxford that gave me the courage to turn it into a living, breathing entity. I turned my experience in and love of investor relations into a finance-focused communications and marketing firm. From high-level strategic guidance to tangible pitch decks and websites, we help financial firms and startups communicate their value to the market with clarity and confidence.
Looking back at my career, while my journey from being a Fulbright fellow in Turkey to working as a Field Director in Virginia and then in private equity investor relations might be non-linear, I’ve always been drawn to roles where I can learn deeply about people and connect with them, helping solve their problems.
This is also the heart of good communications and storytelling. You can’t relay information that you don’t understand, and being curious about people is the first step to that understanding. Asking the right questions is the next one. There is always more to discover.
The Oxford community of friends, professors, and the careers team has been invaluable throughout this process. From offering helpful pieces of advice to providing encouragement, they have given me so much strength and self-belief. I’ve even had a few Oxford clients!
Advice for incoming MBAs
Everyone has a different emotional and financial tolerance for uncertainty. Get to know what yours is before the MBA starts, and make decisions accordingly. Admittedly, privilege plays a big part in this, as does your comfort level with the unknown.
The year goes by quickly – quicker than you would think, as there is always more to do than you’ll have time for. Try to get the '101' level questions out of the way before you get here (eg 'What is consulting like?, What is private equity like?) so you can spend your time at Oxford going deep in the areas that align with you, and have more time with your classmates.
Keep a big-picture outcome in mind throughout the MBA and hold yourself accountable to that high-level vision – not what other people are doing. If you came into a restaurant craving sushi, you wouldn’t order chicken just because your friend did… resist the temptation to follow the herd when it comes to MBA activities. It’s easy to get swept up in job applications that you don’t actually care about just because people around you are doing it. Instead, spend that time cultivating relationships with people you like and people whose lives fascinate you. Time is your most valuable resource; wield it wisely.
Next steps
Our world is changing faster than we can comprehend. As AI expands into more industries and functions, the value of human-to-human interaction and unique insights will only become more evident. As I grow the business, some near-term guiding questions will be:
- What can I do that another person or AI can’t do, and how can I do that work more impactfully?
- What am I currently doing that I should be delegating (to another person or AI), and how can I use available tools to scale?
- How can I position the firm for sustainable growth and long-term client relationships?
I’m excited to see where this goes and am ever grateful to the Oxford community for helping make it a reality. If you’re looking for comms advice, a compelling website or pitch deck, or have Oxford questions, you can find me on LinkedIn or at my website.
Find out more about the Oxford MBA
