Seven members of the Global Shapers community, a World Economic Forum initiative, have just begun their MBA at Oxford Saïd. The Shapers have all been identified as exceptional individuals who undertake projects at their local Hubs with the aim of improving their community.
Oxford says the business school’s emphasis on social innovation, responsible leadership, and entrepreneurship complements the spirit of the Global Shapers.
Current Oxford MBA student and Global Shaper Kareem Edwards expressed the importance of the relationship: “Business and business education can be viewed in a negative light especially amongst those involved in social impact. However, the Oxford MBA actively explores the synergies between robust business models and sustainable social impact. This is especially beneficial to members of the Global Shapers community. The Oxford MBA helps you to realise the full potential of your ideas in order to create a lasting positive impact.”
The seven Shapers don’t just come from geographically diverse backgrounds, but also from a variety of industries.
Kareem Edwards (Port of Spain Hub) has worked in various roles internationally with global energy company BG Group; while in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago, Kareem spends his time mentoring disadvantaged and marginalised youth who have undergone significant emotional trauma. A Shaper since 2014 he was previously employed by Procter & Gamble before joining Twitter’s sales operations and strategy team in Singapore.
Former Strategy Consultant for PwC, Sonia Lipski (Sydney Hub) founded Project Everest, a venture which develops social enterprises across agribusiness, hospitality, healthcare, and financial services.
Mohamed El Dahshan (Cairo Hub), a development economist and writer, aims to use the Oxford MBA to fill the gaps in his knowledge in order to become a world-class business leader and analyst.
Ambesh Tiwari (Bhopal Hub) has spent the past few years working for 21st Century Fox’s Star India on television shows which challenged the status quo, and questioned the norms of society; he was a founding member of the Bhopal Hub.
Tana, who has worked in the mining industry, founded the Mongolian Young Scholars Programme in 2011, to identify and prepare outstanding Mongolian high school students for admissions to top universities abroad. Tana noted “Global Shapers love to circulate and build ideas into actionable pursuits and the Oxford MBA will be the perfect place to do this.”
Frank, whose background is in the music industry, founded both World Faith, a global interfaith development organization, and Mean Communications, a digital strategy consultancy.
The School offers two exclusive full scholarships, (Global Shapers Community Scholarship) to attend the full time MBA programme and Shapers are also free to apply to a non-exclusive pool of scholarship funding, which includes prestigious awards such as Pershing Square Scholarship or the Skoll scholarships for Social Entrepreneurs.