Meet The MBA Class of 2021: Ian Loh, University of Oxford (Saïd)

Ian Loh

University of Oxford, Saïd Business School

I am energized to engineer innovative financial solutions to tackle real-world problems.”

Hometown: Singapore

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been to 21 cities across Greater China, either for leisure or for business.

Undergraduate School and Major: Tsinghua University, Bachelor of Economics, Major in Economics & Finance

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: UBS Investment Bank, Associate Director

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Oxford Saïd’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Having experienced and benefited from globalization, I want to be a global leader with a sense of responsibility to make a long-lasting impact to systems and communities. As one of the world’s leading business school with a focus on global impact, the Oxford MBA programme offers many modules that both challenge and empower me to think about impact investing, responsible business and sustainability and stewardship.

Not only so, I was able to expand my financial expertise into private market investments such as venture capital and private equity, having been selected to join the Oxford Saïd Finance Lab, the Asset Management Masterclass and the Oxford Entrepreneurship Venture Financing Programme.

What is the most “Oxford” thing you have done so far as a full-time MBA student? To have dinner at The Hall of Christ Church (as featured heavily in “Harry Potter” movies) with my classmates, discussing the “Efficient Market Hypothesis”.

Oxford is known as a place where world collides, be it in the classroom or the dining hall. What has been the most interesting interaction you’ve had so far as an Oxford MBA student? Having to discuss some of the pressing economic issues – In particular, an Oxford-style debate on whether bitcoin will ever replace gold as a storage of value.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My most memorable deal as a derivatives analyst was structuring a multi-million option linked to mutual fund for a FinTech client as a balance sheet management solution. This was the first deal that was fully under my responsibility – from client pitching and deal structuring to eventually closing the deal. This deal required me to work closely with different teams across the investment bank, such as the quant team to ensure we have the right pricing model, the legal team to ensure we have the appropriate cross-border legal framework, and the operations team to ensure trades are settled in a timely manner.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? I was fortunate to be elected by my peers as the Co-Chair of the Oxford Business Network for Finance, which gave me the opportunity to value-add to the collective experience of my MBA cohort. I aim to contribute by organizing events for career development and social networking well within the constraints due to the global pandemic.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to the London Business School and Cambridge Judge Business School.

What has been the biggest epiphany you’ve gained about yourself or the world since you started your MBA program? The global pandemic has accelerated the transition into the fourth industrial revolution. Through the lenses of the experience at the business school, being adaptable and open-minded towards digitalization is critical in emerging stronger after the pandemic and capturing the next wave of opportunities for sustainable growth.

DON’T MISS: MEET OXFORD’S MBA CLASS OF 2021

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.